Ski: 2022-2023 Coalition Snow Rafiki, 180 cm
Test Location: Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado
Days Skied: 5
Available Lengths: 157, 164, 172, 180 cm
Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length (straight-tape pull): 178 cm
Stated Weight per Ski: 2087 grams
Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 2178 & 2166 grams
Stated Dimensions: 138-115-133 mm
Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 137-114-131.5 mm
Stated Sidecut Radius (180 cm): 21.4 meters
Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 95 mm / 61 mm
Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 3 mm
Core Materials: poplar / birch + fiberglass laminate
Base: sintered IS 7500
Factory Recommended Mount Point: -4.5 cm from center; 84.5 cm from tail
Boots / Bindings: Tecnica Cochise Pro W, Fischer RC4 MV Buckle & BOA / Tyrolia Attack 14
Intro
Coalition Snow operates a rare business model in the outdoor industry: a ski and snowboard company completely owned and operated by women. Their skis and boards are engineered and prototyped by their team of women, including their athletes and ambassadors. They are based in Reno, Nevada.
I couldn’t help but feel intrigued by a women-owned and operated ski company, but having not spent much time on any Coalition Snow skis in the past, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
After several days on Coalition’s widest ski, the Rafiki, it has proven to offer a different take on a women-specific pow ski than many other models on the market. But first, let’s take a look at its design.
What Coalition Snow says about the Rafiki
“Rafiki means “friend” in Swahili and pays tribute to the trees that we plant in Kenya for every ski and snowboard we make. Indeed, this surfy pow slayer will be your best buddy when the snow flies. But don’t let the powder skis title fool you. This pivoty and nimble ski will float you through Hokkaido deep drifts, twist through tight trees and bumps, and still carve a groomer with ease. An ample tip and waist provide skiers with a floaty ride. The pared-down tail makes for quick release and instant control, while camber underfoot is all business on the groomer.”
Construction
The Rafiki is built with an FSC-certified poplar and birch wood core, in addition to a full-width triaxial fiberglass laminate. It features a full sandwich construction and sintered IS 7500 base.
Shape & Rocker Profile
The Rafiki features notably deep tip and tail rocker lines, minimal camber, and a lot of tip and tail splay (it might actually have the most tip splay of any ski we’ve measured). Somewhat in contrast to that, its shape is more traditional, with a bit of early tapering at the tips and tails, but not a whole lot.
Flex Pattern
Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Rafiki:
Tips: 6.5
Shovels: 7-8
In Front of Toe Piece: 8.5-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 10-9.5
Tails: 9-6.5
The Rafiki has a pretty balanced flex pattern, with a stiff midsection that softens through the extremities. Its front half is a bit stiffer than the back half, and most of the middle of the ski is quite strong, while the rockered portions of its tips and tails are notably softer.
Sidecut Radius
At a stated 21.4 meters for the 180 cm length, the Rafiki’s stated sidecut radius doesn’t stand out a whole lot on paper — it’s pretty average, if not just a touch longer than average for a ski in this class.
Mount Point
The Rafiki has a recommended mount point of -4.5 cm from true center, which is pretty forward / close to center, particularly when compared to more directional skis.
Weight
The Rafiki is a fairly heavy ski, at about 2170 grams per ski for the 180 cm length we’ve been testing. The weight of the Rafiki provides some notable on-snow benefits (which we’ll get into below), but it’s by no means a super lightweight option when compared to the current market.
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 to keep things apples-to-apples.
