• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Peak Skis

willy384

Booting up
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 24, 2021
Posts
28
Location
Marin
Anyone have a chance to try the Peak skis yet? I would love some feedback on the skis.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy

 

Pajarito-bred

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
May 20, 2020
Posts
142
Location
Grand Junction CO
Phil has a video and review of this year's model, I'm very intrigued, but also a bit skeptical.
Reasons I'm intrigued:
1) Bode Miller
2) Good review by Phil
3) Desire to branch out, instead of just getting a pair of Volkl M6's

Reasons I'm skeptical:
1) Phil was not a huge fan of my M5's which I love, and any new ski would ( at-least partially) have to replace. While the reviews here are super-valuable, I'd prefer to demo first. I didn't demo the M5's but had skied Kendos for several years.
2) I'm not sure the soft flex / long radius is the character of ski I'd like, without being able to demo
3) My limited ski-demo experience, and experience with demoing skis I thought I'd love but that I was happy to give back. So far at least, no opportunity to demo Peak skis for us normal folks.
4) Having to take new Peak skis to my local shop to buy bindings and get them mounted, and having to explain why I didn't just get the M6's off their rack.

Ooh I'd attempted to link to Phil's reviews but "somebody else" got there first!

I would like to find a demo day to try out some skis this season, but might actually be better to just dedicate a ski-day to trying some demo skis, and avoid the Zooey-ness of the last Copper mountain demo day I attended. Might still buy a pair of Peak 98's but would at least like to demo the M6's maybe some others first.

I was one of the guinea pigs for Bucky Kashiwa's Volant skis when they were brand-new in the late 80's (he was a local engineer, and his brother Hank was a top ski racer) The stainless-steel cap was an intriguing new technology (the Solomon caps were new then, too, not sure who was first). I got a pair of ZX-2's 200cm, which replaced my old reliable Olin MK-VI GS skis. I went thru quite a few pair with de-lam and breakage troubles.

Stuff Bode already knows:
Designing and building skis is hard.
Marketing them is even harder.
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,297
Location
Reno


 
Thread Starter
TS
W

willy384

Booting up
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 24, 2021
Posts
28
Location
Marin
I watched all the videos when they were introduced . I was looking for some other opinions and reviews.
Thanks much-
 

Dwight

Practitioner of skiing, solid and liquid
Admin
Moderator
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Posts
7,441
Location
Central Wisconsin
I watched all the videos when they were introduced . I was looking for some other opinions and reviews.
Thanks much-
This is the first season for the Peak and resorts are just starting to open. I would imagine it will be a while before other people get on them. Phil and Tricia really are one of the few people that have been on them and been able to review them.
 

Pajarito-bred

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
May 20, 2020
Posts
142
Location
Grand Junction CO
Well.

Damn.

Your mission ..... buy both Peak and M6, ski exhaustively, come bath with definitive comparison.
That's just about the best advice I've heard since Obi-Wan suggested to Luke: "Use the Force...."

I have bikes and boats in my garage that can be attributed to friendly advice like Paul's, but my ski-quiver # is stuck at one, unless counting obsolete, broken, or rock skis -- could happen, If I don't hear an objection from my checkbook (in the next 2 seconds, while it's in the other room, with the door closed, under a pillow)
 

Jack skis

Ex 207cm VR17 Skier
Skier
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Posts
886
Location
Fidalgo Island, WA
I saw a pair of Peaks awaiting binding mounting while picking up my freshly waxed pair of Blossom Pure 99s. i didn't dare touch'em for fear of catching an immediate need to buy a pair.
 

