2020-2021 RMU North Shore 108

Intro

RMU has been putting out skis for around a decade, and the North Shore series has gone in and out of their lineup throughout much of their history. The North Shore was originally designed to be the “big brother” / burlier version of their popular all-mountain ski, the Apostle.

Since its release, the North Shore has undergone a variety of updates, but big-mountain performance has remained the goal of the ski. For 19/20, RMU is offering the North Shore 108 and North Shore 114, both of which will only be available in their standard (not metal or carbon) construction.

What RMU says about the North Shore 108

“RMU’s most anticipated ski of 2018 is the addition of the 108. The ski has been drawn up by RMU athletes from around the world. Featuring a stiffer core, the 108 can handle high speeds for the bigger lines but is still agile enough for hucking. RMU has added a larger tip and tail rocker to bring the ski up to plane quickly. We have moved the contact surface forward allowing for a longer radius and added extra binding reinforcement for bigger drops. The 108 is a serious weapon and a great addition to any quiver.”

First, just to clarify — the North Shore 108 and 114 are returning unchanged for 19/20, apart from graphics.

Regarding this description, I think the key phrases here are “high speeds for the bigger lines,” “agile enough for hucking,” “larger tip and tail rocker,” and “moved the contact surface forward.”

RMU seems to be highlighting the North Shore 108’s stability. And that makes sense, given that it’s their “big mountain” ski. But the North Shore 108 doesn’t seem super similar to a lot of other, more traditional big-mountain skis. And much of that comes down to its rocker profile and mount point.

Shape / Rocker Profile

The North Shore 108’s shape looks a lot like a ski that we’re big fans of, the Nordica Enforcer 110. Like the Enforcer 110, the North Shore 108 has a notable amount of tip and tail taper, but its tips and tails don’t taper to much of a point, and instead, the taper lines are subtle and almost straight.

The North Shore 108’s rocker profile is also very similar to the Enforcer 110’s, with a fairly deep and pretty abruptly rising tip rocker line, and a shallower, but still pretty deep tail rocker line. Compared to the Enforcer 110, the North Shore 108’s tip rocker line is a bit deeper, while its tail rocker line is a tad shallower. But compared to other similarly wide skis like the Salomon QST 106, Rossignol Soul 7 HD, and 4FRNT MSP 107, the North Shore 108’s rocker lines are a bit deeper, and the North Shore 108’s tail splay is notably higher.

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the North Shore 108:

Tips: 7
Shovels: 7.5-8.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 9
Underfoot: 9.5
Behind the Heel Piece: 9.5-9
Tails: 8-6

The North Shore 108 is fairly softer at the very ends of the ski, but its flex ramps up rather quickly. The only portions of the ski that are not very stiff are the ends where the tips and tails are raised off the ground / snow, so it seems like the North Shore 108 will offer a very strong platform when on edge. It’s also interesting that the end of the North Shore 108’s tail actually finishes a bit softer than its tips, which is not something we see very often.

Compared to the Enforcer 110, the North Shore 108 is a touch stiffer at the tips, a bit softer at the very end of the tail, but its flex stiffens quicker as you move from the ends of the ski to the middle.

So while there are plenty of stiffer skis (e.g., Faction Dictator 3.0, Moment Commander 108, Prior Husume), the North Shore 108’s flex pattern is by no means noodly.

Mount Point

At around -6.55 cm from center, the North Shore 108’s mount point is on the more progressive side for directional all-mountain skis. It’s not as far forward as most freestyle skis like the Armada ARV 106, K2 Marksman, and ON3P Kartel 108, but the North Shore 108’s mount point is notably more forward than many other skis in its class like the Enforcer 110, K2 Mindbender 108Ti, Soul 7 HD, QST 106, and MSP 107.

Weight

The 185 cm North Shore 108 comes in at around 2030 grams per ski, which puts it right in line with skis like the Soul 7 HD, QST 106, and Liberty Origin 106. Those are all skis that we often end up recommending to people who split their time between the backcountry and the resort. Yet, RMU is talking up the North Shore 108’s high-speed, big-mountain performance, so we’re curious to see where it falls in terms of stability at speed.

For reference, here are a number of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. Keep in mind the length differences to try and keep things apples-to-apples.

1605 & 1630 Line Vision 108, 183 cm (19/20)
1642 & 1651 Renoun Citadel 106, 185 cm, (18/19)
1843 & 1847 Head Kore 105, 189 cm (17/18)
1848 & 1903 Line Sick Day 104, 186 cm (17/18–19/20)
1849 & 1922 Elan Ripstick 106, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
1898 & 1893 Armada Tracer 108, 180 cm (18/19)
1913 & 1943 Sego Condor Ti, 187 cm (18/19)
1923 & 1956 DPS Alchemist Wailer 106, 189 cm (17/18–18/19)
1941 & 1965 Fischer Ranger 108 Ti, 182 cm (17/18–18/19)
1950 & 1977 Blizzard Rustler 10, 188 cm (17/18–18/19)
1980 & 2016 Liberty Origin 106, 187 cm (16/17–18/19)
1996 & 2012 Dynastar Legend X106, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
2005 & 2035 Liberty Origin 106, 187 cm (19/20)
2013 & 2013 Moment Commander 108, 188 cm (18/19)
2018 & 2045 RMU North Shore 108, 185 cm (18/19–19/20)
2022 & 2047 Faction Dictator 3.0, 186 cm (17/18–18/19)
2026 & 2056 Black Diamond Boundary Pro 107, 184 cm (17/18–8/19)
2030 & 2039 Rossignol Soul 7 HD, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
2036 & 2064 Salomon QST 106, 188 cm (18/19)
2046 & 2120 Black Crows Corvus, 188 cm (18/19–19/20)
2112 & 2125 4FRNT MSP 107, 187 cm (18/19)
2143 & 2194 ON3P Wrenegade 108, 184 cm (18/19)
2165 & 2211 K2 Mindbender 108Ti, 186 cm (19/20)
2182 & 2218 Nordica Enforcer 110, 185 cm (17/18–19/20)
2233 & 2255 Nordica Enforcer 104 Free, 186 cm (19/20)
2250 & 2307 Argent Badger, 184 cm (19/20)
2283 & 2290 ON3P Wrenegade 108, 189 cm (18/19)
2312 & 2386 Prior Husume, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
2318 & 2341 J Skis The Metal, 186 cm (16/17–18/19)
2376 & 2393 Blizzard Cochise, 185 cm (15/16–19/20)

Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About

(1) Apart from being lighter, the North Shore 108 has a lot in common with one of our favorite skis, the Nordica Enforcer 110. So how similar will they feel on snow?

(2) The North Shore 108 has a deep tip rocker line but a fairly forward mount point. So how well will it float in deep snow?

(3) Given its fairly low weight, how will the North Shore 108 compare to heavier skis like the K2 Mindbender 108Ti and Enforcer 110 when it comes to stability?