Skinny All Mountain Ski Review: 82 to 90 mm - Sierra Jim
The 2015 version of this comparison is here: 2015 Narrow All Mountain Skis
When we move up in width from the frontside carver ski collection, our next category is this one that ranges from roughly 82-90mm.
Some skis in this category have a distinct bias toward hardpack and could possibly be considered as wider frontside skis. Most however, trade off a little of the hard snow capability in favor of increased versatility when softer snow and off trail usage is considered.
Some of the models in this group can work pretty well in up to say a foot of snow, and many of them are quite good in bumps. Most of these models still have fairly minimal rocker and will in general, are at least somewhat softer in flex (especially in torsion) than the frontside specialists.
This is a very popular category with a lot of variation in characteristics. Some models in this category have metal in their layups while many others don’t. Some skis in this group will use binding plates and some are sold flat.
We feel that this category is exceptionally useful for skiers all over the country, but as in all of the skis we call “all mountain” (including other categories) the proper width, construction and temperament will depend upon each skiers intended use and the conditions that they will normally see.
Eastern and Midwestern skiers could well choose a ski in this group as their only ski. Given the generally shallower snow conditions there, those folks seldom have much need for anything wider.
A Western skier might have one of these as his only ski too, especially if he doesn’t have much desire or opportunity for off-trail and deep snow skiing. For the western skier that likes the capabilities of this (88mm) category but also has a significant desire to ski off trail (and the necessary skills to do so), we’ll usually suggest a second ski in the 105-115mm range to go along with his or her narrower ski.
With two skis, the skier will have the opportunity to cover a variety of conditions that one ski just can’t do perfectly. However, if that same skier is just not into the two ski idea, then we’ll usually suggest something in the 95-100mm range as his one ski quiver. Occasionally we’ll suggest something even wider.
The RTM 84 is back unchanged from the model first introduced for the 2012 season as the successor to the long running line of AC 4/AC 40/AC 50 skis that dated back several years prior.
Those past AC models were pretty stiff at the start and got continually stiffer as the years passed. The last versions like the AC 50 may have been dubbed “All Conditions” but they were not much good outside of firm, packed slopes.
The RTM 84 changes all that for the better. RTM 84 uses Volkls’ ELP full length rocker. This is a continuous (but very low) tip to tail rocker profile. This is, I think the only ski in this width range that uses rocker like this. This ski is also far less stiff than the older AC variants.
I ski the RTM 84 at Winter Park every year because it is one of the market leaders in this category and WP always has nice firm snow. Despite the fact that I’m well accustomed to the RTM by now, the first few turns on the flatter part of the trail are always a little disconcerting.
At lower speeds and with low edge angles, the lack of a cambered section made the RTM feel a little indecisive. It never really turns out to be detrimental, but it does feel odd at first. As speeds pick up, so do the edge angles and the more angle that is applied the more stable the ski feels and the more positive the engagement becomes.
As the trail drops lower, the pitch gets steeper and you can let the speeds pick up. The RTM displays plenty of grip and tends to blend turn shapes very well. In the transition between turns, the ski released very easily with a modicum of energy.
Last year when the demo events moved west, I had the chance to try the RTM again. Here, the ski was thrown in with some mostly softer, mixed snow skis models in similar widths.
While the RTM 84 was not as good in bumps and softer snow as the more soft snow biased skis, it was manageable, stable and predictable. Probably most important of all it did not require a lot of energy from the skier to get the ski to flex.
The RTM 84 did its best in crud at medium or higher speeds where the firm-ish flex allowed it to push through choppy conditions with ease. This is still a ski with a slight bias toward hard snow but it really deserves consideration as an all rounder even for the western skier.
The Volkl RTM 84 is a system ski and includes the Marker IPT 12.0 bindings.
The Steadfast was a new model for Nordica for 2011-12 and it returns for its third season unchanged. This ski uses Nordicas lightweight stringer down the center of the core in order to reduce weight without materially affecting the properties of the wood core.
The Steadfast has a modest amount of tip rocker and a non rockered tail. Nordica markets the Steadfast as a “sidecountry” ski, but don’t for a moment think that this ski is not well suited for everyday resort use. The Steadfast has been highly acclaimed by our testers and in skiing publications alike ever since its introduction.
In skiing the Steadfast, the light weight and the tip rise are noticeable especially at slower speeds and on the flatter parts of the test hill. The Steadfast is lightning quick but at lower edge angles the rockered tip feels a little disengaged.
