An inviting booth where any questions were happily fielded.
This is not a formal ski test, I am not a tester and skied only three Joyous runs. If this were an actual test, you would have been exposed to similar products from differing manufacturers, blind testing and much more time on the boards. My experience does, however give a bit of feedback and count for a little something. The skis are FUN! They succeeded in providing a big smile during some unpaid fun. Free demo:Free smile!
My little Blizzards are SO “old school” by comparison. (And exactly the opposite of a powder ski)
My past several years, and the past 15 days have been spent on traditional construction, cambered Slalom Race Skis. My skis have avery narrow underfoot width and CARVE turns at a rated 13 meter radius. They make small turns with subtle bodily input.
These boards I tried today are wide, full-length powder skis, medium in flex. The closest ski I own is a Nordica Hotrod Hellcat, also traditional camber (no rocker), but of similar width and length. The Albritton is much more comfy in powder than either of my skis. It has a small amount of “rocker” which initiates a turn and helps provide the float.
They are not the floppy banana-looking powder boards seen out and about nowadays. They seem a bit more traditional without being old-school. This probably serves to make them a bit more versatile also. My first few turns required me to move my body parts further to go from edge to edge than my own skis. I had to be patient carving a turn as it felt like a huge radius (by comparison to my own skis I had just stepped out of).
On hard snow I felt like I was on a Super-G ski initially…but this came in handy later. Yup, the Albrittons are buttery and supple enough to float through the Pow-pow I found at the edges and in some little tree shots. But, if I let ’em out a little, went fall-line for a bit, BOY were they stable. Stand centered and they happily blasted through the cut up stuff. Fun ski. Too bad I am on the Trampervoyage and can’t add to the quiver right now by buying a pair.
Besides, I LOVE hard snow. Even ice is no stranger. I guess its a bit of sour grapes since the East “rarely” gets true powder, but I do actually like feeling of a ski taking my legs to the limits of compression and rebound while high on edge and pressured deeply. But wow, powder sure is a blast too, and with the right sticks it is Lots easier. www.albrittonskis.com
Bye-bye!
-David
A regular Monarch smile day
The Voyage of the Tramper 