[Editor’s Note: Our review was conducted on the 16/17 Vishnu Wet, which is unchanged for 2017-18 and 2018-19, except for the graphics].
Winter has been a little stop start so far to say the least and so while we wait on enough snow to we can finish off our last few in depth reviews for the season, I wanted to edit and re-share the work of one of our Editors, Peter Farrell (Lemuel), who spent most of last year on the Vishnu Wet.
Words by Lemuel
Small brands are all the rage right now. More people than ever are on the hype train, arguing that skiers should support the industry where it matters: the true diehard brands. After talking to the Vishnu boys at SIA last year and liking the looks of their sticks, I was really eager to get on a pair of the Wet. After some back and forth, I was fortunate enough to ski these bad ass planks for the better part of the season, and I wouldn't have wanted to be on any other ski.
Now that might sound cliche and all, but it is the truth. The Wet is definitely a new breed of ski. A few companies have experimented with aggressive tip and tail rocker on a narrow ski but for me, these do it best. Coming in at 116 / 88 / 116 in the 183, most would expect the Wet to be less than versatile. I will say with 100% confidence that I had no trouble grabbing these out of the closet on any day, any condition.
On Snow:
Granted, there weren't too many deep pow days late season in Colorado for me, but I skied everything from ice to slush to knee deep. The best was in a couple fresh inches; silky smooth. I did get slight bit of chatter when ripping down Keystone at night on the ice, but what would you expect from a ski with this much rocker? I've been on much worse, hell I've been on full camber skis with much more chatter than these.
Vishnu claims the Wet to be the softest ski on the market and I beg to differ. I had a pair of Lizzies from back in the day and no ski I have ever been on has touched them in terms of softness but I'd say others out there are softer too. Now, that isn't to say the Wet isn't the playful, buttery, press master of the market that Vishnu is going for. They have the flex perfect for the amount of rocker. You can lean in and hold butters and presses forever. I previously thought the Danollie was the best jib ski on the market, but Vishnu is nipping at its heels with the Wet. The Da'nollie is softer I would say, but I felt like I could more easily over flex them in comparison to the Wet.
Now, you may be thinking, “yeah, it can jib but is it good to ride?” Bombing down all Vail can offer and hitting Main Street in Area 51 dismissed any stability concerns I had. I hate saying that something is a perfect all around tool. Nothing will do everything perfectly. Of course a wider ski would handle deep snow better and there would be better skis for a slopestyle course. But if you want a ski that will actually do every type of skiing that you do (assuming park/street is your priority) the Wet is a great choice.
Swing weight seems to be a large factor these days. The Wet is on the lower end of the spectrum. I think the only ski I have been on with lower swing weight was the Candide 1.0. If I had to compare the Wet to anything else on the market, I would say it is the love child between the Da'Nollie and the Candide 1.0. Take all the best attributes of those skis and blend them into one and you have the Wet.
Durability:
Here's the biggy when it comes to buying a park ski, especially one marketed as a street ski. I have never had a ski slide rails so smooth on the first day. I never caught an edge. Not sure if they have the edges beveled at a certain angle, but I was astonished. I ran a gummy stone and that is all, my usual routine with new skis. Even after 30+ days of hitting rails, jibbing rocks, and driving them like a rental car, there were no edge cracks. ZERO. The only ski that comes close from my experience are my HG Stingers with 3 edge cracks after about 60 days. My Revisions had 11 after 20 days. Vishnu really is keeping it true when they say this can hold up to abuse. I took one nasty fall that put a slight gouge in the topsheet, and an even nicer one in my shin. Other than that, the sidewalls and topsheets were looking like they just came out of the box. The bases were also on the stronger side, couple scrapes and scratches here and there. Holding it down up there like the best on the industry in the base category.
Overall:
I wish I could find a real fault in the Wet but no ski has ever felt so perfect for my skiing. I do wish it came in a longer length. I think a 188 would be perfect for me at 6’1 and a meager 160 pounds. The swing weight is so low and the rocker makes the effective edge so short, handling the Wet in a longer length would be no problem. If you are looking to support a dope brand on some skis that will turn heads and perform well, give the Wet some thought. Where other brands have to make guarantees and special warranty programs to confirm their build quality, Vishnu skips ahead to simply building something awesome right off the bat.
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