2015 Frontside Carver Comparison - SierraJim
As a western (Tahoe) based ski shop, we at Start Haus have a lot of demand for wide-ish waisted, soft snow biased skis, and for sure, we carry a wide array and sell a lot of stuff in the 88-110mm range.
However, even on a “normal” year in this snow-rich area, there are periods when it doesn’t snow for a week or more. For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 ski seasons, we just didn’t get much snow at all for most of the season. For the hard snow periods in those mythical “normal” years, and then especially for seasons like the last two, it really pays to have a good hard snow ski.
For the last two seasons, we have had a lot of demand for this category of ski in Tahoe because they put fun and excitement into a day on the groomers. We also shouldn’t forget that there are many skiers who just prefer this type of skiing, regardless of the year, and there are places in the country where these firm conditions are the norm basically most of the time.
So, what exactly are these frontside skis anyway? Well, this is not a new category. In fact, one could argue that this is the oldest of the current ski categories. These skis are relatively narrow waisted by today’s standards and for the purposes of categorizing them we set sort of an arbitrary width range of roughly 70 to 80mm underfoot.
These skis are usually built with the best technology that each manufacturer has for hard snow grip, damping and stability. Most skis in this category have conventional camber and if there is any rocker at all, it is usually tip only and minimal. The highest levels of these skis are pretty close to race ski constructions and will often carry a plated binding system. These are the grippiest and the most damped, and generally, we refer to these as technical skis.
There are also skis in this group that are a little wider, a little softer in torsion and that are a little more forgiving than the technical skis. These are still better on firm conditions than the wider ‘all mountain’ skis, but just not as demanding as the real fire breathers. The more technical skis will be best for someone with well developed skiing skills while the others will suit that skier, but also work for someone with a more relaxed attitude toward the sport. Some of the skis in this category have not changed much in recent years because this is all well proven technology.
The Dynastar Speed Course had been a mainstay of our frontside category for some years and it was always one of the best in category and really typifies the genre. For the 13-14 season Dynastar revamped this model quite a bit. This new version, called the Course Pro is a bit wider at the tip and underfoot and has a new build that is a little closer to the FIS race ski layup. In addition, the new version uses a binding plate that is much closer to the race plate than before.
For 2015, this model returns unchanged. Most of the following review is an excerpt from last seasons intro review of the new model.
My first exposure to the new Course Pro was at Winter Park Colorado following the SIA show in Denver. I always dedicate this intro to the narrower waisted skis (say 70-90 mm or so) because conditions there are ideal for testing this important group. As a ski tester, you are always looking for a ski to fit a certain performance criteria or niche. There are some great skis in this category and when I first rode the chair with the new Course on my feet, I was thinking to myself "man ... I hope they didn’t mess this up." Well, no worries, they didn’t. In fact, they took a category leader and made it better.
As I pushed off from the top of the test trail, a whole herd of folks happened to push off at the same time. For the first minute or so of the run I was surrounded by a bevy of skiers of many different levels. I just rolled my ankles and arced little, medium speed turns while surrounded by the horde and even threw a couple of tail push skids in there in order to keep from whacking another skier.
As soon as I could, I pulled into a hard right traverse to get away from that group while thinking: "well ... that was pretty easy."
When I got far enough away from that little gaggle of skiers, I dropped the hip a little and started into my normal routine for this type of ski. Immediately the Course showed what it always has; a nice, easy turn initiation into short radius turns - so far so good. The next series of turns is what really defines a frontside ski for me.
As I found the room to do so, I started to lay in more angles and gradually increased the turn radius. This was where the new Course really started to shine. As the speeds picked up and the angles increased further, the Course locked in the way the previous versions had.
However the crossunder and turn exit were more modulated than before. As I found the room to open it up even more, I found that this new ski was more solid and damped underfoot than it has been in the past. This new ski is maybe slightly less nimble in short turns than in the past but the payback for that is equal or better grip, more damping and a smoother, more sophisticated ride.
