BackCountry Magazine Ski Test
This year was no different. We missed the first two days, which were epic powder snorkle fests and, predictably, the phatties ruled the roost. As we were unloading a portion of the 200+ pairs of skis that were available, I was first amazed at how big, phat and heavy they all were, then dismayed to hear that these were actually the skinny schwagg that needed to be tested and the true fatties were under lock & key as they were all anyone wanted to ski on, but had been already thoroughly tested. (After taskmaster Drew Pogge left on the third day, the fatties leaked back out.)
Of all the ski tests I’ve been to, this one was by far and away the most fun as they allowed plenty of time for it (4-5 days), invited a cross-section of 40 plus people and held it at a resort which was very testing friendly with easy access and good terrain. The knee-deep dump of Utah pow didn’t hurt either.
I made a point of skiing the phattest fatties I could get my boots into as well as reverse camber, elongated noses, pin tails, no sidecut, ultra long (195cm), boutique skis and mainstay manufacturers. I stayed away from skis and brands I was familiar with as I ski those all the time. I thought I was doing pretty well to get 4-6 pairs in per day until I met Jamie, who was on her seventh pair by lunch-time and had racked up over 31 pairs in the last few days. I don’t know what she ultimately liked best, but was impressed with her and many other people’s diligence. Between this sort of enthusiasm and the volume of people, the published results should be very comprehensive.
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Category: Events
So the problem I have with really fat skis is waxing. Or rather scraping. I can’t bring myself to buy a snowboard scraper even if it would be a more appropriate tool for Dug’s megawatts.
I aspire to one day be invited to a ski test.
Did you do any boot testing? Were the Dalbello Viruses there? If so…whats the word on them?
The Virii (plural of Viruses?) were there and I did get a chance to ski on them. Overall they had some cool features, but personally I felt like they needed a lot more forward lean as I felt like I was standing flat on my heels. Could have been the bindings, or perhaps the pair I tested didn’t have the fwd lean adjusted properly, but they virtually felt straight up.
Hi Mark – maybe next year we can go together, as long as you let me cheat off of your homework/score card. :)
I don’t aspire to getting invited anymore. The skis are all so fat they have no relevance in the usual skiing I do (my fats are now considered mid fats at best…). Even the skinny skis are borderline too fat. Good thing race skis still exist or I would be in real trouble.
What about the fit and flex of the viruses? Hopefully low volume like the Kryptons they are modeled after.. Thanks
Hi JW – As a Scarpa guy, I thought the Viruses fit just about the same as a Spirit 3 type of boot, and I have a narrow(ish) foot. It is a bit of an unfair comparison as my scarpas have been perfected fitted by Dennis Maw at Black Diamond and the Viruses were a half size too big and totally unfitted for my foot, but I felt like they held me in well and I could wiggle my toes while having my heel held securely.