Review: Black Diamond Justice 185
Me: 5'8", 195#, Aggressive skier. (To see a description of what an aggressive skier is, please click [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2649396#post2649396"]I guess everyone is an aggressive skier - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame] or you can PM Rontele)
Today: Everything in the books. Groomers, chop, wind-blown powder, shin deep powder, chest deep powder, bumps.
Location: Wolf Creek, Colorado
Temp: Fucking really cold.
First, I should note that my wax today was not the right wax for the conditions. I was definetly grabby on the way down the groomers.
Started off on some wind blown powder/chop at Wolfie today. At first, I was amazed at how easily these things turned. Coming from EHPs and VCTs, I had to put much less effort into the turn. This caught me way off guard the first run, as my turn arcs tightened way faster than I thought they would. The Justice seemed stable at speed when I would open it up in this windblown, drifted goodness. Really easy to turn, really easy to jump around on...in the soft snow.
Got them to the groomers and that fuzzy feeling disappeared. They were really laggy getting them edge to edge and felt really unstable and unresponsive when I opened them up down groomers. Given, this is NOT a groomer ski, but the lack of stability and responsiveness at speed really amazed me.
Alberta opened, and I was off to deep powder. Dropped into the Waterfall, and had mid-thigh deep powder untracked. This is where these skis really shined and the did whatever I asked. They loved an agressive stance and I opened them up and could make quick turns, slow turns, no turns. Go figure, I got there (the lift) later than the rest of the Front Range, but I was able to locate chest deep stashes in the steeps off of Alberta. Again, this ski performed and performed well. Down the numbers, I was able to jump turn from powder pillow to powder pillow at decent speed. I did notice (as my legs got smoked) that this is NOT a ski that you want to get in the backseat of. It will open up and take you in whatever direction you are aimed. They were a blast in everything soft.
Interesting to note that I was able to open them up so much in the powder that I ejected twice today into full tomahawk due to the fact that I was just charging full bore and hit a powder hole I was not properly positioned for. I dont normally open up that much, but this ski just made me so confident in soft snow at any speed. The red color makes them easier to find in chest deep snow too. :redface: I definetly was able to engage the shovel and initiate turns even in the deepest snow. This ski likes a really aggressive stance in the powder and soft snow.
Then, off to Bonanza for some tree shots (this following a long lunch). Of course, the Front Range had been here as well, and it was chopped up mank and pretty well packed down even between the tightest trees. I was pumped though, and it would test the skis to the max. Opened them up, hit areas of packed through the trees to areas of semi-soft snow. Again, I noticed that these are soft snow performers, and did not like the pack as much. They had that unstable feeling again. Tried to push them and make some sharp turns, and again, a little unstable for my liking, at least compared to my EHPs and my VCTs, on anything that resembles firm.
That was a wrap, and I was off (2 pm.)
Overall, I was really impressed with these skis in the soft snow. On groomers and the pack, they are not as stable at speed and feel squirrely as hell. I could not open up to mach speeds with much confidence on anything firm. I will also add that they were mounted with Dukes and were being drove with Factors.
Will be driving them again before I make a solid decision, but, anyone who knows the Wolf knows that groomers are a way of life to get between stashes.
