Ski: Vishnu Key

Reviewer height/weight: 5'10" 180lb

Stated ski weight: 1750g

Length skied: 180cm

Dimensions:128/95/118

Mounted: Team Recommended (-1cm)

Bindings: Pivot 14

Locations: Maine, Sunshine Village

Conditions Skied: Every imaginable condition

Days Skied: ~80

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Intro

The Key was a new ski for the 21/22 season and was designed for Vishnu swerve lords who hit jumps sometimes (AKA Me). For the 2022-2023 season, I decided to give them a try. I even bought them with my own $ (thanks Newschoolers) so this is a totally unbiased look at these newer Vishnu whips.

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Shape/Flex/Construction:

Note: These photos were taken after the end of the season (Please ignore the condition of the bases, I know)

Fresh out of the box the Key has a fairly cambered tail and a more rockered nose with the sidewall running the whole length of the ski. This is Vishnu's first non-symmetrical ski with the mount point being -1 from true center. The added camber on the tail adds stability on larger jump landings and helps prevent the ski from washing out. It's a very similar shape to an Armada Edollo with a slightly narrower waist and a more pointy tip and tail.

The skis have a stated stiffness of 7/10 and I'd say that's accurate right out of the box. Throughout my time riding them they softened off and changed shape considerably. The ski is softer underfoot than it is in the tip and tails. I say it felt like a 7-5-7 right out of the box.

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On Snow:

Tldr: This ski is a proper park ski and is designed to handle the park better than the rest of the mountain. It's also very light and feels like it has virtually no swing weight. I skied this ski for around 65-75 percent of my days on hill.

I skied these on every snow condition imaginable. From slushy laps in the rain, dry powder in the Rockies and heavy wet snow on the East Coast mixed in with some ice, these skis have seen it all.

Out of the box, these skied 'the whole mountain' way better than I thought they would. While they were nothing special they were able to carve fairly well even when detuned due to that extra bit of camber. Early on in my skis life it definitely gave more energy from my turns, but as it softened off it became less inspiring. Around the rest of the mountain, the ski was a blast, once again it wasn't necessarily the best for anything but it could get the job done. It was great for jibbing around in the trees and the more open faces Sunshine Village has to offer. At higher speeds, it could certainly get a bit chattery but that's expected from a ski this light and soft. (Side note, I did my CSIA level one exam on these skis)

In powder, they floated well enough given the size and the more rockered nose helped keep the tips from diving along with the non true-center mount point. When the snow got tracked out they struggled to blast through the crud due to their weight, but if you're a person that prefers to hop from snow patch to snow patch they're a lot of fun for that style of skiing. On ice, they skied exactly how you'd expect for a detuned, soft ski, you're going for a ride.

I did get the chance to ski some real terrain on this ski and it wasn't ideal for that. I started to feel a little spooked on these in Delirium Dive and the southside chutes at Sunshine, but that's not at all what the ski was built for. (I do not recommend trying this)

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Park/Jibbing:

Vishnu is a park/ street skiing brand and they make skis for that purpose, so how did the Key perform in the park?

They created a fantastic blend of stability and playfulness, the added camber in the tail kept it a bit more stable on landings of larger jumps, and the rapidly growing rocker in the nose added a fun bit of looseness. As the ski broke in the noses really softened off making them lovely to butter. You could really lean into the noses and press into a butter/ nose press. They didn't really pop you super hard out of the butters but you could definitely sit in them. (This was the only butter clip I had from this season):

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1072983/VID-137910318-132259-726-3-mp4

Swingweight on these skis was incredibly low to the point where when I would switch back to them after a day or two on my Jeffery 108s they felt like I had nothing on my feet. They were really snappy and allowed me to 2 on to any rail I pleased because of how quick they were. They were also a dream for little spins off of random sidehits around the mountain.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1072985/20230304-133736-2-mp4

While they are marketed as a jump ski I think they really excel on rails. The low swingweight makes swaps and spinning quick and the 95mm waist keeps them responsive. They're also pretty great for 5050 on tubes. They had just enough rocker to swivel into a switch 5050 and then lock into the tube.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1072986/3X6A6154-2--1--mp4

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Durability

When it comes to words to describe Vishnu durable is high up on many people's lists and my experience only echoes that sentiment. Over the 80 or so days these skis were put through quite a lot, including countless rail laps, grass and dirt bombs, landing on rocks and running into trees. It took around 30 days before my first couple edge cracks and by the end of the season I ended with about 14 or so and a couple inches of missing edge. There was no sidewall damage and the ski is fully skiable for the forseable future. The topsheet held up phenomenally only having a few chunks taken out of them, only getting scratched on the shuttle too and from the hill. I did lose one tip protector earlier in my season but it was during an extreme cold spell. I filled in the gap with epoxy and it's still mostly holding up.

One thing that isn't really durability but is something to consider is how much the ski softens up. I definitely found the nose to be lacking in stability towards the middle and end of the season. It was fun to ski but made it difficult to hold onto those more nose heavy forward landings.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1072987/Snapchat-87124385-mp4

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Comparisons:

vs K2 Reckoner 102

The Reckoner 102 is another playful park ski with some stability but it accomplishes it in a different way. It has very soft tips and tails that progressively get stiffer forming a very supportive base underfoot. The keys have a stiffer nose and tail while being softer underfoot. Overall the key is a lighter, more stable and more energetic ski than the Reckoner but it lacks the dampness a K2 ski can provide. The Reckoner is an all around more surfy ride and does incredibly well in some soft snow. I would say if you're just looking for a fun park ski the key is for you, but if you're looking for something a bit closer to 5050 park and all mountain the Reckoner might be a better fit.

(My keys are still skiable after appox. 80 days and I went through 2 pairs of reckoners in a season. The first pair lasted 25 days or so and the second pair lasted about a week before exploding)

vs RMU Apostle 98

This seem like a weird comparison to the key. The Apostle 98 has a similar direction rocker profile with a decent amount in the noses and a fairly cambered tail, but it is stiffer throughout the whole ski. On snow they feel really similar to fresh out of the box keys and maintain that felling throughout their entire life rather than softening off. They are shaped more like an all mountain ski and perform better all mountain than the key did. The performance on jumps was also better due to the stiffness but that comes at a cost of playfulness. The Apostle can butter but you really have to throw your weight into it. If you like a stiffer ski and want the added versatility the Apostle might be a great option for you, but overall the key was a lot more fun.

(My keys are still skiable after appox. 80 days and my apostles died after approx. 25 but I did run into a railstand so it was sort of my fault)

Conclusion:

The Key is a wicked fun ski for a skier who wants a light, snappy ski that can hold up on jumps. While it's not the full-on jump ski that it's advertised as it's a great take on one for a jibbier skier (Vishnu's target audience). I had a lot of fun with it and it really suited my style. I would recommend it to you if you're a person who has been riding mid-flexing skis and want something a little more playful and softer or a person who loves softer skis and wants a little bit of extra stability. Fun was the best word to describe this ski, whether it was on a park bench, Sunshine Villages XL line, or Lost Valleys small early-season park setup in the rain.

Bottom line, If you think you might possibly want Keys, buy them.

Thanks for reading my review, It was the first one I've ever tried writing and I'm open to any sort of feedback or questions!