2020-2021 Liberty Origin 112

by
Luke Koppa reviews the Liberty Origin 112 for Blister
Liberty Origin 112, 18/19 Graphic

Ski: 2020-2021 Liberty Origin 112, 184 cm

Available Lengths: 176, 184, 192 cm

Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length: 182.3 cm

Stated Weight per Ski: 2150 grams

Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 2097 & 2103 grams

Stated Dimensions: 144-112-132 mm

Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 144-111.5-132 mm

Stated Sidecut Radius: 21.5 meters

Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 75 mm / 48 mm

Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 2 mm

Core: Bamboo/Poplar + Carbon Stringer + Fiberglass Laminate

Factory Recommended Mount Point: -9.95 cm from center; 81.2 cm from tail

Blister’s Recommended Mount Point: -8 cm from center

Boots / Bindings: Salomon QST Pro 130 / Marker Griffon Demo

Test Locations: Telluride Ski Resort, CO; Snowbird, UT

Reviewer: 5’8”, ~155 lbs

Days Skied: 7

[Note: Our review was conducted on the 18/19 Origin 112, which was not changed for 19/20 or 20/21, apart from graphics.]

Intro

For the 18/19 season, Liberty is introducing the Origin 112, a brand new ski that slots into their “Origin” line of freeride skis.

(In addition to the new Origin 112, Liberty gave the Origin 90 and 96 new rocker profiles, the Origin 106 comes back unchanged except for a graphics update, the Origin 112 effectively replaces the Origin 116, and the Schuster Pro returns as the Origin Pro, but is unchanged apart from the name and graphics.)

Here’s what Liberty says about the Origin 112:

“The new Origin 112 features a refined camber/rocker profile in a new waist width. A solid bamboo, poplar, and carbon core works perfectly with the new geometry to ensure the fun never stops, even if the snow does. Surfy enough for the big days, but quick and stable for the days in between, the Origin 112 will elevate your game”

Shape / Rocker Profile

The Origin 112 has a lot of tip rocker, and a more moderate tail rocker line. Though Liberty went narrower from the Origin 116 to the Origin 112, the new Origin 112’s rocker profile still looks like it should perform very well in powder, something that has been true even for the narrower skis in the Origin line. So we’ll definitely be reporting back on the Origin 112’s performance in pow, and we’ll see how the ski’s rocker profile affects its performance in firmer and more variable conditions.

The Origin 112’s shape is very similar to that of the Origin 116 and Origin 106. The Origin 112 has a bit of taper in the tips and tails, but that taper isn’t pronounced, especially compared to skis like the DPS Wailer 112, Rossignol Super 7 HD, or Dynastar Legend X106.

Flex Pattern

Hand flexing the Origin 112, here’s how we’d sum up its flex pattern:

Tips: 5.5
Shovels: 6-7
In Front of Toe Piece: 8.5-9.5
Underfoot: 10
Behind Heel Piece: 9.5-9
Tails: 8-7

The Origin 112’s tips and shovels are fairly soft, and when combined with the ski’s deep tip rocker lines, we expect it to perform very well in powder.

Those soft tips transition smoothly to a stiffer midsection, and the tails are noticeably stiffer than the tips. So, while the tips are very accessible, the back half of the ski should feel pretty supportive.

Dimensions

The main difference between the Origin 112 and the Origin 116 is obviously the narrower width, which is in line with the trend we’re seeing across the industry of skis getting narrower. Based on the dimensions alone, we’d expect the Origin 112 to do a bit better in firmer snow, which Liberty emphasizes in their description of the Origin 112.

Mount Point

The Origin 112 has a pretty traditional recommended mount point of -9.95 cm from center. However, Liberty has told us that they’ve been liking the ski about 2 cm forward of that mount point, so we’ll be testing the ski with the bindings at different positions to see where the Origin 112 feels most natural to us.

Weight

Like the other skis in the Origin series, the Origin 112 is coming in fairly light for its width. While Liberty doesn’t mention touring in their description of the ski, we think the weight of the Origin 112 puts it in the category of skis you could consider using both inside and outside of the resort.

Here are some of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for a few notable skis in this category:

1920 & 1936 Line Sick Day 114, 180 cm
1980 & 2019 Moment Deathwish, 184 cm
2006 & 2011 Rossignol Super 7 HD, 188 cm
2034 & 2052 Blizzard Rustler 11, 188 cm
2042 & 2105 Line Mordecai, 186 cm
2045 & 2071 DPS Alchemist Wailer 112, 189 cm
2097 & 2103 Liberty Origin 112, 184 cm
2182 & 2218 Nordica Enforcer 110, 185 cm
2196 & 2199 Icelantic Nomad 115, 191 cm
2252 & 2254 Liberty Origin 116, 190 cm

Some Questions / Things We’re Curious about

(1) Is the Origin 112 best categorized as a dedicated pow ski, a versatile pow ski, or as a wider all-mountain ski that works well in both soft and firm snow?

(2) Though the Origin 112 has a pretty traditional recommended mount point, it also has a lot of rocker and a nearly twinned tail, so how will it respond to different skiing styles (especially a more playful freestyle approach to the mountain)?

(3) How similar or different does the Origin 112 feel from the Origin 106? Pretty distinct, or lots of performance overlap?

Bottom Line (For Now)

The new Liberty Origin 112 looks like it is going to perform well in deep snow, but its narrower waist suggests that it should perform a bit better as an all-mountain ski compared to its predecessor, the Origin 116. We’ve actually already gotten some time on the Origin 112 at Telluride, and we’ll be getting more days on it soon. So stay tuned for updates.

NEXT: The Full Review

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20 comments on “2020-2021 Liberty Origin 112”

  1. Any plans on reviewing the updated origin 96? Love the current version and curious how the changes will affect the ride

  2. Hi Karl,

    Definitely — we recently received the 18/19 Origin 96 and will be getting time on it soon, so keep an eye out for that review.

