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Thread: Line Pescado mini review
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03-29-2017, 03:24 PM #1
Line Pescado mini review
So I have been out on these a few times now, and so far I have not regretted picking them up.
I am 5'9" 175#, and ski 100+ days a year. I have skied just about every pow ski by larger brands in the last 8 years, except Rossignol (just don't like them). I have been a fan of EPs skis since 2008, but stopped buying them when the EP and cambered Bacon went away.
Observations:
Flex - The first thing I noticed was that the ski was surprisingly light and stiffer than I expected. Especially when compared to the older EP skis I had loved. As far as tip mid tail stiffness, I would call it a 5.5-8-6.5. The tip is low profile and mid stiff, so it doesn't get bounced around like the old EP Pros, hellbents, etc. The middle is actually quite stiff, and will rail a predictable turn. The tail is actually pretty stiff until it tapers the cutout, so the entire effective edge of the tail is pretty stout for the typical pow jib ski.
Camber/rocker - as I pointed out before the rocker profile is great. Low enough to slice rather than deflect, wide enough to never dive. There is plenty of camber underfoot, so the ski is very energetic. Especially when you consider the midstiff flex.
Skiing: The thing I love most about the Pescado, (also quite unique) is the swing weight. The reason is obvious, its a 180cm ski and very light for the surface area. I usually ski things much longer in pow. The Pescado isn't the ski I would take out to straight line off the tram at Big Sky, but when I get pow breaks at work, or go skiing at Bridger, I am mostly skiing technical terrain or tighter treed terrain where the shorter length is a huge plus. And that being said, it will do just fine charging compared to other 125 waisted 18X skis
The Pescado can turn on a dime with a quick pivoting move, but still rail a predictable turn on edge. Its stiff compared to most of EPs skis, especially the old ones. The tip profile is low enough where I feel it chops through crud really well for its width, and the giant spoon of a tip floats really well, especially with the rearward mount. On shallower angles I really think this ski comes alive. It has enough tip to keep railing turns, and all the float you could ever want in a pow ski. On steeper terrain the swallow tail keeps them extremely maneuverable and predictable. Its just as easy to slarve a turn out, but they dig in rather than squirting, so they feel more grounded. I would compared the feeling to the ON3P Billy Goat tail, but without the additional swing weight, length, etc. It basically accomplishes the same task, but takes it a bit farther.
These are really a pow only tool though. When the pow got chopped up, or it was more mixed snow or slush the width is just a lot to work with. I would much rather be on my ON3P skinny billy (106ish underfoot) in anything that isn't 6+ inches of pow.
Durability: The wood sidewalls seem to be more prone to topsheet chipping. It could be the width, or the veneer topsheet, but that is the only complaint I have, and its easy enough to throw epoxy on anything bad.
Quiver slot: These are definitely a pow ski, and if you normally prefer a 19X fat ski for pow these probably aren't for you. If you want a pow ski for stripping every last bit of pow out of your favorite stash, these might be a good pick.
Other thoughts: I think these would absolutely kick ass in a 115mm width. I also wouldn't mind a longer length (especially in a narrower width), but the 180cm is just fine for me. I would also trade looks for weight/durability enhancement. I love the veneer, but I love EPs other graphics just as much, and I think the veneer and wood sidewalls may affect long term durability.
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03-30-2017, 09:12 AM #2
nice review thanks! they sure are purdy
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04-10-2017, 07:51 PM #3
Holy crap, update...
We got a nice April 4-8 here in pig sty country. Took the fishes out for a swim. Low moisture snow on top of punchy slush.
These now have a permanent place in my quiver. I can pivot, slice, jib, and carve almost anything in pow town.
I have ooooold bent chetlers that I have abused and loved for the past 5 seasons. The pescado is just as fun on bumped pow and groomers, but way more fun in the fluff. My bents are mounted at like -8 from center, maybe more. The pescado floats better, smears better, yet is more "grounded" everywhere.
If Line keeps their word and makes a thinner version, I'll have two fishes in my net.
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04-10-2017, 08:18 PM #4
These sound fun. Have you spent any time on R/R skis( pows, spats, 138s, etc)? If so, how would you compare the slarviness in tight spots?
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04-11-2017, 07:27 AM #5
Line Pescado mini review
I have skied 185 ARGs and praxis pows.
The pescado is a thousand times better in anything that isn't pow for sure. But as for quick slarving they all do it really well. You can ski all three very forward and simply whip a quick femur rotation move to turn instantly.
The pescado is mounted far enough back where the tail whips around about as easily as an R/R ski, but like I said before, it feels grounded and predictable.
If I was cat skiing in 3 feet of untouched blower, I'd have a tough time choosing between a praxis pow and the pescado. On a lift accessed pow day it's a no brainer.
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11-03-2017, 12:37 PM #6Registered User
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Sick, already want a pair. Reading this just makes me want them more.
