I remember when Joe Messina, a ski buddy from HS showed up with those on the mountain one day. WOW was all I thought. Joe was always into cool stuff before anyone else.
OK...What were the worst skis you ever skied then?I feel fortunate to say that I never skied anything on that list
I had a pair of Scream 10 Pilots. It was the first truly shaped ski I bought, barely used for $100 shipped. They were very easy to ski but buttery noodles at higher speeds. Pretty sure the ProLink was just a cosmetic coolness like the blinking lights on my K2 Fours. And yes, the toe wing adjustments rattle loose.There were a lot of first generation shape skis that were really bad. Manufacturers were rushing to get product to market and they were just showing designs against the wall to see what stuck. A few that come to mind...
Fischer Revolution Ice, a shape that actually had the tail wider than the tip
Salomon Axendo, just flexing them broke the tails.
We saw a similar situate with manufacturers trying to figure what early rise was all about..
Fischer (again) with the Rocker on demand, a switch to add or remove rocker, it added nothing but weight
Head with the first Peak skis, they cut a channel just past the contact point of the tip which was designed to let the ski flex easier there but it just created a hinge point and the tip just folded over when pressured through the turn.
More Runner Ups:
Rossignol Multix with the bag of arms that you could control the flex of the skis
Dynastar with the Fusion and ID skis, asymmetrical sidewalls and sidecuts.
Salomon Pilots wth arguably the worst integrated binding design
Volant TSBD (Tight Spots Big Drops), Volant had many innovated skis, this was not one of them.
Elan SCX RP 193, the first ski made for an NFL linebacker, a PRO Bowl linebacker at that.
Probably a pair of Hart Pros, probably 205-215cm. They had an aluminum oxide base that couldn't be waxed or repaired. They were replaced by Head Vectors at 215cm, those were real skis.
Realskiers has an interesting article on their take of the 10 worst skis ever made. Number 4 on the list were Graves. I had a pair given to me in 1979 by a marketing guy at the company. They were manufactured in New Hampshire and I remember visiting the company on the way back to Boston from a ski trip. I can attest that they were the most unpleasant boards I've ever strapped onto my feet. Built like a tank and skied like one as well.
Did anyone have the chance to
Is the BBR really that terrible? I never got to try them but my perception is that they just overdid the marketing be by making them out to be the best thing since sliced bread. Reality seems to be that people who like them really like them, just those people aren't the technical/aggressive "serious" skiers.
And just because it makes me giggle as an example of corporate shilling gone mad here's the otherwise highly regarded Emma + Phil at Snoworks doing their best "it makes your toast and gets the kids ready for school" advertorial.
Yes that's the one. Stockli VXL. Great ski. Was fantastic with the Vist Aluminium speedlock plate. But it was heavy!Oooh I loved that ski, if we're talking about the one with the thorns and frost graphic.
The 175 was a jr. ski.I saw a LOT of Rossi FMs exlode. I had a pair of 175 cm that held up fine but I only weighed about 95 pounds when I was skiing them.
I've always claimed that if weight was a beneficial characteristic then skis would be better with added weight. To hear knowledgeable Phil and the authors put the Fritzmeier with its added weights in the worst ski category gives some support to my position.
However, I kind of liked the BBRs (maybe a little less when I found out they weren't named PBRs) and really wanted Durafiber skis so maybe the judgment is suspect.
Eric