These are my kind of skis, lively and playful.
The ski business has done a complete one-eighty. In the last century it was dominated by Rossignol, known for its lively skis. Yes, that was the French ethos, as opposed to the Austrian and German ethos, which specifies heavier, stiffer skis. You were either in one camp or the other, and then...
The shaped ski revolution came along and Rossignol was caught flat-footed. Salomon, an upstart French brand, became the new king with its X-Scream. And had a good run until...
Tecnica bought Blizzard, invested a ton of money in a new factory, hyped its "FlipCore" and ultimately became the new titan. From nowhere, to everywhere. At first it was the Bonafide, the initial iteration of which I found to be a plank. It would plow through anything, but when it came to turning... The ski was heavy, stiff and dead. The Bonafide has improved over the years, and the women's Black Pearl became the best-selling ski in the world. And Blizzard kept innovating. Creating unique wooden cores for each ski length. And now they're breaking up the top titanal sheet into three pieces. Yes, if you want innovation, if you want what everybody else has, you want Blizzard.
But not me.
I'm a French guy. I've owned untold numbers of Rossis, but then Rossis became more damp and I switched to the sister brand Dynastar, from Chamonix. And I've had so many pairs of Dynastars, I loved them, until... They decided to remove the metal (the aforementioned titanal, which is not titanium) and make the ski stiffer and it skied okay, but it didn't hold on the hard snow.
That's when I decided to pay retail, demo everything, and pay through the nose for what I wanted.
And surprisingly ended up with K2s, a brand I hadn't skied on in over half a century.
I tried the Stockli Stormrider. As Dirk in the shop says, it's silky, the smoothest ski available (and priced to match). I would have laid down the bucks, but I like a faster turn, and in the bumps... They were just too stiff.
I tried the Bonafide, which was greatly improved, you could even kinda ski it in the bumps. But I thought to myself, can I really buy an Austrian ski?
Then I tried the K2 Mindbender 99, the newly improved version, and when I hit Pepi's Face, the steepest, iciest slope at Vail, however short, the Mindbenders held no problem. And I bought them.
Well, before I laid down my cash I had to try the latest Dynastars, the M-Pro 99. And as per usual, the Dynastars turned better than everything else. But they didn't hold like the K2s. So I passed.
Now I also bought a pair of Mindbender 108s. Utterly astounding, they turn even better than the Mindbender 99s. But that dancing on snow... The 99s could not deliver that, even though the wider 108s could, which makes no sense, but that's the truth.
Just in case you're flummoxed, 99 represents 99 millimeters, that's the waist width, and that's the standard Vail ski.
But it's not the everyday east coast ski. You want something narrower in the east. Vail is wide open, you want a wider board. But having said that, you really need a quiver, a bunch of skis of different widths for different conditions. The right tool makes all the difference.
So today I skied on the Peak 98s.
Let me be clear, I got these for free. Although I did have to spend $75 to get them mounted.
And I was riding up the lift looking down at them and they seemed pretty straight, would they ski like planks, unable to turn?
Oh, now we're into sidecut. The bigger the hourglass, the sharper the turn. And when I got off the lift, I rode them straight, all the way from Chair 3 to Chair 2, to Lodgepole, a blue run. And then I built up a head of steam and planted my pole and turned...AND I WAS SHOCKED! These Peak skis turned faster than anything else in my quiver, even my 72s. Furthermore, they held on the hard snow.
This blew my mind, this is not what I expected. I expected a slow-turning plank. And oftentimes, lively skis don't hold on hard snow, so this was a revelation.
But they are light. Not ultra-light, but nowhere near as heavy as the Blizzards and German-made Volkls. What would happen if I really ripped?
Well, I did. Blitzkrieging Riva Ridge from the top. Let's be clear, they were not as steady as my K2s, but they held just as well on the hard snow and...my frame of reference was off, it's been a long time since I've been on skis like this.
And, as good as the initiation of the turn was, was the finish equally good? As good as the Dynastar?
Now I took the Peak 98s into the back, Ricky's Tube, where I could barely see, but I didn't ski them in any crud, any loose snow. So I don't know how they'd be in that.
But one thing is for sure, I had FUN on the Peak 98s. It's an elusive concept, you know it when you feel it. I'm skiing thinking about how a heavier ski might handle, but that liveliness, that playfulness in the Peak was exhilarating. And when I was coming down at the end of the day I realized, I was dancing on snow, the ultimate experience.
So, are the Peaks for you?
Well, unlike the heavy Austrian and German skis, French skis have a reputation for losing their grip as they age. A pro could notice between days fifteen and twenty. And by time you were at day fifty, never mind sixty, you really needed a new pair of skis.
And most people have not skied a lively ski like this in their lives, because they're out of fashion.
So if you ski on stiff Blizzards and even stiffer Volkls, you might be shocked. (As for the vaunted Nordica Enforcer...true insiders think its blah, kind of dead.)
But those Blizzards and Volkls are good on the groomers, in the crud. In the bumps? A lot of work.
I once bought a pair of Volkls. Essentially unskiable in the bumps, but very smooth elsewhere.
So there are trade-offs, and preferences.
Which is why you should demo before you buy. You can tell the difference between skis in one run. Unfortunately, you've got to buy the Peaks to demo them, but they've got a no questions asked return policy.
Yes, the Peaks are internet only, direct to consumer. And therefore retail shops are down on them. Once again, don't listen to anybody tell you what to buy. Especially your friends. They paid for their skis, they love them. As for the experts... They've got preferences. Which may or may not align with your needs.
Now this was only one day on the Peak 98s. But I pushed them hard, very hard. Going down Blue Ox nonstop... I'll be honest, I did not feel as steady as I did on my K2s. But they held just like the K2s. And they turned faster, much faster.
It's a different experience, One I thought was lost to the sands of time.
And I can't wait to get out on them again tomorrow, primarily because unlike almost all the big brands, once again, the Peak 98s are FUN!
But having said this, let me remind you that skis are secondary to boots. And when it comes to boots...
Here's where I differ with many. I like old school heavy boots. I owned a pair of light and stiff Salomons and got rid of them after one season, I just could not get forward in them. Now I'm in the Lange RS 130, a legendary boot, maybe the most legendary extant. The progressive flex is astounding, revelatory.
Now if you're not looking for the ultimate, Lange has a new boot the Shadow, which everyone is raving about. I could explain how it works, but that's a whole 'nother e-mail.
And next year they're updating the RS 130 for the first time in eons.
But if you're an avid skier, buy your boots. You can always rent your skis. And if you don't ski much, that's what I advise, renting the skis. You'll always be on new equipment (but don't cheap out, you've got to pay for the "performance" package).
As for those who've gotten this far but still have no idea what I'm really talking about, earlier today I saw this video on Instagram Reels:
shorturl.at/bxN05
Click and watch the clip, it's brief.
But if you're time or technology challenged, here's what it says:
"Honestly, skiing fixes everything.
It's like the best therapy money can buy.
Had a bad day?
Go skiing.
Had a bad week?
Go skiing.
Got dumped or played?
Go skiing!
The amount of good memories you get from skiing is phenomenal...
Almost like a dream come true."
Ain't that the truth.
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