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11-04-2017, 06:12 PM #7Registered User
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Hey so how pow specific are these things really. Once it gets chopped up can you still use them? And can you straight line with them? Are they twitchy?
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11-04-2017, 06:16 PM #8
They are stiff enough and have a lot of camber with not much rocker, so they do fine in chop, but if the snow is really heavy that might get weird. If you are straight lining in good snow they are fine, but not what I would take to AK.
I have an ON3P billy goat to go fast and ski choppy stuff.
EDIT: I will add though, that these are pretty powder specific due to the extra wide dimensions. They are more groomer friendly than most skis in the 125mm underfoot category, but they are a lot of work to ski on firm/groomed snow. If I were skiing somewhere like Bridger Bowl on a pow day where I knew that the whole mountain would be tracked out in a matter of hours I wouldn't put those on for the day. Maybe on a really deep weekday, but I have the billy goats for most resort pow days.
I plan on using these in lower angle terrain, and will probably put inserts in them so I can take them touring. I think they are a fantastic touring ski, especially for the high avy danger days where you wanna stick to lower angle terrain. Apparently Line is releasing a thinner version (and hopefully multiple lengths) and if that happens I think it would be an amazing pow ski. I am hoping to see one that's 115ish at the waist, and with a length around 185-188. Super poppy carvy sidecut like the current one, but with a slightly longer sidecut. That would be sick.
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12-23-2017, 09:50 PM #9
Finally took them out this year, knee deep blower Montana pow, some wind affected spots that went over the shoulders, got really cold today and the snow started to get sticky dry.
So glad I bought these, its not at all a hard decision to say these are my favorite pow skis I have ever ridden (unless I am going huge). They turn lower angle pow and side shots into a playground, but still hold their own on a groomer. They definitely get bounced when the groomers get chunky at the end of the day, but most 125mm waist skis do, and with nearly full camber and sidecut they grab when you need them to.
I love my old Bent Chetlers because of the same powerful pop the camber gives, but the Pescado is on another level. They pivot and grease around in bottomless pow easier than the Chets due to the length, but with the sidecut and swallowtail they are more predictable/supportive, I don't feel myself over-steering or getting rocked around on minimal sidecut.
The only other pow ski I enjoyed nearly as much was the Armada ARG, and those sucked everywhere but bottomless untouched pow.
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01-17-2018, 02:55 PM #10
So as another update. I basically spent about a week straight on these through blower, wind baked, and week old setup pow with surface facets. Along with groomers, icy patches, bumped out chunder, and funky sun crusts.
First off I wanted to say I am more and more surprised by how much I love the swallow tail and overall ski feel. With the obscene amount of float at the tip its easy to throw it around and oh so quickly change directions. At the same time though the swallow tail kinda clings to the snow so you don't just lose your control and shmear/squirt, yet you can still pop off the camber/tail more than most skis in this waist category.
My first of two or three complaints is that at high speeds I don't feel like I am skiing them, more like just managing them. Maching down a groomer that's gotten bumpy on a pow day isn't quite as comfortable as even my 183cm Bent Chetler. I think its mostly due to the lightweight core and 158mm shovel.
The second way the extreme width sometimes sucks is when you are in chopped up deep stuff and are going from fluff to skied out and back. If you are on something steeper the tip will get pushed around when moving from where its skied out to pure fluff and back. This again is due to how wide the tip is.
The only other complaint I really have, is that I want to try the same ski with traditional sidewall/topsheet construction. I think a sidewall might improve the edge feel, but I don't actually know for sure. I also think it would help durability, but maybe I am just being weird.
If LINE does indeed make multiple widths/lengths soon, I am hoping they make a 185-188 version that's 115mm or so at the waist. I think it would be amazing. If they make a thinner version I wouldn't mind them using a more damp core wood, and sacrificing a bit of weight to get a more burly ski. But that is just my opinion, maybe I just want to have a more turny ON3P billy.
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01-18-2018, 10:28 AM #11
I skied the new 105mm version the sakana this past weekend. 181cm 150-105-138 with a regular sidewall over the bamboo on in the pescado, it also has a carbon and flax reinforcement layer so it feels a bit beefier, plus it helps regulate all your daily bowel movements for you old guys. Fun ski for sure
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01-18-2018, 11:16 AM #12
So I'm reading this might be a pretty decent inbounds powder tool. Just saw a pair in gear swap and trying to rationalize then. Seems pretty sick
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01-18-2018, 11:20 AM #13
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01-18-2018, 11:38 AM #14
Yea I'm with you on that. I feel at that waist there are a lot of other options. Maybe line is just trying to capitalize on the funky shapes trend. They did trench the groomer great tho
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10-02-2018, 01:51 PM #15
Been poking around and looking at more playful pow skis. Had kind of written this one off, but seems like my initial prejudices might have been wrong. Anyone have experience with them in typical coastal PNW snow?