This ski is what we would term a “technical” ski in that it requires some skills to pilot it. As a whole however, Dynastar has improved in some areas with this ski while not sacrificing anything that has made it a class leader in the past.
If you follow ski racing at all, it pretty hard to ignore the success that Head has experienced in recent years. The brand is heavily committed and highly successful on the World Cup and has become very successful in regional racing as well.
This commitment to racing has trickled down into their frontside ski models as well and we have always selected a Head model or two in this category. Last year, we replaced the Titan with a new model called the Rally and we carried the Magnum as a narrower more technical ski. As much as we liked the Magnum, we felt it was pretty close to the Rally and so for this season, we carried the Speed as the more technical of the Head offerings.
The Speed is narrower underfoot than the other Supershape models and it is also built differently with metal layers that more closely resemble the Head FIS slalom ski but with a thinner core profile.
Out on snow, the Speed is a step apart from the other Head frontsiders and it really feels almost like a race ski when first tipped up on edge. The tip and waist are very narrow and it doesn’t take much more than a twitch of your ankle to get it to engage. The pull into the turn is strong and the natural turn radius for this ski (14.3m @ 170) is pretty tight but this ski doesn’t feel like it is “yanking” you into the turn like a Slalom Ski would.
With a little angle and a little speed this ski has a very sweet bend and the more you push against it, the better it gets. Through the middle of the turn and at crossunder, the Speed is smooth and predictable. Then, right when you get to the end, and you think that it might drop kick you into next week, it releases and flows across the hill toward the next turn. Like all the Head skis in this category, there is plenty of taper between the tip and tail and a slightly rounded tail so unlike a real race ski, the iSpeed is not punishing to ski.
This is an impressive ski for anyone with a solid technical skiing background. The Speed carries a pretty tight turn radius and with good angles, it will pull almost an FIS slalom type turn. For all that though, the temperament of the Speed feels closer to a GS ski with little of the bucking bronco type of feel that a real slalom ski might have.
Edge grip and damping are superb and the energy at turn release is strong but well modulated. For an ex-racer, or instructor or any active instructor of level 2 or 3 this ski is a natural. The Speed can make a day on cold hard snow feel like your own private race course but without the hair trigger feel of race skis. This one is hard to beat for good skiers but snow condition versatility is a little lacking for some.
The Laser SX returns unchanged from last year and the 2015 review is mostly excerpted from the 2014 review.
We have known the Stockli ski company for years and like most ski gear heads, we have always respected this fine Swiss brand. Stockli has always been a hand built, premium quality ski brand and this remains their hallmark.
The first Stockli model that I tested at Winter Park in the testing for 2014 was the Laser SX. This layup of this ski is almost exactly like the FIS race GS ski except that is has a much deeper sidecut and a thinner core profile. Out on snow, the first thing I noticed was that as I rolled through the slower skiing area that was crowded with intermediate skiers, the SX took a little more input to turn at slower speeds.
When I cleared the traffic, I darted off to the far skier’s right, rolled ‘em downhill and lowered my hip a little. This built up some edge angle and when I pushed my big toe down, things started to happen. The tip of the Laser seemed to engage with a little pressure and when I moved my feet, the ski started to cross back under me with some serious authority. I felt it happening and was more or less ready for the energy so when the ski shot out to the other side, I stayed low and let the ski go away and touch down.
The Laser was ready to hook up again and it did so with a lock onto the edge that felt like a real race ski. Again, the Laser rocketed back underneath me making a tightly arced turn that I didn’t really think I could do anymore. Skiing on, I let the angles and speed build and found myself aiming for a patch of snow that had been scraped off and was shiny hard. The Laser cut through the very hard snow patch without a hint of skid and felt as if it was just punching down into the ice. Speeds just didn’t matter as the stability, damping and grip felt like a race ski with a tighter turn radius.
