Wednesday, October 5, 2011

A new addition to the Jay Peak quiver

It was a bit like Christmas in October today. Giddy as a five-year old looking at all the presents under the tree, I opened the plain brown ski box that arrived on the Purolator truck. And lo and behold, look what was inside:


Yessirree, a shiny new pair of Line Sir Francis Bacons.

And check out the base!


That will surely inspire my inner Rasta...

And yes, these skis have rocker, pretty much the same at tip and tail:


Though I didn't just buy these skis for the groovy graphics, they certainly factored in the decision-making process. Despite my love for the Line Prophets, last season I tested some skis with tip rocker and became convinced that this was the way to go. When I read about the new Prophet 98, with "early rise tip," I sold the P 100s and geared up to buy them. Then I started reading about the new Bacons. I would suggest that these may be the ideal ski for ideal conditions at Jay Peak. And what about the rest of time, when conditions are, shall we say, less than ideal? Well, they will probably work just fine, and I do have other skis. What the heck, I'm 54 years old and might as get some skis that will help keep skiing fun and let me worry less about pranging my knee again. And as the Line slogan reminds us, Skiing Is Fun.

Some links for the curious:

Wondering what all the fuss is about on rocker?
http://blistergearreview.com/articles/skiing-101-safer-skiing-the-case-for-fatter-rockered-skis

Two reviews thought got me thinking hard about the SFB:

http://www.skiersrealm.com/general/2012-line-sir-francis-bacon
 


6 comments:

  1. Those bases are cool. I will check them out when I'm under the big rock on Green Beret and you are hucking above. :) I'm sure they will rock in Jay Peak pow. I'm very curious to hear from you about performance on groomers as you are a go-to guy for ski reviews. No pranging allowed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So weird how the top sheets are elegant and serene but the bases are loud and... um, expressive. :)

    Your confidence factor must be high to have sold off the 100s prior to your first outing on the new boards!

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Harv, re hucking: I think you have me mixed up with somebody else but I'll definitely dish the full report.

    @ Steve: had the same thoughts about the base/top thing. I get to see the tops, so that is what matters. As the the pre-test purchase, I have great confidence in intuitive ski buying, it has served me well over the years.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What bindings are you putting on those bad boys? What would be the functional difference between a ski with tip rocker and one with full rocker? I'm thinking those are the boards for me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Whoa dude, lots of tough questions. Assuming I can get them, I am installing alpine binders, specifically the Marker Jester, chosen for a good combo of light weight and performance.

    Tip VS. full. Hard to say, until they get skied. I am definitely going out on a psychic limb with these skis. Thereotically, better pow/tree performance, quick turns, and, should I decide to try, switch skiing capability extrordinaire.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Super sic man! Hope they do well for ya this year. And thanks for promoting our reviews over at SkiersRealm!

    ReplyDelete