2015-2016 Moment Tallac

But in tougher conditions—punchy snow, breakable crust, thick & heavy snow (especially on lower-angle slopes), those tails get grabby.

Of course, these are difficult conditions for all skis, and on the Tallac, I’ve needed to keep things moving down the fall line—being intentional about not over-turning the ski.

Still, the more you encounter rotten, punchy snow or breakable crusts, the more I’d highly recommend detuning the hell out of the Tallac’s tail. This ski is not loose, and it is not going to allow you to pivot around effortlessly at slow speeds and low angle slopes.

It’s also made me think that I would be in favor of reducing the amount of traditional camber underfoot on the Tallac to loosen things up a bit. I generally love the rebound and energy you get from traditional camber underfoot, but since I’m not going to be railing groomers on this ski, I wouldn’t mind a reduction in camber for the sake of making the Tallac work a bit better in crusty, punchy snow.

And anyone reading this who is skiing steep, icy, exposed lines would be justified to vehemently disagree—I’m not arguing that there is never room for a bunch of camber underfoot in the backcountry—but I think reducing the camber a bit could make the ski a bit more forgiving in the conditions I’m describing, while still allowing the ski to bite and not get all washy in steep, frozen or smooth conditions (especially given the ski’s lack of tail rocker).

The Tallac’s Tips / Shovels

You know what has proven to work well in difficult (as well as deep) conditions? The Tallac’s heavily tapered tips. Those tips are so heavily tapered that they have exhibited no hooky behavior when skiing breakable crust, and the shovels are light enough and soft-flexing enough that (in combination with its set-back mount point and relatively deep tip rocker line) the Tallac will be less prone to tip dive than other ~105mm skis.

On the flip side, the tapered tips and softer shovel don’t exactly encourage a super forward, drive-the-shovels stance. You can get forward on the Tallac – and that mount point encourages you to do so – but skis like the G3 Zenoxide (stiffer shovels, less tip taper) are probably the better option if you want to get all over the front of your skis.

How Damp is the Tallac?

I’ll let you know when I come across a ski that’s roughly this size and roughly this weight (~1,800 grams) that I would describe as “damp,” but don’t hold your breath. In variable terrain or conditions, the Tallac is too light to bulldoze and smooth out the conditions, but I would call it “acceptably damp” for its weight and shape. It’s an acceptable balance in my opinion, and again, lighter skiers will find the Tallac to be even more damp / planted than my 180 lb. self.

Note re: Mount Point

Reviewer Jason Hutchins and I both feel that on skis with heavily tapered tips, we prefer to get a bit more forward on the ski to keep the light / quick tip shape under control. And I think I’d be inclined to get a little forward on the Tallac for this reason, too.

So if a friend was asking me where he or she thought I should mount these things, I’d suggest going +1cm forward of the recommended mount point. (FWIW, last season, Moment moved the mount point on the Governor forward 1cm, and I prefer it there.)

Moment Tallac as a 50 / 50 Ski?

I’ll say it again – this is a backcountry ski not a resort ski. But understandably, some (many?) skiers are trying to get away with a single setup for use both in bounds and out. So while I appreciate (and I will keep underscoring) Moment’s own specificity about the Tallac, I’ll give a few quick thoughts on the question of, “But could I get away with it as both a resort & BC ski?”

I’d say that the lighter and more finesse-oriented you are, the more confident I’d be that you could pull double duty on the Tallac—again, especially if you aren’t slamming through huge, firm moguls, but tend to ski smoother terrain and more consistent snow—whether firm or soft.

But the less these things are true of you and where you ski, the more you should do yourself a favor and get a heavier ski—one designed for resort skiing. (Moment happens to make those, too. See the similarly-sized but heavier Belafonte.)

Moment Tallac, 186cm vs. G3 Zenoxide, 186cm

My review of the 15/16 G3 Zenoxide will be coming soon, but we’ve got two touring skis here that have very similar weights, mount points, and both measure at exactly 104.5 millimeters wide. So this section is really just a teaser to note that I’ve been A/B-ing the Tallac and the Zenoxide, and I’ll make a lot more direct comparisons in the Zenoxide review.

But two important things that I want to note briefly: (1) the Tallac has a much deeper rocker line than the Zenoxide, and the Zenoxide has a much stiffer flex profile than the Tallac. So I’d trust the shovels of the Tallac to plane better in deep pow than Zenoxide, and I think given the stiffness of the Zenoxide (which I personally happen to really like), the lighter you are, the more inclined I would be to recommend the Tallac. But again, I’ll have more to say about these two skis in my Zenoxide review.

Who’s It For?

If you’re skiing tighter trees at slower speeds in lower angle terrain—especially in punchy snow or rotten pow—the Tallac’s shovels will work incredibly well for you, but I’d recommend a ski with less camber underfoot (and probably some – or a lot – of tail rocker).

But if you’re backcountry skiing tends to involve either (a) steeper terrain, or (b) more consistent conditions—even a wide range of consistent conditions: slush, or light pow, or smooth corn, or consistent crusts—then the Tallac ought to serve you very well.

As always, it’s important to think about where you ski and the kinds of conditions you encounter most.

Bottom Line 

At ~1,800 grams per ski, the Moment Tallac is a purpose-built touring ski that won’t wear you out on your way up, but still provides a solid ride on the way down.

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