Anybody get on the Line Blade Optic skis yet?

[SnowMachine]

SnowMachine - while reading your review (which I appreciate and agree with) I kept thinking, “He’s got to be a lot lighter than me.” After seeing you posted your physical specs at the end, I think what you stated about the 114 is accurate. The 40-lbs I have on you makes them feel a bit easier to ski. Also, I’ve felt that I could enjoy the 192, but I’d be concerned about losing the versatility of 186. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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Yeah, sorry. I should have posted that at the top. I feel like I always have to ski everything for myself. Being tall-ish and light my preference for skis is very individual. I have shorter buddies that are blown away that I like shorter skis (182 is my shortest ski) and heavier buddies that question me bumping bindings forward. The 186 BO114 is right in my wheelhouse for a chargy fat ski. Stiff enough, long enough (to let them run in variable), but still playful enough.

Overall a pretty fun ski that I'm looking forward to more time on this week.

Now, that said.... Go get on a Hotshot if you want a fun, easy ski. Mine get more days than all of my other skis combined. Crusty days to 12+" of fresh.

EDIT for a note about the J Friend (since this is the unofficial J thread ). I'd lay a wager that the 189 Friend skis a lot like the 186 BO114. A bit softer flexing (less rebound without the metal), but very similar. The 183 was a really good ski, just a bit short for chop charging.

[Kya]

That's weird to hear. My 104 are among the most durable skis I've been on. Considering a pretty shallow start of the season and the fact that I don't baby them since they were among the cheapest new skis that I got. Got some pictures?

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[CHAIR_97]

I'd ski it

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[Duffman]

Ouch. Only just mounted mine and had them out 1 day so no idea about durability. But it does seem like Line in general aren't very durable. Does the same go for modern K2,since they are made in the same factory?

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Has anyone here spent time on the 96? Curious about that as an East Coast one-ski quiver for the resort. Have a pair of Line park skis I can faff about on in my resort boots but something that digs into turns and has a higher speed limit would be fun. Enforcers seem like the obvious option since 70% of the ppl have em but these strike me as more playful. Only concern would be how deep the rocker lines go for a ski I'd be wanting to push into firm snow.

[SnowMachine]

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That's an interesting one. Any idea how you did it? The chunk out of the metal looks like it took a solid impact.

[Kya]

That's an interesting one. Any idea how you did it? The chunk out of the metal looks like it took a solid impact.

Not really. Was my first day on them so I was checking out different types of terrain here at Crested Butte: steeps and bumps. Conditions were firm. Only had them out for 2-3 hours.


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[MD12]

Yeah, sorry. I should have posted that at the top. I feel like I always have to ski everything for myself. Being tall-ish and light my preference for skis is very individual. I have shorter buddies that are blown away that I like shorter skis (182 is my shortest ski) and heavier buddies that question me bumping bindings forward. The 186 BO114 is right in my wheelhouse for a chargy fat ski. Stiff enough, long enough (to let them run in variable), but still playful enough.

Overall a pretty fun ski that I'm looking forward to more time on this week.

Now, that said.... Go get on a Hotshot if you want a fun, easy ski. Mine get more days than all of my other skis combined. Crusty days to 12+" of fresh.

EDIT for a note about the J Friend (since this is the unofficial J thread ). I'd lay a wager that the 189 Friend skis a lot like the 186 BO114. A bit softer flexing (less rebound without the metal), but very similar. The 183 was a really good ski, just a bit short for chop charging.

I’ll have some feedback on the 189 friend next week. Taking that and the 189 hotshot to Jackson. So far, seem extremely similar but friend is a touch softer and feels a bit lighter picking them up. I have a huge crush on these friends and haven’t even skied them yet.

[Bandit Man]

Not really. Was my first day on them so I was checking out different types of terrain here at Crested Butte: steeps and bumps. Conditions were firm. Only had them out for 2-3 hours.


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That's wild! I've had my 190 104's (same gen) out in some really lousy conditions here in WA and they have held up so far.

[SnowMachine]

Not really. Was my first day on them so I was checking out different types of terrain here at Crested Butte: steeps and bumps. Conditions were firm. Only had them out for 2-3 hours.


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Did you know when you did it? It looks like something that took a decent impact.

[Kya]

Did you know when you did it? It looks like something that took a decent impact.

Nope. Only noticed it when I was done skiing. Nothing out of the ordinary that day: no crashes or big hucks or anything like that. Just regular skiing for a few hours



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[SnowMachine]

Did 27k of pow on the BO114 yesterday. Low mountain denser pow and upper mountain blown cold pow.

Really happy with this ski. I don't think I'll change anything in my review. Definitely on the "pretty serious" side (these are not Bent Chetlers) of things at my height/weight, but easy enough to ski just about everywhere. They really shined in the soft chalk and blown pow where I could really open them up (these are not Bent Chetlers )

Lots of edge hold. Excellent on soft groomers. Plenty of backbone that allows you to drive the ski pretty hard. Tons of float when things get deep (skied my deepest untracked lines of the year and loved it ~24").

