Ski Reviews

2023-2024 Season Pass, 185 cm

Reviewer Username: sdhoover

Reviewer Height: 6’5″

Reviewer Weight: 185 lbs

Reviewer Experience Level: Advanced

DAYS USED: 3 days

TEST LOCATIONS: Alta, Solitude, Brighton

TEST TERRAIN: Softer groomers | Softer moguls | Low-angle, off-piste terrain | Fairly steep off-piste terrain | Trees

TEST CONDITIONS: Softer, but not deep snow | Untracked powder (shallow) | Untracked powder (deep) | Soft chop / pretty forgiving cut-up snow | Firm, off-piste chop or crud

PERFORMANCE RATINGS

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

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 8/10

FORGIVENESS: 8/10

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

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

STABILITY: 6/10

SUSPENSION: 5/10

EDGE HOLD: 7/10

PLAYFULNESS: 8/10

PLAYFULNESS (Open Ended):

Medium-soft flex pattern means it’s pretty easy to bend, though it’s not a noodle. It provides a stable platform for landing in soft snow. It feels balanced in the air. It’s fairly loose and surfy feeling, particularly in untracked powder. And it’s a light ski—quite flickable.

SKI LENGTH: It felt a bit too short (185 cm length tested)

THIS SKI’S IDEAL TERRAIN: Softer groomers | Low-angle, off-piste terrain | Fairly steep off-piste terrain | Trees

THIS SKI’S IDEAL SNOW CONDITIONS: Softer, but not deep snow | Untracked powder (shallow) | Untracked powder (deep)

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

I honestly think this ski can be really good fun for skiers of most abilities, sizes, and strengths, given the right conditions.

If you’re taller, bigger, and/or stronger, this ski is a really fun and playful ski in untracked powder. However, for larger folks or people that tend to charge a bit more, this ski might not have enough guts.

For smaller folks or people that are generally easier going when conditions are a bit more chopped up, this ski is extremely easy to get along with and could be a fantstic resort powder ski (or a great ski for a hybrid setup).

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

Yes. I’ve demoed and gotten along better with the Rossignol Sender Free 110. It has somewhat similar playfulness from its shaping, but there’s just more heft to that ski. Also, it comes in a 191; it helps having more mass in the equation.

I wish that the Season Pass came in a 189+ length. I think that might be a fantastic option for a resort powder ski. As 185 is the largest size, I’d probably really only consider the Season Pass for a touring-only powder ski, where I’m mostly encountering untracked soft-snow conditions. But that’s quite niche, so that’s probably not going to happen.

I hope to demo the Line Vision 118 (189) and the Atomic Bent-Chetler 120 (192) this season to assess other hybrid powder-ski options.

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

I am a fairly traditional, directional skier. I’m also pretty tall and strong. I started at the recommended line and felt myself continuously on the verge of going over the handlebars, even in a relatively centered stance. I knocked the demo bindings back 2 cm and got along much better. However, I again started to feel that same sensation when I hit more chopped-up conditions with a fair amount of speed.

When I was in untracked powder, the ski was an absolute delight. So fun and surfy. And, suprisingly, when I’d get onto groomers (packed powder), this ski got on edge and ripped carved turns like a 100mm-waist ski. The shaping yields a 17.5 m turn radius which you can definitely feel.

This is a damn good ski. The 185 is just not quite substantial enough for me. However, for a lot of folks out there, the Season Pass should definitely be on their radar.