The Curse of American Ski Reviews

[GregK]

If you do a ski search for skis that have similar weight, flex and long sidecut length of all mountain skis like a Brahma 88 or Bonifide 97 with a twin tail and more forward mount, the list would be 21 CT 1.0 and CT 2.0. End of list…..
The perfect intended market for them(more mature skiers wanting playful chargers) never knew about them before they were changed back to lighter versions the next year.

Blister was mentioned earlier in the thread and their mission from the beginning was to review and test gear from smaller and Indie companies that were not typically reviewed by others online or in print(when that was a thing). Most Indy companies, especially those out West near them don’t even make narrow skis. Find SkiTalk does a great job as well testing out lesser known companies but in narrower widths that you don’t typisee elsewhere online.

Any ski regardless of width is going to be a compromise in performance during certain conditions.
If you have only one ski for all conditions, then you will have to prioritize what qualities you need in a ski and what you are willing to sacrifice.
A good reviewer should describe a skis strengths and weaknesses to make it easier to pick the appropriate ski for the conditions you typically ski.

 

[locknload]

This is different in each country though. Europe may be a union in some ways; in this respect it's every country for itself.

True.

 

[fatbob]

Are slalom skis not looked favorably in Austria? I was watching Gellie and this interviewer, who's an instructor, at 4:30 and 8:20 said you would be laughed at if you showed up with a slalom ski. Maybe I didn't understand the context, if he's talking about rec skiers in general or the instructor class.

I think he's talking about instructors in general and maybe a certain machismo about making long radius turns and skiing fast and fluidly. But he does hit on the core reason. On SLs you make way more turns so you're knackered if you do a full day of teaching on them if you're skiing all over the mountain.

 

[François Pugh]

SL skis are really good at carving smaller turns at lower speeds.
GS skis are really good at carving longer turns at higher speeds (than SL skis are good at and make).
It's really that simple.

If you are making longer turns at higher speeds on SL skis, well, yes, you're funny.

If you are too out of shape to carve good hard SL turns all day, that is another story.

 

[wnyskier]

If you are making longer turns at higher speeds on SL skis, well, yes, you're funny.

"Really nice GS turns on those SL skis bro, park n' ride..."

 

[slow-line-fast]

SL skis are of course the choice for SL training. They are also a great coaching/teaching ski because you can demo a lot of dynamics while still in view of the group - you don’t have to barrel down the hill before they open up. Ditto for crowded days. If coaching kids, their ‘GS’ ski radius is close to an adult SL radius.

If coaching very advanced adults, proficient carvers at higher speeds, then a sport carver or cheater GS may be better, because SL skis don’t do fast. But these skiers can also benefit from drills at slow speeds, though they may not think so….

 

[fatbob]

The other thing is that true SL skis are great at their specific purpose but can be a bit of a pain elsewhere. I know there are god-like talents here who love skiing powder and tough bumps on their FIS SL skis and ploughing through crunk and everyone else is a pussy but in the real wprld populated by refular humans they just aren't as versatile as a dialled down pistencarver. The rebound for starters is a PITA if you get it wrong.

 

[slow-line-fast]

The rebound for starters is a PITA if you get it wrong.

It allows you to look down your line and check out the topsheet graphics at the same time

 

[AlexisLD]

If you do a ski search for skis that have similar weight, flex and long sidecut length of all mountain skis like a Brahma 88 or Bonifide 97 with a twin tail and more forward mount, the list would be 21 CT 1.0 and CT 2.0. End of list…..
The perfect intended market for them(more mature skiers wanting playful chargers) never knew about them before they were changed back to lighter versions the next year.

What about the Kendo 88? It has a shorter running length, but it is from a very subtle early rise that you won't feel at high edge angle. A bit softer in bending in the front of the binding, but as stiff in torsion. Only 60g lighter than the Brahma. Not a true twin tail though, but more than the Brahma.

 

[Cheizz]

What about the Kendo 88? It has a shorter running length, but it is from a very subtle early rise that you won't feel at high edge angle. A bit softer in bending in the front of the binding, but as stiff in torsion. Only 60g lighter than the Brahma. Not a true twin tail though, but more than the Brahma.

I wouldn't call the Kendo 'playfull', to be honest.

 

[Swiss Toni]

Are slalom skis not looked favorably in Austria? I was watching Gellie and this interviewer, who's an instructor, at 4:30 and 8:20 said you would be laughed at if you showed up with a slalom ski. Maybe I didn't understand the context, if he's talking about rec skiers in general or the instructor class.

You would look really out of place if you turned up to teach a lesson in Austria with anything other than GS skis.

 

[Cheizz]

Well, they recommend a cheater or masters GS ski for level 2 and up (training and exams). For the first level, Anwärter - mostly teens that do a year abroad - all allround piste skis are in play.

 

[David Chaus]

If you do a ski search for skis that have similar weight, flex and long sidecut length of all mountain skis like a Brahma 88 or Bonifide 97 with a twin tail and more forward mount, the list would be 21 CT 1.0 and CT 2.0. End of list…..
The perfect intended market for them(more mature skiers wanting playful chargers) never knew about them before they were changed back to lighter versions the next year.

