Update: 2012-2013 Down Skis Countdown 3

by

Trees

Since I now knew that I could scrub and pivot the ski around well, I wanted to see how the Countdown 3 would do in the trees. After three runs through some steep, relatively tight trees, I wrote this odd little note on my phone on the lift: “Definitely isn’t a tree weaving, noodle-stick” (gotta love pow-day delirium). What that translates to is that the CD3, while it certainly has a playful, pivot-y side, isn’t a total ball in the trees the way skis like the Rossi S7 or Armada JJ can be.

I found I had to be ready to maneuver the ski and be decisive about picking my lines. If I was too late on starting a turn or not fully ready to pitch the ski sideways, it wouldn’t help me much. All and all, it’s a very good and capable tree ski, but not for the passive skier—you’ve got to remain deliberate and precise in order to work the ski through short, playful turns. If you can, it has a very cooperative and balanced feel.

Soft Chop

So far, the Countdown had definitely lived up to its “fun charger” label. It was stable at speed and could be made to smear in the trees, but the real test of chargeability came in cutting big turns through 10-12” trenches/chop (the kind you’ll find by lunch time on a pow day). Here, the ski killed it. The Countdown 3 has a pretty stiff flex in the tips and tails, but is slightly softer underfoot, so motoring over and through the soft chop was easy—the ski felt damp and stable the whole time. Making shorter turns was fine as well. As long as I didn’t get so backseat that I was standing on the tails, the skis remained balanced and stable.

Airs / Landings

Airs and cliffs weren’t a problem, either. The CD3 was very dependable on landings throughout the day. I never felt like the tail was ready to sink on me, and the stiffness in the tips felt nice and supportive. If I was hitting some more sizeable drops (anything more than 20 feet) into deeper, heavier snow, I might want a wider ski, but for any typical powday conditions you might encounter in  a mountain West resort, I think it’ll do fine.

Comparisons?

I’ve been thinking about what skis the Countdown 3 really compares to, and it’s not easy for me to say, because this is a bit of a unique powder ski. There are definitely more one-ski-quiver-ish, ~115mm-underfoot skis out there (the Moment Bibby Pro and Salomon Rocker2 115, for example), but they don’t have the distinctive fresh-snow feel of the CD3.

The Countdown isn’t a great bad snow / crud ski (like the Volkl Katana or Blizzard Cochise, and it isn’t exciting on groomers. It’s simply very good at what it’s designed to do, and you’ll be happy if you’re looking for a powder ski that offers this sort of specific and unique performance balance.

Bottom Line

I’m a fan of making big, stable, fast turns when things are fresh, and then moving into shorter, aggressive slashes and slarves in remaining pockets around the mountain (or just ripping though chop if nothing else). For that kind of riding, the Countdown 3 is a perfectly honed tool. If this doesn’t sound like you—if you really want to be able to rail groomers in the afternoon or need a great crud/mank ski—then you might look elsewhere. But if the Countdown 3 suits your powday-riding style, you’re going to have fun.

NEXT PAGE: ROCKER PROFILE PICS

Pages: 1 2 3

13 comments on “Update: 2012-2013 Down Skis Countdown 3”

    • Hey Simen,

      That’s an interesting comparison that I hadn’t thought of in my time on the CD3. The Billy Goat I know is the 191cm 11/12 model. This years is a little different, and the 13/14 version will have a tweaked tail shape and a lighter swingweight (all very good things in my opinion). To me the older BG feels more like a pin-tail design than the CD3, with a bigger difference in the tip and tail dimensions and more sidecut. The ski is a little more active on groomers, but feels heavier and more directional in general. The CD3 does feel rather straight initially, but I found it easier to throw out the tail when I wanted to. On the 11/12 BG, even despite its taper, the ski felt sluggish and hard to shut down. The 13/14 model will incorporate this year’s lighter BG “Tour” core layup and, as I’ve said, a tweaked shape, so maybe it will be a bit more manageable at slow speeds despite it’s willingness to charge (more like the CD3).

      Cheers,

      WB

  3. Hey Will,

    Thanks for a very interesting review. I am very interested in the comparison between these, and the Salomon 115s. How would you compare their soft snow versatility (i.e. fresh powder, trees, chop etc.)? From what you have said I get the impression that maybe the 115s are a bit more versatile overall, but the CD3s have a more versatile approach in soft snow, is that a fair reflection of your feelings?

    Thanks a lot.
    Sandy

    • Hi Sandy,

      Yea, I think you’ve put it well. It’s a bit of a difficult comparison, but a relevant one so I’ll try and flesh out the differences here.

      To me, the CD3 is a well honed “playful-charger” powder ski. Of course, you could say similar things about the 115. I’d characterize the 115 as a powder ski that has a slightly surfy, more smeary feel in powder than something like the Moment Jag Shark or Volkl Katana, but is quite directional and big-mountain oriented in its own right (Salomon makes the Rocker2 122 for the full-on surfy feel).

      Both can carry some real speed in soft conditions, but if anything the CD3 feels like it is ready to smear out little more quickly (probably due to its more tapered tail and such a shortened effective edge). The CD3’s also has a straighter sidecut, so in soft snow it felt largely up to me to move the ski sideways in whatever turnshape I wanted (playful and short or long and stable) – it is more versatile in terms of soft snow turnshapes. The 115 seems to get its playfulness in powder less from a shortened effective edge (like the CD3) and more from a tighter turn radius. Of course that also means that for a what is predominantly a powder ski, the 115 is more fun elsewhere….

