2016 Ski Reviews – PowderPoachers.net

April 22nd, 2015May 12th, 2015

2016 Atomic Vantage 100 CTI Ski Review

2016 Atomic Vantage 100 – 180cm
Carbon Tank Mesh
Titanium Backbone 2.0
AMT Rocker
Weight: 3.9kg (188cm pair)
Dimensions: 138-100-125
Turn Radius: 18m @ 180cm

There are times when you are testing skis that you just know that you are going to love a ski just but looking at. The Atomic Vantage 100 CTI Skis was one of these skis and boy did it deliver! Typically you will not finding me getting excited about a ski with metal or at 100mm in the waist as that is just not my skiing style, however the Atomic Vantage 100 CTI is a game changer of a ski. The Line Prophet 98 was always the ski I would go to for skiers looking for a versatile All-Mountain Ski. I knew that 95% of the people that bought that ski would love it and I was disappointed when
Line went away from that ski as the Supernatural 100 is just not the same. The all new 2016 Atomic Vantage 100 CTI Skis is now going to be my go to All Mountain for people who want a ski around 100mm in the waist. It is so much lighter and livelier than that of the Volkl Mantra and pretty much any other ski in this category. The Atomic Vantage 100 CTI is a ski that when you get on it you don’t want to take them off. They take so little effort and with an 18m turn radius they will make any turn shape you want and with out even having to think about it. I had these skis going 60+mph and they were stable thanks to the Ti Backbone and when I wanted to scrub speed it was easy to do. You do not have to power this ski, it is not work like that of the Mantra. Thanks to the forgiving shovel they were awesome in both bumps and in the trees. The skis may be light but they do not get deflected like you would expect and that is thanks to both the Carbon Mesh used along with the Ti Backbone. There is nothing bad I can say about this ski I loved everything about it from its perfect shape to the very well designed graphic. One thing I will say about all of the Atomic Vantage Series skis is to not ski them short, these skis ski short so be sure to stay on the longer side when ordering.

April 21st, 2015

2016 Line Sir Francis Bacon Skis Review (*New Shape and Core)

2016 Line Sir Francis Bacon Skis – 184cm
Dimensions: 135-104-131
Turn Radius: 17.4m
Stance: -21mm
Profile: 9-3-9
Early Rise
Longer Active Edge
Cloud Core Technology
Weight: 3520g (Pair)

One of my favorite skis of all time is the Line Sir Francis Bacon and now Eric has completely redesigned it to be narrower and lighter, making the 2016 Line Sir Francis Bacon Skis even more versatile for Backcountry skiers looking for a one ski quiver touring ski. At 3520g the Bacon is lighter than almost any other ski found in this category. To compare the Bacon from last year weighed in at 4350g, the 2016 version is 20% lighter than that! Cloud Core is one of the most innovative cores that we have seen in the past decade to come out and it is going to change backcountry freeride skis from every company.

As for the ski ability of the new Line Sir Francis Bacon Skis they are just what you would expect from anything created by Eric Pollard, amazing! These skis are super quick edge to edge and incredibly light on your feet. They are amazing with short to medium range turns and have great stability at speed thanks to the Cloud Core Technology found in the new Bacon. If you are looking for just one ski and you want it to be a playful freeride ski the 2016 Line Sir Francis Bacon is the ski you want! The 184cm in this new Bacon is going to be the pick length for 90% of customers since they ski so short. The shortest they even make the ski in now is the 178cm length. I was really happy with the dampness of the ski and I can tell that I will be owning a pair of these and the all new Line Mordecai (Review to come) as part of my quiver for 2016!

The Alpine Binding that I would suggest for this ski is the Tyrolia Attack 13. If you are looking to put a Touring binding on I would go with the Salomon Guardian, Atomic Tracker, or Tyrolia Adrenalin.

April 20th, 2015

2016 K2 Pinnacle 95/105 Ski Review

Pinnacle 105 Skis – 184cm
Dimensions: 137-10-121
Turn Radius: 19m
Konic Technology

One of my favorite one ski quiver 105 waisted/metal laminate skis was always the Line Influence 105 Skis, that has now been replaced with the all new 2016 K2 Pinnacle 105 Skis. Lighter and more lively than the Influence 105, the K2 Pinnacle 105 Skis are one of the most versatile metal laminate skis at 105 in the waist that i have ever skied. Usually skis in this category are heavy and work, but thanks to Konic Technology the Pinnacle 105 is lightweight yet responsive and powerful. Powerful like you would expect form a metal laminate ski, but playful like a freeride ski. This would make an excellent ski for putting a touring binding on and using for skinning. If you want one ski to do it all and you like having metal in your ski the new Pinnacle 105 from k2 is one you should be checking out.

2016 Pinnacle 95 Skis – 184cm
Dimensions: 132-95-115
Turn Radius: 17m
Konic Technology

The all new K2 Pinnacle series of skis was just as much of a surprise as that of the Monster Series. The 2016 K2 Pinnacle 95 Skis is a quicker more stable version of the Line Sick Day 95 with out losing any of the playfulness. We were amazed at the stability and playfulness of the Pinnacle 95 Skis and were blown away by how versatile the skis were in a multitude of conditions. This is one of those skis that when you flex it you think it is going to get deflected, but the Pinnacle 95 held with no issues at high speed, and easily released in and out of turns. Not getting locked into the same turn each time is certainly what makes this a top pick for this category of ski for 2016. Unlike some other skis with metal in this category the K2 Pinnacle 95 Skis are by no means planky.

April 15th, 2015April 15th, 2015

2016 Armada Invictus 95Ti All Mountain Skis Review

2016 Armada Invictus 95Ti Skis 185cm
Dimensions: 133-95-123
Turn Radius: 20.5m
Bindings: Tyrolia Attack 13

The 2016 Armada Invictus 95Ti is a brand new ski for Armada and man have they hit a home run. The Invictus 95Ti is built as an All Mountain cruiser ski that can be used for both cruising the hill at any speed or taking it into the woods and enjoying the quick turns that this ski makes under pressure. If you want both power and performance but not all the plankiness of some skis on the market you should take a look at the Armada Invictus 95Ti as your front side driver ski. The Invictus is stable and energetic and will be a great ski for Armada Powder Ski owners to add to their quiver. If you want something more forgiving you can get the Invictus 95 which is the same ski with out the Titanal layer. This makes the ski softer and more forgiving.

April 15th, 2015May 12th, 2015

2016 Head Monster 98 All Mountain Skis Review

Head Monster 98 Skis 184cm
Dimensions: 135-98-120
Turn Radius: 22m
Tyrolia Attack 13

One of the biggest surprises of testing 2016 skis was the all new Head Monster series of skis. All Monsters are made with the same Graphene WC Sandwich Cap Construction. When I went to test the ski I had the notion that it was going to be stiff and planky. Boy was I wrong. The skis is fairly stiff, but when you are skiing it you never notice it because of how damp the ski is. The ride you get out of all the Monster skis is amazing. They are so damp that you can go as fast as you want and you feel so relaxed. You don’t have to work hard at all to turn the skis they ski themselves and there is no speed limit thanks to the all new construction from Head. If you are looking for an all-mountain ski in that 98mm range and you want something stable on groomers and versatile when there is fresh snow I would highly suggest getting yourself into the new Head Monster 98 Skis. I am really like the direction head is moving with both their freeride and all-mountain skis. There truly is no limit for the head Monster Skis.