Oft forgotten, it was about time the East Coast got a proper park ski test of its own. So many of us out here spend the majority of our ski lives lapping jumps and metal, so we were stoked to team up with Oberson for this inaugural park ski test. They called us for help putting a crew together, so we fired up the Newschoolers bat signal and got to work. And so in mid-late March of 2022, we found ourselves headed to Bromont with a squad of QC slayers to try out some of the best park sticks for skiing the East.
The NS crew joined 10 heavy-hitting girls and guys from various ski backgrounds. After 2 years of lockdowns, it was also a reunion of sorts, with our crew coming from all over the province catching up for the first time in a long time. The day started out a little slow with clouds hanging low over the park, but the sun eventually came out and many of the gang were calling it the best day of the season. Fair enough, it’s not often you get to roll deep through a private park in Quebec. The riders took full advantage of the opportunity and sent it, despite the fact that they were on unfamiliar skis. We tested 21 ski models from Faction, Armada, K2, and Line across the men’s and women’s categories. The crew killed it all throughout, check out the test video for proof...
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1052678/oberson-x-new-schooler-mp4--1080p--mp4
The day saw a ton of jump trains and more switch-ups than you can count, as well as the mandatory slushy day old school stunts and high fives. At the end of the test, it was tough to pick the best skis because we all had a blast no matter what we were skiing. But after crunching the numbers and looking over tester surveys from each skier, we narrowed it down to 7 top picks. Each ski had its own strengths but we reckon these are the go-to east coast models from the brands in attendance.
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Skinny park skis
If you ski the east, you know that sometimes the conditions aren’t going to be your best friend. Some days, conditions are bulletproof and that’s when you want a skinny park ski. Less impact, quicker edge to edge and at least some chance of gripping on that boilerplate. Our two favorites were:
The ARW 86 is the narrowest of our picks. It’s mostly cambered, with just a smidge of early rise in the tips and tails, meaning it can grip well on ice. And that narrow waist is super quick on rails, between features and edge to edge on groomers. Our tester Gabrielle Mondor loved these skis for that mobility, describing them as “super nimble, awesome on jumps and rails”.
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The Wallisch Pro just sneaks into our narrower skis bracket with a 90mm waist. This is one of the poppiest skis of the test and you’ll notice plenty of support both in front of, and behind the bindings, making it a great choice for bigger features. Isabelle Lacour felt like the ski allowed her to feel confident going bigger than ever. She also loved the stability on jumps.
“The flex and pop on the Wallisch allows you to go bigger. Great stability on rails, even better on jumps.” - Isabelle Lacour
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Mid-fat Park Skis
Stepping up in width, we’d say that waists of 91-99mm are where the majority of pure park skis are going these days. These skis don’t give up too much speed edge to edge compared to their narrower counterparts while providing a smoother, more stable platform. These are the skis that will handle a little more fresh snow too. We loved the:
The ARW 96 is based on the same width of the ARV series, a ski that has become an instant classic. The ARW is super solid on jumps and groomers, but loosens up a little in the nose and tails, making them smooth to butter too.
“I liked the stability I had on the jumps and on the rails, as well as the ski’s flexibility!” - Gabrielle Mondor
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Faction Prodigy 2.0
The Prodigy 2.0 is a lightweight yet surprisingly solid option for both park and all-mountain. It’s 98 underfoot which is certainly all-mountain territory on the east, but it’s so fun in the park that Faction based their redesigned Prodigy 1.0 as more of a full-on park ski, inspired by the shape of the 2.0.
“It has an impressively low swingweight and is very playful. I had a ton of fun pressing the tips and tails, doing manuals and buttering.” - Émile Poirier
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Fat park skis
Once upon a time, a ski over 100mm would have seemed ridiculous anywhere, let alone the East Coast. But wider skis are here to stay, and have found favor with park skiers as well as powder chasers. We love them on rails for the stable platform and for how surfy they feel in the park and all over the mountain. Here are our testers’ top picks for 100mm+.
The Blend is the softest ski on our list and it butters like no other. It’s definitely on the soft side for mixed conditions but on groomers and in the park it excels. Our testers absolutely loved these for spring park laps. They are “party in the tips, business underfoot” as Vincent D’Orsonnens put it. He loved “the combined playfulness that you get from the buttery tips and the stability beneath your boots.”
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The Reckoner 102 is a mid-flex ski. Combine that with the 102mm waist and that gives it plenty of versatility all over the mountain. The tip and tail still soften off significantly, making it great fun for butters and presses, but the underfoot section is pretty solid, providing stability on landings. Ty Ulrich had a ton of fun “boosting cork 3’s in the slush on these skis” and loved buttering off rollers and knolls too.
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Faction Mana 2.0
The Mana 2.0 is also 102mm underfoot but stiffer again. It’s super solid on landings and charging through mixed snow, but it’s also lightweight which makes it easy to throw round on jumps and on and off rails.
“The Mana 2.0 felt like it let me do anything. Whatever trick I tried felt very natural on those skis. It was light enough for technical rail tricks and stable enough for jumps and high-speed shredding” - Eric Chenard
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