As I skied back to the equipment corral, I was grinning from ear to ear. This is a throughbred ski that made that run down the groomed trail truly exciting. The Laser SX is everything that the best skiers could possibly hope for in a hard snow, frontside ski. However, I also realized that there was a caveat here. This ski requires some good technique to really use it to it’s full potential.
Someone who skis with low angles or a lot of skidded turns is probably not best suited for the SX because they just won’t get all that it has to give. It is also probably not ideal for the skier who is not willing to “pay attention” to what he is doing.
The Laser AX is structurally the same ski as the Laser AR from 2014 and much of this review is edited from the testing from last year.
With the Laser AX, Stockli has built a ski for the frontside skier with a more varied agenda than mach speeds on the hardest snow. The AX shares the same core and exacting quality as the SX but it is wider (78mm) has less metal and, probably most significantly, a rubber core insert at the tip and tail. Thus, the AX is notably softer in flex and especially in torsion at the tip and tail.
I skied the AX immediately following the SX and from the first few turns, the difference was notable. In the slower skiing areas, the AX could skid comfortably or arc with mild ankle rolls at slow speeds. Once, the trail cleared out I gradually built up the angles and picked up speeds. The AX enters a short-medium radius turn with just a hint of angle and pressure but once engaged, it locks in solidly underfoot. When the AX crosses under, it does so firmly but with less of the “rocket launcher” effect that the SX has.
As the speeds picked up on the groomers and I went across the hardest snow available, the AX showed fine grip and exceptional damping. The AX also handled some blown in snow and scattered bumps in a little tree patch very comfortably.
I skied the AX again during this years (’14-’15) test and I particularly wanted to get it into that patch of broken and chalky snow on the side of chair 1 at Mammoth. Here, the softer tip and tail really allowed the AX to snake through the rough and broken snow much more easily than the more technical of the frontside skis.
Sometimes a ski with softer extremities will feel sloppy or unstable in rough snow but there was none of that with the AX. Despite the softer tip and tail, the extremities stayed very smooth and I attribute this to the rubber inserts. At the very highest speeds, the AX was a bit less stable than the most technical of the frontside skis but it was more versatile in a variety of conditions and also showed that it could be skied with less attention to technique. Unlike the most technical of the frontsiders, the AX could be skied by any solid intermediate skier while still not disappointing the expert.
The Rally was a new model in the iSupershape collection for 2014 and it returns for 2015 unchanged except for graphics. This ski is 76mm underfoot, and it splits the width difference between the Speed and the long running and popular Titan. We felt that the Rally was a better fit for the frontside category than the Titan which has gotten pretty wide recently. This is an easier and more versatile ski than the narrower Speed and some of the other, technical skis.
We think that Head really knows how to build frontside skis and after a year of low snow, this ski proves the point again. On snow, the Rally has the grip and damping that one wants from a frontside ski but the tip is pretty wide and it does not engage with the precision of the more technical skis.
The benefit to this width is that it gives the Rally an easier going feel when skied off the trails. While not ideal for snow of any depth, I felt that the Rally was among the best skis in this width range when skied in the chalky and wind scoured conditions at Mammoth. The Rally would find its way easily between the forming up and crusty bumps and was silky smooth in the scraped off and sugary snow that was piling in the dips and valleys between the half formed bumps.
Out on the groomers, the Rally feels best in short to medium radius turns and it is in the middle of the pack for grip of this group and near the top in damping. When viewed within this group of mostly hard snow oriented skis, the Rally has plenty of grip for all but the hardest western snow and anything in the east or Midwest that is short of transparent.
This is a great choice for a western skier whose skiing preferences tend toward days on the groomers and we think that the added versatility of the Rally is an acceptable tradeoff for having slightly less of a “hot rod” feel than the racier frontside skis This is also a very good choice for a ski instructor of any level.
The Amp series from K2 is their collection of all mountain resort skis and the 82 is the widest and most versatile of this collection. With metal laminates, this ski has better grip and more power than some of the older skis that dated all the way back to the best selling Recon model.
