Replying to New Palmer P01 TwinTip 2009

Review by S1AM

2008-2009 Palmer P01 Freestyle 179

125-89-117

I had the opportunity to ski these this past weekend at Alta. We had a foot of fresh and I skied them both in the powder (where they pleasantly suprised me) and on the groomed (where they seemed to be truly at home). The ski says "P01 Freestyle". I am not sure what about this is meant to be a freestyle ski, aside from the graphics, but it does rip on the groomed and skis suprisingly well in the powder.

The fit and finish seemed excellant. This ski was pressed clean and tight with great color bleed on the graphics and a very durable topsheet. The graphics are a matter of taste and instead of offering you my opinion, I'll simply post some shots and let you decide if you like what you see. Click on any of the small pictures below for a higher resolution version of the same image.

First, topsheet and base shots:

 Detailed views of the topsheet:

 This is what Palmer are calling a tip (and tail). I, for one, don't miss the oversize "twin" tip on the tail and I think the people following me appreciated the low profile tails as well. The tip works suprisingly well and I didn't miss the extra material one bit:

 The 179 may be just a bit short for me (~200lbs) but if it has a speed limit I didn't find it. This is a very competent, wide-waisted GS ski with new school graphics. Previous reviewers mention the tip; I was worried it would submarine, even on the groomed! Instead it just skimmed along viciously egging me on to turn up the speed dial. The P01 is very damp (especially for a ski with metal), holding a solid edge at suprisingly high speeds. I found myself dragging my hips on the steep groomers and leaving trenches everywhere I went.

It probably wasn't fair to take this easy-turning speed machine into the powder but I just couldn't resist, and the P01 didn't dissapoint. Boot deep snow; no pronblem. Kneee deep drifts; no problem. Just adjust your race stance back a bit when you pop off the groomers and hang on tight, this ski wants to make GS turns even in the deep stuff! I kept worrying that the tip would dive but it just kept slicing through the snow, just below the surface.

In summary this is a high performing, damp, all mountain ski with great edge grip which can be turned quickly. It is also versatile enough to take into the powder if needed and will still handle very easily. The version I skied appeared to be manufactured to a very high standard of quality. The bold design speaks for itself.