2018-2019 Sego Condor Ti

Ski: 2018-2019 Sego Condor Ti, 187 cm

Available Lengths: 175, 181, 187 cm

Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length: 186.6 cm

Stated Weight per Ski: 1900 grams

Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 1913 & 1943

Stated Dimensions: 132-108-122 mm

Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 132-107-119

Stated Sidecut Radius: 28 meters

Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 55 mm / 22 mm

Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 2-3 mm

Core: Poplar + Balsa/Flax Stringer + 70mm-wide Titanal Layer + Fiberglass Laminate

Base: Durasurf Sintered 4001

Factory Recommended Mount Point: -8.0 cm from center; 85.3 cm from tail

Intro

Sego Ski Co. is an indie ski brand that builds all their skis in Victor, Idaho. While manufacturing skis at the base of the Tetons is noteworthy in itself, the skis they’ve been putting out are quite interesting in their own right.

Last year, we reviewed one of their all-mountain freestyle skis, the Big Horn 106, and came away pretty impressed.

Now, we’re getting on one of their brand-new 18/19 models — the Condor Ti — or as we call it here at Blister, “The Avocado”.

And to learn more about (a) why this ski is called the Condor and why it has an avocado on it, (b) how Sego started, and (c) what else they have coming for 18/19, check back later this week when we’ll be dropping a new Blister Podcast with Sego’s co-founders, Peter and Tim Wells.

In addition to the Avocado’s Condor Ti’s unusual topsheets, the ski has several unique design elements that caught our attention. So, here we’re going to dive into what makes this ski stand out from many of the big-mountain and touring skis on the market.

Here’s what Sego says about the Condor Ti:

“The Condor-Ti is a 108mm underfoot adventure ski you can trust in any condition; it is lightweight enough to tour all day, and built tough enough to keep you safe in exposed descents. It is built with a titanal reinforced balsa/flax core, which we are calling our Big Mountain Touring Core. By using balsa/flax and adding a sheet of titanal, we are able to achieve a weight of 1900g/ski @ 187cm, and ensure that the ski will have the performance required to take on backcountry ski lines of any magnitude. The inspiration for the Condor-Ti was drawn from such athletes as Dorian Densmore & Adria Millan from their adventures to South America. Backcountry access in South America requires the ability to hike long distances to get to the tight couloirs and large cliff bands those athletes are so well known for skiing. This is not just a side-country or backcountry ski – this is truly a technical, big mountain ski that can be taken anywhere in the world, to access and ski any of the biggest lines without compromising control. This ski is designed with a long effective edge and camber zone for edge hold. The construction, along with the Big Mountain Touring Core, has: VDS rubber stringers for damping, oversized edges and base thickness for durability, a snow shedding, polyamide top sheet to reduce snow build up, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene full length sidewalls for the best power transfer available in ski construction, and a rubber infused resin blend with no VOC’s for additional dampness and to keep our ski builders safer.”

Shape / Rocker Profile

For a ski that’s 108 mm underfoot, the Condor Ti has a pretty conservative rocker profile, with fairly shallow tip and tail rocker lines and low tip and tail splay. The Condor Ti’s rocker profile seems to suggest that it will be a bit more firm-snow-oriented than more substantially rockered skis like the Salomon QST 106 and Rossignol Soul 7 HD.

When it comes to the shape, the Condor Ti has a moderate amount of taper in the shovels, and more mellow taper lines in the tail. Overall, the Condor Ti looks like it will offer a lot of effective edge (especially in the 187 cm length that we’re testing). This should help it perform on firm snow, but we’re curious to see how it handles softer and deeper conditions.

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the Condor Ti:

Tips: 6
Shovels: 6.5-7.5
In Front of Toe Piece: 8.5-9.5
Underfoot: 10
Behind Heel Piece: 9.5-9
Tails: 7-6.5

While Sego emphasizes the Condor Ti’s hard-charging performance, this ski is certainly not some unbendable 2×4. Its midsection is supportive and solid, but its tips and tails are pretty soft, and the flex pattern is fairly round.

And while some people might immediately scoff at a “big-mountain” ski that’s not super stiff, I’m actually really intrigued by the flex pattern of the Condor Ti. It seems like it should be soft enough in the tips and tails to forgive mistakes, and may plane up better in pow (it does still have very mellow rocker lines). And, since the Condor Ti is pretty light, I’m even more excited that the flex pattern isn’t extremely stiff. We’ve found that light skis with softer flex patterns often do a bit better when it comes to absorbing smaller impacts from chop and variable snow (the Line Sick Day 104 and Armada Tracer 108 are good examples of this).

Dimensions / Sidecut Radius

At 108 mm underfoot, the Condor Ti falls into a pretty versatile category of skis that tend to favor soft conditions, but that aren’t so wide that they’re useless when things firm up.

While its dimensions are not very surprising, it’s worth touching on the Condor Ti’s sidecut radius — 28 meters for the 187 cm. That long of a sidecut definitely seems in line with Sego’s claims about the Condor Ti being a big-mountain charger. While we don’t tend to place a lot of emphasis on stated sidecut radii numbers since actual on-snow performance doesn’t always reflect the specs, we’re interested to see how the Condor Ti feels when it comes to making small vs. big turns.

