Line Blade

Here’s something sort of new.

Line claim the Blade is their piste ski, but we figure that’s because it isn’t park or freeride-oriented and where else is there to ski? With a 95mm platform underfoot and the fun-loving flex of a powder ski, it’s not like any pure piste machine we know.

It is striking, interesting and reminds us very slightly of Salomon’s left-field BBR – all nose and skinny tail. But it’s more interesting, simply because the construction involves a radically cut titanal layer with directional arrows sliced from the sheet, a vast nose, swallowtail and multi-radius sidecut. It also feels flexier along its length compared with everything else here bar the Head Kore, but torsionally pretty stiff given the width.

Hardpack proves it’s no trad piste ski, but it does crank a mean turn and get very whippy when you throw yourself about – the Blade loves being played with and responds to an energetic input, certainly from a heavier skier.

Lighter riders had a different experience – they reckoned the Blade simply needed to be thrown into a turn for sharp razor-esque edge engagement.

“I followed Amy on a pair of the Blade Ws and she was pretty well flat across the snow through the turns,” Dickie revealed.

No-one was following him but he was certainly flat on the snow a couple of times, judging by the snow in his goggles… “It’s a bonkers carving device, though it liked a bit of bite to the surface to generate full grip – very hard snow got a bit skittery,” he reckoned.

When it did go, the ski released very predictably and tail first.

The Blade is different, huge fun and will give skiers a load to play with on pistes that otherwise could be a tad tedious. Maybe the perfect liven-upper?

Brand:

Line

Model:

Line Blade

RRP:

£600

Width:

95mm

Lengths

169, 176, 181

Radius

"Tight"

Dimensions

154-95-124

Weight per ski

2050g @ 176