It’s not hard to make a ski. The low barrier to entry is the main reason we see so many small batch brands, which far outnumber the mainstream models in their number and variety. The low-hanging fruit tends to be a powder ski of some ilk, for a variety of reasons: it’s where the market opportunity lies, it’s likely to be aimed at a young demographic who are comfortable buying online B-2-C, the skis must be lightweight, therefore no need to mess with metal and most importantly, powder masks design deficiencies better than any other snow condition.

It’s not even particularly hard to make a good ski, as long as you’re only making a single pair. The big challenges are two-fold. The number one hazard any brand faces as it makes the transition from minor to major is quality control. It would not be an exaggeration to say that reproducibility was the greatest hurdle the founding ski brands faced in their first 75 years of production, and it remains the acid test of any new brand’s viability.

But even if you can consistently make a good ski, so what? What are you providing that you can’t get elsewhere? Is your brand willing and able to innovate?

For 12-year-old Liberty, the answer is yes. Two years ago 3 brands introduced high-end models with vertical laminates made from metal or carbon. Liberty’s version, with two aluminum ribs trisecting the bamboo/poplar core, earned the highest scores from our panelists. Last season, Liberty added a third metal strut to the men’s V-series models it introduced the prior year. Liberty’s Vertical Metal Technology (VMT) is as effective a system for maintaining snow contact as any extant, short of loading the ski up with every dampening agent known to man. Theron Lee of Bobo’s succinctly describes how it feels: “damp but not dead.”

One reason the V82 skis so well is that the metal ribs don’t work alone. Two 1cm-wide swathes of carbon straddle the center strut, poured PU sidewalls have a calming effect on the edges they rest on and a carbon base layer adds bonus buffering. The result is very close to race-ski grip without having each run feel like a workout. If one word could characterize what it feels like to take a spin on the V82 it would be “natural.” There’s nothing to adapt to, nothing to figure out.

The V82 has a deep sidecut that influences turn shape but doesn’t dictate it. If you tip it to a high edge angle, it gets the message and cuts a tight corner, but if you stand fairly tall, as many habituées of the Frontside do, it adopts a more laissez-faire attitude that lets the pilot plot the route. A bit more nimble and energetic than its big brother, the V92, the V82 isn’t as whip-quick of its other sibling, the V76.

One trait all the V Series seem to share is blazing speed when running flat. Ski testing often occurs in the spring when conditions can get soggy and suction can stop any ski in its tracks. Every Liberty had glide properties that embarrassed the competition. I don’t know how they did it, or if every Liberty gets this treatment, but it does tell me they know what they’re doing.