A solid flex that rails through chop translates to support when airing cliffs and natural features to tracked-out landings. I felt comfortable sending 25-foot drops to firm landings with the GunSmoke. I never felt the subtle tail rocker wash out on me, even when I landed a bit backseat.
For how solid a ride the GunSmoke provides, it has surprisingly soft tips and tails. While not effortlessly butterable like the Line Opus, I could still press and butter the ski pretty easily. Unlike softer skis, the GunSmoke has a nice springy feel when the press is released.
A poppy flex allowed me to really boost off airs. One particular drop stands out where I wasn’t sure if I could make it to a small patch of soft snow in what was otherwise a very hammered landing. (For reference, the landing was about 25 feet out and 20 feet down.) I wouldn’t have trusted most skis to make that transition with the speed I was carrying, but the pop of the GunSmoke enabled me to clear the gap and saved me from an unpleasant landing.
Swing weight of this ski is neither particularly light nor heavy. However, I felt the GunSmoke had a good balanced feel in the air despite a mount position that left me with more tip and less tail than I would have preferred.
Our demo tracks were mounted -7cm from true center. I was able to move the bindings +2 from that position, up to -5cm. While I definitely preferred skiing with the bindings forward, I still wanted to ride a bit farther up. I think 3.5 cm behind true center would be a good location for someone who is going to be doing more jumping, spinning, and switch ridding. Even Jonathan Ellsworth, who usually doesn’t prefer a forward mounting position, said he wanted to be farther forward on the GunSmoke (he’s still settling on his preferred location).
But even mounted at -5cm from true center, the GunSmoke still impressed me. It isn’t the best ski for any single condition, but it does everything well.
The Volkl Katana and the Line Opus are examples of skis that are damn near the best at one specific aspect of freeride skiing. The GunSmoke can’t touch the Katana when it comes to hard charging, nor can it match the Opus’ playfulness, but it is a ski that you can charge on (if you stay dynamic and don’t expect the ski to do all the work of flattening out variable terrain), while also retaining much of the playful characteristics of a pure jibbing ski like the Opus.
The GunSmoke is a great resort powder ski for anyone who wants a stable yet exciting ride. It is also a good tool for sending backcountry booters and natural airs, since it is poppy and can handle fresh—as well as the inevitable bombed out—landings.
In short, I want this ski. I’d use the GunSmoke as an everyday ski at Eaglecrest, Alaska, and as a powder ski in Colorado. You should check out the GunSmoke, too, if you want a fun ski that’s comfortable everywhere.
Go to Jason Hutchin’s 2nd Look at the Blizzard GunSmoke
What is the flex like compared to a S7 or JJ? I am curious why you wouldn’t want a wider ski as a “powder” ski in CO.
The Gunsmoke is stiffer than both the S7 and the JJ. The Gunsmoke has still relatively soft tips and tails, but is pretty solid underfoot.
On a typical pow day in Colorado I might get a few untracked runs if I’m lucky, but snow quickly gets tracked up. I generally prefer smaller, more versitile skis that are better able to handle chopped up conditions for this reason.
How would this ski compare to the Rossignol Sickle? It seems to be quite similar?
I haven’t been able to ski the sickle. Jason Hutchins has and he will be doing a second look of the GunSmoke soon. I’m sure he will make comparisons made between the GunSmoke and Sickle since they are similar in many ways. In Japan Jason said that he still liked the Sickle better after he had few days on the GunSmoke, but I’ll have to let him to you exactly why.
You should try to get your hands on a pair of nordica helldorados to test. I think they share some attributes with these skis but have a stiffer overall flex. Or even the patrons which are the same but have a more playful flex.
Yes they do seem to be very similar skis, at least dimension wise. I’m excited to see how all these skis stack up against each other.
I Just Picked up a set of gunsmokes and guardian bindings. Have you been able to ski them at -3.5 from true center yet? because from what you describe that sounds ideal for me. Thanks for the review, Really helped me with choice!
Hi Andrew,
I’m glad to hear that you liked the review!
I have not had a chance to ski them at -3.5 cm from center yet, and I probably won’t get a chance anytime soon. -3.5 cm could be a good mount position if you plan on spending a lot of time in the air. However if you prefer to keep your skis on the snow, you may want to consider mounting them further back. You will have an easier time touring with the bindings further back. Also, Jason Hutchins actually preferred having the GunSmoke mounted -.5 cm from the recommended line.
So unfortunately I don’t have a definitive answer for you. The recommended line would be a safe bet, but if you are looking to trick these skis it might be smart to mount them forward.
Hope that helps,
AG
Well i went for -3.5 . I skied them today for the first time and gotta say they destroy crud compared to the opus i had last season. Even at -3,5 they look back from center, but i like the way they ski, Im happy i went with a more forward mounting position on this ski, Thank you.
And the guardians got some nice weight to them hahah
Hey Andrew, I just picked up the same setup and was looking for ideas for how to mount them. I will be inserting these for the guardians and a set of pivots so I can use them for any situation. Thanks to this I will likely mount at -3.5 for the sollys and -.5 for the looks as long as there are no conflicts with the holes. Thanks for the beta!
ANDREW, I HAVE BEEN TORN BETWEEN THE NORTICA PATRON AND THE GUNSMOKES. I AM LOOKING FOR A SKI THAT CAN SKI BACKWARDS WELL AND HANDLE AIR TIME WITH TRICKS. WHAT SKI WOULD YOU RECOMMEND BETWEEN THE TWO?
Andy,
Sorry for the late reply. I have been in the field for most of last month and I am still playing catch up.
Unfortunately I have not skied the Patron. Jason Hutchins has skied both and he might be able to tell you specifically how the skis compare.
This is what I can tell you – Jason and my opinions on the GunSmoke differed quite a bit. I liked the ski quite a bit, while he didn’t like it nearly as much. I know that overall the patron and its siblings (the stiffer Helldorado and the woman’s La Nina) have been received very favorably by our reviewers.
Hope that helps,
AG
Hello Andrew,
First of all, thank you for a great review, It has helped me decide on the gunsmokes,only doubt I still have is size, I’m 5’8″ and 165lbs, I would consider myself an experimented skier, would the 179 be too short.
Thanks for your help
Hey Antonio,
I’m glad to hear that you liked the review. I don’t think that the 179 would be too short for you. It seems like a pretty ideal length to me.
AG
Thank you for your advice Andrew, Since it’s going to be the only ski I will have alongside volkl racetiger SL, a smaller ski will help manage more situations. Thanks again for all your nice reviews
Thanks for the review. How do these compare to the norwalks as far as float and stiffness are concerned? I’m looking for a one ski quiver that’s a joy in powder but can deal with bumps and trees. I’ve skied the Cochise in pretty much every condition and I found them to be to stiff and sluggish in tight trees and their float was good but not great.
Thank you