Preview: 2023 Peak 88 and 98

[Philpug]

I had a chance today to spend some time on both the 88 and 98 and came away very impressed with both offerings. One thing that I noticed when I initially looked at the Peak website is that there were not turn radii listed for the skis. I am sure that is going to make a few of the more anal people here a little, let's just say, uncomfortable. Bode is NOT about the numbers, materials or any hard data, he is about results, be it when he was racing and now when he is designing skis. As mentioned earlier in Press Release thread, the proof is in the pudding and if that pudding would taste any good. I am hear to say that, yes. Bode is a helluva pudding chef/engineer/mad scientist.

Phil on Peak 88

Tricia on Peak 88​

Phil's Initial impressions...

Peak 88
Dimensions: 128/90/107
Length Tested: 184
Turn Radius: Not published
Sizing: Scaled
Location/Conditions: Snowmass, old chalky snow

I have been on almost every other 88-90 mm ski that will be offered both all new and carry over and I can say with confidence that the Peak 88 is a top performing option. Most of the 88's I have been on have been in the 178-180 mm length and the Peak 88's were a bit longer at 184 but honestly the Peak offering was one of the more compliant 88's I tested in recent memory. It was smooth, agile and extremely quiet.

• Ski most similar: Stockli Stormrider 88 and Fischer Ranger 90Ti

Phil on Peak 98​

Peak 98
Dimensions: 128.5/98/116.7
Length Tested: 184
Turn Radius: Not published
Sizing: Scaled
Location/Conditions: Snowmass, old chalky snow

I skied the 88 first and then got on the 98, and the 98 is a different animal and a strong one at that. If you watched Bode's explanation of his design philosophy, he prefers to adjust the turn shape, not by side cut, but by flex. This is where Peak's Keyhole Technology comes into play, allowing the torsional flex without compromising edge control.

I took the 98 into days old bumps, crud, and mixed, and this is where the longer radius really felt at home. On the groomers, the 98 was a little more relaxed with more of a giant slalom feel - attributes that will lend itself to wind buff and steeps.

• Skis most similar: Augment 98Ti and Renoun Endurance 98 - almost a cross between these two.

Conclusion: Bode and Peak have hit their target with these skis in shape, design and price point. SkiTalk will be seeing the 88 and 98, along with the 104, in our test fleet. Stay tuned for long term reviews.

 

[textrovert]

Just watched the @Philpug interview with Bode-


Although, turn radius is "not published", Bode mentions 20m in the interview.

 

[mdf]

one of the compliant 88's I tested in recent memory

Does that mean it is relatively soft (longitudinally)? Would it be a good replacement for my beloved Navigator 85's that I keep wearing out?

 

[Philpug]

Does that mean it is relatively soft (longitudinally)? Would it be a good replacement for my beloved Navigator 85's that I keep wearing out?

If you are looking to turn it up a couple of notches. Absolutely.

 

[Yo Momma]

Nice lookin' ski. How does the P 98 compare to the 180 Bones? Very curious and thanks great review!

 

[LewyM]

@Philpug , looks like an interesting ski. 2 questions:

1. How does the 88 compare to you 88 "reference" ski, the Monster 88 (circa 16-17)?

2. What size would you buy for yourself in the 88 (184 or 176)? Understand that you have only skied the 184, but based on that demo, for you, do you project the 2nd from the top to be right for all mountain, mixed terrain use (I usually map to your length choices so in this case, your personal preference matters to me).

 

[DocGKR]

For radius, Bode Miller stated 24m in the interview w/Phil....

 

[James]

Does that mean it is relatively soft (longitudinally)? Would it be a good replacement for my beloved Navigator 85's that I keep wearing out?

Def not in 188cm, they don’t make it. 176cm?

Peak 88 by Bode Miller // Best All-Mountain, High-Performance Skis

Peak 88 is the go-to tool for workaday groomer skiers, but catch the corn cycle or drop into a chute in the alpine and it arcs fall line turns off-trail, too.

peakskis.com

 

[Tony S]

Just watched the @Philpug interview with Bode-


Although, turn radius is "not published", Bode mentions 20m in the interview.

Interesting. He mentioned "reducing" the radius and then said it was 20-something meters. So I assume what he meant was reducing the sidecut (increasing the radius).

 

[textrovert]

Interesting. He mentioned "reducing" the radius and then said it was 20-something meters. So I assume what he meant was reducing the sidecut (increasing the radius).

