Blizzard The Answer Skis w/ IQ 5.14 Bindings - 2009
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SKU:
Weight: 13 lbs 4 ozs
Price:
List Price: $1,175.00 You Save: $695.01 |
Color:
N/A
Size:
Out of Stock
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Product Details
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| Dimensions | 130-105-120 |
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| Radius | 25.0m @ 171
27.5m @ 178
30.0m @ 186
32.5m @ 192 |
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| Waist Width | 105mm |
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| Included Bindings | Blizzard IQ 5.14 TT |
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| Din Range | 5-14 |
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The following review was written in mid-winter 2009 and is a comparison between the Answer and a fully rockered ski of similar length. This narrative picks up after switching out the rockered model for the Answer.
Skiing the groomers on the way from my car back over to the upper mountain lifts, the difference in feel of a conventional ski vs. a rocker was immediately evident. In spots where the rockered ski felt skittish, the Answer felt normal and indeed very solid for a twin. On my first run down from the top of Mt. Lincoln, I chose the same line out in the '58' chutes that I had skied earlier. The pitch was still in the shade and the snow was clumpy but still light. Where the rokered ski felt light and quick and wanted to turn all the time, the Answer was solid, and powerful. The float was good out in the less tracked up edges and nothing in this pitch knocked the ski around at all. At the bottom of the 58s, there is a band of trees to negotiate. With a little consideration of line, I could hit the rather narrow openings easily. Coming out of the trees, the lower expanse opens up after a quick pass through a rock band. Down here, the snow was a little heavier and the Answer blasted through solidly. When the run spit me back out onto the groomers I headed over to the Disney lift making lazy GS turns.
Up on Disney, I got into the choppy inconsistent snow that had worked me over on the rockered ski. Here the solid feel of the Answer made the ride through the rough stuff much more manageable. Back up to the top of Disney and down the ridgeline I hit some scratchy scoured off patches. The Answer grips exceptionally well for this category and is nimble enough to make any turn shape. Slipping through a slot in the rock band, there was plenty of room to turn the ski but I decided to try some very short braking turns. The Answer was up to it although for this task, the mount position felt just a little far back. When the hill opened up so did I and I started making bigger and bigger turns. The Answer pushed the crud solidly and I never felt like I had to wait on the ski to quiet itself down. When the path took me into a gulley near the bottom, I had to break off the bigger turns into shorter ones. Here, the Blizzi took a bit of smear from the tail to get the first short turn going. After that, the short turns came easily through mostly broken and mixed snow. For a day of deep untracked snow, I think the rockered ski that I started the day on would be great, but on this day, with a variety of mostly soft conditions, the Answer was more versatile for my tastes.
The '08 Volkl Gotama has been my go to ski in this width range for some time and I still own my pair. In this width range, the Answer is more stable than my Gotama in crud and has better grip on the scratchy stuff. If I were going to replace my Gotama, the Answer would get the nod as I think it is more versatile.
Skiing be a fun sport............:)
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