      I wouldn’t want to have to ski either ski in bumps, but if I was making fast groomer laps or to ski some chopped up crud/variable a few days after the storm, I would consider taking the 115 out before the CD3. The 115 has more effective edge, a tighter turn radius, and lower rocker splay so it feels a little more solid, responsive, and natural on groomed snow. The CD3 isn’t too difficult to swing around on hardpack, but the ski is so straight that it doesn’t provide much of an initial response on edge.

      I hope this helps!

      Will

  4. I’m curious how these stacked up against the likes of the super 7 188, helldorado 193, and the Cochise 193, and/or the Bibby pro. I’d prefer to stay in the 108-115 under foot range.

    I’m 6’3” 185, an aggressive advanced skier. Spend most of my time at snowbird off the cirque, baldy, gad 2 trees, backside of hilary’s steps, and outside the ropes when needed. My current, and only ski sadly, is the salomon 2012, which is really for playing around. I’m looking for more of a beef eater this year that wants to charge some steeps and then go play in the trees. I’m not really into groomers or care much for the carving aspect (its an after thought on my way back to the lift). I prefer vertical, powder, and the variable snow mix in between storms. I’d like a ski stiff enough to charge and not chatter at speed (which my 2012 does for obvious reasons), and bust crud but doesn’t have to blow it to pieces (as the cochise apparently does). Yet then play in the trees in the afternoon for some hidden stashes. That would be the perfect ski for me.

    I was in NYC last winter so didn’t get much days in but now I’m looking at putting 60+ days in this year.

    Sounds like the Helldorado isn’t as stiff as I thought. And chatters at speed? The super7 sounds like a middle ground between the helldorado and the cochise? A great piece of ski. And the cochise is one big ski at 193.

    And then I happened upon the review of the CD3 and thought this could be the one. It’s a charger, its sort of pintail and rocker keeps the ski searching for air under snow, never diving. Not as nimble or quick in the trees but not poor if decisive about your turns.

    Knowing this ski is probably impossible to demo in the states (is there a shop in utah that demos?) I’m looking for Blisters wisdom, to guide me.

    Paul

  5. Hi Paul,

    The most significant thing you’ve mentioned, I think, is that you really want a ski that will let you have fun in the variable/mixed conditions in between storms (as well as on the storm days). And as I mention in the “Comparisons?” section, there are a number of skis that are better than the CD3 when it comes to skiing firmer variable crud. This could be a great powday ski for you, given the kind of terrain you like to ski, but I think you’d want something a bit less powder-oriented for the days in between storms, when things firm up. The CD3’s very short effective edge – which lets you smear things out in trees – means the ski doesn’t have much edge to bite on in firm conditions. This isn’t much of a problem on smooth groomers (you can get used to the edge you DO have to work with), but it starts to feel a little lacking when you’re getting bounced around on hard, uneven snow in steep terrain.

    So – have you considered the 190 Moment Deathwish? It’s certainly more playful than the Cochise (and is good in trees), but can hold it’s own in chop and crud. Maybe give that review a read and see what you think. Unfortunately I haven’t skied the Helldorado, nor the new Super7, so i can’t make any comparisons there. Really, the CD3 is a pretty unusual powder ski in what it offers in soft snow, losing versatility as a potential one ski quiver.

    Hope this helps.

    WB

  6. Thanks for the reco Will. I’m doing my homework on the DW and it seems like a very good ski for what I am looking for.

    Do you think they’re newer CD3 carbon version would be a solid backcountry ski or powder ski (skinning up and tracking down)? Or would the carbon and loss of weight be too much for it to be a good player.

    • Hi Paul,

      I would imagine a lighter CD3 would only make it more fun in fresh conditions. It’s so well behaved in fresh snow as is (not hooking or biting thanks to such a straight shape), it seems like less swing weight would mean you have even more control to make the exact turn shape you wanted.

      I’m sure the CD3 would skin up well and would be great on the way down IF you were out on days when conditions were still relatively soft. In that sense, if i was making day tours for fresh snow and fun lines, it would be a good option, for sure. But if I was looking for something for a multi-day your, more likely to encounter weird, hard, weathered snow, I’d want something with more effective edge and width through the tail, I think. Lighter doesn’t exactly mean better across the board, especially when it comes to skiing tricky sun baked or wind effected, variable snow – and those sort of conditions do exist in the backcountry too. It again would depend on the sort of touring you happened to be doing.

      WB

      • Will it has been a pleasure. Thanks for the knowledge. I’m curious to know if Blister has any intentions in doing Alpine Boot reviews. Like a 3 piece boot comparison btwn Dalbello and Fulltilt.

        Also I hope you guys have a chance to demo the on3p Pillowfights this year. I’ve heard they may have some convex bases aka spoon to them this year. Would be cool to see what you guys think.

        • Hey Paul,

          Glad we could help out!

          And we have done a number of alpine boot reviews, including the Dalbello Kr Two Pro in a review with comparisons to FullTilt models. Click reviews from the nav-bar, hover over “Skis”, and click “Ski Boots” and you’ll see everything we’ve stuck our feet into so far.

          Thanks again for reading. Spread the word!

          WB

Leave a Comment