Again in April, the Newschoolers crew hit up Banff Sunshine Village for our third annual ski testing bonanza. Because of our buddies @sunshinevillage , @evo.com and @DissentLabs we went even larger and higher than ever earlier than. We introduced extra skis and testers as soon as once more, and the entire occasion simply retains increasing 12 months on 12 months. And now that includes the Newschoolers S-Rail, Sunshine Village’s many parks supplied an ideal playground for pushing this 12 months’s crop of park skis to their limits.
You know the way we roll at Newschoolers – even our broke-off employees contingent remains to be snowboarding park, so we needed to place these skis to the take a look at similar to we’d really use ’em. We advised all of the manufacturers to ship over skis with progressive mounting factors, not more than -2cm from heart, and all of the park skis got here detuned so we might hit these rails with out dying and see how the skis held up. You may take a look at some scenes from the week right here:
https://www.newschoolers.com/movies/watch/1075451/–YouTube
We do not categorize skis earlier than testing them, so something we have been despatched might technically win an award as a park ski (or an all-mountain ski). Which means a few of our picks win awards as a result of that is the place we loved them, regardless of not clearly being ‘park skis’ on paper. Shoutout to our enormous crew of testers, and thanks for the effort and time you set into this, we could not do it with out you. With out additional ado our prime park skis for 2023:
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Fischer Nightstick 97
Arguably THE shock of the take a look at, the brand new Nightstick 97 is just an extremely good ski. This stuff are a terrific every day driver possibility for park skiers, feeling tremendous strong underfoot and dealing with combined snow much better than the waist width ought to enable, all of the whereas being a blast within the park. They deal with all of it from large options to playful swerving.
“A very nice all-around ski. I discovered them snappy and very easy to spin. They stunned me, charging rather well by way of cruddy snow within the afternoon.” – @bigbilliam
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Volkl Revolt 104
These are a kind of you would not technically categorize as a park ski however our testers beloved them within the park. Certain they’ve loads of all-mountain chops too however the unfastened really feel due to the lengthy rocker profile makes these a monster for slashing and taking part in with lips. They’re stiff sufficient to carry up on jumps however undoubtedly extra of a playful park ski. In case you do a little bit of all the things and solely need one ski, these might be a terrific possibility for that too.
“Excellent, excellent freestyle ski! It’s not too heavy, not too mild and never too gentle, not too stiff.. so you may drive the ski and never the opposite means round. Simple to get on and off rails and straightforward to spin. Playful and tremendous enjoyable.” – Abby Laviolette
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Line Persistent 94
Line have put severe work into toughening up their park skis for this season and the brand new Chronics are a giant a part of that. The narrower sibling, the 94, remains to be on the heavier finish of the size, however that weight is centered below the boot in chunky sidewalls and fats edges. The skinny tip and slender form imply these are tremendous spin-friendly and the rocker profile is playful for butters too. The 94 is the extra East Coast-friendly of the 2, it is faster edge to edge than its wider sibling, making it higher suited to tougher snow and technical tips.
“Nice swing weight, mild, simple to maneuver, responsive on landings however nonetheless versatile.” – @arnie_grape
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Line Persistent 101
The Chronics are so good that each skis take residence Greatest Of Check awards this 12 months. The 101 is unquestionably the extra burly of the 2 new Persistent skis feeling a bit extra strong each exterior the park and in it. It is nonetheless removed from a stiff ski however undoubtedly extra strong than the 94. If you need one thing softer and wider, the brand new Bacon 108 feels nearly like a wider Persistent on onerous snow, however with extra powder-friendly tip shaping.
“Good stability of playful and nonetheless supportive underfoot. Actually enjoyable for butters, carves surprisingly properly, fairly poppy. Enjoyable, versatile park ski.” – @Twig
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Elan Playmaker 101
Our riders beloved the Elan Playmaker 101 for its mild weight and talent to sort out a little bit of all the things. However maybe surprisingly, it was within the park that these skis shone the brightest. The gentle, nostril with loads of rocker is a ton of enjoyable for buttering, whereas the stiffer, much less rockered tail supplied stability on jumps. However maybe the standout characteristic of those skis was the low swingweight. Regardless of being 101 underfoot, these have been one of many lightest feeling skis of the entire take a look at.
“Very enjoyable, very playful ski. It flexes, it pops and it holds up all around the hill. It is nice on facet hits, enjoyable within the bumps and it slays within the park. Positively a jack of all trades ski.” – @arnie_grape
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Faction Studio 1.0/ 1.0X
Final, however definitely not least we’ve the Faction Studio 1.0/1.0X (an identical skis, completely different topsheets/sizing). And if you wish to huck your meat, these are the skis for you, the final word slopestyle monster. With super-low swingweight due to a slender, symmetrical form and a surprisingly steady platform for the diminutive specs, these park slayers had our squad swapping extra and spinning sooner than every other. The minimal rocker profile is simply unfastened sufficient for buttering, they usually have extra to supply for frolicsome snowboarding than related shapes too.
“The Studio 1.0 is mild, agile, and steady as might be. It is nice on each rails and jumps, the swingweight on it’s superior. These took me again to my comp snowboarding days.” – @curt_
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Try our 2023/2024 Greatest Of Check All-Mountain Skis
