Just because a ski has a sidecut suitable for carving doesn’t mean it must be pigeonholed as a groomer-only ski, any more than having a mustache means you’re a cad and a bounder. Presented with a foot of fresh powder, the E 88 HD doesn’t realize it’s not supposed to be particularly good at navigating freshies and dives into the fluff without hesitation or a hiccup. It doesn’t flinch when crossing old tracks and if it gets to go first, all the better.
Last season Blizzard pulled off a coup that was, as far as this ski journalist is aware, a singular one in the annals of ski sales: a women’s ski, the Black Pearl, emerged as the top selling ski in the specialty channel. The reason the event was unprecedented is that women make up at best 40% of the new ski market. To be the number one ski means the Black Pearl had to dominate women’s sales. What voodoo did Blizzard do to make the Black Pearl so supernaturally successful?
Of all the skis in the very well populated All-Mountain East genre, the Völkl Kendo exhibits both the best balance of Power and Finesse properties and the perfect blend of hard snow and soft snow performance. Of course it can’t be as quick as a 72mm Technical ski or float like a 108mm Big Mountain model, but it manages to feel at home in any habitat. The Kendo kicks butt because it combines a traditional wood and Titanal structure with a modern, rocker/camber/rocker baseline and a shape that favors off-trail conditions.
The Kenja doesn’t require aggression, but it rewards it. Most women back off the gas pedal when they transition into cut-up off-trail conditions, but they only way to subdue irascible old snow is to motor through it. If your skis don’t have the guts to resist the resulting vibration, you’ll be compelled to curb your ambitions. You’ll never have to hold back on a Kenja.
While 3D.Glass upgraded every model it touched, none rose higher in our test team’s collective appreciation than the RTM 86. The model went from being a good on-trail ski to being an all-world carver. The cambered zone underfoot is supple, allowing the midsection to bow so it matches up with the baseline of the rockered tip and tail. This makes edge-to-edge carved turns a treat, with a little energy boost from the compressed camber to carry some speed through the transition.