AlLUVit 88
Like its fraternal twin, the Pinnacle 88, the new AlLUVit 88 is at heart an off-trail ski that feels so simple to ski and imparts such confidence that it persuades its pilot that it’s just as competent on-trail as off. Kelli Gleason of Boot Doctors appreciates the...Big Joy
Head built its Joy women’s line from scratch, without borrowing so much as a gram of Titanal from the hundreds of men’s models it might have cloned and declawed. The weight reference is apt, for Head’s undeniable advantage of being the first and only ski brand to use Graphene™ – carbon reduced to its single-atom essence – gives its women’s skis amazing snow feel. Its one thing to experience the already significant joy of skiing powder; it’s another whole level to feel the Big Joy as it transmits the pearly brush of snow on its bases to your arches, as if you were skiing barefoot.
Absolut Joy
[The test results for the Absolut Joy are from 2015 & 2016; its only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.] Every time a ski R&D department tumbles unto a new aerospace fiber, the engineers can’t wait to see what it can do. They put it near the base; they try it by...Atris
If you’re an Old School powder skier who pushes off his tails at the bottom of the turn, the Black Crows Atris is going to feel like home. Of course its double rockered baseline – “double beaked” in Crow-speak – can smear a turn to correct line or shed speed, but the Atris is essentially a directional ski that surfs as a hobby.
There’s a trick to skiing crud: it’s called, “speed.” A powder ski that wilts under pressure discourages the requisite acceleration. The extra support the Atris delivers derives from its classic, cambered baseline underfoot and a tail meant for driving forward, not swiveling sideward. The Atris is a cool combination of youthful, Big Mountain attitude paired with the calm, focused aggression of the experienced pilot.