You’ve got to be amazed at what Black Diamond has done with their ski line in just fifteen years or so. Not only are they a serious player in ski alpinism, but they’re sandboxing with the big boys by going after the resort skier market as well. Last week I grabbed this photo of all the planks in their “Power” series. My shot is not quite as perfectly conceived as the one BD just started using as their homepage background, but hey, I’m just a blogger. Question is, what’s with all the tele bindings? A new telemark boom in the making?
Black Diamond Power Series skis, 2009-2010.
Shop for Black Diamond skis here.
The line shakes out like this (following the photo from left to right, fatter to thinner, all widths for shorter lengths):
Megawatt (147/120/126)
No camber, lots of rocker, some sidecut in the binding area so you don’t totally loose it in the hardpack. A specialized machine I’m not sure I’d want to haul around while under human power, but then…
Justice (138/115/123)
Said to be a less agro version of Megawatt. I think that just means it’s a bit narrower and hence lighter weight. After all, it’s the skier who’s agro, not the ski, right?
Zealot (136/110/126)
Now we’re getting over to more conventional territory, basically a wide GS style ski with some rocker.
Verdict (127/100/115)
This of course is not the Verdict of old. They just kept the name. Basically an all-mountain ski without rocker. Could be a good do-it-all backcountry plank. Looks like the sweet spot in the line for my Colorado style, anyway. So I’ll give these a test eventually.
Kilowatt (121/95/109)
Not the Kilowatt of old. It’s a bit damper and softer. That’ll make some people happy and some sad. Again, could be a very nice all-rounder for human powered vert.
Havoc (119/88/111)
Again, the name stays the same but it’s a different ski. Said to be a “softer adaptation of a classic model” that is “super turny.” We’re thinking this is more of a hardpack ski by conventional standards.
Joule (121/95/109)
We’d guess this is pretty close to being a Kilowatt, only softer. It’s supposed to be the fem version. I like the graphics, does that have some sort of meaning?
Velvet (119/88/111)
Again, looking much like a Havoc, said to be “turny” and good on consolidated snow from the “Alps to Aspen.”
Shop for Black Diamond skis here.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
