The R.L. Winston Pure 490-4 won the hearts of testers when used in classic dry fly situations. Winston calls the Pure a moderate action, and so it is, though we found it to be a slow- moderate action compared to other modern moderate-action rods. But even though the casting stroke is somewhat slow and deliberate, Read more ›
The Sage Dart 476-3, at first cast, left a lot of our test team shaking their heads, unsure of what the little fast-action rod was designed for. The 4-wt Dart has the power and line-speed of big-water line-chuckers, but the slender wand’s diminutive size is best suited to skinny streams and tight casting conditions. After Read more ›
The Sage bills their new Igniter as an ultra-fast weapon designed to “handle the most technical conditions” an angler could face: Strong winds, heavy rigs, and big waters. During extensive use in a wide range of conditions, we found the Igniter more than lived up to that billing. The rod is capable of powering line Read more ›
The Stöckli Stormrider 85 is a classic cruising ski with bomber edge hold plus a damp, sturdy personality. “You can feel the entire length of the edges engage in the turn,” says one tester. “It feels strong from the metal topsheet to the base.” When pressed, however, the dampness took over. “The ski feels sluggish Read more ›
The Slight 83 W is not “less than,” but a light, zippy frontside model that behaves like a spritely slalom ski. It favors frontside over all-mountain, though one tester asked: “Is this a touring ski that behaves like a friendly slalom ski or a frontside ski with skin attachments?” Either way, testers gave the 83-mm-waisted Read more ›
The K2 Alluvit 88 Ti is a ski for the masses: creamy on groomers, maneuverable in soft or chopped up snow and easy to swing around in tight areas. “This ski is smooth—creamy smooth like Jiff,” says one tester. Ski testers gave the 88-mm-waisted ski its highest marks for Carving Pleasure, followed by Stability, with Read more ›
A zippy, slalom-oriented ski, the Fischer My Pro MT 86 received its highest scores for Carving Pleasure and lower scores for Turn Shape Variability and Flotation. “This ski is for the fair weather, all-mountain frontside skier, particularly the short turn lover and quick cruiser,” says one tester. Testers lauded the easy turn initiation and responsiveness Read more ›
The Dynastar Legend W 88 is a ski to cruise on, thanks to a freeride-oriented 5-point sidecut and an all-mountain, flat tail. “A solid contender that anyone can enjoy” says one tester about this 88-mm-waisted ski. “It’s a smooth, damp, comfortable easy ride with a big sweet spot.” Overall, testers gave the ski high marks Read more ›
Made from a combo of carbon and bamboo, the Uschi 87 Alchemist is a playful, lightweight ski with reliable edge grip and a penchant for long radius turns. “This is a different feel for a DPS ski,” says one tester. “It’s playful and yet holds a good edge on the groomers.” Testers rated the Uschi Read more ›
A cruiser favoring medium to long turns, the Nordica Santa Ana 93 suits an aggressive skier seeking a strong all-mountain ski. “Once you get it on edge, this ski provides good edge grip and stability underfoot,” says one tester. The Santa Ana 93 received its highest tester scores for Carving Pleasure, Edge-hold and Stability and Read more ›
The Blizzard Black Pearl 88 is versatile ski ideal for a wide range of skiers thanks to a balance of construction and shape, which creates a forgiving ski that can also be pushed at high speed. Overall, testers gave the 88-mm-waisted ski high marks for all categories, with highest scores in Edge-hold and Carving pleasure, Read more ›
The Head Wild Joy is a versatile Frontside ski, both nimble for its girth and stable for its lightweight construction. By now, Graphene (a material with a high strength-to-weight ratio) has become synonymous with Head. What started out as a material designed to make women-specific models light yet strong has filtered into unisex skis as Read more ›