Little Liberty first popped up on my radar when they introduced a stellar new technology I hadn’t seen before: instead of using flat sheets of Titanal in the horizontal plane, Liberty inserted a vertical aluminum spine running the length of the ski. The year was 2018, the same year Rossi launched Line Control Technology and Blizzard introduced Carbon Spine, both of which also featured a central, vertical strut. Liberty’s Vertical Metal Technology (VMT) embarrassed the big boys, keeping the 3 V-Series models that used it pinned to the snow. It was a stunning debut.
Liberty went on to create 2-rib and 3-rib versions of VMT, making the unusual technology the centerpiece of its collection. But while there was nothing wrong with either the concept of VMT or its execution, it wasn’t what the traditional Liberty customer expected from the brand that had pioneered bamboo and carbon cores that made their wide-body models light yet strong and responsive. At the end of the day, the best playground for VMT was corduroy, and Liberty’s early adopters didn’t play in that yard.
This year, VMT as we knew it is gone, replaced with Variable Metal Technology in a new, 3-model series, the Radian 92 and 100 for men and a women’s model, the Horizon 92. The new VMT consists of a single, horizontal laminate that is tapered at both ends, so the tip and tail are looser and therefore better suited to irregular, off-trail conditions. (That was one of the problems with Vertical Metal Tech; it was too good at nailing the full length of the ski to the snow surface.)
Liberty calls the niche category to which the Radians and Horizon belong, “Precision-Guided Directional Freeride,” which sounds a bit contrived, but it’s actually a succinct summation of their essential character. These aren’t goofy twin-tips or loosey-goosey barges, but they are meant for Freeride terrain, i.e., anything but groomers. It’s what skiers with refined Frontside skills would prefer to take off-trail. They’re able to translate technical skills into effortless off-road skiing by constructing an off-trail shape and baseline and filling it with on-trail innards.
Jim Schaffner, whose knowledge of the state of the art in ski technology borders on the encyclopedic, calls the Radian 100, “An impressive entry in the 100mm-waist width category. This ski has a very stuck to the snow feel that is confidence-inducing in terms of speed control and resisting the earth’s gravitational pull while turning. Very predictable and at the same time versatile in turn shape and speeds.”
We skied the Radians in conditions that were predominantly groomed, which can be a liability for skis this wide, but not the Radian 100. You may notice its girth when it’s flat on the snow, but it doesn’t feel wide when it’s up on edge, where it’s as solid as granite. It can even pull off short, edge-to-edge turns in the fall line without calling attention to its width, although its natural arc is big-bellied. “This model also allows for easy drift,” observes Coach Schaffner, “so I can see that it would be very good in softer and mixed snow conditions.”
If I were to pick a nit with the Radians, I’d say they’re not particularly lightweight, but the elite of this genre rarely are. What sets them apart from the crowd is the precision of their edge grip isn’t perturbed by clumpy crud and the skier feels securely supported through every phase of the turn through thick and thin. These Liberty’s aren’t just “good skis for a small-batch producer;” they’re damn good skis, period.
At least part of the reason for the quality of the latest Libertys lies in the brand’s choice of manufacturing partners. Liberty has pulled most of their production out of China (only Helix remains), and the search for new alliances has taken them all over the world. The Radians and Horizon are made in Poland, and the upgrade in ex-factory finish is noticeable.
The same technology that makes the Radian 100 stand out in the crowded All-Mountain West field is also available in the Radian 92 and Horizon 92 for women. The signature trait of all three new models is stability on edge, a quality that pays dividends whether the snow is flat and hard or soft and choppy.
I’ve remained a fan of Liberty because they make interesting, sometimes contrarian designs that produce excellent skis, and their business practices align with our pro-specialty-shop philosophy. There are probably close to 100 small-batch “brands” in the U.S. alone, and all of them need to sell direct to consumers to survive. Liberty stands out because they’re trying to do the best they can at all aspects of a difficult job.
If you want to support a small brand that deserves it, look no further than Liberty. They make a great all-terrain ski at a fair price that’s in line with the rest of the market. There’s a lot of hype out there in indie-brand land. But I don’t know of any small-batch brand that has done a better job of innovating in a tough market than Liberty.