Movement Blink - sizing advice and where to buy

A snowHead

I hired some 159 cm Movement Blinks in Tignes earlier this month and thought they were fantastic. I needed a wide ski for an off-piste course I was doing, and hired them at this length on advice of my instructor. My normal piste/all mountain skis are 160 cm, and I am 1.65 m tall and weigh 70 kg. Aged 47 and pretty fit, advanced intermediate, but not a super fast or super aggressive skier.

I was amazed at how good the Blinks were on the piste. Had a great run down La Face on them, and they also had all the grip I needed for short, fast skidded turns on hard-packed steep red runs. They skied just as well as my piste skis. Unfortunately with the conditions I didn't get to do that much off-piste in them, but they seemed fine on what I did attempt, particularly when it came to initiating turns on steeper ground in soft or slightly cruddy snow.

In contrast last week for an all-terrain course I had a pair of (mens) 164 cm Salomon Q98's (the only wide ski I could hire where I was staying out of resort) which I found cumbersome and clunky. Difficult to get turns going in them off piste when it was bumpy or steep, kept crossing the tips, and they were a complete mare on hard-packed pistes. I was all over the place on them, even on blue runs! I also found their weight pretty tiring by the end of a long week. Never again!

I am planning to do more off-piste/all terrain development courses next year, but want to go armed next time with my own pair of skis so that it's not down to the lottery of what's available in the local hire shop.

I'd dearly love to get a pair of Blinks.

First question is what length? The next size up from 159 is 167 cm.

They have a slightly rockered 'early rise tip'. Conventional wisdom would say go for a longer ski if it's rockered and for skiing off-piste. However I felt very comfortable on the 159's, and am worried that the 167's would be just a bit too long and I would struggle again like I did with the Q98s. Shame I didn't get to try both sizes when I had the chance.

Second question is where to buy them? I've discovered that there are only a couple of retailers in the UK that stock them, and the price is pretty high compared with what I could have paid for them in France. Kicking myself now for not buying some when I was over there!

Can anyone recommend any good on-line ski retailers on the Continent who can ship to the UK for a reasonable price/minimum hassle?

Many thanks!

Very Happy

A snowHead

I am the same height but lighter than you. I'd go for 167s. I have tested the Blinks a couple of times myself and enjoyed them, though not enough to make a purchase. They were still very light and easy to turn. I really don't think you would have a problem Very Happy

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CathS, How stiff are the skis? At your height, weight and level, I'd go for the 167, especially since they have a short radius, tip rocker and are quite light.

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Hi @Zero_G and @Perty. Thanks for replying. I don't think they are that stiff, which seemed to be the main problem with the Q98s. I guess if they are too short this could be a problem in rougher conditions off piste?

I need to make sure that whatever I get will help me progress with my off-piste development (still a relative newby to this), and I wont feel the need to upgrade again after a few weeks use. In reality, I will probably be using them 50:50 on and off piste, and for moguls/bumpy terrain as well as powder, so they will need to be versatile.

I've never skied on anything as long as 167 before though and a bit nervous about it. Probably need to test-ride some first I guess, but not sure I can wait until next season. Or otherwise be patient, hire for another season and get a better feel for things...
Smile

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Actually I think the main problem when they are too short is that they become very "noodly" and less stable on hard snow-harder to hold an edge when the running length is quite short. I know that you thought the 159s were great on piste already, but I just think you will find the 167s even better! I bet one of the pay offs is that you will feel more comfy going faster. I too used to be nervous about anything longer than 160cm (ooerr missus!) but skis are so cleverly designed these days you really should go for something longer than a standard carving ski length for a ski with a reasonable tip rocker.
Shorter skis will also get more knocked about in crud. Rockered skis ski much shorter than piste skis, so go for the longer ones and don't fret! I don't think you will find them too long for off piste either, where they will float better and with the light weight, they will still be easy to flick about in tighter situations. TBH, at your height and weight, I'd say 167 is still a bit too short. If you get the shorter ones, I think you will grow out of them the more off piste you do. I have a pair of 167cm (104m underfoot) midfatties and I wish they were a tad longer, and for the preceding 2 seasons I was motoring about on 177cm twin tips. Loved them on and off piste, though just maybe they were a tad too long for tight spots in trees....

