[The test results and review for the Sir Francis Bacon are from 2016; its only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.]

Line changed the popular Bacon last year, and our jury couldn’t have been more divided on the subject. “Too squirrelly,” one tester cautions, while another proclaims the new Bacon “a full-fledged, go-anywhere, do-anything ski.” “Not for adults,” sniffed another Negative Nelly. “The whole mountain is your playground,” counters a fan.

Why the deep convictions on both sides of the Bacon case? Because, in part thanks to brands like Line, there really are two completely different ways of skiing the mountain nowadays. Skis with traditional values like the Kästle MX83 can’t make the moves that Sir Francis manufactures on a whim, and if you switch the argument around, twin-tip style, the point remains the same. Different styles dictate different designs, and the Bacon is all about buttering.