I re-watched and he says 24m as @DocGKR posted above. But yes, it sounded like he had to reduce the radius. I took it as having to increase sidecut shape to get lower radius at same width underfoot and ski length. He also mentions that it was to compensate for the "keyhole" influence on the turn radius. I don't follow how that works.

 

[James]

Interesting. He mentioned "reducing" the radius and then said it was 20-something meters. So I assume what he meant was reducing the sidecut (increasing the radius).

Yes. My interpretation is bigger radius. Racers are always talking about “pulling radius”. I assume pulling a lot means a tighter turn, so “reducing radius “ is a bigger radius turn.

 

[ski otter 2]

Yes. My interpretation is bigger radius. Racers are always talking about “pulling radius”. I assume pulling a lot means a tighter turn, so “reducing radius “ is a bigger radius turn.

Confusing, but this seems likely.

He was talking with these Peak skis of narrowing the sidecut, to take advantage of the extra stability and focus more concentrated under the feet with the "Keyhole technology." This would de-emphasis the potential side to side flutter or instability influence at the tips and tails, he said, again, made possible by the greater dynamic focus of forces in a shorter area under the boots because of the Keyhole. Narrowing or shaving the sidecut would mean a longer, straighter turn radius, I'd guess (especially interesting in the face of the trend for shorter radius in recent skis with a number of brands).

A big deal to me was Bode's description (in one of the online interviews) of how he came to the "keyhole tech" years ago on the race tour, with a pair of breakthrough Rossi skis that enabled him to have his most consistent top few years, that he continued with a similar keyhole tech ski with Atomic after that. He said that he was unable to get those guys to duplicate the ski once that Rossi pair broke, though he continued to do experiments on that on his own after some successes with Atomic on the same designs, I gather, much as he's continued tinkering with select Full Tilt boots.

The details of this tech process carryover made me get a bit serious instead of skeptical about the Peak skis. He will now finally be able to control his own experiments translating them into ski improvements for the rest of us, he said. Along those lines, these skis seem to have a wider range of skiers in mind than the Crosson skis did, at least than the 78. Not sure how these skis will work for me.

Oh, and Bode said the Crosson ski he liked and used the most this past season was the fat Dissenter 118. But the style he chose to show in the videos on that 118 seemed purposely vague, relaxed and slarvy/drifty (sort of an Everyman technique), rather than his more aggressive, poppy and precise, expert style; that was probably on purpose, for the Everyman approach again, maybe, for this new line of Peak skis in general. Dunno. But interesting.

I will probably put a deposit on one of these Peak skis, just to see.

 

[Philpug]

Oh, and Bode said the Crosson ski he liked and used the most this past season was the fat Dissenter 118. But the style he chose to show in the videos on that 118 seemed purposely vague, relaxed and slarvy/drifty (sort of an Everyman technique), rather than his more aggressive, poppy and precise, expert style; that was probably on purpose, for the Everyman approach again, maybe, for this new line of Peak skis in general. Dunno. But interesting.

When I skied with Bode last year, he was on the 118 and had no problem getting the ski over on edge.

 

[Philpug]

Yes, as Bode has said, the skis are coming from the Elan factory. The 98, 104 and 110 are proprietary designs of Bodes. The 88 is actaully and Elan mold but but Bode's construction which included the Keyhole. I have been wondering what some of these skis skied like without Amphibio, now I know ...

 

[Tricia]

View attachment 165838​

I had a chance today to spend some time on both the 88 and 98 and came away very impressed with both offerings. One thing that I noticed when I initially looked at the Peak website is that there were not turn radiuses listed for the skis. I am sure that is going to make a few of the more anal people here a little, lets just say uncomfortable. Bode is NOT about the numbers, materials or any hard data, he is about results, be it when he was racing and now when he is designing skis. As mentioned earlier in Press Release thread, the proof is in the pudding and if that pudding would taste any good. I am hear to say that, yes. Bode is a helluva pudding chef ... engineer ... mad scientist.

View attachment 165839
Phil on Peak 88

View attachment 165841
Tricia on Peak 88​

Initial impressions...

Peak 88
Dimensions: 128/90/107
Length Tested: 184
Turn Radius: Not published
Sizing: Scaled
Location/Conditions: Snowmass, old chalky snow

I have been on almost every other 88-90 mm ski that will be offered both all new and carry over and I can say with confidence that the Peak 88 is a top performing option. Most of the 88's I have been on have been in the 178-180 mm length and the Peak 88's were a bit longer at 184 but honestly the Peak offering was one of the compliant 88's I tested in recent memory. it was smooth, agile and extremely quiet.

• Ski most similar: Stockli Stormrider 88 and Fischer Ranger 90Ti

View attachment 165840
Phil on Peak 98​

Peak 98
Dimensions: 128.5/98/116.7
Length Tested: 184
Turn Radius: Not published
Sizing: Scaled
Location/Conditions: Snowmass, old chalky snow

I skied the 88 first and then got on the 98 and it is a difference animal and an strong one at that. If you watched Bode's explaination of his design philosophy, he prefers to adust the turn shape, not by sidecut but the flex and this is where Peak's Keyhole Technology comes into play, allowing the torsional flex without compromising edge control.

I took the 98 into days old bumps, crud and mixed and this is where the longer radius really felt at home. On the groomers, the 98 was a little more relaxed with more of a giant slalom feel ...attributes that will lend itself to wind buff and steeps.

• Skis most similar: Augment 98Ti and Renoun Endurance 98 ... almost a cross between these two.

Conclusion: Bode and Peak have hit their target with these skis in shape, desing and price point. SkiTalk will be seeing the 88 and 98 along with the 104 in our test fleet. Stay tuned for long term reviews.

Peak 88
Dimensions: 126-88-105
Length tested: 168 cm
TR: not published
Sizing Scaled
Location/conditions tested: Aspen Snowmass/cold chalky snow

If you were to ask most women, the 88 mm category is the meat and potatoes of an all mountain/daily driver ski. In fact, the skis I brought along for this trip to Snowmass are 88mm, so testing this new Peak 88 was truly giving it a back to back test against another ski in this coveted width.
The longer TR of the Peak 88 was obvious from the first few turns, but quickly adaptable, especially when getting it up to speed, which is when it really comes to life, with a little pop coming out of the turn, something I attribute to the keyhole technology. The refined feel from this ski is sure to put it in a class above many of the others in the 88 world.

• Skis similar to this ski: Augment 88, Stockli Nela 88, Renoun Earhart 88

 

[Tony S]

The 88 is actaully and Elan mold but but Bode's construction which included the Keyhole. I have been wondering what some of these skis skied like without Amphibio, now I know ...

I know squat about ski construction. But I would have thought that the rise pattern - more on the outside edge with Amphibio - would have been part of the mold.

 

[Philpug]

I know squat about ski construction. But I would have thought that the rise pattern - more on the outside edge with Amphibio - would have been part of the mold.

Part of that mold but these can be altered.

 

[Tom K.]

I have been wondering what some of these skis skied like without Amphibio, now I know ...

There's an improvement for people that actually ski in less than perfect places with rocks. Love my Wingmans, but it's hell to get a (small) core shot on the inside edge, and not simply make that the new outside edge. As I've done my entire life.

 

[ski otter 2]

When I skied with Bode last year, he was on the 118 and had no problem getting the ski over on edge.

Thanks, Phil, for the Bode interviews and video of him and you skiing (and Tricia too on the Peaks). I watched all those closely. There was a lot of footage of Bode on the 118s. He was slightly slarving/sliding the skis, not really full carving, often. Turn after turn. And he was drifting the skis, rather than flexing them and working them fully on edge. Sure, he can do that, no problem. But he was not in that video on the 118. It was noticeable. A laid back style? What it means, not sure.

But for me, it meant I could not tell the real potential of that ski, what it was capable of doing, and what its nature was. I had to pass.

(It was a different story on the six Peak skis. He is engaged more with each of them, in ways that show something about each ski, at least hints of what they are like - coupled with the double descriptions of each of the six on the website. More to go by, for me. For instance, with the 88, I was reminded of the SR 88 by how Bode was skiing it, which you nicely confirmed saying that ski was one of the ones closest to the Peak 88, in your experience. Thanks.)

 

[ski otter 2]

P.S. From the descriptions, and video, both of the wider resort skis (104 and 110) seem unusual and interesting to me. I look forward to reading some reviews of those and watching video of them in particular.

At one point, on one of the videos/podcasts, Bode says that with the prototypes of the four resort skis, he was really pleased that two seemed to be tops in their categories, while the other two seemed to be in the top three or four. I wonder which two skis he felt were tops. From the videos, I'll guess one of the top ones is probably the 98. Not sure about the others.