In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...
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10-02-2018, 04:55 PM #16
Last season gifted us plenty of variable quality pow pow, from wind packed/fucked old snow, to bottomless smoke. One of the few days I rode them last year was definitely on the warm side, and I also skied them on a couple runs in slush, both were fun and enjoyable experiences.
On a truly PNW heavy snow day, I would prefer a narrower ski like the Billy Goat.
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10-02-2018, 05:14 PM #17Registered User
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I have a set I used extensively last Spring. I'm in Colorado lived in Washington for quite a while and we had a few days of light powder in April that would get rotten as the sun got higher. The Pescado handled everything much better than I had anticipated. I bought them thinking I might use them rarely as a 'play' ski but the speed limit is actually much higher than you might think. They are actually not a soft flexing ski, surprisingly stout. I have old Squad 7's and 4frnt Renegades and while the Pescado isn't quite as stable through variable snow it's much closer than I would have thought while being much more playful.
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10-31-2018, 10:17 AM #18Minion
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Size?
Everything I see is very positive about these skis. I really want to try them out. However, my only reservation is the size. I'm 6 foot, 180Lbs, and have never even considered anything shorter than a 186 for powder skiing. I know it was said that this can actually be an advantage in tight trees, etc. but the small size and lack of meat in the tail (with the swallow tail) really has me nervous about stability. Can anyone put these fears to rest?
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10-31-2018, 12:06 PM #19Registered User
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I’m 6’3” and 165lbs. Zero issues with the size. Nimble but still pretty stable. I usually ski 190 skis as daily drivers.
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10-31-2018, 12:42 PM #20
I am 5’9” and a very strong 175/180 First off, due to the amount of camber they have, they have more running contact length than many 195cm pow skis. The camber extends to the end of the swallowtail.
I don’t feel like I overpower them, but I ski them pretty actively and attentively.
The only think I might want to change with them is thinning the whole ski up by 5mm or so. But that’s cuz I ski Montana pow.
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10-31-2018, 01:15 PM #21Registered User
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I had the same concerns when I bought mine as I am an athletic 6' 185 lbs but I went for it based on all the good reviews. My daily driver is a 189 ON3P Wen 108 which I absolutely love so the pescados are quite the departure from those but as people are saying they are beefier than you think. I just bought them over the summer so they haven't seen snow yet but I will post up a review as soon as the white stuff starts falling.
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12-09-2019, 07:36 PM #22
So I’m 190 and these things are solid. Don’t ski short but they turn so quick with easy float. Fun on soft groomers and really fun in the trees. Most daily drivers are kusala, protest, lotus or BG. First 180 but great. Just don’t try to stand on tail to burn speed. Actually lean on tips and pressure into turns.
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12-10-2019, 09:01 AM #23
Great thoughts here. I love the Pescado - probably my favorite ski in my quiver.
So my review of the Pescado's might be a little different than most - unlike the standard TGR demographic, I am not a hard-charging shredder - I'm a pretty moderate/conservative skier (re: shitty), and I honestly think that the Pescado is one of the best skis I've ever been on. It's just incredible - and while it is clearly a dedicated powder ski, I was surprised to find out how well it performs in variable conditions and on groomers.
When I first got the Pescado's, I was honestly worried about their length and camber (the camber runs all the way to the tails, pretty much) - it's a long running surface, and for someone of my ability, frankly, a little intimidating. This is not a full rockered powder-boat; the profile of the ski looks much more like a front-sized charger that let itself go and had seven too many big mac's. And while there is rocker in the profile, it's relatively low rise.
Something about Pescado's camber profile is magic, though. On chop, wind-buff, and groomers, they are as predictable and manageable as any 125mm ski could be; and for being as light as they are, they don't get thrown around too much. On powder and soft snow, they are simply the most fun I've ever had on a ski - regardless of depth. From 3" to 30", the Pescado comes alive in fresh snow. Somehow they manage to be slashy and surfy in a way that feels effortless - a seeming contradiction to the amount of camber they have.
Probably my favorite thing about the Pescados is that in deep snow, I can really, really drive the shovels on them. Again - I'm a shitty skier, and I'm not too heavy (155lbs, 5'11 and 3/4's). Carving turns in powder is something I never thought possible, but it's almost become a game to see if I can get the shovels on the Pescados to dip beneath the snow. So far, they seem to float above anything I can throw at them. They dance thru the trees, and when the forest opens up a bit, I'm able to really drive them.
I personally have not had any issues with durability; the bases are tough and seem to hold up well, and I haven't had any topsheet chipping at all.
I agree with others; a baby pescado would be super welcome (maybe 105 underfoot?). I just love how this ski handles.
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12-10-2019, 09:13 AM #24
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12-10-2019, 09:35 AM #25
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