Ski Reviews

2023-2024 Season Pass, 185 cm

Reviewer Username: klove

Reviewer Height: 6’3″

Reviewer Weight: 184 lbs

Reviewer Experience Level: Expert

DAYS USED: 60 days

TEST LOCATIONS: Brighton, Snowbasin, Wasatch backcountry, Alta, Snowbird, Woodward Park City

PERFORMANCE RATINGS

(0 = Terrible, 5 = Okay, 10 = Outstanding)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 10/10

FORGIVENESS: 8/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Loose / Easy to Pivot & Smear?): 8/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Quick / Low is the Swing Weight?): 9/10

STABILITY: 5/10

SUSPENSION: 5/10

EDGE HOLD: 6/10

PLAYFULNESS: 10/10

SKI LENGTH: It felt just right (185 cm length tested)

THIS SKI’S IDEAL SNOW CONDITIONS: Softer, but not deep snow | Untracked powder (shallow) | Untracked powder (deep) | Soft chop / pretty forgiving cut-up snow

WHAT TYPE(S) OF SKIER DO YOU IMAGINE WILL GET ALONG BEST WITH THIS SKI?

In my opinion, most people could have a good time on the Pass. It is incredibly fun to carve, great on jumps (man-made and natural), nimble, and light enough to tour on. It definitely is not the most stable ski (especially when things get firm), but for any kind of softer snow, it is incredibly versatile and fun. Probably my favorite ski of all time.

ARE THERE SIMILAR PRODUCTS YOU’VE SKIED THAT YOU CLEARLY PREFER? IF SO, WHY?

The Pass is pretty unique. You could compare it to an Atomic Bent 110 or 120 as a 50/50 ski. While both those skis are a ton of fun, the Pass is much more versatile and a significantly better carver.

PLEASE ELABORATE ON ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THIS SKI. FEEL FREE TO GO INTO DETAIL!

For the past few years I have had the Pass mounted with a CAST system and have skied it in and out of bounds religiously. I will start by saying it might be my favorite ski of all time.

Length:
At 6’3″ 185 lbs, I am definitely on the tall side for this ski, but with minimal rocker and taper, you actually have quite a lot of effective edge for a ski this size. I would love to try a longer version, but especially for backcountry missions really like the 185.

Shape/Rocker Profile:
Shallow rocker and minimal taper. 148-116-144, very symmetrical with a massive tip and tail. It has a little bit of camber.

Flex:
I am so bad at flex patterns numbers so I won’t even try, but I found it to be a bit stiffer than the Nexus overall. Pretty symmetrical flex in the tip and tail while being stiffer underfoot.

Sidecut: It has a stated 17.5 mm radius, which feels pretty accurate to me. This is definitely a turny ski.

Mount point: I have skied it as recommended (-4cm) and (-3cm). I like both mount points and felt like the differences in performance are exactly what you would expect.

Weight: 1800 g.

My review:
This ski is really unique, and I have found myself reaching for the Pass much more often than I expected when I bought it.

Piste—It is so ******* fun to carve when the snow is soft. For a ski this width and weight the edge hold is pretty good, but I wouldn’t want to ski it on firm groomers.
Powder—It is not the absolute floatiest ski out there, but I love skiing it in untracked powder. Has the “Pollard” feel of his other powder skis.
Chop—As long as the chop is soft, I could push these things pretty damn hard for it being an 1800 g ski. Again, not a charger (especially when it is firm), but it is stout enough to ski fast and pop/spin/press off everything.
Park—I regularly ski these in the park (especially in the spring). They are stable enough for bigger jumps. Very easy to butter/press, and ski switch amazingly. Combined with their ability to turn makes for some very fun park skiing.
Touring—This has been my primary touring ski, and I bring it out in pretty much any condition in the backcountry. The one thing I will say is that on firm outruns getting back to the car, the lack of rocker and taper means that it can feel like a lot of ski when bushwhacking.

In conclusion, I love this ski. I have decided to put an ATK Freeraider Evo 15 on the pair I have now to have a touring-exclusive pair, and will buy another pair as a dedicated in-bounds setup. I think the Season Pass could fit well into a lot of people’s quivers as an inbounds, 50/50, or backcountry ski.