The K2 Missdemeanor ladies ski is 90mm under foot, twin tipped and stiff enough to rip around the whole mountain. This ski is for advanced ladies who are looking to keep up with the boys. The twin tip is useful for spinning in the park, landing switch (backwards) and playing with features around the mountain. The top sheet has a Native North American feel it with feathers and the K2 icon is dressed like a dream catcher. Overall this ski will be too much for the mom crowd but the younger generation will enjoy this immensely. At 90mm under foot is is wide enough to handle most powder days but I would keep a true fat ski in your closet for the deep deep days. The all terrain rocker allows easy turn initiation in the front of the ski with a regular camber at the rear, allowing a more precise finish to your turns. Every time I hand out this ski I get a happy customer back and K2 skis generally are quite forgiving and easy on tired legs at the end of the day. 
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Line Blend Ski Review
The Line Blend ski is 100mm under foot! If I could pick one width to ski on every day I would choose 100mm; sure it wont float like a huge powder ski but I can still enjoy fast turns in powder and hold an edge when I head back in-bounds. I live in Whistler and am not thinking about skiing eastern icicles; we have race skis for you! The Line Blend is a light, playful ski that seeks out jumps and features to enjoy. The graphics are aimed at the younger audience; I don’t see to many BMW owners loving the graffiti style! Line has added an Early Rise rocker and built this into years of experience to give a fun product. I would recommend this ski to a mid 20 year old who is doing alps of the mountain and then hits the park. The Line Blend is suitable for intermediate to advanced skiers who enjoy a wider ski and like a playful feel rather than a race platform under foot. If you want a ski with a bit more bite but has the same feel try the Line Prophet 90. 
Volkl Aura Ski Review
So you think your an expert skier? The Volkl Aura is built with a full wood core and has two sheets of titanium added. When this is combined with an under foot width of 94mm and a tip rocker, you have a ski that can do it all! If you can! The top sheet might have a nice gentle humming bird and a shiny metallic look but don’t be fooled, this ski wants to go fast and everywhere. I would recommend this ski to female skiers who lives on the West Coast and spends 70% of the time away from the groomed runs. It could even be a one ski quiver because it still performs well on the groomers. If you technique is still developing and sometimes get caught in the back seat I would go for a more gentle ski. I am sure that if the top sheet was less feminine most guys would not be able to tell the difference from the skis performance. The Volkl Aura has been around for years and if you need it longer than a 170cm just jump on the Volkl Mantra; it’s the same ski!
Atomic Blackeye TI Ski Review
Atomic has an unrivaled pedigree in ski racing, every major event on the world cup circuit seems to have an athlete holding a pair of Atomic skis. Due to a significant following of customers requesting the Atomic brand we headed out to test from their range of skis. The higher end powder skis certainly have a very stiff race feel to them but as we went down the range to the Atomic Savage and Atomic Blackeye we found a suitable all mountain skis. The Blackeye TI is 82mm under foot and the added Titanium (TI) provides rigidity to transfer the power directly to the edge. This ski has a strong feel to it but offers a smooth ride. Atomic has also introduced a rocker platform on most of their skis with the Blackeye having an ‘Adaptive Rocker’ which helps with turn initiation and floatation. I would recommend this ski to an advanced skier who wants an all mountain ski that charge when needed.
Volkl RTM 80 Ski Review
RTM – Ride The Mountain replaces the AC – All Conditions skis in the Volkl line up. The major difference this year is the rocker revolution which is has now spread across almost every ski from every manufacturer! It is here to stay. The RTM 80 is the next ski down from the RTM 84; both are amazing all mountain skis but the 80 is a little easier to work and more forgiving. This ski is perfect for all mountain skiers who have skied for a few years and get two or three weeks per year. I would also pick out the RTM 80 if the conditions are getting firmer and I’m going to spend more time just on the groomed runs. The ‘Wide Ride’ bindings from Marker reduce the overall weight and reduce the swing weight making this even easier to carve from edge to edge. 
