Day 2 of the Powder7 company ski trip brought us to beautiful Steamboat Springs. After skiing 12 inches of fresh snow in Vail the day before, the storm seemed to follow is as we traveled northwest from Gucci county to cowboy country. The next morning, the top of Storm Peak was a complete whiteout. The pines were blasted with a thick covering of arctic ice and visibility in the open was nil. Perfect conditions for the greatest tree skiing mountain in the country.
Click here to order the Head Cyclic from our shop, Powder7.com!
For my first run of the day I took the short hike up to the Christmas Tree Chutes. As my 191cm Head Cyclic skis teetered on the edge of the chute, I wondered if I should have taken a warm-up run. Instead, a couple of stretches would have to suffice. There are no warm up runs on a powder day like this. Admittedly, the 191cm length of this ski wasn’t ideal for skiing the trees in Steamboat. Perhaps the 181cm would have been more suitable for this sort of day.
Although they were a bit tight in some of the more claustrophobic areas of the mountain, the skis reacted quite well in a pinch. The low swing weight of the tips and tails certainly helped out in that issue. This ski is incredible nimble and absolutely crushed it at high speeds. This may have been because of the length, but at the end of the day, the chunks of the famous ‘champagne powder’ were no match. The Cyclic features TTS or ‘Tail and Tip Stabilization’ which has a distinct exoskeletal structure with ribs that make the ski torsionally stiffer without added weight. They also have rubber inserted into the ridges to dampen the ski and prevent the rockered tips from flapping at higher speeds.
If you are looking for a floaty, lightweight ski that can handle bumps, chop and groomers without sacrificing speed, you may want to consider the Head Cyclic. It could be a great one ski quiver for western skiers or a great powder ski for the easterners.
Update from Powder7’s own Justin:
Blake is entirely correct, here. These skis are the cat’s pajamas–assuming, of course, that a cat wearing pajamas is a good thing and not, as I would have imagined, some horrifying art project. Which is to say, I enjoyed them.
In fact, I count the Cyclic among my favorite skis of the year. And I’d have to admit that honor was unexpected. Head skis have, traditionally, had more of a frontside focus, true to the brand’s race room heritage. The Cyclic is a departure: a soft-snow-biased freeride ski with a medium flex and a playful demeanor. Effortless in the trees, nearly impossible to sink, and extremely versatile even at 113mm underfoot. How versatile? The Cyclic did my taxes this year.
On groomed snow, this ski will never be confused for a Supershape. It just lacks the power and precision of those premium carvers. I had no complaints, however, when putting the Cyclic on edge in the firm stuff, or smearing turns in packed powder. Then again, I’m not one to complain. I mean, I live above a bowling alley and below another, louder bowling alley, and I’ve never said one word about it.
It’s also worth mentioning that the very same Head Cyclics that your Powder7 team have been skiing on this winter (in both 181cm and 191cm) are now for sale. You know what that means? It means you can click in to those bindings, close your eyes, and imagine that you are Blake, himself. If you believe hard enough, will you feel his beard on your chin? Yes. Probably, yes.
End of Justin’s weird update
