2017 Midwest Ski Test Fest - Intro and Overview

2017 Midwest Test Fest

The Test Team:

KS:  52 year old heavyweight female with a love of speed, junky snow, and tough conditions.  Previous PSIA L2 certified instructor and twice-a-week gold/platinum league/NASTAR racer.  Technically proficient in most conditions, skis with finesse backed by speed and prefers to dance with the mountain.  Current daily drivers – Volkl RTM 84 176 (full rocker version), Hart Lady Twin 176, Volkl Kiku 178 (full rocker version), and Volkl Shiro 184.

CS:  56 year old heavyweight male with more balls than technique.  Generally fearless and skis with speed and power; likes to use the whole ski, powering up the tail to rocket out of the turn and prefers to blast through the cruddy stuff.  Current daily drivers – Volkl Grizzly 177, Volkl Mantra 177 (tip rocker version), Volkl Gotama 176 (full camber version), and Volkl Katana 184.

JG:  60+ year old male who carves smooth turns with speed all over the mountain.  Current PSIA L1 instructor.  Current ski - Elan Amphibio 80 168.

 
NW:  70+ year old midweight female with solid intermediate to advanced skills, but skis cautiously in cruddy conditions and on steeper terrain.  Current skis – Volkl P60 World Cup SL Jr 150, Volkl Aura 163 (full camber version), and Volkl Shiro Jr 163.

JE:  70+ lightweight female most comfortable making very short turns on easy terrain with short skis.  Current ski – Volkl P60 World Cup SL Jr 150.

Test Conditions:

Day 1 – Sunshine and perfect soft groomers in the morning.  Temperature rising to around 37 degrees, leading to pushed-up semi-slush piles in the afternoon.

Day 2 – Cloudy and windy with 1-2 inches of fresh snow on scratchy groomers.  With a high of 23 degrees, conditions stayed consistent all day.

Day 3 – Overcast and a little less wind, but temperatures and conditions remained mostly the same as day 2.



Test Notes:



Day 2 - It might be time for new liners in my boots!

All of the manufacturers have really stepped up their games in the last few years!  For the first time ever, I didn’t find a single ski that I absolutely hated or needed to return after just 1 scary run.  It COULD be that I mostly stayed on the men’s version of all the skis (so on lengths and stiffnesses more appropriate for my size and speed preferences), but I don’t really think that’s the case.

Head, in particular, has really tweaked their graphene ski construction since its introduction of the Joy line 2 years ago.  I demoed 2 of the models in that series last time and really disliked them both – I found them chattery, stiff, and bouncy.  This year, I tried the new-for-2018 Wild Joy and found it a total Joy.  They’ve now also added a men’s line with the same construction.

Volkl has tweaked their “3D Ridge” construction in the intervening years, as well, and whatever they did totally changed the character of the skis with that design.  In 2015 I rode the 100-Eight and the V-Werks Katana and absolutely hated them both.  Just to make sure, I hopped on both the 90-Eight and the 100-Eight this time and was completely floored by the changes.

Extended play time on the Bonafides!

One ski really stood out for the 2 heavyweights in the test, and we both took it for some extended play time.  It was playful and fun in cut-up piles and boot-top powder, yet clung to the groomers and wind-blown scratch like it was on rails.  Both the finesse skier and the power skier felt like it could be their everyday (and possibly only) ski. That ski was the Blizzard Bonafide!  For you lighter weight women, look to the Black Pearl 98 for the same fun factor (the skis are identical in the Bonafide’s shortest and BP 98’s longest length).

There was also a standout ski for the lighter, more cautious skiers – the Dynastar Intense 10.  Both of them raved about its speedy short turns and incredible stability, and they both took it for extended play time; coming back with big ole’ grins on their faces.

Watch future posts for detailed reviews on a host of 2018 skis in the Carver, All Mountain, and Powder categories! 

The final stack of ski review cards - packed into bunches of 5 and 10. Oh My!!