Weight

For a ski that’s 108 mm underfoot, has a layer of titanal, and is 187 cm long, the Condor Ti is fairly light at ~1930 grams. But this also seems like a really good weight for a big-mountain touring ski. We’re always wary of light skis that are supposedly capable of charging in variable conditions, but for a ski that you’re also going to have to drag uphill, 1930 g seems like a really good ball park. Anyway ,we’ll be comparing the Condor Ti to skis on both ends of the weight spectrum to see how stacks up. And we’ll also be skiing the Condor Ti both inside and outside the resort to see if it should be thought of mostly as a touring ski, resort ski, or something to use for both.

For reference, here are a few of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for a few notable skis:

1706 & 1716 Volkl BMT 109, 186 cm (17/18-18/19)
1733 & 1735 Blizzard Zero G 108, 185 cm (17/18-18/19)
1745 & 1747 4FRNT Raven, 184 cm (17/18-18/19)
1825 & 1876 4FRNT Raven, 190 cm (17/18-18/19)
1825 & 1904 Black Crows Corvus Freebird, 183.3 cm (17/18-18/19)
1843 & 1847 Head Kore 105, 189 cm (17/18-18/19)
1848 & 1903 Line Sick Day 104, 186 cm (17/18-18/19)
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)
1970 & 1979 Atomic Backland FR 109, 189 cm (17/18)
1980 & 2016 Liberty Origin 106, 187 cm (17/18-18/19)
1996 & 2012 Dynastar Legend X106, 188 cm (17/18-18/19)
2022 & 2047 Faction Dictator 3.0, 186 cm (17/18-18/19)
2026 & 2056 Black Diamond Boundary Pro 107, 184 cm (17/18-18/19)
2030 & 2039 Rossignol Soul 7 HD, 188 cm (17/18-18/19)
2036 & 2064 Salomon QST 106, 188 cm (18/19)
2182 & 2218 Nordica Enforcer 110, 185 cm (17/18-18/19)
2283 & 2290 ON3P Wrenegade 108, 189 cm (18/19)
2318 & 2341 J Skis The Metal, 186 cm (17/18-18/19)
2376 & 2393 Blizzard Cochise, 185 cm (17/18-18/19)

Some Questions / Potential Comparisons

Sego says the Condor Ti is designed for big-mountain skiing in variable conditions while being light enough to tour on. That puts it in an interesting category of skis. However, the Condor Ti’s flex pattern puts it more in line with some more playful and easy-going skis, so one of our biggest questions is how demanding vs. forgiving and playful it will feel.

Here are a few skis that come to mind when thinking about potential comparisons for the Condor Ti:

Faction Dictator 3.0, 186 cm

In terms of what the companies are saying about the skis, the Dictator 3.0 and Condor Ti are very similar (i.e., they’re both supposed to be big-mountain skis that are light enough for the backcountry). However, the Dictator 3.0 is significantly stiffer, and we found it to be quite demanding. We don’t expect the Condor Ti will feel all that similar based on its softer flex pattern, so what kinds of skiers will be better off with the Dictator 3.0, and which should choose the Condor Ti?

Dynastar Legend X106, 188 cm

Like the Dictator 3.0, the Legend X106 is also pretty stiff and fairly light, but has a much more tapered shape, so will it feel more similar to the Condor Ti?

Black Crows Corvus Freebird, 188 cm

Similar weight. Similar intended purpose. Similar performance?

Atomic Backland FR 109, 189 cm

The Backland FR 109 sits more on the playful end of the spectrum and is coming in at a weight that’s very close to the Condor Ti. So will the Condor Ti feel more like a Backland FR 109, or something like the Dictator 3.0?

Armada Tracer 108, 188 cm

Same question as the Backland FR 109.

Blizzard Zero G 108, 185 cm

While the 185 cm Zero G 108 is around 200 grams lighter than the 187 cm Condor Ti, its 27 meter sidecut radius, dimensions, and intended use are pretty similar to the Condor Ti.

Volkl BMT 109, 186 cm

BMT literally stands for “Big-Mountain Touring,” and with a 26.5 meter radius and a ~1710 gram weight, the BMT 109 seems like another potentially interesting comparison.

Bottom Line (For Now)

As a ski intended for skiing hard on big lines, the Sego Condor Ti has a unique combination of a pretty low weight, fairly straight shape, conservative rocker profile, and surprisingly accessible flex pattern. And it has an Avocado on its topsheet.

All of these things add up to a ski that — on paper — stands out from many of the other skis skis in the ~108mm-underfoot big-mountain and touring categories.

We’ve already started getting time on the Condor Ti, so check out our Flash Review, and let us know about any questions or comparisons you’d like to see us address in our full review.

Flash Review: Sego Condor Ti

Blister members can now read our initial on-snow impressions in our Flash Review of the Condor Ti.

(Learn more about Blister Member benefits, and Become a Blister member)

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