Fast Forward: 2016 Moment Skis

If you have ever come into the shop or called and talked to me, you know that I won’t let you go without talking about Moment skis.  Moment has been my go to brand for the past 3 years and I really cannot say enough about how these skis perform on snow.  Moment has rolled out new designs year after year, completely changing what you though could be possible on skis.  Their biggest innovation has to be triple camber technology, meaning you get an extra camber position before and after the binding.  You will learn as we go through this post, there are different forms of triple camber.  Some have just front rocker, some tip and tail, some full rocker.  This technology used to also be known as “dirty mustache rocker,” but Moment wanted to clean up some of there verbiage and graphics for 2016 as some marketing in the past was… lets just say, scary.  As you scroll through some of the images you will notice a cleaner look to the skis as a whole this year.  One upgrade you won’t be able to see in the images is the addition of a rounded off sidewall where it meets the topsheet.  With so many urban jibbers and tree skiers these days, Moment just found one extra way to help preserve the life and durability of their product.

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Now lets get down to specifics, ladies first.

The 2016 Moment women’s skis all get a face lift and the new rounded off sidewall, but no further changes to the already stellar lineup.  The Hot Mess remains the skinniest ski in the women’s line at 87mm underfoot and utilizes triple camber with front rocker.  That makes the Hot Mess your frontside, park, and mogul ripper.  The triple camber combined with a flatter tail shape will hold an edge at any speed on any surface.  Next up we have the ever popular Sierra.  Moment added triple camber with twin rocker to the Sierra last year, and oh was it a hit.  This is the go to “one-ski-quiver” for ladies skiing in the west.  The 162cm size comes in at 95mm underfoot while the 172 comes in at 99mm underfoot.  The semi-fat waist combined with the triple camber/twin rocker  makes this ski carve just as easily as it will float.  The mystical wolf graphic on the Sierra just may have been my favorite graphic I saw at the whole show.  Something great about Moment skis that must be mentioned is that most models can be skied  by anyone (minus an absolute beginner), so don’t be hesitant about getting on these boards, they actually will make you a better skier in the long run.  The widest and most powder hungry of the women’s models is the Bella.  The Bella has been a staple in the line for many years and simply features a rocker-camber-rocker profile with a 108mm waist to maximize playfulness and flotation.

Much like the women’s line, Moment’s park skis come back for 2016 unchanged except for graphics and the new rounded off sidewall.  The Frankenski comes in at 92mm underfoot and features a triple camber/twin rocker profile.  With it’s bulletproof bamboo and semi-cap construction, the Frankenski is aimed at urban jibbers who need a playful, press-able, do-anything tool.  The Vice has simple, standard rocker-camber-rocker and an 83mm waist making this the true go to park and pipe ski.

Moment’s all mountain category features the Tahoe, PB&J, and Deathwish, and by far is the strongest category for us here at Powder 7!  Any one of these skis could make for a perfect one-ski-quiver for western skiers, depending on what they like to do in a given day.  The Tahoe would be considered the most frontside and groomed run oriented.  A 96mm waist with triple camber/front rocker creates the most stable and quick ski in the lineup.  With no tail rocker and your extra camber positions, this ski can rip it like an FIS race ski, no joke.  One of our guys here with a race coaching background was hesitant at first but after just one day, he admits they stack up right there with his race quiver.  So, for those that enjoy the frontside and ripping uber fast on steep terrain, the Tahoe is for you.  Now for, in my opinion, the most versatile ski ever made, the PB&J.  This is my go to ski when I can’t decide what else to use.  Why? Because I know the PB&J is going to kill it no matter what I encounter.  A standard rocker-camber-rocker profile with a 101mm waist can truly do it all. Smear it…yes! Carve it… no problem.  Send it off a cliff and land switch…absolutely.  My PB&J’s from 2 years ago still look and perform like brand new and will always be a ski that is in the roof rack no matter what.

The Deathwish is the widest in the all mountain category at 112mm underfoot, but the triple camber/twin rocker allow it to grip and rip just like some of the skinnier skis.  This ski is an amazing choice for someone skiing the west who does not spend a whole lot of time on the front side, maybe 75% off trail, 25% on.  The 112mm waist with tip and tail rocker tells us the ski will float amazingly but where you will be blown away is in the skis ability to bust through crud and hold an edge in harder snow.  Like I said, any of the three of these skis could be considered a one-ski-quiver depending on what you like to do in a given day.

As the sport of alpine touring grows, it would almost be irresponsible to not have a few offerings in the category.  Two years ago, Moment got into the AT game and introduced the Exit World, a Paulownia/Ash core, powder touring ski.  After a few small updates, the 2016 Exit World will be 118mm underfoot and feature the triple camber/flat rocker profile making it a true friend to the soft snow.  The flat spot underfoot and 118mm waist really make this a specific ski for powder touring so you won’t hear me boasting the “one-ski-quiver” line for this one.  This is an ideal ski to throw a tech touring or frame tour binding on and would be best suited for people that really seek out of bounds powder.  In 2015, Moment released the Underworld to be a more friendly every-day tour tool, and man was it a hit.  I even splurged and bought one for myself and paired it with the new G3 Ion, nothing but smiles coming from this set up.  This ski comes back for 2016 with the same triple camber/twin rocker profile but now features a more mellow graphic that won’t make you gasp with horror.

The new offering in the tour lineup this year is the Tallac, and was introduced to be more versatile for the true backcountry enthusiast.  Of course we like to pretend that every backcountry turn is spraying champagne powder in your face, but unfortunately that is not the case.  The Tallac features only front rocker and has a 104mm waist, making this ski a much better tool if you are going to encounter icy chutes and variable terrain.  Great product for someone who is mountaineering or perhaps touring where there is not much fresh snow.  All of these skis feature the Paulownia/Ash core making them the lightest offerings in Moment’s lineup.

Why not save the best for last!  The reinvention of the Bibby Pro is going to be a major hit in the industry this year.  Basically, at the start of 2013, the Bibby got bumped from 116mm underfoot to 120mm and got a healthier dose of rocker.  While many people, especially me, loved this change, many of the cult followers of the old Bibby were not too pleased.  Moment always listens to feedback from their customers and the situation with the Bibby was no different.  The 116mm Bibby is back for 2016.  It is pretty obvious that the reason people didn’t like the wider version is the former 116mm is a much better all mountain option and many western skiers considered it to be a one-ski-quiver.  Moment has now expanded some of their big mountain powder skis like the Ghost Train, to allow the Bibby to go back to 116mm underfoot.

I think I have rambled on long enough so we will wrap things up here.  The only other skis we did not go into great detail on are the big mountain skis like the Belafonte or Governor.  As you now know I am happy to talk Moment skis all day long so if you have a question on the big mountain stuff or anything else, just give us a call!