Review: 180cm Ninthward First Blood
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Ski: 180 Ninthward First blood 123-91-116 24.5 meter
Binding: Look P12 mounted at powder
Boot: Lange 305 BSL Banshee 110
Location: Grand Targhee
Conditions: Groomed, cut up crud
Me: 5'8" 180 pounds
Quiver: 185 Nordica Blower, 183 Scott Santiago Mission, 181 Blizzard Titan 7, Blizzard 165 SLR and a bunch of other skis I haven't brought out this year. Previous skis: 180 Tanker, 180 Pow+, 185 Pocket Rocket, bunch more I need to remember
O.k. first off this is a mini review - I brought out my 177 Karmas that are a bit rough in the morning as I had no idea how thin the conditions were this weekend. Overall Targhee wasn't in bad shape. The karmas are stiff and feel short and lack much edge. They will be my rock skis at the local resort this year. Most of my comparison will be to the Karma and pocket rockets I've skied in the past. First they are stiffer than PR and less stiff when compared to the Karma both in hand flex and on the snow. The start a little soft in the tip and gradually stiffen through the center into the tail. Honestly I was worried about how soft these were hand flexing them but after skiing them I'd say they are perfect for what I was looking for. They ski longer than the 180 twin would suggest especially when compared to the 177 Karma which skis like a 170. The 180 feels like a 178-180 ski and similar in length to the 185 pocket Rocket. On edge the ski was very stable and when flat was decent at absorbing crud without being deflected. Not exactly a crud buster and was better in the crud when on edge as most softer skis are in my opinion. The biggest plus I noticed with this ski was the light weight especially when compared to the Karma. It's also fairly playful, quick to edge and stable at some decent speeds which suprised me. Overall I'm impressed and these will make a nice addition to my overfull quiver. Managed to smack something solid dead under toe and I pulled over to verify the damage, and was happy to find a slight dent in the base. Base material if funky, I'd almost guess it was teflon rather than Ptex base on my experience with both. We'll see how rugged the bases are as we see some early season conditions.
Pros - lightweight, solid on edge, decent float for a 90mm waist
Cons - Not a crud buster, probably not that great in the park but what do I know.
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