Line Blade

[Crystal Skier]

Waxed my 176cms today. Should be on them in a week or so.

Pics again for gear stoke. Pretty long, low tip rocker in pic two.

Attachment 394269

Yep these are a hoot for sure…skis come and go but one ski sale regret was getting rid of my 176 Blades. 4” of lighter PNW over low to mid angle groomers was my first day on em
at Crystal. There’s def a bit more versatility than normal carving skis for sure. Have some purplish 181’s on order from Corbett’s. Stoked.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Crystal Skier]

Waxed my 176cms today. Should be on them in a week or so.

Pics again for gear stoke. Pretty long, low tip rocker in pic two.

Attachment 394269

In talking to Peter the Line design engineer he told me that most people are goin 176 including Dylan in the video who is like 6’2”.
Blister guys with their quiver picks were goin 181. Thought I would try that length is all. Grateful to still be rippin around at 68 [emoji6]


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[kc_7777]

Ya I’m 5’7”, 165ish and usually ski 179-181s…. so the 176 made perfect sense.

My wife’s three skis in her quiver are: 172, 174 and 177cm….thinking the 167cm for her. She’s 5’6” but only 125 lbs. She’s eyeing mine.

Almost hoping for no pow and shit snow next weekend so I can try these. Haha.

[Flexon Phil]

We had the 167 and 176 in our test quiver. I grabbed the 167 by accident one day and that also was a hoot. It made more small s than big S turns but that was part of it's charm. A great option of you want to make a days worth of turns in one run.

[PlayItLeo]

So after around 15 days on these on groomers of every variety (straight ice, firm, smooth, beat up, cream cheese, slush), I’m in love. As has been said, they’re a slightly more locked in version of the Sakanas. Pretty versatile in terms of turn shapes and they can drift around, but they’re happiest railing hip dragging short radius turns and banging shiftys off side hits. We’ll see how they handle bumps and trees if VT ever gets any fucking snow, but for now they’re the ski I’m grabbing every day I head to the hill.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kc_7777]

Can’t wait to try mine….

Though likely these will be a groomer ski. And we never just ski groomers…hmmm.

It’s been too deep at Whistler and Whitewater to get on these. Been on pow skis too much. One more day for us at Whitewater tomorrow, with more pow falling now. Then back to the Coast. Looks like Whistler getting pounded again with snow later this week.

So the Blades will have to wait.

[ticketchecker]

^^ if things go well you won’t need them


Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums

[kc_7777]

Finally a crap snow day at Whistler tomorrow.....gonna try my 176cm Line Blades!

In the meantime, here's my son on his new Blades.....to be young again and not care about landing.

PS - He's 145 lbs and on the 2022 169cm Blades....he frickin' loves his! Never skis his 177cm Hojis anymore.

[DigSki]

I just got a pair of 169's (I like short skis) in the mail this afternoon - only got a few laps in but holy shit do these things turn. Super fun, very stable, like a slalom ski with training wheels that can also go into softer snow easily. I can't wait for slush season, these things will be so fun. I honestly can't believe you don't see more of these around, incredible ski.

[kc_7777]

My son loves his 169 cm Blades. That’s all he skis now.

I’ve got some time in on my 176cm Blades. Will add some more comments shortly.

Carvy yet can slash.

Prefer mellow vs steep.

You will ski different. You will need other buddies with these too….

High cool factor.

KC.

[skithewest]

You will ski different.

KC.

It's concerning I'm considering getting a ski just to ski a different style. Quiver overlap not going just by width and conditions?

Going to have to find a demo....

[VTskibum]

How are these on EC icy days? Daily driver in PA (and when I get up to NY/VT) is Rustler 9. Did pull out my OLD SL skis the other night and had a blast, even compared to the Rustler which already is pretty tight. Thinking the Blade may be ridiculously fun. Weirdly sometimes we get better conditions down in PA than VT as it's not as cold so get sunny days and then refrozen garbage. I know the sunny days are optimal for these, but curious about the alternative where I could just ski Rustlers for sunny and SL skis for refrozen ice rink. Seem to like more playful skis generally, so this is a compromise between the two. Would likely get 176, but might be even more fun in 169 for my very small bump.

[DigSki]

How are these on EC icy days? Daily driver in PA (and when I get up to NY/VT) is Rustler 9. Did pull out my OLD SL skis the other night and had a blast, even compared to the Rustler which already is pretty tight. Thinking the Blade may be ridiculously fun. Weirdly sometimes we get better conditions down in PA than VT as it's not as cold so get sunny days and then refrozen garbage. I know the sunny days are optimal for these, but curious about the alternative where I could just ski Rustlers for sunny and SL skis for refrozen ice rink. Seem to like more playful skis generally, so this is a compromise between the two. Would likely get 176, but might be even more fun in 169 for my very small bump.