One tip I would recommend is starting on a regular waist-ed ski around 75mm and ski test different ski widths up to about 130mm, this will give you a good idea of your personal preference and also what to grab from the store as the conditions change. I would start on the RTM 75is and then go through the RTM 80, 84, Line Prophet 90, Mantra, Gotama and Super 7.
Line Prophet 90 Ski Review
BOO! The most surprising ski of everything I reviewed. I have to honest at this point and say I was expecting another park ski; limp, sloppy, all mouth and no substance. I knew we were looking to have a park ski in our fleet so I tested the line Prophet 90, a width I find suitable for all mountain skiing and ended up with a huge smile on my face. This ski is fun and ripped around the groomers as well as having tons of pop; allowing playing with features and hits a breeze. After checking with the Line rep I realized this was built as an all mountain ski by a company famous for Twin Tipped park skis. The wood core has been enhanced with a Metal Matrix which provides enough torsional rigidity and smooths out the ride. The Capwall constructions helps with edge control throughout fast turns. The fun which Line has built it’s reputation on is very much present in this ski. The Line Prophet 90 has a subtle early rise which pulls the skier up in powder snow and forgives mistakes. I have offered a few traditional skiers this ski in the shop and the initial response has been a look of rejection….until they try it! This ski can be used in the park but I would recommend the Line Prophet 90 as an all mountain ski that would suit anyone looking to have fun. 
Mountain Report 18th December
Warm and Wet! The coast of BC has been hit with a warm wet front which has taken the chill out of the air. The freezing level has been around 1500m with wet snow above. The snow base has compacted to 125cm with only 11cm in the last 48hrs. We still have one of the best snow bases on the planet thanks to an amazing November however Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are usually spoiled with excess snow. Most locals don’t even own a pair of race sharpened ski ready for hard pack conditions, we would rather wait 24hrs until the next storm cycle hits. The forecast looks like the temperatures will drop and a weak front will move over bringing a few centimeters on Monday but by Thursday a stronger system will arrive to restock the hill with snow. I would recommend a mid fat ski with more side cut in these conditions, maybe a Rossignol Experience 88. The wind has been moving the 2-3cms of snow into some secret spots whilst scraping it from elsewhere. The Christmas Trees area seems to always have pockets of powder even days after a storm; you just need to know how to get there.
Volkl Kiku Ski Review
The Volkl Kiku is an amazingly playful ski! The Volkl designers have at last started designing skis that don’t look like race skis or feel like a 12 year old boy was running the design department. Sorry Volkl but you know what I’m talking about. This ladies ski has full rocker and is 106mm under foot, it is squarely aimed at the powder skier. The Kiku is the ladies version of the longstanding Gotama, one of my original and favorite skis.
The reduced weight of this ski gives great maneuverability and combined with a ‘Wide Ride’ binding from Marker gives the Kiku tops marks from all those that test it. I would recommend this ski to advanced female skiers who are looking for an additional ski on powder days. The full rocker and under foot width floats well but the compromise is the carving ability on the groomed runs. The picture above shows the design style that Volkl picked and the feedback has been great. Volkl relies on product driven marketing rather than on massive advertising campaigns and yet again they prove it with the Kiku.
Rossignol Experience 88 Ski Review
The one ski quiver! Looking for one ski that can do it all? Try the Rossignol Experience 88. Rossignol describes their Expereince line up as “This brand new breed of all mountain ski will take you everywhere, in any condition. Not just for expert skiers the AutoTurn rocker combines traditional camber and rocker tip and tail” 
Over the past few years Rossignol has had a selection of skis with an over sized shovel which tapered down to an average under foot width. This allows floatation in deeper snow and a tighter turn radius; the feel is of a ski that ‘swoops’ under foot if you hold the edge throughout the whole turn. The Experience 88 has the over sized shovel, a waist of 88mm and auto turn rocker. I found this ski to be a good all mountain ski that carves well on the groomers but is not limited to the hard pack; it will hold its own with the powder skis but you have to work harder. The sandwich cons
truction and wood/fiber glass core give the ski a lively feel but is much tamer than those with an added layer of metal. I would recommend this ski to intermediate or expert skier who live on the west coast and want to buy one ski that will be amazing on all but the big powder days or frozen hard pack. Drop by and try a pair.
