Line Sir Francis Bacon 2007

Overall

Line and Eric did a great job with this ski. If you're looking for a fun, playful ski that you can take everywhere I definitley recommend it. If you're more into straightlining chutes and skiing open bowls this ski isn't for you.

Performance

I am very excited about this ski. I live in the east, so buying a ski like this without even trying it is definitley a risky thing. Despite the 115mm waist, this ski performs well in almost all conditions. It actually handles ice better than some of my thinner waisted skis. I think this ski performs well for me just because the ski reflects the type of skiing I enjoy. Short, quick turns. Using all features of the mountain, not just staying in the park, and not just staying on the groomers. Oh, and skiing switch with these skis is unreal. So easy, I feel like I'm cheating. I'm not that great at skiing switch, but on easier trails its a breeze to carve switch all the way down.

Design

I like the graphic of this ski. It may not be the brightest or most flashy but it's pretty classy. It's basically a collage of all of Eric's photography.

Value

I bought this used, with bindings for like 550$ or something like that. Kind of a lot of money for me, but I definitley think it's worth it. This ski is everything I expected and I really enjoy skiing it.

Fit

The ski comes in only one size, 182. For what the ski is designed for, I think this is the perfect size. I'm 6'3'' and I wouldn't mind if the ski was a bit longer, but it doesn't seem to bother me. For a soft, fun, playful jib ski I think thisAl is a great length. Even if your a smaller dude, don't be intimidated by the size. The forgiving flex pattern makes this ski very versatile, and you'll be skiing it. The ski won't be skiing you. Also, I enjoy taking this ski into the park. When I'm not in the park, I'm usually just messing around with it and making quick, short radius turns. The length of this ski makes it very easy to just throw it arond.

Characteristics

This ski is realtively soft. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the softest, I'd give it a 7-8. This ski gets fairly softer the more you ski it. The flex pattern makes the ski very fun and versatile in many different conditions. If your less than 180 pounds, you'll have tons of fun on this ski. If your a bigger guy, this ski might seem a little too soft. But, it all depends on the type of skiing you will be doing with this ski.

Durability

So far so good. A couple gashes on the bases but it's been through a lot of abuse. Edges are fine. I never hit any rails with these skis so there pretty mint. Topsheets aren't bad. Since of the skis waist, the skis hit against eachother a ton. Makes for some nice little gashes on the sidewalls. Nothing some epoxy can't fix!

• Terrain
  Park
  Pow
• Design
  Clean
  Busy
• Durability
  Fragile
  Durable
• Weight
  Light
  Heavy
• Style
  Uncool
  Cool
• Flex
  Soft
  Stiff
• Camber
  Cambered
  Rockered
• Pop
  No Pop
  Poppy
• Stability
  Jittery
  Stable

Overall

Really fun skis for the all mountain ripper who is wanting to play around everywhere.

Would be perfect, but the flex prevents them from bulldozing through really chopped up snow at high speeds, so they can flop around. But otherwise, perfect.

I might add that they do backflips well.

Performance

I had looked at them for a couple of years, and have always assumed that they were too soft for an everyday and pow ski for me. However, after demo-ing them this year and being offered a deal, my mind completely changed.

They are great for charging through powder, and rule crud, as the dimensions are fairly generous. I like to float on top, and these are perfect for that, as they surf on all but the lightest snow. The added girth allows for awesome possibilities like fakie landings and takeoffs on cliffs, which are really fun after doing everything forward forever. You can look at things completely differently with the possibly of fakie pow.

These are really lively skis. Super snappy, with a lot of pop. The difference was really noticeable when I demoed a pair of EHPs the other day,which are a bit more boardy and stiff. This means they flop around a bit at really high speeds through chopped up snow, but the trade off is worth it for powder and buttering.

Surprisingly, these things rail groomers. The more you lean, the harder you turn, and I now understand why people can just ski around on groomers when they are 80 and enjoy it.

These spin really well. Lots of fun in the park, and they haven't held me back at all. Granted, I am a really slow spinner, and rarely go past 5, so that should be taken into account. I don't know about their rail capabilities, but I wouldn't use them for that.



Design

Some specs:
Sidecut: 142-115-139
Turn Radius:18 m
Mounting point: Mine are at 1" back from True center

These skis have lots of cool design features.

They are normal camber, and feature a sidecut with early taper. This means that they have the widest point further towards the center of the ski, meaning that the contact points on hard snow are closer in. This makes the ski have less edge on hard snow and more in soft snow, so they are more nimble on groomers and hard snow, which is really nice. I had early taper on my P4s, and am really glad that this have it too.

Graphics are pretty cool, and I like them pretty well. In the product video on the Line sight, Pollard explains what he put into the topsheet collage, which is neat.
I am more of a fan of the first years graphics, but this years aren't bad. One of my favorite parts about these skis are the bases, they are so distinctive and show up really well on film or video.

Sidewall construction makes for a better ski than cap in my experience, despite the added topsheet chips that occur. The sidewalls seem a little soft, and have some dings in them, but just cosmetic.

The bases and edges have held up well to skiing over the occasional rock or stump. The extra thickness is nice to have, as it takes a lot more to get a core shot. I also favor die-cut bases over clear, as they take in wax better in my experience.


Value

I refuse to buy skis at full retail prices, but yes, these are worth it.

Fit

Perfect for me. The 182 length (the only length made) is long enough to provide stability at speed, but still short enough to allow for buttering around, spinning relatively quickly, and charging through tight trees.

Characteristics

Fairly soft flex pattern, a bit moreso than my Scott P4s (which were my previous pow ski). The flex appears to be the same in the tip and tail, and is definitely a little stiffer than the Elizabeth.

Durability

Very wells so far. Some topsheet, sidewall, and base dings, but nothing that I wouldn't expect.

• Terrain
  Park
  Pow
• Design
  Clean
  Busy
• Durability
  Fragile
  Durable
• Weight
  Light
  Heavy
• Style
  Uncool
  Cool
• Flex
  Soft
  Stiff
• Camber
  Cambered
  Rockered
• Pop
  No Pop
  Poppy
• Stability
  Jittery
  Stable

Overall

Basically with these skis, what you see is what you get. If you like a fun, flexy, poppy ski for jibbing natural features and bouncing around in pow, these are the skis for you. If you go 100mph all the time and love to bash your knees up in the bumps, do not buy these skis. Service has been great, and I love these skis. If you are a reasonably tall guy, and just want to have fun when you go skiing, give the bacons a chance. I rated these a 9/10 because for what they are meant for they excell in.

Performance

I skied these for a week at vail last spring break and I must say I love these skis. THey are amazing in powder. Lets get that out there. They are unreal switch, these things are seriously incredible. Gotta give eric credit for a designing a pow ski that performs when you want to ski backwards. That said, these are not for an old fashioned skier or someone who wants to rip lines and go as fast as they can all the time. THey are for guys like me who like to take their time in the pow, exploring natural features, buttering and popping around windlips and in the trees. If your skiiing is based around having fun, this is a great ski for you.

*These skis are NOT for moguls, if you plan on going into the bumps at all dont buy these skis. Performance in moguls is not good, but I expected that with the width and shape of these skis. who likes moguls anyways?*

Design

I am a huge fan of the topsheet on this years Sir Francis Bacons. It is a medley of eric pollards art and photos and it creates a very cool abstract look dominated mostly by shades of grey and black. The bacons are pretty light, I mounted them with z12's at recommended and am very happy with that setup.

Value

I think these skis are reasonably priced. They retail for $600, which is about what I paid for them february last year, so im sure you can find some deals out there on these skis. I couldnt be happier with them, got exactly what I expected out of them and am glad I bought a pair when I did.

Fit

The Sir Francis Bacon's come in one size, a 182 length with dimensions of 142-115-139. Believe it or not, this is actually my all mountain ski. They length is perfect for my tall 6'2" frame and the width is great for almost everything. Amazing in powder, I also found the Bacons to shine carving down groomers and making quick turns in the trees. The sidecut enables you to make super short radius turns even with the rather large 115mm base.

Characteristics

The flex on these things is very soft. Not as soft as the EP Pros, but still very soft. The flex is very condusive to bouncy turns in the pow, buttering everything, and popping off natural features.

Durability

I have only put a week on these skis, but they look brand new. No sign of delam, which I know everyone is freaking out about with Line. Very little topsheet damage, and the bases and edges are perfect.

• Terrain
  Park
  Pow
• Design
  Clean
  Busy
• Durability
  Fragile
  Durable
• Weight
  Light
  Heavy
• Style
  Uncool
  Cool
• Flex
  Soft
  Stiff
• Camber
  Cambered
  Rockered
• Pop
  No Pop
  Poppy
• Stability
  Jittery
  Stable