 Poster: A snowHead
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I did some ski testing at the FWT weekend in Chamonix on the 24/25th Jan at Brevent, and as there were some new/very small brands I’d never heard of, I thought it was worth writing up.
The set-up
From the news report on the FWT website (http://freerideworldtour.com/news/fwt-expo-tests-2015), and a previous experience in Verbier, we were expecting a lot of different brands, including some really big names. However, there were only 5 brands (and two of those with limited testing) on show, and only 1 I’d heard of before! (Zag).
This turned out to be a really good thing as we tried some skis we otherwise wouldn't have, and it also meant it was pretty quiet, so no problem getting interesting skis to try out.
Brands present:
Zag
Rabbit on the Roof
Meier
La Fabrique du Ski
Black Powder
The snow was hard packed on piste, with limited options off-piste - that was pretty hard and refrozen crud mostly, though we found some slightly softer crud that could be pushed through a bit.
About me
Female, 1m72, not telling you my weight - but I’m reasonably fit and strong.
I currently own/ski: Scott Lunas in 166 (getting too small/easy for me now), 85mm waist; Down 6’s in 185, 107mm waist. I’ve only been skiing for just over 3 years, but thanks to great instructors and snowheads bashes I’m a decent skier, though not amazing (based in Chamonix, so frequently get my ass kicked  ). Can ski any piste with reasonable style and control, and ski a lot of off-piste, very occasionally touring. I’m getting increasingly comfortable on steep slopes and deeper snow as the season progresses.
The tests/skis
Not tested: Black Powder did some seriously impressive ultra-lightweight touring skis, and were really fun guys, but only had a couple of models set up for testing, and they weren’t what we were looking for, so didn’t try any. A few guys seemed to be having a lot of fun though.
Not tested: Rabbit on the Roof - the woman there on the Saturday wasn’t very friendly, and she said their ski testing didn’t start until later on the Saturday (several hours after all the others) so we weren’t too keen on going back there. A friend did try a pair on the Sunday, but was given a very ‘easy’ pair, which were not at all suitable for her. To be fair, as two girls, both decent skiers, we’ve found this quite a bit, and often have to push for the skis we want to test.
Meier - http://meierskis.com/
A small Colorado company. Very friendly guy, who said it was the first time he’s brought any of his skis across to Europe for testing. They only make around 800 pairs each year across the whole range. Also very beautiful skis - the wood is very visible, with unique patterns to each ski based on the tree used.
I skied The Doc in, I think, 184 (dimensions 140 / 108 / 133). Interesting skis - they felt light when holding them, but rather heavy when actually skiing them (and light again on chairlifts). They were very solid to ski, and kept getting better the more momentum I had - once they got going they felt unstoppable. Too heavy overall for me though, but I can see a strong guy with more muscle than me really enjoying them.
Unfortunately all the womens skis were far too short for me.
Zag
They came with a good range, and two really nice helpful people to show them off. By far the most popular skis to test, and by mid-morning on the Saturday they didn't have many left!
I skied the Z 2L in 165cm (dimensions 134 / 84 / 114). (I wanted to try the UBACs in 184cm, but the touring bindings fitted couldn't be adjusted small enough for my boots!) Very good ski - no issues with it anywhere, had full confidence straight away. Nimble, but charged well and felt very solid. It felt like there wasn't much more though if I wanted to push any harder. But an easy ski to take anywhere.
La Fabrique du Ski - http://www.fabriqueduski.com/index.html
I’d never heard of this company before, but it was being fronted by a very friendly and energetic Frenchman, who was very interesting to talk to, and has worked for many companies over the past 15 years, before starting to make his own skis last year. He’s put out a very good range, with very nice simple, but striking designs, and brilliant names (if you speak French )
I tried 3 pairs in total:
Cherche Moi, 176cm (dimensions 142 / 102 / 127). - I had a bit of a fight to get this length, as he wanted to put me and my friend each on a size down (she took the 164cm) but we insisted on the longer lengths each. We did 3 turns, then both stopped and grinned at each other - the first word that sprung to mind was ‘vicious’ - these skis were vicious, wild, rocket ships. Amazing. They felt a little heavy in the hand, but very light on the feet. They need to be controlled and bossed around, but you get out 10 times what you put into them. Absolutely fantastic skis. I chucked them on every type of snow I could find (no powder around annoyingly) and they were grippy and confident on the icy areas, fast and turny when I wanted on groomed snow and bumps, and stable and charging through crud. These were very very good skis indeed. We took them back to the owner, raving about them, and got a very French nonchalant “Of course”. Brilliant.
Tout est Permis - 176cm (dimensions 130 / 90 / 115). I went back on the Sunday, needing to try more of this guys skis, and got the 176cm length in this ski no questions asked this time. This was possibly the best pair of skis I’ve ever tried. Once I have the money I’m buying these. These instantly inspired confidence - I’m not a fast skier, but on these I was at the bottom of the slope before my friends even realised I had gone, happily chucking them round tight corners and over bumps and jumps I’d normally slow down for. Again, control and some aggression is needed on these or they’ll kick you off pretty quickly, but when pushed they are very stable, incredibly responsive, and feel up to just about anything you can throw them at. I refused to give them back when my friend went to change skis, as I just wanted to keep pushing them harder and harder.
Je n’irai pas sans toi - 176cm again (dimensions 135 / 85 / 125). This is a concept model, and I was warned these would feel very different from the Tout est Permis model i.e. very turny. This was true These are all-mountain skis for ex-slalom racers! Slightly twitchy, as they constantly want to turn, and can do so incredibly quickly. Light and lively, easy to carve, very responsive, and still surprisingly stable given how turny they are, but I personally prefer slightly more stable skis, that I can force into quick turns if I need, rather than skis constantly looking for the turn. Still excellent skis though!
TL;DR
La Fabrique du Ski - Phenomenal new brand! Any half decent skier needs to try these skis. This is a company well worth watching out for. I have no affiliation with them whatsoever, other than having tested a few pairs, and been blown away by how good they are. These are not skis for beginners though, they need to be worked pretty hard, but the performance you get out of them is fantastic.
And they have the best name I’ve ever seen for their biggest powder skis - “L’Orage Gronde” - "The Rumbling Storm"
If I had the money I’d buy both the “Cherche Moi” and “Tout est Permis” models now, but that would be luxuriously excessive. For a one ski quiver, I’d take the “Cherche Moi”, but as I want to keep my Down’s and replace my Scott’s, I’ll be chasing down a pair of “Tout est Permis” once I have the funds.
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