• Forums
  • Gear Talk
  • Why did every freeride company make a frontside Carver this year?

Member of the Month

ColoradoDogfart
February, 2021

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Why did every freeride company make a frontside Carver this year?

profile picture
BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 5654 - Karma: 3,086
Armada Declivity
K2 Disruption
Line Blade

My personal theory is they all want to capitalize on the soul 7 getting discontinued(also why would they do that?)
Feb 5 2020 2:16PM 8 2
profile picture
-eREKTion-
Posts: 1291 - Karma: 7,170
Armada has had the Invictus series for years and honestly the Declivity is a bit more freeride focused the those were. K2 has literally always made multiple lines of frontside skis, iKonic and Chargers are around at the moment. Line Blade is weird but still interesting; 95mm waist and a bit of tail rise on a tight radius ostensibly groomer-zoomer type ski. The freeski universe will survive these incursions into our hard fought territory.
Feb 5 2020 2:23PM 14 0
profile picture
CLQ
Posts: 2449 - Karma: 8,807
Whats wrong with frontside carvers?
Feb 5 2020 3:06PM 22 2
profile picture
BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 5654 - Karma: 3,086
I'm not complaining, I just thought it was quite the coincidence
-eREKTion-Armada has had the Invictus series for years and honestly the Declivity is a bit more freeride focused the those were. K2 has literally always made multiple lines of frontside skis, iKonic and Chargers are around at the moment. Line Blade is weird but still interesting; 95mm waist and a bit of tail rise on a tight radius ostensibly groomer-zoomer type ski. The freeski universe will survive these incursions into our hard fought territory.
Feb 5 2020 3:06PM 1 0
profile picture
GrandThings
Posts: 1846 - Karma: 12,523
I've been wondering about this as well and assumed it has to do with an aging park demographic.

i.e kids that grew up only buying park skis are starting to age out of that "park rat, only rides twin-tips" demo and are starting to get more into touring, BC, and more all-mountain oriented riding. (Slamming on a flat rail for three hours straight is a young mans game, but you can rip groomers forever).

I'd bet these companies are starting to pick up on this and are marketing/making skis for the "former" park crowed who are entering their later twenties and early thirties.

Personally, I've already started to think about getting a pair of non-twins (something I never would have considered even 3 years ago) and cant wait to try out some of these new options.
Feb 5 2020 3:13PM 15 0
profile picture
anders_a
Posts: 1135 - Karma: 3,115
I think GrandThings nailed it.

I cannot ride park all day, too old, beatup, fat, etc, I still try though, and wipe out, the recovery each time grows with age.

We have morningski sessions once a week from 6:45 in the morning where only season card holders can go, perfect groomers, everybody carving fast, its.... fun! Jumping the steeps in the hills is accepted as well.

If I could choose I would just ride powder all day every day, but its not realistic, if I can do 1-3,hours of skiiing before going to work, its awesome.
Feb 5 2020 3:32PM 4 0
profile picture
pinkcamo1000
Posts: 2668 - Karma: 16,044
the aging park demographic is a part of it for sure, as well as the "return of the turn" which is a trend mirroring whats been happening in snowboarding for a few years now. The thing is, a bunch of freestyle companies have tried to make frontside carving skis in the past but they would always get discontinued soon after, probably cause they didn't sell well.

My theory is that the Sakana has sold extremely well, so now every company is trying to get on the "cool carving ski" wave.
Feb 5 2020 3:34PM 2 0
profile picture
anders_a
Posts: 1135 - Karma: 3,115
Speaking of, Markus Caston is awesome.
Feb 5 2020 3:36PM 5 0
profile picture
TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 9590 - Karma: 61,243
what the fuck is a frontside carver
Feb 5 2020 4:08PM 10 7
profile picture
anders_a
Posts: 1135 - Karma: 3,115
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcq_dftkBM4
Feb 5 2020 4:10PM 0 0
profile picture
powpatrol
Posts: 929 - Karma: 3,938
Found tha fun
Feb 5 2020 4:33PM 1 0
profile picture
snowfinder
Posts: 1978 - Karma: 23,896
Snowboard companies started doing the same thing about 5-10 years ago, fish tail surfy fs bombers. They did it for the same reason the guys in the park started to venture out but still want that freeride feel.
Feb 5 2020 4:53PM 4 0
profile picture
patagonialuke
Posts: 1590 - Karma: 7,529
I'm all for it. The Sakana and Blade are incredibly fun, and I'm super excited to try the Armada Stranger. I don't really see those as skis I'd choose as a 1-ski quiver, but they offer something totally different than pretty much anything else on the market, and I'd definitely put them in a quiver. Trying to drag your hips is really fun, and having a ski that lets you do that without totally sucking off piste and actually being playful is even more fun.
Feb 5 2020 6:45PM 12 0
profile picture
wasatch_rat
Posts: 1698 - Karma: 2,158
Because they sell
Feb 6 2020 12:48AM 5 0
profile picture
onenerdykid
Posts: 6253 - Karma: 7,456
wasatch_ratBecause they sell


Ding Ding Ding

90% of the ski market skis on groomers. If you are a freeski brand and want your brand to get placed in a shop, you need a ski that appeals to biggest chunk of skiers and where most people ski.

The Blade is still too far out there for the average skier, but it just shows that if you want to do business, you need to have at least one ski in your range that can rip up a groomer and do it easily.
Feb 6 2020 5:59AM 8 0
profile picture
freeskibum82
Posts: 6318 - Karma: 4,808
Front side carving skis sell extremely well. I'd be curious to get on the Blade to see what it is all about.
Feb 6 2020 8:04AM 1 0
profile picture
84west
Posts: 545 - Karma: 199
onenerdykidDing Ding Ding

90% of the ski market skis on groomers. If you are a freeski brand and want your brand to get placed in a shop, you need a ski that appeals to biggest chunk of skiers and where most people ski.

The Blade is still too far out there for the average skier, but it just shows that if you want to do business, you need to have at least one ski in your range that can rip up a groomer and do it easily.

Back when I worked in a shop we would sell multiples more frontside groomer focused skis then pow and park skis combined. This was when volkl had just come out with a couple skis at like 90 and 100 underfoot with just a little bit of early rise. Those sold incredibly well to people who aspired to start skiing more moguls or off piste, but really spent most of their time skiing with their wife and kids (aka the demographic with the most money to buy new shit every year). They’re not the coolest skis and I might not buy them, but they skies really fucking well. I’m sure a lot of people on here would be amazed how fun skis like that are to just rip around on, especially if they’re coming from a detuned symmetrical twin.
Feb 6 2020 6:06PM 4 0
profile picture
Bonzalo
Posts: 2593 - Karma: 1,811
TRVP_ANGELwhat the fuck is a frontside carver


yeah what kind of term is that, you guys have actually never skied outside the park smh
next year im getting a racing pair, maybe even a factory prepared used pair
Feb 10 2020 11:02AM 0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)