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Length: 185
Dimensions: 155/120/140
Mounting Point: -3 from true center (The center mark is actually 2cm back)
Bindings: Fischer X17
Location: Copper
Days skied: 6
When I found out I was getting a pair of Lumberjacks, I can't say it seemed like the ski I wanted to add to my quiver. I was stoked for sure, but I had just gotten rid of my Moment Ghost Chants last season (also a very wide, super rocketed, freestyle pow ski) and replaced them with a sub 110 width pow ski because it would be more versatile. My first wide ski experience was a pair of Line Elizabeths, although not a pow ski at all, at 110 underfoot they had some flat and they were awesome (I still have them sitting behind my bedroom door). From there it went to Surface One Lifes, to the Ghost Chants, and finally to Fatypus M5's. All very unique skis and very obscure from the "traditional" ski". I realized that the Moments were not versatile at all, and although fun in the deep stuff and for ripping around groomers and scaring people in the lift lines, I wanted something that would perform better. So going back to a 120mm underfoot, rockered jibe pow ski, I figured I would be running into the same situation.
I was wrong. First run on them at Copper, hungover as all hell if not still drunk from partying in Breck all night, I was so happy. I'm not saying they carve like a slalom ski or have the stability of an Enforcer, or are even suited for groomed / average terrain at all, but they were a blast and definitely effortless to ski for such a wide ski. The Lumberjack has a tradition shape, no taper in the tip and tail. Even with a 20 meter turn radius in the 185, they initiated the turns immediately and held a decent edge for a pair of logs. There is no camber underfoot so one would think that they would be squirrly as hell, but with a good edge on them they gripped decently. The rocker profile seems very similar in feel to reflect tech from 4frnt, where the rocker profile matches the sidecut. Up on edge there is full edge contact tip to tail, which gives it that initiation and grip over skis with taper / 5 point geometry, as well as the stability you loose from super rockered skis such as the One Lifes and Ghost Chants where even though the sidecut does not taper, the skis do not gain contact past the rocker starting point. Of course there are trade offs, depending on what you want to do. If you are truly jibbing in deep pow, you may benefit from that taper. I did not get a chance nor have I ever had the place to try nose butters and really get jibby in the pow so I cannot say for sure, but I would think having a traditional sidecut may hook up a little more if you are trying to butter around.
The deepest I was able to ski on the Lumberjack was probably about a foot in places. January was great snow wise out in Summit County, but after that I believe our biggest storm was around 8 inches, and that was before it all blew away. So I definitely did not take these into their desired terrain and conditions. They float like crazy, as does any ski this wide.
Playfulness: Very soft in the tip, a little stiffer in the tail but still soft, and medium flex underfoot. Extremely playful. Of course being a park rat, and not having ideal snow conditions to take these where I wanted to on our sub par pow days, I took the Lumberjacks into the park. It's always nice going from a narrow park ski to something absurdly wide in the park, because both are very fun. Easy to press, easy to ollie over and onto features. They are also super smooth on landings. No tip slap or anything; every time I landed it was very quiet which was awesome. If Majesty made a park ski that is 100% identical to the Lumberjack but on a narrower platform (say 25mm narrower on all specs, it would probably be my dream park ski.
Durability: I only skied them 6 times, so they definitely held up better than my Vandal 2.0s. I also wasn't skiing park on them all the time either. No edge cracks or delamination. Two tiny core shots after skiing some dust on jagged rocks. I would have expected more damage out of some skis; I have also skied through similar stuff with hardly a scratch before (I think I may have been lucky at those times). Two cores shots about the size of a pea without any base peeling or separation is great in my book. The bases are definitely hard, and a little stubborn while waxing. The topsheet held up fairly well. There are a few scratches and chips on the edges, but I've certainly had worse. The worst “damage" would be all the scratch marks in the glossy finish of most of the topsheet. The gloss finish looks great to start, but shows EVERYTHING. I personally don't care, but I know a lot of people like their graphics looking like brand new all the time. I think a glossy topsheet from any brand would look the same, definitely not any better. I would not say they are overly heavy for being a big ski. The thin profile which lends a hand in its playfulness definitely helps in the weight category as well.
Overall, I love the Lumberjack. I thought I had passed through my ridiculous wide pow ski phase, but these will not be leaving my quiver. My favorite pow ski up until now was the 4frnt Hoji (current model). Although two different powder skis, they both are a ton of fun. The Hoji will probably be my next pow ski when / if these Lumberjacks ever get worn out, which I don't plan on that happening anytime soon. They fit my riding style very well. I typically like a stiff pow ski (which is one of the reasons I think the Hoji still has a slight edge over the Lumberjack for me) because I am a fast an aggressive skier, and soft pow skis can get scary when charging through chunder and crud. Majesty definitely has skis more comparable to the Hoji. I would recommend the Lumberjack to someone looking for a soft, jibby pow ski. If playing around in the pow and getting into some trees is your thing over charging, the Lumberjack would be a good fit.
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