However, this ski has not lost much of the easygoing and smooth feel that made the previous models so popular. Not every skier that skis primarily packed snow or groomed conditions necessarily needs or wants the enormous grip and power that some of the really technical models in this category offer. Rather, many skiers want enough grip to feel secure on a hard snow day but they don’t want a ski that makes them work too hard. I suppose the term cruiser is a good description of the 82 XTI.
Out on snow at Mammoth, I found that the Amp 82 really fits the term cruiser to a ‘T’. Right from the first turns in the rather crowded slow skiing area, the Amp was comfortable and super easy to turn. This is one of the only skis in the group with any rocker to speak of and while there’s not a lot of it, it is noticeable.
The Amp could be skidded slowly or arced with a simple ankle roll. When I got to the area where I could ski a little faster, I picked up the pace a bit. I skied the first of my medium radius turns at low angles and with a skidded finish. Then, I picked up the angles and applied some pressure to finish off the turns with a carve. The Amp responded easily to both types of input.
As speeds picked up a little more, the Amp had to be angled up and engaged in order to feel stable. As long as I did that, the Amp was amazingly smooth and damped which is a characteristic that you don’t always find in a frontside ski. Finally, on a pass through the rough and chalky snow on the sidehill off of chair 1, the 82 XTI handled the weird conditions like a well tuned Cadillac.
One does not need advanced skills to ski the Amp 82 but it will carry anyone through to being a solid advanced skier. Among the designated Frontside skis this one was the easiest and most compliant in bumps and mixed snow.
The RTM group of skis from Volkl has several models and they share a rather unusual attribute. Unlike all the other skis in this category, the top RTM models are fully rockered skis. With no cambered section at all, it might seem like the RTMs would have a very unusual feel.
However, while they are different than cambered skis, it doesn’t take a whole lot of getting used to. In the past, we have carried the RTM 84 in this category but this year we switched to the RTM 81. The reason for this was that the 84 really didn’t offer any additional capabilities in soft snow and the 81 seemed to be notably quicker and have better grip.
Out on snow, the first and most notable thing I felt about the RTM 81 was how easily it rolled into the turn. The RTM took very little in the way of edge angles to get going and while an ankle roll and some angle would set up a carve, you could also just steer or pivot into a turn very easily.
The RTM was smeary and exceptionally easy and maneuverable at slower speeds. Once out on the main part of the run, I put the RTM through the same paces as all the other frontside skis. This entailed varying turn shapes from the medium to long and at progressively higher speeds. At the initiation point and as the ski crossed under, the RTM felt less precise than most of the fully cambered or tip rise only skis. Once an angle was built up however, the rockered ski would fully engage and stability and grip were very good.
On packed snow, the RTM really does not exhibit the deficiencies that one might think that a rockered frontside ski might have. While not offering the precision of some of the other skis in this group, it makes up for that with an unusual ease.
The area where the RTM was actually is at its best was in the broken and mixed snow in the off trail section at Mammoth. In the continuously variable conditions of this pitch, the RTM was easy and maneuverable and particularly so at slower speeds.
This was the area and the conditions that proved to me that the 84 offered no advantage over the 81 for this type of usage. While the RTM 81 is not as strong on packed conditions as some other skis, it offers good frontside performance with an easygoing feel.
In recent years, Blizzard has literally lifted themselves by their own bootstraps into a prominent market position via the simple expedient of building an enormously successful line of skis. The “flipcore” collection of all mountain skis were innovative when first introduced and their skiability was top notch.
The result was that Blizzard came forward from a relatively minor market position to unseat some of the dominant models in the all mountain market segment. For 2014-15, they have introduced yet another new model using this “flipcore” concept and this time, they’ve placed it into the frontside width category. The Latigo uses a build and rocker profile that is most similar to models in the all mountain category but with a frontside biased width of 78mm. At first, this ski seems a little out of place especially considering that they have other skis such as the 810Ti in the frontside category as well.
