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05-06 Scratch BC Review
Skis: 2005-06 Rossignol SCratch BC
Length: 185
Bindings and Mount: Look P14 Lifters mounted at the rear line
Conditions: Groomers, mank, crud, crust, and 16"+ of fairly light PNW pow-pow
Duration of use: Skied on two different days so far
Skier Info: 5'8", 180 lbs.
Ability: Better than some but easily smoked by the pros and bros
Years skiing: 28
Other Skis I Like: Exploders, Gotamas, LP's, AK Swallows, and Bros (You get the idea)
Comments:
I have been on this quest to find a fatter all-mtn. twin that is easier on the pilot than my Exploders or LP's, but still can handle the variety of conditions that can be found in the PNW. Last season I went through a set of 179 SV's and a set of 186 Big Trouble and just couldn't find the right balance in either of those. This fall I picked these up for a fairly nice price and I finally decided to mount them and put them through the paces.
Powder: With a profile very close to the SV's (sans the progressive sidecut) they performed very well in the pow. They float nicely and are very agile. I did feel the urge to ride my heels a bit in the uber-deep stuff to keep the tips up (to me the 185 skis short), but it wasn't as bad as some twins I have ridden. When the tips did get buried, the tips pushed through whatever they came in contact with good enough to keep me pointed where I wanted to go. I experienced some deflection in the heavier stuff, but again these were admirable for a hybrid core with no metal. I'd give them a 4.5 out of 5 for pow-pow and a 4 out of 5 for crud.
Groomers: I was happy to learn quickly that these rip medium to long turns on the groomer with a lot of confidence. They sure didn't feel like 98-mm the waist and turned as easy as my 80-mm in the wasit PE's. They have very good grip and never washed out on me despite the freezing rain crap I skied in on the first day on them.
Bumps: Very agile and quick once again. I wouldn't think twice about taking them in the bumps like I would on some stiffer boards.
Speed: They have a limit, but it is higher than I would have first thought for a ski this agile. Definitely higher in the soft stuff vs. variable snow.
Observed Weaknesses: They ski short! I would say that the weight range for the 185 would have to be 150 to 180 lbs. If I were a bit heavier I think I would have overpowered these and hated them. I cannot imagine skiing on the shorter lengths unless one was a lighter weight (<150 lbs) skier. Also, the rear mounting on these sets the bindings up almost identically to 185 PR's mounted on the line, so unless you're going to be landing switch into pow, I cannot see mounting them on the forward line. I seems that it would ruin these in softer/deeper snow. That isn't really a weakness, but more of an observation.
Overall:
Overall these felt like a beefier Pocket Rocket, which is just as easy and fun to ski (pretty forgiving), but with a higher speed limit and better groomer performance. Coming from the other end of the spectrum, I also kept thinking they were like a Gotama-lite. So, if you cannot tell, I really dig these. They are what I thought I would find in the SV's (but didn't) and will likely be my everyday sticks unless it is uber-deep or I feel like charging, but then again, I have other boards for that...
Length: 185
Bindings and Mount: Look P14 Lifters mounted at the rear line
Conditions: Groomers, mank, crud, crust, and 16"+ of fairly light PNW pow-pow
Duration of use: Skied on two different days so far
Skier Info: 5'8", 180 lbs.
Ability: Better than some but easily smoked by the pros and bros
Years skiing: 28
Other Skis I Like: Exploders, Gotamas, LP's, AK Swallows, and Bros (You get the idea)
Comments:
I have been on this quest to find a fatter all-mtn. twin that is easier on the pilot than my Exploders or LP's, but still can handle the variety of conditions that can be found in the PNW. Last season I went through a set of 179 SV's and a set of 186 Big Trouble and just couldn't find the right balance in either of those. This fall I picked these up for a fairly nice price and I finally decided to mount them and put them through the paces.
Powder: With a profile very close to the SV's (sans the progressive sidecut) they performed very well in the pow. They float nicely and are very agile. I did feel the urge to ride my heels a bit in the uber-deep stuff to keep the tips up (to me the 185 skis short), but it wasn't as bad as some twins I have ridden. When the tips did get buried, the tips pushed through whatever they came in contact with good enough to keep me pointed where I wanted to go. I experienced some deflection in the heavier stuff, but again these were admirable for a hybrid core with no metal. I'd give them a 4.5 out of 5 for pow-pow and a 4 out of 5 for crud.
Groomers: I was happy to learn quickly that these rip medium to long turns on the groomer with a lot of confidence. They sure didn't feel like 98-mm the waist and turned as easy as my 80-mm in the wasit PE's. They have very good grip and never washed out on me despite the freezing rain crap I skied in on the first day on them.
Bumps: Very agile and quick once again. I wouldn't think twice about taking them in the bumps like I would on some stiffer boards.
Speed: They have a limit, but it is higher than I would have first thought for a ski this agile. Definitely higher in the soft stuff vs. variable snow.
Observed Weaknesses: They ski short! I would say that the weight range for the 185 would have to be 150 to 180 lbs. If I were a bit heavier I think I would have overpowered these and hated them. I cannot imagine skiing on the shorter lengths unless one was a lighter weight (<150 lbs) skier. Also, the rear mounting on these sets the bindings up almost identically to 185 PR's mounted on the line, so unless you're going to be landing switch into pow, I cannot see mounting them on the forward line. I seems that it would ruin these in softer/deeper snow. That isn't really a weakness, but more of an observation.
Overall:
Overall these felt like a beefier Pocket Rocket, which is just as easy and fun to ski (pretty forgiving), but with a higher speed limit and better groomer performance. Coming from the other end of the spectrum, I also kept thinking they were like a Gotama-lite. So, if you cannot tell, I really dig these. They are what I thought I would find in the SV's (but didn't) and will likely be my everyday sticks unless it is uber-deep or I feel like charging, but then again, I have other boards for that...
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