Blister was mentioned earlier in the thread and their mission from the beginning was to review and test gear from smaller and Indie companies that were not typically reviewed by others online or in print(when that was a thing). Most Indy companies, especially those out West near them don’t even make narrow skis. Find SkiTalk does a great job as well testing out lesser known companies but in narrower widths that you don’t typisee elsewhere online.

Any ski regardless of width is going to be a compromise in performance during certain conditions.
If you have only one ski for all conditions, then you will have to prioritize what qualities you need in a ski and what you are willing to sacrifice.
A good reviewer should describe a skis strengths and weaknesses to make it easier to pick the appropriate ski for the conditions you typically ski.

Never skied it but the Soul Rider seemed to fit the all-mountain-more-playful niche. Have you skied it? Anyone? Class, anyone, anyone?

 

[AlexisLD]

I wouldn't call the Kendo 'playfull', to be honest.

Yeah, clearly. I was going for something more playful than the Brahma, but didn't realize the CT has 15-20 cm of tip rocker. The CT has a very short sidecut length... fairly unique.

 

[jmeb]

Never skied it but the Soul Rider seemed to fit the all-mountain-more-playful niche. Have you skied it? Anyone? Class, anyone, anyone?

I owned an older version for a couple years. Really liked them but they were certainly softer and less torsionally stiff than I prefer -- e.g. super fun for putzing around but not when you wanted to put your foot on the gas. Similar in feel to the Volkl Bridge which is now the Revolt series. A revolt with one layer of metal would be a really cool ski (for me.).

 

[Winks]

Yes. You go to the profile page of the tester. There is a tab that says About.
I just noticed that we have a few testers who haven't posted their stats. I'll check into that. @Andy Mink @Winks for starters.
View attachment 174034

Updated! Thanks for the template @Tricia!

 

[GregK]

What about the Kendo 88? It has a shorter running length, but it is from a very subtle early rise that you won't feel at high edge angle. A bit softer in bending in the front of the binding, but as stiff in torsion. Only 60g lighter than the Brahma. Not a true twin tail though, but more than the Brahma.

I actually had the 184cm Kendo 88 for my daily driver before I got the 183cm 21 CT 1.0. The Kendo 88 has a similar rocker profile to the previous generation Brahma 88 that was quite deep but very low rise. Felt short when flat but engaged the full edge when tipped even slightly.

The 21 CT 1.0 has a bit less overall rocker than the Kendo 88 but more tip and especially tail splay. Sidecut length/effective edge is almost identical between the 3 of them.
The 183cm Brahma 88 and CT 1.0 are about 2200gr or about 200gr heavier than the 184cm Kendo 88. Instead of the Carbon tip of the Kendo 88, the CT 1.0 has rubber dampening there as well as on the tail and underfoot. Add the 2 sheets of titanal underfoot and the CT 1.0 is pretty damp and quiet on the snow.
Mount point on the CT 1.0 is only -2cm from Center Vs the -11.5cm of the other 2 skis.

So the CT 1.0 is easy to pivot and skid, yet holds a great edge when fully tipped, is very damp and it’s 20m radius in the 183cm is very stable at speed.
Like a “grown up” twin tip with solid backbone.

 

[tromano]

Never skied it but the Soul Rider seemed to fit the all-mountain-more-playful niche. Have you skied it? Anyone? Class, anyone, anyone?

No I haven't skied it but I have skied others that are similar.

Sometime this come up in the context of - I want this fun freeride ski just 15mm narrower...

Skis like salomon qst series have been doing this for years as well with lots of freeride feel in the narrower skis. And they work great. Very versatile, very capable. Can carve, can go fast. But again, these are poo pooed as forgiving and accessible.

A narrow freeride ski is by definition a compromise. I kind of wonder when the discussion is playful freeride and the skis that are brought up are a Candide's pro model, a brahma and kendo.

I owned an older version for a couple years. Really liked them but they were certainly softer and less torsionally stiff than I prefer -- e.g. super fun for putzing around but not when you wanted to put your foot on the gas. Similar in feel to the Volkl Bridge which is now the Revolt series. A revolt with one layer of metal would be a really cool ski (for me.).

The way you describe these, when I think of a narrow freeride ski, that's what its supposed to be. Compared to a brahma they are softer, looser, less locked in to a turn. Something that is still predictable and performs better when its soft. These are not supposed to be very precise skis.

 

[GregK]

Never skied it but the Soul Rider seemed to fit the all-mountain-more-playful niche. Have you skied it? Anyone? Class, anyone, anyone?

Yes, I’ve skied both the original version(now Soul Rider 97) and the narrower Soul Rider 87. Agree with @jmeb that it’s similar to the Revolt 95 and the Menace 98 too. Very little tip/tail taper so long effective edge and could be used by a lot of different people depending on where you mount them.

The issue with those three is that the tips are very blunt like a carving ski so they weren’t the best for going over thick crud and bulldozed at speed. They were solid underfoot but tips/tails were pretty soft. Playful but didn’t quite have the backbone for heavier skiers or chargers.

The new Unleashed 98 replaces the Soul Rider 97 for next year and the tips have been redone for better float and passing over crud along with adding a single partial sheet of metal. Should be a great ski for a huge variety of skiers that like a more playful Enforcer Free ski.
The wider and heavier Unleashed 108 looks like a very versatile powder ski and can’t wait to try them out!

 

[wnyskier]

Saw this site a couple of years back. Reviews and rankings. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to have been updated.

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