These are not a traditional charger, but they're on the chargy side of progressive skis, IMO.

Anyway, happy on this ski. My legs are feeling all of those 2300 grams this AM.

[Duffman]

Finally have a few days on the 104 185 cm Skiied with my kids today on variable hardpack with a lovely variable mix of some ice and shallow snowgun snow. Not ideal conditions for 104 underfoot, something 15-20 mm less width would be ideal, but the ski has phenomenal egdehold for a ski like this and could carve the hardpack fine. Didn't really have an appreciable speed limit, at least for the busy trails we were on. But it's not what I would call an exciting groomer ripper. Compared to other more traditional skis slightly narrower like my old Nordica Hell and Back or current Enforcer 94, you don't get the snap or real rebound out of a turn. Think SUV vs sports car.

Ski was super agile in bumps and narrow places , because the tail was super easy to release and pivot, and it was quick edge to edge for its width. Made it great skiing with both my older and younger kid, because it worked equally well at low and high speeds.

No insight into powder performance yet. Hopefully soon .

So far I think I'm going to love this ski. Im not a jibber at all, but I have always had an affinity for more center mounted fun shaped skis with rocker and semi twins (why I love Praxis skis for bigger sticks) , but the narrower skis I've tried out with similar shapes have usually been absolute noodles and annoying for my size at 6'1 , 205. This is an easy to ski fun shape ,but with some backbone and heft. Seems super versatile so far. Hopefully will work for a "can only bring one ski travel ski"

[Bandit Man]

Finally have a few days on the 104 185 cm Skiied with my kids today on variable hardpack with a lovely variable mix of some ice and shallow snowgun snow. Not ideal conditions for 104 underfoot, something 15-20 mm less width would be ideal, but the ski has phenomenal egdehold for a ski like this and could carve the hardpack fine. Didn't really have an appreciable speed limit, at least for the busy trails we were on. But it's not what I would call an exciting groomer ripper. Compared to other more traditional skis slightly narrower like my old Nordica Hell and Back or current Enforcer 94, you don't get the snap or real rebound out of a turn. Think SUV vs sports car.

Ski was super agile in bumps and narrow places , because the tail was super easy to release and pivot, and it was quick edge to edge for its width. Made it great skiing with both my older and younger kid, because it worked equally well at low and high speeds.

No insight into powder performance yet. Hopefully soon .

So far I think I'm going to love this ski. Im not a jibber at all, but I have always had an affinity for more center mounted fun shaped skis with rocker and semi twins (why I love Praxis skis for bigger sticks) , but the narrower skis I've tried out with similar shapes have usually been absolute noodles and annoying for my size at 6'1 , 205. This is an easy to ski fun shape ,but with some backbone and heft. Seems super versatile so far. Hopefully will work for a "can only bring one ski travel ski"

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the 104. I think you did a really good job of describing the ski, especially the on piste performance. They are better than average on harder groomers, but seem to really come alive when they can be on something soft where the suspension and looseness make for a really fun experience. I'm toying with the idea of dropping down to the 185-cm length (currently on the 190) to shed a little weight and gain a bit of agility/playfulness. Line has the 2023 BO104's down to $337 right now and has 185's and 190's in stock still. Hmm...

[Bandit Man]

Line also has all lengths of last year's BO114 for $359 right now. You have to click on the actual product to see that price. Any takers out there for the burly 192's?

[stuntmanbo]

Just ordered a 104 185 and a 114 186 !

Current skis on that spot are the Kastle BMX 105 181 and 115 185. Great skis but I want to go back to something a bit looser and more progressive. We’ll see !

[kc_7777]

Conditions at Whistler are hard pack and variable right now.

We skied pretty hard and fast for the last 4 days for our Family Day weekend. Big group and no one was slow. Lots of Peak laps into Red Chair. Visibility was great. No line ups which was surprising. It was Edge Card blackout days so they must have sold a shit ton of those.

I skied the 178cm Optic 104 for 2 of the 4 days. I was on 170cm Head SuperShape e-Titans (83mm) one day and 180cm Season Aeros (96mm) the other day…flying through scared tourists on ice on the e-Titans is a fun sport.

Can’t say enough about how fricking good the Optic 104 is for (Whistler) variable conditions. They hold/grip on ice, rip hard and soft groomers, truck through variable (shit) snow, love chalk, maneuvre through icy bumps, and fly through slush. Easy peasy to ski fast everywhere on the mountain as they can be pushed, because they have just enough dampness/burliness. Recommended mount is perfect. Went into Spanky’s one day. Conditions were very “variable”. We had to do a sketch mandatory drop onto a sheet of blue ice. Then negotiate a long narrow icy chute. Easy on the Optic 104.

