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The Hill Bill is a jibby pow ski which is clearly designed with European snow/conditions in mind. I didn't get to ski an epic deep day on these. But I did get in to some leftover deep pockets where I could test the float, some really crappy snow to charge through and general daily skiing.
The ski has a 5 point shape with a slightly narrower and lower height tail than the tip. There is generous tip and tail rocker with a bit of camber just under the binding region. But while the rocker is pretty long, it's not too extreme and there is no 'tip' or 'tail' to speak of just a continuous rise. It's not a 'banana ski' like a Hellbent or even a Bentchetler, it's more like a surfboard shape and it cuts through the snow brilliantly.
Which is good because in Europe we so rarely get blower days. The Hill Bill would I'm sure, handle blower brilliantly but it doesn't feel uncomfortable in a variety of conditions the Alps tend to throw up. It's damp and just about stiff enough to feel solid/predictable charging around, even in cruddy snow but you can still flex them in to butters. What they do better than other pow skis I've skied until now is handle the heavy sludgy snow almost as well as the softer stuff. They ski pretty nicely on groomed as well with a 19m radius which is short enough to play around but long enough to be comfortable carving normal turns.
They aren't a light ski but fairly normal for the size at around 2.2kg per ski in a 180cm. I skied them at -1cm from true and they were nice and pivoty. The swingweight is ok too for a fat ski. But it's clear that durability is a focus for Amplid here not weight, and their skis do feel fantastically well made. Thankfully, I didn't test the stomp guard tech, but the overwhelming feeling you get from the skis is 'solid'. That said, I do think something could be done to reduce the weight a little, perhaps 3/4 wrap edges/something to lighten the tips and make them feel a little more comfortable in the air for lesser mortals/smaller people like myself. If I were being super picky, I might also give the tail equal height to the tip for my personal jibbing uses but that would reduce it's versatility so maybe not.
I essentially liked these skis a lot, they are one of my favourite super fat skis I've ridden. They are probably a bit wide for my personal requirements, given that I only weigh 140lbs and tend not to luck out on too many epic days. But if I had to choose a big day ski these would be right up there with the Bentchetler as my top picks. The big difference between the two is I think I feel more comfortable jibbing on the 'chetler, but enjoy ripping turns and drops more on the Hill Bill. I'd take the 'chetler in fluffy snow, but the Hill Bill on heavier days. Both can do all these things well, it's just a matter of your point of compromise.
I'd definitely recommend these as a pow ski to anyone skiing a range of conditions. If you're in Europe and you aren't just a backcountry jump skier, I'd say these are the number one choice from what I've skied. It might be slightly easier to land your switch tricks on other skis out there but for ripping around, doing some jibbing, dropping some cliffs and generally skiing the whole mountain after a snow fall, these are a fantastic choice.
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