6 comments on “2017-2018 Whitedot Redeemer”

  1. Jonathan, thanks for the continued great reviews that you and everyone else provide on the site. I have been very close to pulling the trigger on a new pair of protests for quite some time now and had actually wondered if you guys are ever able to get back on some of the older model skis (or maybe just older in relation to when the review was written). Now that some time has passed, do you still feel the same about the protest or do you think some of the newer offerings have surpassed it in terms of powder and soft chop performance? Is it safe to say from comparing this review and the protest review that the protest might be slightly more pivoty and better for tighter trees (relatively speaking) while still maintaining the ability to ski bigger, steeper lines? Lastly, if you were picking a powder specific ski for 12″+ days that could be comfortably used up on the ridges in Taos but then also feel just as comfortable in some lower angle trees like you would find in a place like Steamboat is the Protest on that short list or would you look elsewhere?

    • Thank you, Dave.

      I think we are one of the few review sites where Newer doesn’t automatically equal Better. (Nor does Older automatically = Better.)

      And yes, as often as possible, we try to keep the skis that we review around so that we can A/B against the the new stuff that’s coming out. And we do still have our Protests, but I’m afraid that I don’t have them with me here in Taos, so didn’t get to A/B them against the Redeemer. Our Protests are lighter than the Redeemer, with less tail rocker, and the Redeemer has much stiffer shovels than our Protests. (Of course, you can order your Protests with a stiffer flex if you wish.)

      I still really like that Protest design, and I prefer the Protest on groomers. And for lower speeds / tighter trees, yes, I think the Protest would be the better tool, while I can’t say at the moment how it will compare to the Redeemer in chop / deep chop. But I would be happy to ski either ski on steep, big lines. I think the Redeemer (regular construction) really shines in deep snow at speed rather than low speeds & low angles. You can certainly make them work in low / low, it’s just not the Redeemer’s specialty.

      As for 12″ and up, yes, I’d still happily ski the Protest on the Taos ridge or low angle Trees.

      Anyway, a “Vs.” review between the Protest & the Redeemer should happen, but unfortunately it may have to wait till next season… Hopefully our reviews, however, will help you figure out which ski sounds like the best fit for you.

      • Jonathan,
        Thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions, I greatly appreciate it. Two last questions if you don’t mind. Are the protests you reviewed the standard flex or were they custom? And have you ever found yourself wishing the protests were either more or less stiff or is the stock flex pretty dialed in your opinion? Thanks again and I hope Taos keeps getting snow so you can keep reviewing the pow skis!

  2. hi there.
    i ride the non-carbonlite redeemer 190cm with dynafit radical fr setup since 2 seasons in the swiss alps. i’m 1.85cm and weight 95kg. the ski is an ultimate deep soft pow slayer, stable at high speed and a lot of float. i first mounted the bindings at the freeride-line and remounted it after one season 1-2cm behind the bbj-line to improve the turn initiation ability. i love riding the ski in tight trees, due its playfullness. i was really suprised, the the ski motivates you to jump arround do and do tricks. The flex is mid-stiff which allows you to charge it hard and still ist forgiving enough.

    i ride the ski if there is at least 40cm of freshy all over the mountain, else i prefere the downsized director or the salomon q-115 for touring and variable snow condition.

    compared to my previous deepsnow-ski the k2 po2oon, salomon rocker 122 the ski is much more a playful charger than a week “noodle”. you easly can tour in soft snow and splitboard-tracks are exactly the width of the redeemer

    bottom line: the ski is always in my car-trunk if a powderstorm hits the alps. its not a beginner ski but you will definitely love it :D

  3. Jonathan,
    Your colleagues had to do a bit of detuning on the whitedot director. I am curious if that was needed as well on the redeemer?
    Thanks

  4. I’ve been on this ski for three seasons. I’m 150lbs, 6′ and have the 181 length, mounted with the dynafit beast 14 halfway between the bcjib and freeride marks. I would attest that in tight trees, especially at the end of a full day, this ski is a lot to handle. It loves speed and handles cliff drops extremely well. I find it to be very jibby and rather playful-especially at high speeds. This ski loves to be played with at high speeds and in deep pow. It skis switch just fine as well.

    I’m a big fan.

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