1676 & 1700 Majesty Vadera Carbon, 176 cm (22/23–23/24)
1693 & 1710 Moment Sierra, 172 cm (21/22–23/24)
1709 & 1710 Blizzard Sheeva 10, 172 cm (17/18–22/23)
1735 & 1740 K2 Mindbender 106C, 175 cm (21/22–22/23)
1741 & 1747 Nordica Unleashed 98 W, 174 cm (22/23–23/24)
1752 & 1751 Blizzard Sheeva 9, 172 cm (23/24)
1761 & 1778 Zag Slap 104, 176 cm (21/22–23/24)
1787 & 1798 Faction Dancer 2X, 172 cm (22/23–23/24)
1792 & 1792 Nordica Santa Ana 104 Free, 172 cm (20/21–23/24)
1797 & 1839 Rossignol Rallybird 102, 170 cm (20/21–23/24)
1806 & 1821 Blizzard Sheeva 11, 172 cm (18/19)
1797 & 1839 Rossignol Rallybird 104 Ti, 171 cm (20/21–23/24)
1835 & 1820 Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, 185 cm (22/23)
1836 & 1838 Armada ARW 106 UL, 180 cm (21/22–23/24)
1847 & 1854 Wagner Summit 106, 172 cm (21/22–23/24)
1851 & 1856 Blizzard Sheeva 10, 180 cm (23/24)
1860 & 1862 Majesty Vadera Ti, 176 cm, (22/23–23/24)
1867 & 1890 K2 Mindbender 115C, 179 cm (21/22-22/23)
1878 & 1891 Salomon QST Stella 106, 173 cm (22/23–23/24)
1928 & 1945 K2 Mindbender 99Ti W, 172 cm (22/23–23/24)
1933 & 1975 Volkl Secret 96, 170 cm (21/22–23/24)
1955 & 1990 Coalition Snow SOS, 173 cm (19/20–20/21)
1958 & 1960 Faction Dancer 3X, 172 cm (22/23–23/24)
1969 & 1988 4FRNT MSP CC, 171 cm (20/21–22/23)
1959 & 1986 Blizzard Sheeva 11, 180 cm (23/24)
2011 & 2022 Blizzard Sheeva 10, 180 cm (19/20–22/23)
2068 & 2178 Salomon QST 106, 181 cm (22/23–23/24)
2074 & 2088 Line Blade Optic 104, 178 cm (22/23–23/24)
2083 & 2035 Nordica Unleashed 108 W, 180 cm (23/24)
2104 & 2115 Volkl Secret 102, 170 cm (19/20–22/23)
2178 & 2166 Coalition Snow Rafiki, 180 cm (23/23)
Now, onto how all of this translates on snow:
FULL REVIEW
Powder
Kara Williard (5’9”, 167 lbs / 175 cm, 75.7 kg): We’ve seen a lot of fresh snow at Crested Butte Mountain Resort this season, making for optimal testing conditions for a ski like the Rafiki. This is a pretty soft-snow-oriented ski and I have had some extremely enjoyable pow days on it over the last couple of months.
The Rafiki provides ample flotation in deep snow, and it is a very loose and surfy ski, whether the snow is light and fluffy or heavy and manky.
As will be mentioned throughout this review, the Rafiki is a relatively heavy ski (coming in around ~2170 g per ski). In lighter snow, it can feel like it is sinking a bit, rather than floating on top of everything, but I have found that this sometimes makes for even deeper-feeling turns. Even though I didn’t always feel like I was staying atop the snow, the Rafiki remained easy to pivot, even from a relaxed and upright stance, which is a big plus in tight and technical terrain.
We recently had a very warm, maritime-like storm hit Crested Butte last week, which resulted in about 20” / 50 cm of dense snow covering the mountain. In these conditions, the Rafiki offered excellent flotation and ample maneuverability. As the snow warmed up and became even more consolidated, the Rafiki did an impressive job of blasting through the heavy conditions, feeling smooth and consistent. The weight of the Rafiki was definitely helpful in heavier snow, and in these conditions, I was glad to be on a substantial, stable, but still surfy ski.
Despite its weight, the Rafiki is pretty playful, thanks to its more centered mount point and deep rocker lines, but there are other skis that feel a bit easier to maneuver at slower speeds, due to their lower swing weights (e.g., Blizzard Sheeva 11). However, the weight of the Rafiki also proved to be an advantage as the powder got tracked out…
Soft Chop
If I had to identify one category in which the Rafiki absolutely excels, it would be soft chop. Lately, there have been a lot of days consisting of tracked-out powder and soft chop, and the Rafiki is one of the most planted skis in choppy conditions that I can think of, despite how loose and maneuverable it is.
In soft chop, the Rafiki feels impressively smooth and does a really good job of providing suspension when hitting piles of denser, cut-up snow. No matter the speed or density of the chop, I rarely felt like the Rafiki was deflecting or getting knocked around, which allowed me to ski soft chop faster than I would opt to on lighter, less stable powder skis.
Because the Rafiki has the weight to blast through dense snow but the rocker profile to keep it feeling looser and surfy, it was great for making both fast, large turns and smaller, tighter turns, which is particularly helpful when conditions vary a lot depending on what aspect you’re on at a given moment.
Overall, the Rafiki is one of the best skis I’ve used for making the most of soft, choppy, cut-up conditions.
Firm Chop / Crud
As the chop gets firmer and moves closer to “crud” classification, the Rafiki loses a bit of its composure, mostly in regard to its lack of edge hold. The Rafiki still feels like a pretty planted ski, thanks to its weight, but it doesn’t offer a lot of stability while on edge. That said, the Rafiki still feels quite a bit more composed in firmer chop than powder skis that are much lighter but similarly rockered (e.g., the Armada ARV 116 JJ UL).
If I planned to spend a lot of time on firm snow on my wider ski, I’d look to something that’s a bit more precise on edge, such as the Blizzard Sheeva 11 or Nordica Unleashed 108; while the Rafiki is a blast in all sorts of soft snow, it’s not the most versatile pow ski when conditions are firmer.