The real proof of the effectiveness of this strategy is how the Latigo skis especially when in comparison to most of the other skis in the frontside grouping. This ski is light, narrower in the tip than most in this category, has far more tip rise than anything else in the group and also some modest tail rise as well. From the first few turns, the most notable attribute of the Latigo is incredible nimbleness.
Although I was on a 177, the rocker and tapered tip made the ski feel shorter than that at low to moderate speeds. As I picked up speed, the edge angles came up and like all the Blizzards, the ski engaged progressively farther out. Despite a relatively long turn radius, the Latigo felt at its best in short to medium turns. This is a ski that wants to turn and it feels more tossable than the heavier and or more conventionally cambered skis in category. The grip in the cambered section is very good and the damping is good for such a light ski.
As I headed toward the off trail section of my test track, I was thinking to myself, "OK, nice fun ski but I’m not sure I see a place for it in the frontside category.” As soon as I got into the rough and mixed snow of that off trail patch, the value of the Latigo became obvious.
The impressive quickness and nimbleness of the Latigo allowed me to put the tip absolutely anywhere in the rough and chalky semi-bumps that were developing. The rockered tail allowed the ski to snake freely out of the turn and between the bumps. This was the quickest and most nimble of all the skis in this width range and the only caveat came in the few sections where the scraped off and wind blown sugar snow had gotten a little deep. Even there, the Latigo was as good as any of the frontside skis but that condition showed why we don’t classify this as an all mountain ski.
With the Latigo, Blizzard has put an all mountain flex and rocker profile into a frontside width category. While it doesn’t dominate in either category, it bridges the two categories better than almost any other ski.
Blizzard has offered some excellent skis in the frontside category in recent years with the Magnum series and the Power series. Over time, some of the Magnums got a little wide and the power series, although great, turned into some fairly complex and heavy systems. For the ’14-’15 season, Blizzard went back to a less complex system for the new 810 Ti model.
When we categorize a ski as a “frontside” model, we tend to think of fairly narrow waisted skis in the 70-78mm range and generally with a pretty tight turn radius in the 12-16m range. At 81mm in waist width and an average turn radius of about 21m, this Blizzard tends to stretch the boundaries that we set for this category. On the other hand, the 810Ti does have the great edge grip and stability that this category demands and it has a lot of power when coming off the edge. Thus, we do classify this as a “frontsider” but with the caveat that this wider ski won’t feel as quick or nimble as some others.
I first skied the 810Ti last spring at Mammoth immediately following the 88mm category. Out on the firm groomers, the 810 immediately outclassed the lighter and more nimble 88’s when it came to grip and power. The 174 that I tested had a 20m turn radius and it really felt like a GS ski by comparison to the narrower carvers and the softer all mountain 88’s.
I made my first run on all groomed conditions including a pass down the race hill right after the racers vacated it. This trail was still in the shade and it was chalky and hard with the chatter marks left over from the training courses. The full camber profile of the Blizzi allowed it to hook up with a simple ankle roll, but this is a pretty stiff ski so it took some speed and muscle to get bend at the top of the turn. Once in the arc, the 810 felt like it was on a rail and even skiing across the chatter marks from the earlier training courses didn’t shake it loose. As the ski finished and crossed under, there was enough power and energy to satisfy about anyone short of those looking for a race ski feel.
About a dozen GS turns had me going pretty fast on the 174 but stability was no issue. When I broke off the GS arcs and started some shorter radius turns, the 810 did the job, but it was clearly better suited to going fast. Later, after a pass through some rough and chalky off trail conditions, I decided that that this ski is best suited for firm packed snow. Although there is enough power and stability to handle rough snow, this ski is just a little too stiff and grippy for my tastes in softer mixed conditions.
The 810Ti is a little wide to wear the “carver” moniker and is also a little too much ski for an intermediate who is looking for a “cruiser” type of ski unless they were to choose a shortish size. We would classify this as a wide carver/expert cruiser ski and for someone looking for a GS turn oriented frontside ski, this would be hard to beat.