2016-2017 Kitten Factory Toors Lite

Powder

I was blessed enough to spend two of my deepest days of the season on the Toors Lite, and I jetted out of work early to make sure I got an adequate assessment of their performance in waist-deep snow.

Because of high avalanche danger, I skied most of my powder runs in lower angle, gladed terrain. In these conditions, I was reminded that this is only a 108 mm underfoot ski, and in super deep, light snow, it tended to want to ski in the snow, rather than plane to the top.

The same thing happened when I attempted to really slash and slarve lower speed turns: the ski started to bog down a little. Part of this can probably be attributed to that more forward mount point. While it makes the ski quicker in tighter quarters, it does mean you have less ski in front of you to lean on, so it rewards a more centered stance.

In super deep snow, I would have gotten more float out of something like the G3 Synapse 109, which features a lot of rocker, and prominent taper. Still, I found the Toors Lite to be totally adequate in these conditions, and it is a more versatile ski than the Synapse 109 when the conditions aren’t blower.

Firm Crud

When conditions get chopped up and variable, the low weight of the Toors Lite really start to show, especially when combined with super light boots and bindings. In such conditions, I felt like the stiff flex of the Toors Lite was fighting me. I had a harder time bending the ski into the turn than I had on the heavier—and softer—All Mountain.

That said, for my more centered-style preference, the Toors Lite is still the best ski I’ve found in this weight and waist range. I’ve never gotten along well with the Volkl BMT 109, or the Blizzard Zero G 108. On both of those skis, if you don’t tend to drive the shovels of your skis, their low weight and the rearward mount point will make them feel like you have a super long lever attached to the front of your boots, and I found the shovels wanting to constantly deflect when things get rough.

To be clear, this really is about skiing styles. I suspect that more traditional skiers who prefer a more forward position (like Jonathan Ellsworth), will prefer the BMT 109 or Zero G 108 over the Toors Lite for exactly the reasons that I make the opposite choice.

That said, I’m confident that both Jonathan and I would choose the Toors Lite over the G3 Synapse in variable conditions, or as a one-ski touring quiver. The Synapse 109 is fully rockered and very tapered, and while it’s an incredible ride when things get deep, it skis very short in firm conditions. (The lack of stability of the Synapse 109 had reviewer Paul Forward convinced that the ski was actually broken.)

The Toors Lite strikes a pretty nice balance here. It’s really not the touring version of a super directional charger, but it’s much more versatile than a powder-specific ski. Of course, this is still a very light touring ski, and it feels like one. Skiing long, chopped-up, variable runs is still a chore (again, especially when combined with a very light boot and binding).

Firm Smooth Conditions

I haven’t had the Toors Lite out in a lot of firm and smooth conditions — the closest thing to it was a weird combination of wind-buffed snow up high, with some decent patches of corn, that degraded to terrible slop at the bottom.

But in this semi-smooth snow, the Toors Lite performed very well. It responded nicely when I leaned hard into turns, and I found that I’m able to break the tail loose more easily and consistently than the V-Werks BMT 109. For tight, slarvy, skiing that included some mandatory jump turns on consistent snow, I loved the Toors Lite. I found it easy to pivot and swivel, and it holds an edge well when landing jump turns.

However, when the snow got variable or bumped up, I found myself longing for the Kitten Factory All Mountain due to its heavier weight, and slightly softer flex. It offers a much more stable and forgiving ride in less-than-optimal conditions.

Who’s It For?

In the “Update” section of Paul Forward’s review of the Blizzard Zero G 108, he talks about skiing it inbounds at Alyeska in the morning, then heading out for some skin laps in the afternoon. He was using that ski with the Salomon MTN Lab Boot and Marker Kingpin binding, which definitely contribute to the downhill performance of the Zero G 108, but regardless of the boot and binding, I still wouldn’t consider using the Toors Lite for use both inbounds and out. Instead, I would go for something heavier and more stable—something like the Kitten Factory All Mountain.

We are still living in a world where heavier skis typically perform better on the descent, while lighter skis are much nicer to haul uphill. So you’ll have to figure out your sweet spot when it comes to weight.

The Toors Lite weighs ~150 grams – per ski less than the Zero G 108 or BMT 109, yet maintains a decent amount of downhill versatility.

But a more important factor to me than the weight savings is probably that mount point. I personally don’t like stiff, super-directional skis like the Volkl BMT 109 or the Blizzard Zero G 108. But more rockered, powder-specific tools like the G3 Synapse 109 don’t deliver enough versatility for me to want to tour every day on them. The Toors Lite fills a nice middle ground here—it’s great for the more centered skier looking for a lightweight, everyday touring quiver.

Bottom Line

The Kitten Factory Toors Lite is a very lightweight, fairly versatile touring ski. While there are heavier touring skis out there that offer better variable-snow performance, the Toors Lite pays off on the way up, while still skiing well enough to keep things fun going down. I’ve found myself regularly heading back up for “just one more lap” on this ski, and in my book, any ski that’s both light enough and fun enough to keep me out to the point where I’m skinning home with a headlamp is worth a look.