Across most conditions and terrain, the Rafiki rewards a pretty centered and upright stance (more on this below). When I tried to drive its shovels on firmer snow, it felt slightly lacking in stability, but when I relaxed my stance a bit, the Rafiki felt pretty composed and stable through the middle of the ski, and I think that’s the best approach to take when you encounter firmer snow on this ski.
Moguls, Trees, & Tight Terrain
The maneuverability of the Rafiki is really evident in moguls, trees, and tight terrain. It is a very easy to ski pivot and turn, and doesn’t require that you put a ton of pressure on its shovels in order to do so. While it isn’t the most nimble ski, it still produces a bit of energy when transitioning between turns.
When conditions are firm in tight terrain, as mentioned above, the Rafiki doesn’t feel all that secure on edge, though it was a bit more stable than I might expect from a ski this rockered / wide, likely thanks to its heavier build. Fortunately, its deep rocker lines keep it feeling easy to slash around in tight spots, whether they’re firm or soft, and that’s generally the best approach, rather than trying to carve through them.
I think the main downside to the heavier construction of the Rafiki is its swing weight. Despite how loose and playful the rest of its design is, its weight made me a little more hesitant to hop-turn, and I definitely felt myself working to keep up the momentum when trying to execute quick, tight turns in consequential terrain. After two long, back-to-back days of skiing heavy pow and chop on the Rafiki, I opted for a slightly lighter, narrower ski to give my legs a bit of a break.
Mount Point
The Rafiki has a pretty forward recommended mount point (-4.5 from true center), especially compared to more directional powder skis I have spent a lot of time on. As you’d expect, the Rafiki feels most intuitive when skiing with a more upright and relaxed stance, and it doesn’t require much power or forward pressure to initiate or pivot turns.
As someone who is a pretty directional skier, this took a bit of getting used to, but because of its planted and smooth ride quality, I was able to trust the ski to not get deflected much, even without a ton of driving pressure on the front of the ski.
I was still able to drive the Rafiki’s shovels a bit, when needed, particularly in choppy / cruddy snow, and its tail provided enough support to recover from a backseat turn, or when hitting a compression at speed (something I had issues with on the similarly forward-mounted, but much softer Armada ARV 116 JJ UL).
For a very dedicated directional skier unwilling to adopt a more upright, centered stance, the Rafiki might not feel as intuitive as it did to me, but it’s also not a wildly large jump for someone who is willing to be a bit more adaptable when it comes to their stance.
Length
I personally tend to ski lengths anywhere from 170-185 cm, and 180 cm Rafiki felt just right. With its forgiving tail and ability to easily pivot / slarve in tight spaces, the 180 cm Rafiki never felt long, but it did feel stable and supportive, thanks to its burly build and strong flex pattern in the middle of the ski.
Because of the Rafiki’s deep rocker lines, correspondingly high level of maneuverability, and more centered mount point, it might make sense to size up if you’re caught between lengths, particularly if you’re looking to optimize flotation and stability in chop. I think the only reason you might choose to opt for the smaller size is if the weight of the skis seems a bit intimidating, and/or you are okay forgoing a bit of stability in exchange for even more maneuverability at slower speeds.
Who’s It For?
The Rafiki is an excellent powder ski for someone who wants something that is both very maneuverable in fresh snow and still quite planted and stable in the soft chop that follows. While it’s not the most versatile powder ski when it comes to firm snow, it does strike an impressive balance when it comes to suspension + maneuverability.
The Rafiki makes the most sense for someone who either gets to ski soft conditions a lot, or who really wants to cater to and enjoy those conditions when they do occur. If you don’t mind a little extra weight beneath your feet, the Rafiki will reward you with a rare level of composure in heavy and cut-up snow, while still being easy to slash and surf around at slower speeds.
Bottom Line
As far as powder skis go, the Rafiki hits a really nice sweet spot. It offers ample flotation, is playful and maneuverable, but still feels predictable and smooth as things get skied out. It’s certainly most at home in soft conditions, but it’s by no means only enjoyable in untracked pow, with a surfy-yet-damp ride that’s nearly as fun in chop as it is on the first run of a resort pow day.
Deep Dive Comparisons
Become a Blister Member to check out our Deep Dive Comparisons of the Rafiki to see how it compares to the Blizzard Sheeva 11, Armada ARV 116 JJ UL, Salomon QST Stella 106, Nordica Unleashed 108, Majesty Vadera Ti, K2 Mindbender 115C, Salomon QST Blank, Armada ARW 106 UL, & Faction Dancer 3X.
I noticed the two shorter lengths of the Rafikis are considerably lighter (and narrower) than the two longer lengths. I’m wondering how that would affect stability (specifically in chop/crud), especially when comparing to an option like the Sheeva 11 which is actually heavier than the Rafiki in a 164 length. Thanks!