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That's great advice thanks @Perty, Smile

I notice that you've been involved in a lot of ski testing. Are there any other models you might recommend for me?

Scott Laylas and Salomon Lumens have been suggested by others, but I think I've developed Salomon-phobia now!

And as for going longer than 167cm, now you're really scaring me Shocked

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Heh! Yes...I have done a couple of snowheads indoor ski tests and we also have been going to Zermatt in November for a few days on a ski test package for about the last 6 seasons (lucky me!). It's huge fun! I have always enjoyed Nordica skis, though they changed the line up quite significantly this year. The Wild Belles are great. I did have a 2010 pair of Nemesis, but I found them a bit stiff. I think the Blinks probably win on weight and forgiveness. Blizzard Black Pearls get loads of votes too. I have tried and enjoyed them. But...if you fell for the Blinks, why not stop the search there. I can't speak for Salomons..never really grabbed me. I have tried a couple of Scotts women's skis, possibly the Layla...but I don't recall them floating my boat. A ski I really liked this season were the K2 Potion 90ti...in 170. Very easy to ski, but the graphics...ghastly unless you like purple swirls! ( I know that the look shouldn't influence a purchasing decision, but it does, otherwise some designers wouldn't spend so much time on them!)

After all it is free

I've taken the leap of faith and bought the Blinks in 167... Very Happy

I got a great deal on them from this online company based in France http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/en/ which I would highly recommend. Standard DHL delivery was only 14 Euros and they arrived well-packaged within 5 working days. The website was very easy to use, and all correspondence was in English. They look to have a lot of very competitive deals, particularly for skiing and touring gear.

Just got to get some bindings fitted to them now, then I can go and have a play.

Great stuff....will you get a chance before the end of the season? I'd be interested to hear your impressions Very Happy

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Hi @Perty, I'll probably only get a chance to try them in a snowdome now, so I'll have to wait until next season until I get to try them properly... I'll post up my impressions of them than.

They do look a bit scarily long! But they've got a big rocker on them, so the flat bit of the ski is similar to that on my 160 skis.

They also unexpectedly arrived in the cool 2015 design rather than the vomit-inducing 2014 graphics, and are objects of immense beauty!

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Well, at long last I got to try my Movement Blink 167s for the first time last week, on a Snoworks All Terrain course in the 3 Valleys/La Plagne.

And they were just the job Very Happy

To be honest they seemed to perform really well on everything: they were totally solid on steep and bumpy hard packed pistes (even on sheet ice on a fairly steep black run) and the firm off-piste at the beginning of the week; then cut through the piles of slush when it rained on Tuesday; and finally great in the powder and soft snow after the big mid-week dump (the only limitation being my still evolving powder technique...).

They were reasonably light which made them easy to turn, coped with short turns fine, and I didn't find the extra length compared to my old skis a problem - I think the next size down (159) would have felt too short as they have quite big rockers (good call on that one @Perty, Smile

). In between the off-piste stuff, they seemed as good as any other ski I've used for whizzing around on the pistes - I didn't really notice that I was on a fairly wide (94 mm) all mountain ski. I'm a bit rubbish at carving so can't comment on that, but that's not what you'd buy them for anyway.

And they have very attractive graphics without looking girly. Almost a bit too attractive as I was quite paranoid about getting them nicked. It was also commented that the bright blue bases create a noticeable neon afterglow behind the tails as you ski along!

I absolutely love them and don't want to ski on anything else now Happy

I see that Movement have replaced the Blink this year with the Movement Beyond, which has almost identical specifications, so I'd say it's definitely worth looking into the Beyonds if you were after a versatile off-piste/all mountain ski. Probably still possible to buy the Movement Blink 2015 though; I expect there are still some knocking around on the market at a bargain price.

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Movement Blink - sizing advice and where to buy

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