This is a characteristic of most all skis with tip rocker and should not be viewed as a negative. As the speed picks up and more angles are applied, the tip connects and the ride becomes more stable. Despite the light weight and non metal build, the Steadfast has very good edge grip and is among the best in this category for that.
The lightness is especially notable in bumps and soft, mixed conditions where the Steadfast feels extraordinarily nimble. Once engaged, you can pressure the Steadfast hard and it can handle most any speed you are likely to throw at it.
Even at high speeds, the Steadfast grips well and feels stable but it is not especially damp. We give the Steadfast a slight bias toward soft snow but it really is very well balanced. The Steadfast is one of the standard bearers for this category and will serve skiers both east and west very well.
This model is one of the few in this width range that is heavily laden with hard snow technology. The Fire Arrow 84 EDT has a solid wood and metal layup along with a sophisticated binding plate/interface system derived from a race plate.
In addition, the EDT term refers to a carbon fiber stringer that overlays the extremities of the ski to provide exceptional snow feel.
I first tested the 84 EDT last year at Winter Park on cold, firm snow. When I took the ski out, the only size available at the time was a 168 cm. I had a pretty tight schedule that day, so rather than wait and hope to get the size that I would normally test (174-177), I took it.
My first turns are always at slowish speeds on the rather flat and usually crowded run away from the unloading area. The 84 responded easily to slow ankle rolls and it carved nicely at slower speeds. Cutting away from the crowd, I sped off to where I had some room and turned the ski loose down the fall line. Immediately, the tip hooked up with a moderate edge angle and arced smoothly back under me.
When the cross under was complete, the ski released out the other side with power but not with a slingshot feel. As the run progressed, I let the angles and the speeds build up supposing that sooner or later the 168 would get a little shaky. Nope! Didn’t happen.
In fact, this ski was so solid and stable that at one point I was wondering if they had given me a 176 instead. As I skied back to the corral to get the next ski, I was amazed at how the 168 had performed.
In fact, it was so amazing that I went back late in the day to get it again. This wasn’t because I was unsure about the ski, it was simply that I had a free run available and that was the ski I wanted to ski on.
Later that year at WP at Mammoth and then again in this year’s tests, I got the chance to try the FA 84 EDT in some more mixed conditions. I knew what the ski was supposed to be about and I wouldn’t really expect great things in bumps etc. but this category requires some mixed conditions performance, so I took the ski through the whole gamut of conditions that were available.
It was no surprise that the 176 was a little cumbersome in tight bumps. This is just not a swivelly short turn ski.
However, in bumps that were spaced out and scattered and mixed with crusty blown in snow, it was really very good. The stability of the 84 really shone through in the rough snow and this is a testament to the technology. The extremities of the ski just feel like they are “planted” on the snow.
In short, this ski is sort of a conundrum to classify. Despite its wider width (84mm) the 84 is more akin in feel to the frontside specialists than to the softer all mountain models. Yet, the width does make it better in shallow mixed snow than the narrower more specialized skis.
This is a relatively heavy ski and it is not exceptionally nimble in tight spots as a narrower ski might be. However, for medium to long turns on hard or rough snow, the grip and exceptional dampening make this the best in this width class for those conditions.
This is a new ski in the Blizzard “Freemountain” collection for 2014 and it adds metal to the Bushwhacker in the same width. The Bushwhacker has been repositioned in the new “Lite” category which consists of skis without full metal layups.
The Brahma uses the same metal layup and rocker/camber profile as the Bonafide but places it in an 88mm platform. This width range makes an ideal ski for a daily driver for the east or for the western skier with a preference for packed snow. This also is a great choice for the western skier as part of a broader quiver that would include a wider, more soft snow oriented ski.
On snow, the Brahma exhibits a similar feel to the Bonafide but because of the narrower width, it is more nimble in bumps and in quick turns.
When turned up on edge, the Brahma hooks up at the aft end of the tip rocker and it has very solid grip underfoot. The Brahma has a little bit of tail rocker and it releases more easily in mixed or cruddy conditions than a flat tail would.
This characteristic was noticeable last spring when testing this width range of ski on a steepish section of off trail terrain at Mammoth. This pitch is almost always wind packed, halfway bumpy and usually has a mix of firm, chalky snow and soft blown in fluff. On this pitch, the Brahma released easily and felt more nimble than the more technical narrow waisted skis that rail the groomers so well.
Out on the firm groomers, the more technically oriented skis would hook up sooner and felt a little more damp and grippy, but the Brahma held very well and the tail rocker is minimal enough that it is not really very noticeable during higher angle turns.
