Who’s It For?
In his review of the Whitedot Redeemer, Jonathan Ellsworth said the ski should appeal to “directional skiers who like the idea of a solid, fairly damp, pretty powerful pow ski that also has a playful side.” Relative to other skis in its class, I think I can say the same thing about the Director. To me it makes more sense to view it as a directional all-mountain charger that has a playful side that’s very easy to access, rather than a decidedly playful all-mountain ski.
And compared to those other “directional chargers” like the Supernatural 108, Blizzard Cochise, and Moment Belafonte, the Director is clearly the most playful, most soft-snow-oriented ski of the group—but it still belongs in that group.
That said, and with everything else I’ve said in this review, it ought to be pretty clear whether or not the Director is something you’re interested in. But in thinking about who this ski is for, the only point I would underscore is the Director’s groomer performance, particularly when it comes to firm groomers, and how that plays into the balance of performance characteristics it brings to the table.
If we’re talking about taking a directional, fall-line approach to the mountain, in any condition, then I would probably pick the Supernatural 108 as my everyday ski over the Director. The Director just doesn’t bring much to the table (for me) when it comes to carving performance, and that is something I care about. The Supernatural 108 does do well in soft snow, too, though it isn’t quite as good in soft conditions as the Director.
So if you’re looking for a one-ski quiver in this 105-110mm underfoot range and carving and firm-snow performance is a priority, I wouldn’t recommend the Director.
But if you’re happy making stable, smeary, skidded turns, on groomers and you want your ski to shine when conditions are soft, then the Director makes a ton of sense. Or, if you’re thinking about adding it to your fleet as part of a two or three-ski quiver (where you have a narrower, more dedicated carving / firm snow ski), then there’s a lot to like about the Director.
Bottom Line
Among directional, all-mountain chargers, the Whitedot Director is the most capable sub-110mm wide ski we’ve tested in fresh powder. Aggressive advanced and expert skiers will appreciate its easily-accessible, playful, maneuverable feel that doesn’t sacrifice much in the way of high-speed stability in softer variable conditions.
NEXT: Rocker Profile Pics
Really excited about what you at Blister have to say about these skis! Awesome that you are adding more brands to your encyclopedia of ski reviews. I’m also curious if your going to review any G3 skis this year, as there seem to be a lack of good reviews elsewhere, for G3 and Whitedot.
Thanks!
Really looking forward to seeing your review of these skis, I skied a pair earlier this year and loved them so interested to see your comparisons to other skis I haven’t been able to try yet.
I dig the White Dots. I’ve been on the Preacher, and it is badass.
The Directors sound pretty similar to the Praxis MVP, a comp ski that prefers to play, slash, or huck, and not much in between. In the 187 MVP, there is 48 cm of tip rocker and 40 cm of tail rocker, 7 cm of tip splay and 5 cm of tail splay, 110 underfoot, 26m radius, and no metal (unlike the Cochise). Any thoughts on that comparison?
Hmmm, there certainly do seem to be a number of similarities on paper, Metres. I’m still not prepared to assume that the MVP & Director will feel similar on snow, but is interesting that the Director has even more tip and tail splay than the MVP.
But long and short, I think you’re right to bring up the MVP. We shall see…
Have spent some time fondling the Ranger is a store. Is that one of the 4 you have to take a look at?
We have some test pairs of the Carbonlite versions of the White Dot Director, Redeemer, Ranger and Preacher this season and will let people know what they’re like…Since riding many production and proto White Dots since they started out back in 2009, we get the impression they want a ski with a wide range of terrain capabilities…not really excelling at any one particular situation, but being friendly and capable all over the mountain. Really nice bunch of guys behind White Dot. They want to make skis people enjoy and aren’t afraid to tinker with designs to make them do what people want. The new Carbonlites with carbon and flax fabric layers are very, very light. Stay tuned. Looking forward to Blister’s comments after spending more time on the Directors in more kinds of snow…Thanks for the preview and initial observations!
Am I the only one thinking that it sort of seems like a mini Blister pro? And from the review has at least some of the same attributes? Maybe it’s just the forward non-tapered, squared off tips, rocker profile and off-piste chops that makes me think that, dunno, but…..
Hey Pat,
The Moment PB&J is really more of a mini Blister / Bibby Pro, I’d say. And the biggest difference between the PB&J and the Director (that I’ve noticed so far), is that the PB&J feels a lot more conventional on groomers. It has a noticeably shortened effective edge, but a good amount of traditional camber underfoot and a sidecut radius that feels a little tighter to me than the Director’s; the PB&J hooks up and carves more readily than the Director. The Director is also a bit wider than the PB&J, but you’re not wrong to see a resemblance between the two, by any means.