ScottB

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Oct 29, 2016
Posts
2,166
Location
Gloucester, MA
Paging @ski otter 2, I think he has bought some and has them in his possession, might be awaiting binding mounting. But he has skied a few days already this season, so he might have an early sneak peak for us???
 

ski otter 2

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Posts
2,920
Location
Front Range, Colorado
Paging @ski otter 2, I think he has bought some and has them in his possession, might be awaiting binding mounting. But he has skied a few days already this season, so he might have an early sneak peak for us???
Not yet. Soon.
Mounted them in the Fall. But WRODs are just not ideally where I want to start skiing them, probably. Dunno. (I might get impatient, though.)
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,442
Not yet. Soon.
Mounted them in the Fall. But WRODs are just not ideally where I want to start skiing them, probably. Dunno. (I might get impatient, though.)
Which ones?
I saw them at the ski show. Looked nice.
 

ski otter 2

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Posts
2,920
Location
Front Range, Colorado
I got out on the Peak 98s today for the first time, at Keystone in 4" or so of powder/crud/skied off later terrain.
There were few people there for the first hour plus, so I could play with the skis more.

It's a great ski, at least for me. :) I posted a new thread about it,


Feel free to add to that if you feel like it!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

ski otter 2

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Posts
2,920
Location
Front Range, Colorado
P.S. They buried my thread as a post at the bottom of Phil's Peak ski review, so that's where you'll have to go.
I'll try to post it here:

I skied the Peak 98/184 in a reported 4-5" of light fresh snow today, at Keystone. Parts of the runs were groomed, most were not.
This ski gets top rating from me, FWTW. (This has to be a preliminary take, since I've only been out on it for one day.)

Initially I'd ordered just the Peak 104 and 110, since I mostly am set/good with skis I have that are 98 and under at the waist, and 111 and over.

But a few months later, before my order had shipped, I noticed that Peak still hadn't sold out of their initial stock. Same offer, same price.
I gave in and ordered the Peak 98s also.
(Bode had said this was a ski that 80% of skiers [would enjoy] skiing 80% of the time. Maybe me too.)

Whatever was going on with the Peak 98, I figured it would be good for someone with a bit of race background, for starters,
given who was designing and prototyping it.

Sure enough, as with the Crosson skis, what Bode said - and demonstrated - about this Peak ski was accurate
(though not likely I'll ski it that high a percentage of my days :) ):
it's great, versatile, and a bit different at least - An all mountain ski that handles fresh snow/crud, some uneven, groomers.
It could easily be someone's daily driver, or one ski quiver. 5 stars.
(Uniform bumps and trees will have to wait for another day, or another skier.)

The first thing I noticed was it was damp, unflappable at least to start with, not pushing it.
Also, it had some float, and made the conditions I found easy.
It carved well, in a direct way that was like what a racer would want, groomer, or in new snow.
Yet it could also be skied more playfully, with slarve, a bit relaxed.
It handled the areas that had been groomed as well as any 88 ski or above in width I know of;
it did this in a way I'd thought the Stockli 88 would do, until I demoed that 88 and found I had to adjust more, make more effort.
The Peak 98 handled areas that were a bit of powder, and areas that were variable or crud.
It seemed to be completely dependable, carve or slarve, in the soft conditions I skied in today. Just tops.

Comparing the Peak 98 to other top skis of that width, at least on a preliminary basis,
I own the Blizzard Bonafide 98, and the K2 Mindbender 99, because I like them both, both differently.
The Bonafide is more dialed in overall, and is better on groomers; but the MB 99 smooth charges crud and slush with more character.
The Peak 98 is at least as dialed in as my 180 Bonafide, and carves even better, probably - at least so far.
The Peak 98, so far, may charge crud and slush as well or better than the Mindbender 99 - so far it seems to, at least with some crud; time will tell.

184, sorry.
I think because of the keyhole tech, it handles and charges with the quietness and stability of a longer ski, more like a 192, in that way.
But it turns easily and is quick like a 184 or shorter. It also seems to ski with the dampness of a heavier ski.
At least it felt that way in soft snow - not a complete test.

For me, a ski of that width is mostly, usually, a soft snow ski, unless the ski shows me otherwise;
I'll go narrower for harder snow, most days, if I can.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
P.S. They buried my thread as a post at the bottom of Phil's Peak ski review, so that's where you'll have to go.
It wasn't buried but put where it's better for people looking for information on the ski. BTW, what bindings did you go with?
 

SpeedyKevin

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 14, 2022
Posts
942
Location
Truckee
Hmmm...xmas is coming up and I do need to get myself a gift....


Screenshot_20221128-110652_Facebook.jpg
 

Sponsor

Top