OLIN COMP IV Successor?

[Bill Talbot]

It occurred to me the other day that this ski was the heir apparent to the very capable Olin Comp IV. It came out roughly ten years after the Comp IV which followed the infamous Orange Olin IV.

The ski in question is the Ohlin Extreme Comp, the 'Ultimate Bump Ski'. I believe it appeared in 1988.

Here's the tale of the tape;
IV, 83-68-77
COMP, 88-70-79
EXTREME, 88-67-76

I think I'll have to do some back to back testing this upcoming season. Of the three I am most familiar with the COMP IV. Never skied the COMP and EXTREME back to back. So I'll have a nice Olin testing night to look forward to!

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

 

[Uncle-A]

Your progression of the IV to the IV Comp, and the Extreme Comp does make good sense because a manufacturer needs to give the consumer a reason purchase new product in a given performance slot. Of the three skis I have only skied the original IV and that seemed like a solid ski. Unfortunately I put the wrong binding (Burt Bindings) on them that made them very heavy. That didn't give me a great feeling for the ski, I sold the bindings first and never remounted the ski before I sold them. What would make a interesting comparison is what is the difference in the construction of the three skis. My guess would be the addition of metal to the construction of the newer models. If any information on the three constructions is available this thread would be a good place to do the comparison. Thanks

 

[Choucas]

The Mark IV and Mark IV Comp were quite different. The Mark IV used the same sidecut as the Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III. Dubbed a "modern" slalom sidecut, it was a rear waisted sidecut (narrowest part being aft of the midpoint of the running surface) that was developed by Hermann Schultes the designer of the Kastle CPM who did consulting for Olin back then. A lot of similarities between the Olin's and the Kastle's. The Mark IV had an aluminum top edge, but no load bearing metal. It used a cracked edge. Flexwise, It had a softer tip for bump skiing, and a turned up tail. As the Mark IV got longer in the tooth, the Mark IV Comp was introduced and positioned above the Mark IV. It used an "expanded" slalom sidecut which was pretty much the same shape as the IV but with a 70mm waist. This sidecut was also used on the Mark I M Series which used a sold edge and metal top edges. The Mark IV Comp used a plastic top edge (shared with the Mark VI) and cracked edges. The Mark IV Comp along with the Mark IIIS were the first skis (other than ballet skis) that were produced without a center groove in the base. The groove quickly disappeared from all skis from all manufacturers shortly thereafter. The Mark IV and the Mark IV Comp were the #1 selling premium ski models in the country for several years running through the mid to late 70's and into the early 80's.
The Extreme Comp (sometime in the mid 80's?) evolved out of the Olin 870 which was essentially a rebadged Mark IV. Same fiberglass laminate construction on a wood core, with aluminum top edges and cracked edges. I thought that it used the same sidecut, but your numbers suggest otherwise. The turned up tail went away as bump skiing skis slid out of favor.
Have fun with your testing.

 

[Bill Talbot]

@Choucas , thanks for the break down on the Ohlin bump lineup.

If you get a chance maybe add some info in our 'Brand Index' for Ohlin here;

All Things Olin

All Things Olin Olin Skis and Ski Boots

www.skitalk.com

Thanks!