2018-2019 Scott Scrapper 105

Ski: 2018-2019 Scott Scrapper 105, 183 cm

Available Lengths: 175, 183, 189 cm

Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length: 181.6 cm

Stated Weight per Ski: 1700 grams

Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 1685 and 1703 grams

Stated Dimensions: 138-103-126 mm

Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 137-102-125.5 mm

Stated Sidecut Radius: 22 meters

Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 66 mm / 42 mm

Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: ~3 mm

Core: Paulownia + Longitudinal & Triaxial Carbon Stringers + Titanal Binding Reinforcement + Fiberglass Laminate

Base: Sintered

Factory Recommended Mount Point: -11.4 cm from center; 79.4 cm from tail

Intro

New for 18/19, the Scott Scrapper 105 is a brand-new addition to the Scrapper lineup, and is the more all-mountain-oriented little brother of the Scrapper 115 we reviewed last season.

Like the Scrapper 115, the Scrapper 105 is an interesting ski with a design that bucks many common trends we’re currently seeing. So let’s dive in and take a look at what makes the Scrapper 105 unique.

Here’s what Scott says about the Scrapper 105

“The Scrapper 105 is the new choice of progressive all-mountain skiers. With a full-length Elliptic wood core, unidirectional and triaxial carbon stringers, and SCOTT’s 3Dimension sidecut, the Scrapper 105 has been engineered to increase stability and shed weight. The Scrapper 105 is a playful ski that performs in a variety of conditions.”

There’s a few important phrases in here. First, Scott is saying that the Scrapper 105’s construction both increases stability and sheds weight. That’s becoming a more common claim by ski manufacturers, but it’s still quite difficult to actually achieve.

Second, Scott is also talking about how playful the Scrapper 105 is, and that it’s for “progressive all-mountain skiers.” While certain parts of its design certainly back this up, others don’t, which we’ll get to below.

Shape / Rocker Profile

Like the Scrapper 115, the Scrapper 105 has essentially zero tip and tail taper. It has big, fat tips and tails, and a pretty long, straight section in the middle (more on its sidecut later).

The Scrapper 105’s rocker profile is less traditional. It has a lot of tip and tail splay, and fairly deep tip and tail rocker lines for a ski of this width. And honestly, when I first saw the shape and rocker profile of the Scrapper 105 (and didn’t know any of its other specs), I thought it looked like a fat park ski, which made me excited about the potential for a very playful, light touring ski. But that perception changed significantly when I got the ski in hand and flexed it…

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Scrapper 105:

Tips: 5.5-6
Shovels: 6.5-7.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 8-9
Underfoot: 9.5
Behind the Heel Piece: 9.5-9
Tails: 8.5 (then goes to 6 where the skin clip slots are)

The Scrapper 105 has a very directional flex pattern. The very ends of its tips / shovels are quite soft, but those soft portions are only at the rockered section of the ski. Once you move past the rockered shovel of the ski, its flex ramps up quickly to a pretty stout forebody, midsection, and tail.

For reference, the Scrapper 105 feels slightly stiffer behind the heel piece and through the tail than the stout Fischer Ranger 102 FR, except for the very end of the tail where the Scrapper 105 goes quite soft (though that’s only the last couple of cms where its skin clip slots are).

Sidecut Radius

When Sam Shaheen reviewed the Scrapper 115, he noted how difficult it was to carve on firm snow, and how much it preferred to be making big, long turns at speed. We believe that this was in part due to Scott’s “3Dimension Sidecut,” which is a variable sidecut that has a completely straight section underfoot that transitions to a tighter radius as you get closer to the tips and tails of the ski.

The Scrapper 105 also uses the same 3D sidecut design, though it does have a softer flex pattern than the 189 cm Scrapper 115 we tested, so there’s reason to think that it will be easier to bend into carved turns.

Mount Point

Scott says the Scrapper 105 is a playful ski. And while that looks to be true based on its rocker profile, its mount point tells a different story: -11.4 cm from center. That’s a very not-progressive mount point, and when you take into account the Scrapper 105’s directional flex pattern, this sure seems like a ski that will very much prefer to be driven with a traditional, forward stance.

Weight

At right around 1700 grams per ski for the 183 cm model, the Scrapper 105 is a very light ski. Interestingly, Scott makes no mention of ski touring in its description of the Scrapper 105, but based on its weight, we’d sure be inclined to think of the Scrapper 105 as a touring ski, and the Scrapper 105 does have tip and tail cutouts for Scott’s custom skins.

For reference, below are a few of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. Keep in mind the length differences to try and keep things apples-to-apples.

1476 & 1490 K2 Wayback 106, 179 cm (18/19)
1477 & 1482 G3 FINDr 102, 184 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1547 & 1551 Black Diamond Helio 105 Carbon, 185 cm (17/18)
1562 & 1566 Scott Superguide 105, 183 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1685 & 1703 Scott Scrapper 105, 183 cm (18/19)
1706 & 1715 Volkl BMT 109, 186 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1733 & 1735 Blizzard Zero G 108, 185 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1745 & 1747 4FRNT Raven, 184 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1755 & 1792 Line Sick Day 104, 179 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1814 & 1845 Elan Ripstick 106, 181 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1825 & 1904 Black Crows Corvus Freebird, 183.3 cm (17/18, 18/19)
1848 & 1903 Line Sick Day 104, 186 cm (17/18, 18/19)
2022 & 2047 Faction Dictator 3.0, 186 cm (17/18, 18/19)

The Scrapper 105 isn’t as super-light as dedicated touring skis like the K2 Wayback 106 and G3 FINDr 102, but it is significantly lighter than most all-mountain skis in this waist width. So while we’ve been comparing it to some inbounds skis since Scott is marketing it as an all-mountain ski, we’ve also been A/Bing it against some touring skis in its weight range to get a better idea of where the Scrapper 105 fits.

Some Questions / Things We’re Curious about

(1) Scott talks about how playful the Scrapper 105 is, and while its rocker profile is in line with this, its mount point and flex pattern aren’t exactly what we’d call playful. So how surfy, poppy, and / or jibby will the Scrapper 105 feel compared to other skis in its class?

(2) Is the Scrapper 105 a true unicorn that works well both in customary resort conditions, and also on the skintrack? Would we be most inclined to recommend putting an alpine binding on this ski, or a tech binding?

(3) The Scrapper 115 wasn’t easy to bend into tighter, carved turns on firm snow due to its stiff flex pattern and long, straight section underfoot. Will the Scrapper 105 feel the same way, or will its softer flex pattern and narrower waist help with its firm-snow performance?

(4) Will the Scrapper 105’s stiff tail feel punishing, or will its generous tail rocker and splay help make this ski feel more forgiving?

Bottom Line (For Now)

The Scott Scrapper 105 has a rocker profile and shape that suggest it’s a freestyle-oriented jib stick, but its very strong flex pattern and traditional mount point make it seem much more traditional and directional. And when its very low weight is taken into account, it really stands out both as a lightweight all-mountain ski, and as a less-traditional backcountry ski.

We’ve been spending time on the Scrapper 105 inside and outside the resort this year, and Blister members can check out my Flash Review below for my initial on-snow impressions. While I put together my full review, feel free to add in the comments section below any questions you might have.

Flash Review: Scott Scrapper 105

Blister members can now read our initial on-snow impressions in our Flash Review of the Scrapper 105.
(Learn more about Blister member benefits, and become a Blister member)

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