During the winter I usually keep 5-6 pairs of skis at home and about 3-4 pairs up at Whistler, depending on the conditions. It seems that the Optic 104 and Optic 114 are always holding 2 of the key ski spots in the Whistler locker.

Re the Optic durability comments a few posts above. I’ve bashed the crap out of mine. Still in great shape.

PS even Whistler Brewing is commenting on our conditions this year….


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[altabrig]

That's an interesting one. Any idea how you did it? The chunk out of the metal looks like it took a solid impact.

I have some topsheet chips and a small metal chunk out of my 104s where I have cracked em together in steeper tighter trees.

A little JB Weld and a panzer cleaned em a bit. Gonna round off the topsheet a bit to avoid some of the tears on my 114s. I am seeing a bit of fiberglass on the 104s.

They ski great. Ride on.

[SnowMachine]

The more I ski the 114, the more I like it. Another great day on them today. 96's are $350 now. I might need the skinny ski, too.

[altabrig]

The more I ski the 114, the more I like it. Another great day on them today. 96's are $350 now. I might need the skinny ski, too.

Been eyeing those too. Usually I ski over 100 or sub 80 if it's a refrozen mt until it softens. Not sure I'd use em and I need the longest length.

Blades are also on my radar.

[SnowMachine]

Man, what I said before..... I FUKN love the 114.

I detuned them a bit from the contact points. After a few days the camber is basically gone from this ski and they've softened a bit. I'm not sure how that bodes for the long term, but for right now: Eff yeah!! I took them out yesterday, a few days after our mega storms. Soft chalk and chunder all over the mountain. You can absolutely Mach on these skis. They simply do not care.

Totally don't need a 114 today, but I'm still debating taking them out. I'm really feeling like I need the whole Optic lineup. The 104 might replace my Hotshot (that I love, but wish it had the edge hold of the Optic and the extra couple CM's of a 185).

[CHAIR_97]

I rolled mine the other day on soft chop and absolutely destroyed the mountain on the open runs and back to the chair but when I got into the tight spiny treed chutes I was happy I brought my bacons

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[SnowMachine]

I rolled mine the other day on soft chop and absolutely destroyed the mountain on the open runs and back to the chair but when I got into the tight spiny treed chutes I was happy I brought my bacons

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I'd like to try the new Bacon. I always liked the SFB as a slower speed, playful ski. The place that ski surprised me was in deeper pow. It floated incredibly well and had a decent speed limit. Chunder was off limits on that ski. It would make you hate yourself.

Have you tried detuning the BO114? I ran a file, then a stone and smoothed with a gummy from the contact points forward and back. (Same treatment my Hotshot got after its recent tune). The ski is incredibly quick for a 2300 gram 114. They have flattened and softened from my first day. I really jive with this ski, now.

My Hotshot feels a ton like a scaled down version. I've always wanted a 185 Hotshot and I have to wonder if the BO104 is that ski.

They even have me eyeing the 96, though I'm a bit worried about an all China quiver. Time will tell how they hold up. I know my J and 4FRNT skis are bomber.

[MD12]

Snowmachine, blister review says the BO104 and hotshot are very very similar and a good alternative to each other if in between lengths. measured length of the 185 BO104 I think is three cms longer than the 183 hotshot, and 189 hotshot is 2 cms longer than the 185 BO104. I suspect the BO104 is better at slower speeds than the 189 hotshot (which is my only nitpicky complaint about the 189 hotshot, otherwise its just about perfect for me for that spot in the quiver).

[CHAIR_97]

I'd like to try the new Bacon. I always liked the SFB as a slower speed, playful ski. The place that ski surprised me was in deeper pow. It floated incredibly well and had a decent speed limit. Chunder was off limits on that ski. It would make you hate yourself.

Have you tried detuning the BO114? I ran a file, then a stone and smoothed with a gummy from the contact points forward and back. (Same treatment my Hotshot got after its recent tune). The ski is incredibly quick for a 2300 gram 114. They have flattened and softened from my first day. I really jive with this ski, now.

My Hotshot feels a ton like a scaled down version. I've always wanted a 185 Hotshot and I have to wonder if the BO104 is that ski.

They even have me eyeing the 96, though I'm a bit worried about an all China quiver. Time will tell how they hold up. I know my J and 4FRNT skis are bomber.

First thing I do with all skis is aggressively de-tune them then wax. I don't think you understand the terrain I'm skiing in which this ski doesn't work. The consensus on the 114 even from the engineers who designed it and ski at my mountain is its not the best choice for the sidecountry we love to ski . In bounds its fine and excels there but in the super tight incredibly steep with variable snow and funky transitions this ski will fuck u up at least in 192. 186 may be a lot more manageable but is too short for me. Anyway I'm stoked that it's working for you. When I go on trips to areas with more open terrain the 114 definitely comes with


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