Pros: American made, Progressive design, Above average durability
Cons: Big ski, may frighten children, small animals, and the average skier
Product:
Length Tested: 191 CM
Dimensions/Turn Radius: 145/118/128 29.2m 144cm effective edge
Camber: Traditional, Early Rise Tip & Tail w/camber
Binding: Demo
Mount point: Suggested
Environment & Conditions:
Location of Test:Timberline Lodge
Number of Runs:5
Snow Conditions:HIGHLY variable. Skied out slush, groom, corn, mixed smooth refrozen corn/rough ice, crud
Demo or Own:Demo'd and paid for next years
Tester Info:
Username:ecimmortal
Age:38
Height/Weight:5' 9" / 220
Ski Days/Season:60
Years Skiing:3
Aggressiveness:Moderate(Finesse) / Aggressive(Driver)
Current Quiver:186 ON3P Jeronimo, 186 ON3P Jeffery, 195 Folsom Gambit
Home Area:Mt Hood
Preferred Terrain: groomers, terrain park, off-piste, trees
Scott has been trying to get me on the 191 BG all year. The stars have just not aligned, and I was unable to get on them until yesterday. I'm sure they ski pow great. As do most wide rockered ski's. I want to know how a ski performs in less than ideal conditions. Yesterday was perfect for that. Wet and manky down low, up high wind blown with pockets of ice. Typical spring day at Timberline.
As soon as I took off on the 191 I knew it was just screaming the word stable. I was following Rowen and Scott through the park hitting little jumps and the the BG's were just really poppy off of the lips I was hitting, and extra stable in the air. Ripped though to the lift carrying as much speed as I could the BG's just stayed stable, turned well, and were playful when I needed/wanted them to be. I find this is one of the hallmarks of the ON3P construction. And one of the things that keeps me coming back.
Scott and I went up the Magic Mile, and out the western boundary to really open it up. The conditions were extra shitty. Wind blown sastrugi that had iced up in spots. I'm a pretty mellow skier most of the time, but the 191 BG really upped my confidence in these conditions, patches I would normally slow up to avoid were nothing when the 191 asserted it's authority. Again. I never felt any instability. the BG just went where I wanted it to, and was poppy off of the smaller windlips that had formed.
I took a few more runs to try and get in as many different conditions as I could. the 191 Billygoat sacrifices very little of the lines traditional nimbleness, but is a monumental improvement in stability all around. It just does what you want it to do.
In what has proved to be our most elaborate design process to date, the traditional, positive sidecut at the tip of the Billy Goat was turned completely on its head, resulting in ON3P’s Reverse Elliptical Sidecut (RES). Our goal was to create a soft snow ski that maintains the level of maneuverability seen in fully reverse sidecut skis while also providing the stability and edge hold of traditional sidecut shape. The result was a design that, initially, seemed nothing less than ridiculous, but is now one of the most advanced freeride skis on the market. By incorporating RES in the tips with a large, traditional turn radius in the tail, the Billy Goat allows for incredible maneuverability in soft snow, ensuring it remains an exceptional tree ski while maintaining the shape and stability needed to make huge turns at high speed.
To provide excellent hardpack performance, RES has been designed to establish a Dynamic Contact Zone (DCZ) in the tips, which allows for the creation of a simulated turn radius with the traditional sidecut tail. This results in a ski with excellent edge hold and hardpack capability while maintaining the key design aspects that maximize soft snow performance. Combined with our elliptical rocker profile, a medium-stiff flex, and top & bottom carbon fiber stringers, the Billy Goat is ready for whatever you can throw at it.
Chris @ Les Arcs Chalets