I haven't skied ice on them. However, they're pretty freaking locked in on turns, so I'd guess if you keep em sharp they'll arc pretty well on ice. That said, don't ditch the slalom skis, they'll almost certainly handle ice better.

[kc_7777]

Near new Line Blade 176cm in GS.

Don't need to sell...just won't get skied much by me. Issue is I ski Whistler/Blackcomb all the time. And we don’t ski mellow terrain for more than a run or two before the alpine opens. The Blade can ski steep/gnarly but there are better skis for that. The Blade shines in the carve on mellow groomed, not steep and chalky/lumpy.

KC

[Conundrum]

I did a few laps on some 181s. They were definitely fun and different. Not sure I'd buy a pair...will come to a conclusion after borrowing again and spending a little more time on them.

[Bronco]

How do these compare to a Blizzard Brahma? Looking to replace my frontside skis.

[PlayItLeo]

How are these on EC icy days? Daily driver in PA (and when I get up to NY/VT) is Rustler 9. Did pull out my OLD SL skis the other night and had a blast, even compared to the Rustler which already is pretty tight. Thinking the Blade may be ridiculously fun. Weirdly sometimes we get better conditions down in PA than VT as it's not as cold so get sunny days and then refrozen garbage. I know the sunny days are optimal for these, but curious about the alternative where I could just ski Rustlers for sunny and SL skis for refrozen ice rink. Seem to like more playful skis generally, so this is a compromise between the two. Would likely get 176, but might be even more fun in 169 for my very small bump.

I have a pair of 181s and have put about 30 days on them this season in both VT and CT. They are absurdly fun and absolutely rip both soft and firm groomers, but they aren’t great when it’s straight up ice. The blister review is pretty spot on for these.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HandsomeDan]

Wondering how the 181 blade compares with a 181 sakana in terms of length and ease of skiing?

I had a chance to demo the 176 blade, but won't be able to demo a 181 to compare. The 176s were a lot of fun, but at 6 foot 2 and 165 lbs I'm wondering if the 181s will be that much better, or too much of a good thing. I love how the 181 sakana skis.

[TexasGortex]

I have 2 inches and 10 or so pounds on you and don’t find the 181s overpowering. Very forgiving actually. They are the shortest skis I’ve been on in a looong time and don’t feel the need to go longer. I haven’t been on the 176s or Sakanas, sorry. I suspect either length would work great and I’d just base it off previous preferences. I think they recommend -5cm from your usual length which sounds about right.

As an FYI, take it easy for a couple runs or detune. I almost went high side OTB a couple times straight out of the wrapper. Granted, I was skiing like a jackass (straight line into hard carve after being on noodles) but they really relax as the tune wears in. In a good way. They become more silly, fun, and versatile without losing stability and grip.

[DGamms]

Just picked up a pair on Sideline Swap. Pretty good deal if anyone is in the market.

https://sidelineswap.com/gear/skiing...21-blade-181cm

[Flippo]

yeah... I bought the 21-22 model from Corbett's for $360 USD (no taxes or shipping fees) at the end of the season. They are still at that price in all sizes.

[VTskibum]

Just picked up the Purple 169s from Corbetts for $360 for myself and my son to share for my molehill local mountain, figure shorter length will be fun for getting even more turns in. We'll see how they overlap with my Rustler 9s, but these are replacing some ancient SL skis I killed last season in low-tide, but hopefully more fun.

[SnakeMagnet]

Well shit, I was always curious about these since Blister called them a "carving ski for people who typically think that traditional carving skis are boring," but never committed until i found a needle in the lumber yard clusterfuck that was the ski swap yesterday, and now possess nip 181's.

Thinking STH binders before they disappear, but Im also not 100% sold on if I'll like them and am thinking demo plates would make them easier to flip. What have you put on yours and/or would that stronger toe make much of a difference?

And to that notion do I need to mount them asap for some enjoyment on the wrod's next week..

[ddgdl]

This thread inspired me to pick up a local lightly used pair of 176s with attack 13 bindings for $380. Looking forward to trying them out and, as Blister noted, making racecar noises through every turn

[kc_7777]

They’re fun. And easy to ski. They rip.

My only issue, and why I sold mine, is I think you need other Blade skiers in your ski group, cause you (on the Blade) will want to ski different areas of the mountain now. We ski in a group of good, fast skiers and we kept lapping Peak chair, and I’m on Blades saying let’s terrorize people on Symphony (we never ski Symphony cause it’s too flat). Whereas the Blades made the mellow groomers on Symphony super fun.

I think a ski like a Rustler 9, a Season Aero is a more versatile tool in the ski quiver…..UNLESS your whole posse is on Blades. I considered getting my wife a pair….but in the end we always meet up with and ski with non-Blade skiers, so was easier to pass them on. Great ski and super cool though.

KC


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums