Reviewer: Jonathan Ellsworth, BLISTER Editor-in-Chief
Age: 37 | Vitals: 5’10,” 185 lbs. | Years skiing: 18 | Current Residence: Santa Fe, New Mexico | (See complete bio)
One-Ski Quiver Selections:
1st Choice: Blizzard Cochise, 185cm
As I wrote in my review of the Cochise, this ski just blew me away across all of Taos’ varied terrain and through a decent range of conditions. On really deep days, I am confident that I’ll wish I had more ski, but for anything less than 18″ of fresh, this ski—and this length—felt basically perfect to me.
Runner-Up: DPS Wailer 99, PURE, 184cm
While the Wailer 99 is nine centimeters narrower than the Cochise, its tip profile is such that it ought to plane about as well as the Cochise on deep days. And with all the tree skiing and big bump skiing at Taos, the super-quick 99 PUREs will be right at home. This is the primary reason I decided to go with the 99 over its bigger brother, the Wailer 112RP: the 112 will definitely be better on bigger days, but the slight, additional stiffness of the 99s and the smaller shovels will be appreciated in the bumps.
Furthermore, the ridiculously light weight of the 99s will be great for all of those days of hiking and spinning ridge laps.
1st Choice: Moment Bibby Pro, 190cm
When the Wasatch is between storms and I’m skiing very firm bumps down West Rustler, I’ll wish I had something a bit shorter and narrower. But I’ll suck it up in those conditions for the sake of getting to ski the Bibbys in all other conditions, including the really big days. As I’ve said about a million times now, for me, the Bibby Pro strikes a perfect balance: it’s a playful ski that can still charge.
Runner-Up: Rossignol Sickle, 186cm
This is the pick that I’m slightly nervous about. While I was able to ski the Sickle at Alta, I spent more time on the Sickle’s skinnier brother, the Scimitar, which is a ski that I came to like a lot. But for Alta, I want more than the Scimitar’s 98mm underfoot. The Sickle is also a bit shorter than I would like for really deep days, but I didn’t find it to be susceptible to tip dive, and I’ll prefer the shorter length when things are firm and we’re skiing bumps and bumped up trees.
1st Choice: Blizzard Cochise, 193cm
All right, I’m going to go ahead and break the rules: I haven’t actually skied the 193cm Cochise, but this just feels like the right call. The 185cm Cochise isn’t demanding, yet it is surprisingly, remarkably stable. And because I care less about contending with big old Taos bumps (aka, real bumps) at Jackson, I’m moving up to the 193cm for the additional surface area and effective edge. My intention is to spend less time in bumps and tight trees, and more time jumping off stuff.
Runner-Up: Moment Bibby Pro, 190cm
No new reasons, just new scenery.
Las Leñas
1st Choice: Volkl Katana, 191cm
I love this ski, but I wouldn’t want to ski it day in and day out at places like Taos and Alta. Furthermore, this ski isn’t really designed for really deep snow, it’s designed for big lines at very high speeds.
Las Leñas is the perfect home for the Katana, and I probably spend more time daydreaming about this particular ski in that particular place than I do any other combination of ski + location. So much fun.
Runner-Up: Moment Belafonte, 187cm
Unlike the Katana, I could be quite happy skiing the Belafonte most days in Taos and Alta, but I could definitely make it my everyday ride in Las Leñas. The Belafonte is good in bumps, but it is also a good bit of work in bumps. Las Leñas? No bumps, zero trees, lots of big, open lines. And when conditions turn variable, you’ll still be hauling on the Belafonte.
When the Santa Rosa storm rolls in, I’ll definitely be wishing for a bigger pow ski, but that will be made up for by the sheer number of fun days I’ll get ripping around and all over the mountain.
1st Choice: Moment Bibby Pro, 190cm
For all the reasons already stated, except that here, this is the closest call on my list between the first choice and the Runner-Up.
Runner-Up: Rossignol Squad 7, 190cm
I love the Squad 7, and I absolutely loved it in Niseko. Given that the Squad is a bit heavier and more damp than the Bibby Pro, I wouldn’t make it my everyday ski at Alta, Taos, or Jackson Hole (however, I could make it my everyday ski down in Las Leñas…hmmm…..), I could happily ski the Squad 7 while waiting for the storms to roll in to Niseko.
FINAL QUESTIONS:
Q: What skis were the most difficult to leave off your list?
A: 188cm Moment PB&J, as a near Runner-Up for both Taos and Las Leñas. The 187cm Praxis Protest, as a One-Ski Quiver for Niseko. (Granted, at 128mm underfoot, this would be a huge everyday ski, but the Protest was so good in Niseko in deep stuff, I’d make do.)
Q: What skis do you imagine have the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski them (or get to ski them more)?
A: 191cm ON3P Caylor, for Las Leñas; 192cm LINE Mr. Pollard’s Opus as an everyday ski for Alta; the ski I’m most curious about (OK, obsessed with) right now: the new Praxis MVP, 187cm length, with customizable flex (I’d go with “medium/stiff”) and the carbon fiber layup option.
And finally:
Q: If over the next three seasons you had to ski one ski, every day, regardless of location, what would you choose?
A: This is an excruciating question—are we really even wired to have a long-term, monogamous relationship with our skis? Is that natural? Is it possible??? In any case, I am going with the 190cm Bibby Pro, mostly because I am usually fortunate enough to be on the mountain during and immediately after storms. If tended to miss a lot of pow days, I would probably go with something narrower.
And if I have to ski rock-hard bumps on the Bibbys for long stretches of time, I won’t be having the most fun you can have on skis. But for conditions ranging from even slightly soft to absolutely bottomless, I pretty much will.
Next: Julia Van Raalte’s Selections
Hey Guys, awesome article. I am stuck on the east coast and usually don’t have the joy of multiple feet of fresh pow. I am interested in the Volkl Mantra to replace my frontside carve skis but am having a hard time finding a “real” review. How would it compare to the Belafonte as a hard pack ripper/crud buster?
Hi, Barry. I’m afraid that I haven’t been on the Mantra for a few seasons. The Mantra, of course, is 98mm underfoot, the Belafonte is 106mm. Both skis have tip rocker. The Belafonte is one of my favorite crud skis, so I have a little trouble imagining that the newest Mantra would be vastly better. However, it isn’t hard for me to imagine that the Mantra would be the better carver (in the way that I would regard the Rossi Experience 98 as being a better pure carver than the Belafonte – check out our review of the Experience 98.)
But the more specifically you’re talking about carving turns on groomers, the more I’m sticking to a ski like the Mantra or Rossi E98. But if you’re less interested in carving pure arcs on consistent hardpack / ice, and more interested in charging through variable, chopped up snow, the more I’d lean toward the Belafonte.
Sorry for the lame speculation. I’ve got the Mantra high on my list for early season testing, so hopefully I’ll be able to contribute a real review in the fall.
Great review, and have to agree with the Bibby… Granted it’s been a bumper snow year in Austria, but I spent at least 90-95% of my time on them. Pow to crud to corn to slush, they just kill it. Even with the drought last year I still had plenty of funtimes on them.
Would have been really interesting to see how the Whitedot Freeride Preacher and Director fared though, both look like potentially brilliant everyday skis.
Clarky – where are you doing most of your skiing in Austria? From what I saw, it looked like St. Anton was the place to be, but maybe anywhere in Austria was the place to be….
And we would love to get on some Whitedot skis. I’ve been eyeing them for a while, just haven’t had the opportunity.
Mainly Nordkette (above Innsbruck), but several other places too – Saalbach Hinterglemm, St Anton/Arlberg, Axamer Lizum, etc. Generally all the mountains of the more Northerly mountains in Austria got dumped on, East and West.
But wait, there’s a missing test area! What might you go with for 1st choice/runner up in Summit Co.? This is a great review format, can’t wait until next week.
Hi, Jonathan – our next reviewer up, Will Brown, goes to school in Colorado Springs, so I’ll have him weigh in here with his pick for Summit Co.
Hi Jonathan,
The Cochise might take the cake for Summit County, Colorado, because of the greater variety of terrain and predominantly tighter, lower-angle trees.
Cheers, and thanks for reading.
Will B
Thanks for the feedback. I rode the Cochise 185 at Kirkwood in late February in morning refreeze, soft shaded trees and afternoon warm spring delight. It was maneuverable and forgiving and high speed stable, but it was also the ‘almost’ you describe when you state the preference of the Belafonte’s camber over the flat Blizzi: I just didn’t like how it felt (or didn’t feel, really). I am wondering if the 182 Belafonte would be more rewarding (I have the 190 112RP hybrid for deeper days; and yet I am wondering if I should trade them for the 190 Bibbys for that role!). I have also read great things about the 104mm Head Inferno, and the Turbo, although Jason’s review of that left me feeling it was in the ‘somewhat lifeless’ category of the Cochise.
