Gear Reviews

2016 Line Magnum Opus Review

Line skis comes through with another fantastic lineup in the Pollard series – their big mountain freeride lineup. Designed by legendary skier Eric Pollard, the idea behind this set of three skis is to float in powder, send big airs, and have fun all over the mountain. The lineup consists of the Magnum Opus, Mordecai, and Sir Francis Bacon, offering waist widths for every condition, while also holding their own in just about any condition on the mountain. Here, we take a closer look at the 2016 Magnum Opus.

Click here to get your own pair of Line Magnum Opus skis.

Test Locations: Vail, Keystone, Aspen-Snowmass, Copper Mountain & Arapahoe Basin

MAGNUM OPUS-

magnum-opus

SPECS:

Waist Width mm: 124

Length cm: 188 cm

Shape mm: 147-124-146

Sidecut m: 17 (188 cm)

Stance mm: -20 Eric’s Choice

Weight: 2100g/ski (188)

Profile mm: 12-4-12

(Tip Early Rise-Camber-Tail Early Rise)

The Magnum Opus, the pure powder performer, sits at 124mm underfoot – which will float on even the deepest of days. The Cloud Core wood blend in the Magnum Opus provides a very lightweight ski, yet does not sacrifice stability and that solid feel underfoot. With a slightly softer tip and tail construction, this ski is very playful and allows for a jibby feel anywhere on the mountain. The soft nature of the tip and tail with the symmetrical flex pattern make skiing both forward and backwards on this ski a breeze.

Magnum-Opus
Line’s Magnum Opus – this big ski is surprisingly versatile, much like Magnum PI.

Powder

This ski performs extremely well in the deep stuff, with a waist as fat as this one it floats through any amount of powder. Taking out some of the stiffness in the nose and tail make it effortless to crush fields of powder without having to worry about whether your weight is positioned too far forward or backward. Line does a good job using a technology they call ‘Longer Active Edge’ which provides a longer engaged edge, mostly designed to provide grip on hard-pack, but it also allows you to really slash through powder rather than surfing on top.

Groomers

It is rare to find a ski that is 120mm + underfoot that still has some camber underfoot. This is really what ends up saving the Magnum Opus on hard-pack. That being said, the Magnum Opus really surprised me on the corduroy. This ski takes a bit of effort to get on edge, but if you really lay down those turns it carves nicely on just about any snow and does not even slip much on the icy patches. Obviously, the Magnum Opus is not the ideal ski for groomer days, but if you find yourself on this ski and the storms do not quite line up, don’t fret, you can still cruise the whole mountain on this fatty.

Trees and Tight Turns

The first couple tree runs I took with this ski were in some steeps off of Blue Sky Basin in Vail. What surprised me most is how easily this massive ski pivots. The Magnum Opus feels at home making aggressive turns, not cumbersome like some other skis at this waist width. This ease of tight turns is due to the cloud core and thin tip technologies, both of which help lower the swing weight of the ski. That being said, the swing weight was still slightly heavier than anticipated when in the air and buttering. It was not heavy by any means, but buttering and spinning took a little bit more effort to bring them around.

Other Skis in This Category To Consider

A few other skis to take a look at would be the K2 Pettitor, the Head Turbine, or the Volkl Two. The Petitor would lean slightly more towards a freestyle feel, and would not be quite as stable at high speeds as the Magnum Opus. The Head Turbine provides a very similar feel, however, it is a little more directional than the Magnum Opus and almost as nimble.  The Volkl 2 provides a bit more backbone than the other skis listed above, but without camber underfoot it makes harder snow a bit much to handle unless you really lay it on edge.

Bottom Line

Line’s Magnum Opus are a do-anything beast of a ski for being 124mm underfoot. Do not be afraid to rip the entire mountain on these sticks. They are just as comfortable in tight tree runs as they are surfing open bowls, and whether you lean more towards the freestyle side or traditional style, they can be a fantastic option due to the stiffness underfoot and the slightly softer tip and tail. All told, the Magnum Opus is a fantastic deep day option for any skier.

magnum pi
Rock a sweet ‘stache or not, the Magnum Opus will give you this much confidence.

 

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