by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Depending on where and how you ski, the Maverick 88 Ti may be the best of the top 4 models in the current all-mountain series from Atomic, despite residing on the lowest rung of the pricing ladder. It arcs the best short-radius turns of the bunch despite a mid-radius sidecut that’s equally comfortable when allowed to run for the barn. Its tail is supportive without being flashy, gradually releasing its grip as it crosses the turn transition.
As the narrowest of the Maverick Ti quartet, the 88 Ti is the best fit for today’s arrhythmic bumps, and its ability to access a short arc in a jiffy is a huge asset in the trees. When I let it run on a long, gradual ballroom on the sunny side of Mt. Rose, it remained predictable and trustworthy as I raked up the edge angle, banking off a receptive layer of solar-softened cream. Its baseline is more cambered than its siblings (15/75/10), so there’s a longer platform under the pilot in all conditions, without sacrificing its ability to swivel a turn in a pinch.
The Maverick 88 Ti has a little brother that’s at least worth considering, particularly if one’s ski budget is no fatter than a race ski’s waist. The Maverick 86 C doesn’t have the security on edge of the 88 Ti, but it has most of its other properties. For skiers whose off-trail skills are sketchy, the 86 C provides a bridge to proficiency. It’s probably the best bump ski of all the Mavericks, no kidding, and it’s a confidence-builder in all other conditions save those no intermediate wants to ski anyway. And it will sell for $549.95, making it one of the best values in the 24/25 market.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Despite being narrower than the Black Pearl 97 it replaces, the new Black Pearl 94 is better adapted to off-trail skiing, providing easily accessible power that treats clumpy crud with contempt. The Black Pearl 94 borrows its shape and size splits from the new Anomaly 94, but uses a Women Specific Design in its wood, metal and carbon core.
By dint of its wider waistline, the Black Pearl 94 is biased in favor of off-trail adventures, longer radius turns and perhaps most importantly, a skilled skier on top of it. Extra width, particularly for a skier who will have scant opportunity to take advantage of it, is more likely to retard skills development than accelerate it. An expert can take advantage of its ability to batter heavy crud aside, while a slow-moving skier of modest skills will struggle to link the short-radius arcs she aspires to.
But pandering to the technically proficient is hardly a crime for a high-end, all-terrain ski. The Black Pearl 94 doesn’t use its width to mask the deficiencies of the off-trail newbie, but as a reward for experts who will take advantage of it to go faster through a mine field of crisscrossing tracks. Throughout its impressive speed range, the BP 94 feels easy to balance on, and if its preferred turn shape is on the long side, so what, as long as the ride feels cushioned and secure? The way the FluxForm construction uses its quotient of Titanal allows the ski to flex more easily, and the TrueBlend wood core contributes to a smooth arc that retains a fall-line orientation.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The Head Kore 91 W is either the best women’s ski for off-trail skiing, or the best off-trail ski for women, take your pick. The properties that make the Kore 91 W a great women’s ski and those that make it ideally suited for off-piste conditions are the same.
The Kore 91 W got a shot in the arm three years ago when Head incorporated several new elements into the Kore design. First, it redecorated the interior, tearing out artificial Koroyd honeycomb and replacing it with its blended Karuba/poplar wood core. The switch to all-wood makes a difference in the feedback the skier receives from the snow, so the ski feels supportive but not fussy about how it’s handled.
Within the Kore family, the design of the Kore 91 W is shifted, however slightly, in favor of edge grip on hard snow, versus smudge-ability on the soft stuff. The overall impression is of a ski without biases, unlike Mark Rafferty from Peter Glenn, who writes, “I’m admitting here that when I clicked in to the Kore 91, I had some bias. I’m already a Kore fan and own a pair. So, my thinking was, what did they do to mess with success? So, I rode this 91 hard. The short radius turns in the steeps were quick and energetic. In the lower angle hard carves? Velvety and ego-building. It’s quick yet damp. Head managed to make this year’s Kore even better. And that’s huge.”
His compatriot, Clare Martin, sang in the same choir. “This was the best all-mtn. ski I have skied so far – ever. Held edges very well on a multitude of varied snow conditions. A good, stiff ski, without trying to take over.”
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The Salomon QST 92 has risen from humble origins to its new position among the elite of the genre. Originally conceived to meet a lower price point ($500) and therefore underserved in the technology department, Salomon has been steadily enhancing its construction to match the latest innovations already added to pricier models, like the flagship QST 106. Just two years ago, the QST 92 adopted two features introduced the prior year in the QST 98, Double Sidewalls and full-length C/FX, Salomon’s signature carbon/flax combo.
While the latest improvements no doubt contributed to the QST 92’s stellar performance, the bones they’re built on were pretty stout to begin with: an all-wood (poplar) core, full sidewalls (i.e., no cap), cork inserts to muffle shocks and a central Titanal plate that makes the entire ski feel more substantial. Beginning in 2023, the QST 92 has also mimicked the slightly lower rocker profile launched two years ago in the QST Blank and QST 98, so it feels more connected on all snow surfaces.
Once you put it all in motion, you wouldn’t guess you’re piloting a price-point ski intended to retail at $600. The security on edge is fantastic on anything softer than boilerplate, it feels energetic crossing the fall line and it can switch between a carve and a drift on command. A lower-skill skier can’t find a more tolerant ski with such a high-performance ceiling. For a ski whose DNA is all about off-trail conditions, the QST 92 feels right at home on groomers. It feels light and quick off the edge in bumps and placid as a glacier in long, spooling GS turns.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Lest there be any confusion, the Atomic Maverick 86 C didn’t crack our Recommended ranks because it’s a great ski. It earned our appreciation because it’s a remarkably good deal at its target retail of $549.95, a price plateau mostly populated by dreck. Atomic has made a habit out of making a superior carbon ski with an 86mm footprint, going back to its first Vantage series. The Maverick 86 C continues in this grand tradition.
I learned more about the Maverick 86 C’s capabilities than I intended to when I stepped into a pair during a Peter Glenn demo event at Palisades Tahoe. I was just in time to join a group taking an end-to-end mountain tour led by Jonny Moseley. Moseley and I were already well acquainted, going back to the days when I recruited him to ski for Head. I wasn’t going to miss the chance to spend some time with Jonny, no matter what skis were on my feet.
So, off I went on an excursion that included more than the usual dose of moguls, for obvious reasons. I was gob smacked by how well the doughty little (176cm) Maverick could snake through bumps, its loosely connected tips smoothly sliding over the tops and soft flex helping it slither through troughs. When it was time to gallop back to the lift, the tail was supportive enough to be stable within the normal recreational speed range.