It is a great time to be picking skis; I don’t see many ‘bad’ skis, just arrows that don’t match the Indian!
Thanks for all the carpal tunnel you guys brave to bring us this stuff; there’s nothing else like it on the ‘net.
I’m enjoying these reviews. Blister does it right. Jonathan (Ellsworth), I’m with you on the Protest. I’m usually into a more trad shape, but those things ski like a dream. The Praxis MVP is also on my list for next year. Whatever they put in the Protest, I want the same materials in my MVPs.
Thanks! And I’m certain that it would just take sending a quick note to Praxis and you’d get the guts of the Protest in the MVP. That could be a sick 2 ski quiver….
Just wanted to say that I love your site and read it often. Keep up the great work!
Love that there are no advertisements and that the reviews are so thorough! Reminds me of Consumer Reports quality.
If I had a request, I would love to see a review or two of some Prior skis–specifically the Overlord in carbon.
Again, great site. I have recommended it to many friends. Cheers!
Nick – thanks for the kind words and for letting others know what we’re up to around here.
We would love to review some Priors, and that carbon Overlord looks like it would be a fantastic place to start. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Prior, hopefully we can make it happen this winter; we’re putting it on our list.
Thanks again, Nick.
Hi Jonathan,
season in the Alps will not start before October with one of the glacier openings. However, planning is in progress. Cham is high on the list for one of the longer spring trips.
So, three guys are sitting in the park, it is 30 degrees celsius in late July and we debate which of the skis we would like to demo next season would be the best ONE SKI QUIVER FOR CHAM. It turns out, the top 3 on the wish list have not only all been reviewed by the Blister crew, but also by Mr. editor in chief Jonathan Ellsworth himself. Actually, these 3 skis have already been released in the 2011/2012 season and will return – almost – unchanged.
1. Moment Belafonte (182 or 187): most stable in the draw from what I read from Blister’s reviews. Possibly best edge grip for ice and steeps. However, may be overpowering in tight spots and difficult to release in bad snow. Finally, too much kicktail to stick into hard snow, which is a nice feature in a place where roping is part of the daily business.
2. Blizzard Cochise (185): quite nimble, but damp, from what I read. The tailrocker is probably sufficiently subtle and gradual in order to be able to use the ski as an anchor when required. Not too much side cut, what is good in the steeps. Full rocker and flat underfoot should make for the best bad snow performance, e.g. in breakable crust. However, does this full rocker ski provide enough edge grip in the endless icy steeps?
3. Black Diamond Zealot (182): The best compromise? Tailnotch for skins, gradual semi tail rocker for easy releasing, but where you can still stick the ski into the snow. Camber and enough effective edge for the ice. Generous taper in the tip and tail to provide a smooth ride through variable snow. One penalty point for the fact that with 4,6 kg for the pair it is the heaviest in the lineup, but the one that is most marketed as a backcountry tool among the three.
What are your thoughts? I don’t know whether you have skied in the French Alps already, but I am certain you have read enough about the place and have skied so many places on the globe that you will be able to provide valuable input. We figured two shops that carry the 2012 models as demo versions mounted with ATs or Jester Demo bindings. Thank’s in advance for your thoughts!
Hi, Hannes – I haven’t skied the Alps, so I’ll definitely need to do so sooner than later.
And man, I’ve been thinking about your question for a couple days, I’ve reread all 3 of my reviews, and I’ve got to say….I don’t know. The good news is that I do compare the Cochise and the Zealot quite a bit, and Will Brown has compared the Cochise to the Belafonte quite a bit in his review of the Belafonte.
Personally, I would be torn between the 187 Belafonte and the Cochise, but I would probably go with the 187 Belafonte. I skied the 187 Belafonte a good bit this spring with the tail pretty heavily detuned, and I found it to be much less grabby than I initially experienced (and wrote about) in my 182 review.
I don’t think there’s a terrible choice among your three, and it will mostly come down to skier’s weight; and how much you want the ski to shine in chop.
Finally, there are two skis in particular that we’re taking to Las Leñas that might deserve to enter the equation, so stay tuned. One is 103 underfoot, the other is 106. We’ll be rolling those out over the next two weeks.
