January and February were pretty dry for us here in Colorado, so we have been spending our days sunbathing in 60 degree weather and dreaming of powder chasing. In the past three weeks though, we have been lucky to have some major storms move in that created some amazing conditions and we wanted to share with you our favorite powder skis of 2015! Every one of these skis were also used on our annual Wolf Creek company trip, check out the trip report here! Powder skis can mean different things to different people, so for this post, we will focus on true, deep powder skis that are 115+ millimeters underfoot.
Lets start with two skis from the Head Flight Series; the Cyclic 115 and Turbine 125. For decades, Head has been the premier brand in the ski racing market and over the past few years they have made a strong push to really compete in the big mountain powder scene, and boy has it been a success. The Cyclic has been in the Head lineup for the past two years and is a favorite of many shop employees here. This ski is soft when you want to play and strong when you need to power through. A 115mm footprint, freeride rocker, and a full sidewall make this ski the most versatile powder hound out there. Shop owner Jordan Jones sports his Cyclics with a Dynafit Radical ST making it the lightest pow set up I have ever seen, take a look below.
The Cyclic is going to be plenty wide for almost any day you encounter, while the Turbine at 125mm underfoot is truly reserved for the deepest of the deep. A few of us skied the Turbine at Wolf Creek two weekends ago and we can tell you it does require at least 8 inches for a good time. These skis are so fun and forgiving, we would recommend them to anyone looking to expand what they thought possible in powder!
The next two also come from the same family, aptly named the One and the Two, by Volkl. Similar to the Cyclic and Turbine, the One and Two are about 10cm apart. Unlike the Head Flight Series, these Volkls are reverse camber, meaning flat underfoot and then fully rockered in the tip and tail. Volkl does reverse camber better than anyone else out there, I mean, more than half of the skis in the 2015 catalog are constructed this way. The One comes in at 116mm underfoot making it the perfect tool for 4-10 inches of fresh. With all of your pressure going right to the flat spot underfoot this ski will turn on a dime as soon as you flick it either direction. We want to be honest that with the reverse camber design in these skis, they will not be super friendly on hardpack and certainly not ice. For anything a foot and over, you would still love the One, but the Two at 124mm underfoot, would get you floating much better, especially if the snow is wet and heavy. If you want an in depth, thorough run down of the Two, check out Steve’s review.
Now for my personal favorites, and for those of you that know me, there is no surprise what brand we are talking about. The Moment Bibby Pro is hands down my favorite powder stick ever! The famed Bibby has gone through some changes over the years; prior to 2014 the Bibby was at a more versatile 116mm underfoot but for 2014 and 2015, the Bibby was meant to be more of a powder hound at 120mm underfoot and a deeper rocker profile. I have skied both but my preference is the wider Bibby, mostly because it fits into my quiver better. With a hand flex in the shop, the ski appears to be stiff but I can tell you it does not ski that way. Normally a 186cm stiff ski would be a bit much for me, however I can turn this bad boy in the tightest of trees on the steepest pitch. For the most part here in Colorado, 120mm underfoot should be plenty for any snow dump.
If you are lucky enough to go heli skiing or cat skiing, you should certainly check out the Moment Ghost Train. Similar to the construction of the One and Two, the Ghost Train is completely reverse camber. I do have to say that the Volkl One and Two were easier to ski and turn even though they share similar construction. The flotation was amazing but turn initiation was a bit tough, probably just because I am a crappy skier. For bigger guys who are hitting completely un-tracked snow this is the ski for you.
Last on Powder 7’s powder 7 list for 2015 is the Armada Magic J. For this list, the Magic J would be most comparable in construction to the Head Turbine 125. The Magic J is 126mm underfoot with a rocker/camber/rocker profile, just like the Turbine. A few guys got to ski this on the Wolf Creek trip a few weeks back and there were nothing but smiles as a result. We even let friend of the shop, Andrew, try the Magic J and we kid you not, he bought a pair via his smart phone on the way home.
Give us a call, I bet we are lucky enough to have a few more pow days before seasons end!