Best,
Will
How about Ragnarok?
We finished up a review of the Carbonlite C3 version of the Whitedot Directors in short lengths (171cm and 151cm for the vertically-challenged…awesome kid ski in that length). Last season we tested a set of “standard” and “Carbonlite” versions of the Redeemers side-by-side and found the CarbonLites to be much more responsive, agile and sporty than the standard layup, but at the cost of some higher speed crud-cutting and stability. The standard layup also has the ability to absorb a higher level of input pressure from the skier before it gives-way. In essence, the Carbonlite versions are more backcountry-oriented or for lighter, less muscle-heavy resort skiers.
I usually agree with Blister’s descriptions of ski handling nearly 100%, and it feels like the Carbonlite version of the Director has some definite differences from its standard layup version tested here. It is definitely not a hard-charging ski, but more playful and fun, with excellent vibration control and balanced feel in powder and cut-up treelines. If anyone is interested in seeing the review of the CarbonLite Director, it can be found at:
http://exoticskis.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=362
As an intermediate skier, who still has lots to learn, but would like something in the 105-110 range, would this be a good choice or should I look at the Helix and Sick Day 110 as well as the Director and Supernatural 108? How would those all compare?
First of all, this was a phenomenal review by Will. It’s not that often I see a 6 page review on this site, so that immediately caught my attention and I have since purchased the 191 Directors this fall for use as my mid-fat in Colorado. I picked the ski to fit in between the Moment PBJ and the OG Bibby.
Quick overview of me for ref:
* 6’3″, 190#
* Look Pivot, 140 @ 11.5 DIN
* Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper
After 43 days on the mountain (mostly Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper), I have ridden the Director 37 times. It is by far my favorite ski, even more than the critically acclaimed Bibby. I have avoided full reverse cambered skis in the past because they typically came with inconsistent flex patterns and/or soft flex patterns, early taper, and a short turning radius. This ski is damp, quick, and rages in pow. As Will mentioned, as long as there is a little bit of the soft stuff to push around this ski excels… esp. for my style, which is defined by an appreciation for drifty turns and blowing up pow stashes at high speeds. The combination of dampness, late taper, and the camber profile gives me tremendous confidence because I know I can shut the ski down relatively quickly without it folding on me. Moreover, it allows for a huge variety of turn shapes (moguls to GS). I ski a lot of side-country and trees, so quickness is critical, but I also do not want to compromise too much in the way of stability for straightlining after an air or nuking it through chop. The Director is the perfect combination, especially for resort pow days where by the afternoon its a little too tracked out for me to be really stoked on muscling the 190 OG Bibby through tight trees (the Bibbs still dominate the chop though). I am convinced there is nothing quite like reverse camber and hope to see more chargy skis with this design concept. I wish they made it in 118-120mm underfoot for those truly deep days! My guess is the 128mm Redeemer is excessively fat and will be cumbersome in the air. So, do you have any other recommendations? Are there any other skis are out there around 120mm with reverse camber, stout flex profiles, large turning radii, late taper and progressive mounting points (-3 to -5cm from TC)? Thank you.
Best,
Andrew
Hey Will, Great review on the Director, I have been skiing the 182 Belafonte as a daily driver in Tahoe, and also switching up with the PB@J and 184 Bibby. I picked up the 181 Director to replace the PB@J’s since I found them good but not great in most conditions. WOW – I was blown away by this ski, first off the build quality is unreal, top notch.
Secondly they ski insane, I found just like Andrew above mentioned, in just a tiny bit of soft snow they come alive, carves, drifts, slashes, super super fun ski, even in the thickest Sierra cement they blow right thru it, 2′-3′ chop it dont matter. you can drive the tips or ski light and neutral, their like the Bibby in that sense, they just dont care. They turned out to be just what I was looking for a playful Belafonte, that can still charge.
Are you going to review the new Moment Meridian? which seams VERY similar to the Director in shape, and rocker profile, and after talking to Luke, the Moment sounds even stiffer. Thanks Again for the great reviews.
Andrew, to address your point on the Redeemer, I ski the 180cm length as a tight tree/ small area powder ski. im only 5′-6″ and 160lbs, but I would say it’s not cumbersome at all, its actually pretty quick and playful, and has a TON of float, since the wide point is pulled back from the tip and really carries its width behind your foot, and its plenty stiff enough to charge thru the chop later in the day, if you like the Director, you will like the Redeemer, they have a VERY common feel.