    Cheers,

    Luke

    • Hi Steve,

      Unfortunately, we haven’t had any reviewers who have been on all three of those skis. But based on what others have said about them, I think the Origin 112 will be the best in deep snow (it floats very well for its width). The Metal will be the most damp and stable in rough snow, while I think the 100Eight would fall somewhere in between.

      So if you’re primarily going to be using the ski in fairly deep snow (both untracked pow and soft chop), the Origin 112 is probably the best option. But if you value high-speed stability in any snow, the Metal might be better, and the 100Eight sounds like a bit of a compromise between the two.

      Hope that helps.

      – Luke

  7. I picked up a pair of Origin 112 last night and after planning to rest today, made a last minute run up to Loveland arriving at noon. Yesterday would have been perfect for these with lots of boot-knee+ areas but late in the day the snow started getting wind effected so I had pretty low expectations for these skis today after more wind and sub zero temps last night. While riding up Ptarm on my first run I noticed that chair 9 was running so my “take it easy rest day” turned into 7 amazing laps off the top. With all the wind we had been having there was a variety of snow from ice and sastrugi to deep soft pockets. Like I said, I had low expectations given some of the “soft snow” comments but this ski was surprisingly composed in the variable conditions and then so surfy and fun in the deeper soft snow which I got several untracked runs on since the top of Luv was closed the past several days.

    My main reason for getting this ski is I had my ankle fused last April and wanted to add a more easy going, soft snow biased ski to my quiver in between my heavy, hard charging 108 and 125 skis (since my hard charging is dialed way back this season until I get my plates and screws removed). JE and Luke steered me towards this ski to fill that gap in my quiver and I’m so glad they did! In soft snow and wind blown, this ski can charge hard and the 184cm size doesn’t feel too short in spite of this length being shorter than my other skis (I’m 6′ 195lbs). The firmer the conditions got, the shorter the skis felt (which is ok with me as my fused ankle has a definite speed limit right now) but still felt stable at moderate speeds. One bonus of the soft shovels is that when hitting bumps (or actually skiing bumps like on my last run) they would bend and absorb some of the energy rather than direct it to my boots/ankle like my stiffer skis do. This obviously isn’t a daily driver but I always take 2 skis to the mountain anyway and I envision this being my go to morning ski on pow days. Definitely a great pow ski for a 2+ ski quiver! Thanks again Blister!

  8. This ski has been an absolute revelation! I bought it to be my soft snow & powder specific ski, but I find myself skiing it all the time. Yes, it can be difficult to get an edge in on scrubbed off firm groomers, but I don’t think it’s much worse than my Master Blaster in this respect, but when the conditions are good I can put my fist on the snow doing GS turns. Super fun! I think it would be hard to prize these skis out of my cold dead hands now. The synergy of the ski is what makes it so good. It floats extremely well for it’s width, it’s light enough to be quick edge to edge, burly enough to drive through soft chop at speed, heavy chop at moderate speed, (I tend to do big arks rather than straight lie it) wide enough to deal with crust, directional enough to give it authority, loose enough to scrub speed or turn on dime, it’s balanced in the air, and because it has early rise rather than a spatula tip it’s great in bumps with it’s easy pivots and smear characteristics. If had to use one word to describe it, it would be “balanced”. I have gained confidence with this ski and am skiing with more authority than I ever have. I was one a chair at Schweitzer yesterday sitting next to guy who was riding the older Genome. He said, yeah I over estimated the snow depth today! Me, I was have a ball!

    • Addendum to my post – I think this ski is a soft snow one ski quiver – maybe add a ski like the Line Blade for the hard pack days or rent. When I fly now, this is the only ski I will travel with. You pretty much covered all the characteristics in the review, but in my mind the ski belongs in the all mountain section as well. Cheers!

      • Thanks for the insights Gregory, the Origin is also very much on my radar so it’s great to hear from someone who has them already. Sound like a lot of fun.

    • I doubt it’d be a drastic difference. While we haven’t skied or flexed the 192, the 184 is quite easy to begin with and I think the only real thing that would make the 192 more demanding would be its extra length in tight spots and slightly higher swing weight. FWIW, the 192 Origin Pro was far from a super demanding ski, based on what Paul Forward said about it.

  10. Hi, I am looking for a ski to complement my other pair of skis which are blizzard brahma 172. I will spend the next winter at revelstoke and would like a ski that would do the job at the resort when there is a lot of snow and in the backcountry to do touring on them (i would put salomon shift bindings).

    I was initially looking at line sick day 104, armada tracer 108 or maybe line vision 108, all in size 172. But then, this ski caugth my attention, for the extra flotation and because they could complement well my brahma without too much overlap. I am 5’6″ tall, weigth 145lbs and I am an advanced skier. What are your thougths on this? Would toi use this ski for touring? Would you prefer one of the other options for a mix of resort/backcountry skiing? Many thanks for all your advice and amazing reviews!

  11. I’m looking for wider ski to use on soft snow days or in the trees a week after a storm at Taos/Telluride and also at Silverton during unguided season. Even when there’s new snow at these places, there’s lots of hard snow underneath the bumps and I’m worried these won’t be stable/damped enough?

    I was considering the Moment Wildcat, Rossignol Blackops Gamer, and K2 Mindbender 108 Ti. My daily driver is the Liberty Origin 96 in 176, and my backcountry ski is the Voile V8’s mounted on Kingpins.

    Is there a different ski you’d recommend for the hike-to terrain in Silverton and Telluride, and the ridge in Taos?

    FYI, I’m 5-8 and weigh 145. Not sure between the 176 and 184 length.

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