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Verbier ski test: Whitedots, Scott, Mvmt + others and 2014 skis!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Firstly apologies for the length, there are a few pairs of skis included…

I was very excited to find there was ski testing in Verbier over this past weekend while I was there, tied to the Freeride World Tour. There were quite a few different companies, and plenty with 2014 skis to play with.

I've had the same skis all season, with an option to buy at the end – I love them, but have been wondering if there is anything better out there before I commit (this is only my second season, and I was on a pair of beginner piste only skis last season, so not much to compare to).

About me: girl (well, female, definitely old enough to drink, and a bit more...), 5ft8 (173cm), heavier than I would like to be NehNeh Ability wise I'm about 7 on the snowheads scale, and held back mostly by lack of confidence rather than technique.

I've spent this season on the Scott Lunas, 166cm length, 125/85/117mm. Brilliant skis – I have lots of confidence in them, plenty of grip on anything hard or even icy, quick and nimble to turn, massive amounts of fun when the snow starts getting a little deeper and chopped, they'll just charge through it, and nice float in anything deep. They like to charge fast though, and if I'm the back seat at all they'll tell me right away as they run off – they need skiing hard at times, with good balance. They're not a beginner ski – they're really not forgiving, but for me they are massively rewarding when skied well.

I managed to try 8 skis over an afternoon and the following morning before they started packing up both days – I wish I'd been able to try more as there were plenty of great and interesting skis (late start on the Sunday after a late Saturday night probably didn't help Twisted Evil)

A few of the skis I knew were too long for me as the shorter ones were out, which affected my views on them.

I was very keen to try some Movement skis as I like their philosophy and have read some really good things about them – I got my hands on 3 pairs in the end, but missed out on trying the Gloss, which were constantly out. In fact the Movement stand was often depleted of skis, despite having quite a few, which shows how popular they were!

Movement not sure what, maybe Trust? Quite big and fat (108mm) – I didn't pay much attention to what they were as I didn't really get on with them. A bit dull for me, and couldn't turn as quickly as I like (I like really nimble skis). I knew they were too long, and I could feel the extra length, but I was very impressed by the solidity and grip.

Movement Jam in 174. Again, a little big for me, and not quite nimble enough, but solid and fast. Definitely a men’s ski.
Movement Vibe in 172 I think. This was a lot of fun, much more my type of ski – fun, lively, fast but still with the really solid confident feel I found in all the Movement skis. A shorter length would suit me better, but very impressed overall.

Whitedot Director in 178 – I was really keen to try this after what often seems like a Whitedot love-in on this forum Smile I thought there was no way this ski could be as good as some of the reviews said (I'd also tried the Ones at the PSB, and didn't get on with them). I was wrong. These skis were amazing! I'd never skied anything this fat, long, or completely rockered before, but they were so easy to ski. It only took a couple of turns to get used to the extra width (107mm), and I never noticed the length at all. There were quick to turn, massively fun to spin, grippy and fast, surprisingly easy to carve, and I really enjoyed myself hopping and throwing them about all over the place. They were one of only 2 pairs I kept out for a second run, and the only pair I managed to find some softer deeper snow (non-slush) for, which they were lovely through. I'd love to take these out for a full day in Cham if I can get hold of a pair – I'm seriously debating a purchase.

Scott The Ski (new for 2014, though apparently a re-imagining of an old ski?) in White/175cm, 90mm waist. Great ski! Beautiful graphics too. Someone had the shorter (165cm) out which would have been perfect for me, but even with the extra length this was nice – fast, quick to turn (great in the bumps), stable underfoot on any snow, no chattering when pushed faster. It seemed more forgiving than my Lunas too for any lapses in technique. I'd seriously consider this ski, though I'll probably stick with my Lunas as they are tried and tested in deeper stuff. It seemed a really nice all-mountain ski though, despite not being able to test it in anything soft other than slush (which it coped with very well). I think this will be very popular next year.

Zag Slap 2L – purple women's version in 172 length (102mm waist). I had very little confidence in these on the icier stuff, but they came alive every time I hit anything a little bit softer or deeper – these were built for powder. They were pretty light and easy to move around, but couldn't quite make the really short turns I wanted. I'd have liked to try the shorter length, but that might have been too short for me, given the rocker. Chatting to the Zag guys after they said the mens version was stiffer and might feel grippier on piste, but I didn't try them myself.

Head Mya 10 – another new ski for 2014. Apparently a women's deep snow ski, 104mm underfoot. I skied the 171cm version – the Head guys immediately pulled this out of the lineup when I walked over, and it was an interesting choice. It looked and felt like the widest ski I tried overall, but wasn't. It carved and gripped really well on hard and icy snow, turned quickly through bumps, but also felt like it would go really well in deep snow. The only problem with it was that it felt pretty heavy, and needed a bit more strength to really stay on top of it, which seemed odd for a women's ski – it tired me out pretty quickly. Skinet have it on their test list (only place I've found it listed) so I'll be interested to see their review. It might be really different in deeper snow.

Dahu Shaper custom ski. This is a small company based just up the road from me in Gland, who design and build custom skis. The one I skied was 170cm, and I think 82mm waist. Very similar side cut to my Lunas, just a bit narrower. Small amount of tip rocker, barely noticeable tail (but not flat). I loved these skis! They were grippy, lively and fun. Really poppy and encouraging to throw around, quick and responsive everywhere. I had to take them for a second run to push them a little harder (and I didn’t want to give them back!) and they were fast but very stable. Not buyable off the shelf, but I really want to work with this company now to design my own skis! Shame about the price though, about £1000…


So the standout skis for me were…

    Whitedot Director. Just brilliant. I really want to try these for a full day and take them out properly off-piste.
    Scott Luna. Which is nice Smile I’ve proved to myself I can’t beat them for an all-mountain ski, so looks like I will be buying them outright at the end of the season! Shame next seasons graphics are so much nicer though.
    Dahu custom skis. When I have the money, I’m getting a custom piste-focussed pair of these.


Now I understand why people have quivers. Want.

P.S. a final shout out to Matt (I think) from Whitedot who was great to chat to – really enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and just lovely and friendly; a great ambassador for the brand.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
fixx, first of all Whitedot thanks you for your kind words.

Secondly: we can certainly sort you out a full days test in Chamonix. You can either rent the skis from Echo Base in Chamonix les Praz, or if you are in Chamonix during the two weeks straight after Easter then drop me a PM and I will lend you a pair from our stash.

PS the two Whitedot guys at the demo were Mark & Adam.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Ooops, yes, thanks, it was Mark Smile I left his card in my ski jacket pocket.

I'll have a look at Echo Base and see what they've got, thanks!
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