If the Cira were a young heroine in a Disney movie, her tale would begin with an underprivileged youth. Judged by how she appeared on paper, with her simple components humbly assembled, Cira faces an uphill battle for acceptance. She’s told to do the jobs other skis won’t, like spend time carving out the inside of a slow-motion arc. People begin to notice that she’s a natural.
A skilled technician pulls Cira aside and offers to mentor her. While her gently rockered forebody made her hesitant at first, Cira quickly adapted to being tipped and pressured like a sophisticated carving ski with expensive appurtenances like Titanal and carbon fiber. The plucky Cira, undeterred by her presumed disadvantages, goes on to compete against the best women’s Frontside skis in the world and, while she doesn’t win, she proves to everyone what’s she made of: spunk, skill and a heart of gold. Curtain; roll credits. Oscar, please.
If the Confession feels guilty, it might be because it knows where all the bodies are buried. With two sheets of Titanal in its guts it doesn’t so much float as burrow, blasting its way through wind crust, spring porridge or ragged crud. After a run on the Confession, you’re looking for other worlds to conquer. It’s like have an army of earthmovers on each foot, rolling over once powdery pastures and turning them into pavement.
As befits the AME class, the Brahma is at its best when lingering near the border of powder and prepared slopes. Its ability to shift on the fly to 4-wheel drive is attributable to the subtly of its Flip Core tip rocker. Like any elevated shovel, the Brahma’s tip will find a way over whatever lies ahead, but unlike most models with this much rocker, it remains in contact with all snow surfaces, not just powder. Even on hardpack, the built-to-be-rockered Flip Core forebody is unflappable.
One thing that hasn’t changed about the Cham is the shape, which houses a turn-on-a-dime slalom-turn skill set inside a longer frame that assists flotation without inhibiting pivoting. This allows the Cham 2.0 97 to smudge a turn in a tight couloir or gallop headlong down the fall line with equal facility. The way its pintail rearbody is tucked in, the Cham can be counted on to readily release the turn to avoid any awkward hang-ups.