Thank’s Jonathan,
I am anxious to see what your proposals will be. I have read some of Will Brown’s teasers on the gear you will be taking to Argentina. Great stuff for sure.
So, I’ll make a guess on one of the two skis you mention above. The narrower one could be the 4frnt Cody, but just a guess…
Good guess there Hannes…but not the right guess! Stay tuned.
(And we’re definitely looking forward to reviewing the Cody this season.)
Ok, now it is “official”. Watea 106 and Atomic Ritual. Have posted you a note on the big stix 110. No more “powder hull” with Fischer skis. What an improvement – they are back in the game with their lineup!
Yep, the Watea 106 and the Ritual are the skis I had in mind for you. Will continues to think / hope that the Ritual will be a twinned out Cochise; I think it could be a slightly narrower, beefier Zealot. I don’t know, but I know we’re soon to find out! And yeah, the Big Stix 110 might have a tail that’s more twinned up than you’d want, but the ski looks impressive.
Really like the way you guys did this review series. One thing I’m wondering, though – I’m a Tahoe local, and I might be in the market for a ski like these this season. Of the locales you tested at, which one would be the closest analogue? i.e., which test location’s reviews should I be paying the most attention to if I’m trying to glean some useful direction for what to try this season in Tahoe?
Hi, Max – we’ll have to speak in generalizations here, but since Tahoe snow may commonly come in wetter and heavier than the snow does at our other resorts (doesn’t always, of course), I would mostly pay attention to the details of the review itself. E.g., Taos has some of the lightest, driest pow in the world, but we can still get a wet storm (see my Moment Deathwish review). So I’m afraid that the devil is in the details of each review for now, but we will point out when we we’ve had the ski or snowboard in heavier snow.
First off your site is my go to site to get real world reviews, For that I thank you.
Theres a ski that ranks in my mind up there with the best as an all round one quiver that is up and comming that we all, im sure would hear about more than ever next season. The Faction 3.0 Zero and the Candide 3.0. Both at 112 under foot and rail groomers and float in pow and ski crud like its not there. Has there been any thought of you guys putting some of Factions skis threw there paces this season? I really would love hear what you think of the Candide3.0 in the 183. The 191 has a narrower profile tip and over 30R But the 25R 183 in the Zero and 3.0 seem great at 142 112 136 early rise tip and tail med stiff flex.
Regards.
James
Thanks, James! And yes, we’ve been hoping to review some Factions for a while, and I’ll be surprised if we don’t get on the Candide 3.0 in the new year. We always welcome reader requests and keep records of every ski or snowboard (and length) that readers would like to see reviewed. (When readers state lengths, that often breaks the tie for us if we’re on the fence about going with a 183 or 191, for example.)
So we’ll do our best to get on the 183 Candide 3.0, and we’ll let you know when we do. Thanks for writing!
Jonathan,
Have you guys had a chance to check out a Faction Candide 3.0 in 183 yet? I’d love to hear about it as I’m looking for a one ski quiver for Montana, and from the few reviews I’ve seen it sounds pretty interesting.
The Rossignol Sickle and Scimitar – the shape seems to be similar to the Blizzard line. would you agree?
How does a Scimitar (98) compare to a Bonafide (98)?
Thanks.
Sort of, Al. But the Scimitar and Bonafide really don’t ski / feel similar at all. Jason Hutchins has written well in his Kabookie review about how the ski is a little slow to initiate and to finish turns. That is definitely not true of the Scimitar. The Scimitar is also a more center-mounted ski that skis switch well; the Bonafide is definitely directional and has a more traditional / farther back mount point. Finally, the Bonafide has metal, the Scimitar does not. The Scimitar has a nice flex pattern, but it is a softer, less damp ski overall.
How about a one-ski quiver for east coast skiing with the occasional west coast trip?
Thanks!!
Hey, Ben – there are so many different answers to this question depending on how you ski, where you ski (bumps? off-piste? primarily groomers? terrain park?), and your height / weight.
My recommendation would be to read our ski reviews in the 98mm to 108mm range and see what sounds like the best fit for you.
Jonathan,
Yes, that would have been helpful. My skiing is some bumps, some off-piste, but mostly afternoon skied up pow, icy used-to-be-groomers, and spring slush. If I were picking %’s I’d say: 15/10/25/25/25 in that order. I ski mostly Maine, with trips to various places out west.
I’m 5’8″ 170.
-Ben