For ski with a lot of grip underfoot, the Brahma is a very versatile package in mixed conditions.
The Crimson Ti has been a familiar name in the Atomic ski lineup for some years but for 13-14, this ski is entirely new.
In fact, all the top models in the Nomad collection carry the same names as in the past but they employ a new technology known as “Arc”. This is a design that integrates the binding into the ski construction via a channel in the ski.
This in itself isn’t entirely a new thing but Atomic takes this one step further by incorporating a power platform into the channel directly under the foot. This transmits power to the ski without the stiffening effect that channel type systems have sometimes exhibited.
The result of this new construction is a ski with a slightly softer flex but more importantly, a more balanced flex. The new version of the Crimson Ti is also marginally narrower than in the past, it incorporates a small amount of tip rocker, and it comes with the Salomon derived XTO 14 (4-14 DIN) binding.
As in the past, the new Crimson is still a ski with a hard snow bias but out on snow, the character of the new Crimson is quite a bit different than in the past models. The softer overall flex allows the ski to bend into a deep arc more easily than past models and thus it is more useable at slower speeds and for lighter skiers than it has been.
I tested the Crimson first at Winter Park and later at Mammoth. In both cases, the snow was firm but at Mammoth, there was an opportunity to test on some chalky mixed conditions in an off trail setting. The overall feel of the new Crimson is that it is tractable is varying turn shapes with strong edge grip and excellent dampening.
In the rough wind blown conditions at Mammoth, the Crimson was easier to turn and smoother than some of the other hard snow biased skis. Out on the groomers, the Crimson still feels best in a medium or long turn as the older one did and the speed capability is very good.
The high level of dampening makes this ski feel less energetic than some and probably is not the best choice for someone looking for a ton of feedback from the ski. On the other hand, the smooth flex makes this ski very good for its category in softer or mixed conditions.
The new Crimson has a bit broader appeal than it has in the past and it is not a bad call for a reasonably good intermediate skier. Still, the Crimson is probably best suited for a pretty skilled skier that is looking for a little more versatility than the most technical of the on piste biased skis.
The Outland 87 has been on the market for a year now and it is a ski that has flown under the radar to some extent.
With the recycling of an old name and the much ballyhooed Cham series with its innovative shape etc, Dynastar perhaps forgot to tell the world about how versatile a ski the Outland is. Within this group of skis, this is the one that perhaps comes closest to the middle of the road in terms of conditions performance.
This is not a pure “ice pick” for transparent snow nor it a great floater for knee deep stuff. Yet, it is pretty good at both those conditions. This is a ski with an Aramid layup as opposed to metal and a low and unobtrusive tip rise. Unlike most other skis in this category, the Outland also has a very low tail rise and a very subdued taper in both tip and tail.
Out on snow, the small amount of rise is not really apparent unless you are looking for it. What is apparent however is how easily the Outland can vary its turn shapes and how well it responds to varying input.
When skied on the cold, hard snow at Winter Park, the Outland had good grip and stability up to medium-high speeds and the dampening is very good at all speeds. On the very hardest snow that I could find, the Outland was easy and forgiving and about mid-pack as far as grip is concerned.
Where the Outland 87 really shines is in the broken and mixed wind blown snow with scattered chalky bumps that I found later in the year at Mammoth. This terrain and set of conditions is by any estimate, horrible snow. It is rough, bouncy and inconsistent and the chalky, wind scoured bumps will grab the tips and tails and yank you suddenly one way or another. I ski these conditions because they are a great test for any ski with off trail aspirations.
The Outland could be skied at about any speed and turn shape in this test run and the tapered and rockered extremeties were yanked around less than most any other ski. The Outland is quick and nimble enough to feel completely toss-able in the tighter bumps but damp and secure enough in the more open areas. When I skied out of the rough stuff and out onto the groomers, I was able again to feel the versatility of the Outland 87.
Here in the west, the Outland is liable to have enough grip for most any conditions while being balanced and highly capable in soft and mixed conditions.
The Kendo has been in Volkls lineup for some time now and since the addition of a modest tip rise two years ago, it is unchanged.
The Kendo is a very straightforward design with the rather standard wood core and top and bottom metal layers. The Kendo is on the stiff side of the scale for this group of skis but it is not overbearingly so.
The flex is softer from the rockered tip down to the beginning of the cambered section and then firm but well balanced all the way back to a slightly stiffer tail.
