The ease of slashing this ski and speed checking in the trees were two of the most unexpected characteristics of the Radius. Riding Alta’s Eagle’s Nest in equally soft and deep snow proved just as fun as ripping open powder fields. The playful features of the Nest were not lost on this huge, speed-loving beast of a ski. In fact, it seemed to relax and let its tails do more of the work. I was able to jib off rocks and spines, carve through tree chutes, and stomp bigger airs with no problem. The tails popped me back up on my feet anytime I got slightly off balance in the air, and while transitions in turns weren’t lighting fast, they were sufficient. I think with a more forward mount, closer to 798mm, this ski could be even more fun in this type of terrain.
One of hardest things about skiing is often the long traverses. The Radius made this a non-issue on Alta’s High Traverse, heading out to the Castle, and in the Ballroom. I could gain vertical easily, slash to speed check, and drop to miss other skiers, rocks, and shrubs. The truth is, the Radius was effortless to ride while traversing at high speeds.
As the mountain got skied out and the snow turned to chop and crud, the Radius just powered through. I never felt knocked off balance or kicked as I mached through the heavy chop on High Boy. The Radius plowed through the leftover mashed potatoes on Stone Crusher and never once bucked or threw me. The best day I had on this ski, however, came when I figured out what type of snow the Radius really loves.
Eastward winds had buffed out the Ballroom as smooth as a groomer, top to bottom, and deposited two inches of corn snow on top. The Baldy Apron boot pack was open as well, and I lapped this area all day, making two huge arcs down the giant smooth face and racing down the groomers to the Collins lift. The Radius was completely in its element in these conditions, floating, carving, and going very, very fast. This is a big, Super-Downhill-GS-Powder-Tele-All-Mountain ski.
Despite its hard pack and pow performance, however, the Radius is not a one-ski quiver. It doesn’t do well in bumps, especially hardpacked bumps. Its large turn radius doesn’t allow the tips to come around quickly enough to speed check in moguls, and the tails catch in the troughs. Trying to ride them in the bumps was closer to bull riding: attempting to control a wild animal that wanted nothing to do with a confined space.
Given what I’ve said about this ski, it should come as no surprise that this isn’t the best jibbing ski. The Radius has a very heavy swing weight, and I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to spin them off any jumps, as I only felt comfortable straight airing on them. The flat tail caught me a couple of times and shied me away from turning the skis around. I could see where this could change with a more-forward mount, but I would never want to land switch on a ski with this flat of a tail.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test the Radius in as many conditions as I would have liked. Because of the dangerous backcountry conditions in the Wasatch this season, I wasn’t able to get this ski onto Mt. Superior or any of the larger faces, and I’m curious to see how the Radius would handle skiing a 2,500-foot face. I’d also like to try the NTN mounted at a boot center of 798mm, right on the Tradtional/Pow recommended mount point, to see how it handles riding just on the front end of the camber, and to see if it would improve the jibbing quality of the ski.
With the Radius, Bluehouse has designed and built a ski that is unique with its huge turn radius and lack of side-cut, yet when dialed in, it becomes a ton of fun to mach on. If you are looking for speed and endless tail support to stomp huge airs; tips that don’t chatter on the hard pack or dive in the pow; and you find pleasure in passing alpine skiers while dropping your knee, then this is a your ski. Because of its flat tails and heavy swing weight, don’t expect to get your jib on or be a rockstar in the bumps, but do expect to go faster than every one else while feeling in complete control.
Bluehouse skis are known for a lack of durability and Bluehouse uses extruded bases to cut costs. I think most ski manufacturers out there today make at least one or two nice products, but Bluehouse skis are cheap because they’re built cheaply, not just because they only sell direct.
There are better ways to save a couple of bucks on new skis.
Maciej, Thanks for expressing your concern. But the Radius actually has a sintered base, NOT an extruded base. There have been issues with durability and binding pullouts in the past with Bluehouse, but they seem to be stepping up their game. I’ve only ridden the Radius 12 days now, and I’ll be putting more time in on them. So far, the binding mount is bomber – no screws have slipped or moved. I will definitely report back if something pulls out, or if there seem to be durability issues with the Radius.
Robin,
It’s good to hear that Bluehouse are stepping up their game. These skis have a similar shape (and based on your description) ride to my personal faves, 4FRNT EHP’s. If these skis rip that hard AND hold up well, they’ll be an awesome all-purpose ski-tele or alpine, in-bounds or in the backcounty. I look forward to a follow-up review after they’ve been hammered for a few dozen days.
While they do seem somewhat less durable than my other skis, I have to say that the maestros are a ripping’ ski that performs great in the powder, blasts the crud, and even handles bumps respectably well. Unless they are hard, in which case they wander a bit. I still think they are a great deal for the money, we’ll see how they make it through next season.
Hi
I’m curious about how this ski would be for freeride comps and steep billygoating, too much camber? I’m a fan of straight skis too.
Kai,
I don’t think too much camber would be an issue for billygoating, if anything it would help to load the flat tails and give you a boost. But the Radius doesn’t have the best swing weight nor the shortest turn radius. I think the bottom line on this ski is its great for ripping wide open faces. I’d look for something a little more versatile for comps.
The mount point really sounds a long way back! I have a pair I am due to mount up … thinking about mounting at 80cm boot centre from tail