User Reviews

Skis: Scott Punisher twin tips, 191cm, 130-90-116, 15M TR

Me: too old to be skiing twin tips, 6'0", 185lbs, skiing for almost 45 years.

Test location: Gore Mtn, NY, 1-13-09. Conditions were a mix of man-made, natural snow and some scraped off spots. For upstate NY, pretty nice conditions.

I'll admit I'm a deal whore and when I saw these on TramDock for under $200, I took the hook. Props to High Adventure ski shop in Latham, NY for calling me and asking about mounting point. I told them "traditional", not going to be hitting the park on these skis. The mark on the boots lines up with the midsole mark on the skis exactly. They would probably be better as powder skis with the mount further back, but we don't have to worry about flotation too much in this neck of the woods.

I have heard these are Scott's twin tip version of the popular Santiago Mission skis. Maybe so, maybe no. Haven't skied those, so I can't compare. These are the widest skis I've ever been on (84mm underfoot for my Nordica Afterburners). They didn't feel clumsy or any wider than the Nordicas. In fact, I found them to be surprisingly quick edge to edge. the short turning radius in such a wide ski produces a glade killer...that's why I bought these skis.

First day impressions: a very nice ski in very mixed conditions. Carves almost as sharp as a slalom carver (I also have Dynamic VR17 Slaloms), powers thorugh man-made mank effortlessly, and was a real hoot in fresh snow in the trees (maybe 4-6"). They were very easy to maneuver in tight spots in the glades and stayed on top of the untracked snow I found in a couple of stretches.

The ski is very easy to carve in any number of shapes from tight slalom-type turns and long, relaxed GS turns and just as eager to slide turns when the conditions called for it to do so. I skied a few runs very fast as there were very few people at Gore today and they felt solid and comfortable at speeds up to about 45mph.

I would say they are very forgiving (this was my first day out this year and I'm sure my skills were rusty) and didn't punish lazy skiing at the end of the day. I don't really understand the definition of sweet spot in a ski. Must be I can adapt to just about anything Seriously, I never felt thrown around by the ski and was able to control it in a wide variety of conditions without working overly hard. I didn't put a lot of pressure on the tips (first time I haven't had bleeding shins on the first day of the season) and they seemed to like to be driven from the center. My lack of skills put me in the back seat a couple of times and they didn't give up on me.

The only condition I didn't find today was real eastern hardpack. If the conditions are like that, I'll be on the slalom carvers anyway, so I may never report on it's ability to handle bulletproof.

After 1 day....I like 'em.