Out on snow, the Kendo responds easily to slow speed steering input and engages into a carve with a firm roll of the ankle. Once the ski begins to flex, the Kendo will respond well to some pressure input from the skier and hold cleanly through medium to long radius turns at almost any speed.
The Kendo always generates top notch grip within this category and I would put it near the top in grip and stability and about mid-pack for dampening. When skied in the mixed conditions at Mammoth the Kendo had a light feel and was very solid when skied through the wind pack and scraped off spots.
The tail was a little stiff for the tightly spaced bumps but because the Kendo does not have a huge sidecut, it was not a problem to get the ski to release at low angles. Once there was a little more room, the Kendo became very tractable and really came into its own.
The grip and stiffness produced a secure and stable feel in the rough conditions. When skied in some soft and mixed snow with some depth about a year ago, the same feel was evident. This is one of the very best in class on hard or rough snow and as such, it is a great call for the eastern and midwestern skier.
The western skier without much agenda for powder will also find the Kendo a worthy choice and when skied with a little muscle, it is a great ski for western crud. Although we give the Kendo a hard snow bias, there is really very little that this ski does not do well with the possible exception of tight bumps.
There is an adage in the ski industry, and especially in the US: “racing does not sell skis.” This may be true to an extent because the American skier was probably not brought up as a racer, and mostly knows very little about the subject.
Despite this seeming truism, Head is gradually building a strong name in the US market exactly because of their enormous racing success with the US and International Ski Teams. That awareness of course may get the US skier’s attention, but it’s the equipment that they are making that ultimately will win over the recreational skier or not.
While Head has had market winners in the Frontside category for some time now, the all mountain skis have been languishing for a while. The REV series, new for last year, has started to change skier’s perceptions.
The Rev 85 is one of two models that we carry from Head in this category. It is a little unusual for us to carry two models from one supplier in any category but the two REV models are quite different and both are very good.
The 85 is a pretty conventional two layer, wood and metal sandwich construction with a small amount of early rise in the tip. Where the REV 85 really stands out is that it has a pretty significant tip to tail taper and a very well executed flex. This balance of attributes really shows when you get the REV 85 out on snow.
The REV 85 will naturally execute low to medium speed carves very well and the edge grip is among the best. The taper toward the tail helps the skier to release the carve into a skid with relatively little effort and then roll back up into a carve again if he chooses to.
The REV handles these transitions better than anyone would expect, given the high level of grip that the ski exhibits. The overall flex of the REV 85 is on the stiff side of medium and it can handle just about any turn shape and about any level of speed.
When skied at Winter Park, there were a number of good skis on the hard snow. This was one of the best as it showed high levels of stability and dampening to go with the grip.
Out West, the REV showed that it can also handle some mixed conditions well. The tip is a little wider than average for this width of ski and it planes well in a little soft crud and even light snow.
The overall firmer flex makes the REV 85 mid pack for the category in the bumps but the tapered tail helps to keep the skier from getting bucked around. The REV was at its best down at Mammoth when that windblown half bumpy sidehill trail gave it a little room to run.
In those conditions, I felt that I could aim the REV 85 into clumps of windpack and then dart around some of the more widely spaced bumps easily. When that rough snow pitch spit me back out onto the groomers, the 85 seemed to beg for speed regardless of the turn shape.
This is a very well balanced ski with a bit of a hard snow bias but it is quite comfortable in most western snow and it’s a natural for the east. A final bonus for the Rev is the price. This ski sells for $799 including the new Tyrolia derived 12 DIN binding system and that is an exceptional value for a ski at this performance level.
The REV 90 is the second model of Head ski that we carry in this category but it should not be thought of as “the other ski” to the REV 85. The 90 is quite different in build in that it does not have metal top and bottom layers.
The result is a ski that despite the additional width, is lighter than it’s little brother. The 90 is also wider in the tip and has the same high taper angle to the tail. In fact, the tip on the 90 is so wide that at first, it will look like a wider ski than it is. The REV 90 also shares the very subdued tip rise of the 85 but it comes as a flat ski rather than the plated system that the 85 uses.
When I first tested the 90 at Winter Park last year, I was afraid that it would really feel cumbersome due to the wide tip and maybe a little skittery on the hard snow. Neither fear came true and the 90 steered effortlessly at slow speeds and hooked up nicely when I tipped the ankle.
Out on the test run at WP, I found that the REV 90 was at it’s best in medium turns at medium to high speeds. The grip and stability were good and the dampening was very good. When the snow got hard, the REV 90 still showed good enough grip that I wouldn’t categorize it as purely a western ski, as I thought maybe would be the case.
