An in-depth look at Line's Tom Wallisch Pro for 2023, with ski specs and full review. We skied the 2021 Wallisch Pro which is unchanged for 2022 & 2023, except for graphics.

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Ski: Line Tom Wallisch Pro 2021

Length skied: 178

Actual length (Tip-tail w/ straight tape): 177.5cm

Shape: 118-90-116

Measured weight (each ski): 1794/1776g

Mount: True Center

Binding: Tyrolia Attack2 16

Days skied: 10

Reviewer height/weight: 5'9, 135lbs

Review location(s): Saas-Fee, Chamonix (for some reason).

Conditions skied: Park, Mini-shred, Sidecountry

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Since the reinvention of the Chronic moved it into all-mountain ski territory, the Tom Wallisch Pro has been Line’s flagship park ski. Previously unchanged since its introduction, the pretzel man’s pro-ski has a new shape for this season. Tom P loved the original TWall pro, but I found it a bit uninspiring. It did most things well, and it was poppy/light, but it never really impressed me for anything. As with the Line Blend, the changes are subtle, on paper at least. So it was interesting to see how little things can make a big difference because I was super impressed by the new Wallisch Pro.

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Shape/Flex/Construction:

The footprint of the new Line Tom Wallisch Pro is very similar to the previous model. The tips/tails are more squared off and it gains 1mm in the tip and 4mm in the tail, but underfoot width remains at 90mm. That’s a pretty traditional width for a hard-snow focused park ski these days and it suits the ski well. The effect of the wider contact points is a slightly tighter turn radius.

The rocker splay remains relatively similar, although the profile of that rocker does change. The rocker on the new Wallisch pro is longer and less steep, than its predecessor. The cambered underfoot section is, therefore, shorter than on the old ski.

The construction is the same trademark Line build as the last ski too: Maple macroblock core, fatty base and edge, with a heavy-duty matt topsheet. The flex has changed though. The previous Wallisch was stiff underfoot with a softer tip/tail. The flex of the new model is smoother, starting pretty solid underfoot, and then softening slightly through the ski, but with no obvious hinge point.

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On-Snow:

The Wallisch is not the kind of ski I normally enjoy. I don’t usually ride skis under 96mm and when I do, they are super rockered like the Magnus or Vishnu Wet. However, there is a major plus side to a more traditional park ski... they hold an edge like a champ. The rocker makes turn initiation and exit really smooth and these are so much fun to rip around on groomers. I found myself hitting turn angles both forward and switch that I am very much not used to, which was a lot of fun. The flex is stiff enough that they don’t wash out, but they aren’t rigid, so you can flex into them a bit. They also have a great compromise between dampness and poppiness. They are a pretty energetic ski, but not so much so that it’s too much energy out of the turn. I really enjoyed these on hard snow and would definitely recommend them as a solid groomer performer (for a park ski, obviously).

I actually ended up skiing a day of lines on these in Chamonix, for which they were obviously not ideal, but surprisingly ok. Where the snow was hard and choppy, they had a decent amount of power behind them and didn’t deflect too much. As soon as things got to heavier, deeper snow, they struggled compared to what I’m used to. They don’t float like a fat ski, or even a Magnus/Faction Prodigy 1.0, but out East, these would do a decent job as an all-mountain ski too and provide far superior hold in icy conditions than any of the more rockered park offerings that abound today.

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Sketchy covid-shutdown backyard fun. I didn't get as much mountain time on these as I'd have liked, but they were still fun for this kind of stunting.

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Park/Jibbing:

At the end of the day the Wallisch Pro really is designed to be a pure park ski, so I kept the above section brief. It’s much more of a jump/slopestyle oriented ski than I’m used to too, but what impressed me the most was how good it is on jumps, while still retaining an element of fun about it. Skis like the Völkl Revolt 87 (Völkl Wall), Salomon NFX, etc are great for going big and being stable, but they really don’t offer anything at all when it comes to playfulness. The Tom Wallisch Pro still feels 90% as stable as those skis on landings, but you can still play around. I found that with a little more force than I’m used to, I could butter pretty well on them. It was too stiff to land in presses and butters but provided a ton of pop when buttering off lips etc. I did a couple of nosebutter 7s off a hip in the Saas-Fee park just before it closed, and that’s the first time I’ve done that trick in years. They were a bit stiff for me to really press out butters. I think that came from the fact that the ski really wanted to rebound rather than stay in shape once flexed. The rocker is enough to butter comfortably but not enough to compensate entirely for the stiff flex, whereas the Magnus is probably a similar flex (at least older models were), but so rockered that didn’t matter.

The swingweight is decently low, though not remarkably so for a ski of the size. I’d call them pretty average for a 90mm underfoot park ski. I had no issue spinning them but didn’t feel them to be notably light either. They absolutely crush jumps though. In fact, I’d probably go as far as to say they are my favorite jump ski of all time. For me what did it was the turn radius felt perfect carving off the lip, and the pop felt exactly right to get the ski on any axis you wanted. Of course, you can learn any ski, but these felt intuitive right from the start. I only got about 3 days in the proper park before covid-19 shut the lifts but I was better on jumps than I had been in literally years.

On rails, they are on the stiff side for presses but not so cambered as to make them difficult. They are on the narrow side for 5050s but the lack of taper and narrow does mean you can pinch your skis good and close together. They wouldn’t be the ski I’d choose for ‘next generation’ rail tricks but they also aren’t the worst. I really enjoyed the energy of the ski when popping on to rails too. In all, they are a great all-round park ski, with a preference for jumps/going big. But they still have enough playfulness to be fairly fun at lower speeds.

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Durability:

Covid-19 limited my park days on these skis significantly, so the durability didn’t get the best test. I have no edge cracks and no other damage but that isn’t surprising. The skis do feel super solid though, so if I were to gamble, I’d say these feel like they would hold up like champs. They feature fatty base and edge, as well as Lines impressive matt topsheets, which I think are the best I’ve tried at holding up to topsheet damage. The solid smooth flex with no real hinge point also suggests they will be durable because there is no obvious snapping point.

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Conclusion:

Park ski reviews, especially those in the 80-92mm width, are often a little shorter than others because the skis have less facets. Sure, you CAN ski them for other things but they basically only perform well on groomers and in the park. The same is true of the Wallisch Pro. It’s designed for the park and that’s where it crushes. It feels well built and it’s a big upgrade on the previous ski in my eyes. It’s better on jumps, better on groomers, and probably more comfortable to play around as well. In fact, despite it not really being my kind of ski, I think that objectively speaking, the Line Wallisch Pro is one of the best skis I’ve tried in a long time. I enjoyed it far more than the Blend (which is much more my kind of ski) and for me, it surpasses the K2 Poacher as the park ski I’d choose for going big. It has almost all the benefits of a full-camber comp ski, but remains far, far more versatile. They are still fairly fun to butter around, play with transitions, etc. And of course, they are quick edge to edge for technical tricks and stable on landings. As an all-round park ski for someone who likes to get sendy, these are the pick of the bunch for me.

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