As the speeds picked up really high, the REV 90 started to feel unstable a little sooner than some of the stiffer skis did but I was still highly impressed for a non-metal ski.
Out west I was able to get the REV 90 into a variety of soft and semi-deep conditions over the course of the last two years. The industry intros gave a lot of back to back comparisons but I also skied the store demos quite a bit.
The REV 90 really loves soft mixed snow conditions and the big tip allows it to float better than any other ski in this width category. You would think that the wide tip would have been a hindrance in those crazy wind-scoured conditions at Mammoth, but it really wasn’t.
I attribute this to the tapered tail that allows the ski to seek its own path and not get booted at the end of the turn the way a wider or stiffer tail might.
This ski handles hard snow well enough to not be completely out of place in the east, but we do feel that it is at its best when the snow is not bulletproof. Thus, we give the REV 90 a soft snow bias and a big thumbs up for the western skier with a fair amount of mixed snow on the agenda.
The name Rictor has been around in K2s lexicon for some time but for this year, the term applies to a collection of skis rather than a single model. These are skis that K2 feels will have appeal to skiers with a bias or preference to packed snow conditions but also, varying amounts of desire to ski in off trail or unpacked conditions as well.
The Rictor 90 is the widest of this group and sure enough, it falls right into the wide end of our first all mountain category. Some K2 models in this width range have been pretty stiff in the past but the Rictor 90 is not that way at all. The stiff tailed skis of the past have been replaced with a much more balanced flex and that bodes well for increased versatility.
I couldn’t get on a Rictor 90 at Winter Park so I had to delay the start of my testing until the western swing of the industry tour. Out west, there was not as much opportunity to test on really hard snow so although I did get on the ski a couple of times, my hard snow impressions are inconclusive.
What I did get to do though was test the Rictor 90 in a wide variety of conditions that ranged from firm western snow to wind scoured semi formed bumps and little patches of shallow wind blown chalky snow. Regardless of the condition the Rictor 90 was easy and fun to ski. It handled mixed conditions at Mammoth much better than some of the stiffer skis and really shone through as one of the better soft snow oriented skis in this width range.
Out on the groomers, the ski was capable in any turn shape and it was not persnickety at all about how you skied it. The stability was good at most speeds and the dampening was very good at all speeds.
The grip felt adequate for the western conditions where I skied it and I’d put the Rictor at the middle of the pack for grip. I would give the Rictor 90 a bias toward soft snow and medium speeds and quite high marks for mixed conditions and bumps where it is one of the best in category.
The Rossignol Experience 88 is back for its third year and is unchanged except for a graphic upgrade. The Ex 88 does not use metal in its layup but uses an Aramid fiber called Basalt instead.
The Ex 88 differs from some skis in this category in that it has a lot of sidecut and quite a bit of flare in the tail rather than the more common taper. While marketed as a “rockered ski” the amount of tip Rocker on this ski is slight.
I skied the Experience 88 at Winter Park in January and I got to it as I had finished about half the skis in this category. Skiing off the lift and down the first little (crowded) pitch, I felt the 88 hooked up and responded surprisingly strongly to ankle roll carves.
I attribute this feel to the wide tip and wide flared tail. When skidded and swiveled at slow speeds, the tip and tail were a little reluctant to let go and they really wanted to carve rather than slide. Going off to my normal series of turns of short radius to medium to long, the 88 hooked up with less input and angle than most and it pulled through each successive turn with a good strong crossunder.
I’m accustomed to the Ex 88 and so when I hit some very hard snow on a little scraped off pitch, I was not surprised that it held very well. This ski grips as though it has metal in it and it is among the best skis in this category for grip, stability and dampening.
Later last year, I got the Experience out again on some really difficult snow which included some chalky, wind-blown snow from a few days before that had been refrozen and then blown around and firmed up by the wind.
There were a few little patches of refrozen bumps some being fairly tight and others were more open and scattered. The Ex 88 was a little challenged by the tight spots as the wide tip and especially the tails tended to hang up a little.
The sidecut of this ski really wants to carve, and there are times when that is not the best tactical approach. Once the ski had a little more room, the tip and tail were no problem and the Ex 88 handled the mixed snow very well.
As long as there is room for the sidecut to work, the Ex 88 is nimble and versatile in turn shape and very grippy. I feel that when compared to the other models in this group, the Ex 88 is hard snow biased and a little better on packed surfaces than on soft or rough ones.