Line Skis Chronic 2021 Review

Specs and Tech:

The Line Chronic sports a 95mm waist, early taper, and generous camber running most of the length of the ski with very mellow, early rise tips/tails. Both the tip and tail splay are markedly low, and the tip/tail angle is as well. Weighted, the entire ski is very close to flat. It also has a short turn radius, at 16m.

It’s not soft like the Blend or an EDollo, but softer than the ARV 96 for sure. Using my arbitrary five-part flex scale, I’d call the flex 4.5-5-6.5-5-4.5, though the camber underfoot makes the midsection feel stiffer than that on snow.

On-snow and park review

Simply put, the new Chronic is a super fun all-mountain ski. The short turn radius and flex combine to make them very intuitive and easy to ski, and they handle hardpacked groomers amazingly well for what are, after all, fairly soft skis. In fact, I would say these are the best performing jib ski I’ve tried for mobbing round the resort on groomed snow. In my mind, they even surpass the K2 Poacher, thanks to being easier to ski at lower speeds and quicker in tight spaces.

If there’s one characteristic that defines the new Chronic, it’s POP. Because of the insane pop these things generate, courtesy of the generous camber and large flat surface area in the tips and tails.

In the air, they feel light, despite being on the longer side of what I’d ride, and the fairly long cambered length/minimal rocker provides good stability on landings too. That makes them, in my opinion, a decent jump ski.

On rails, they are fun for spinning, but on 5050s (two feet) and surface swaps, they don’t feel particularly comfortable, precisely because they have quite a lot of camber. The lightweight feel makes ‘quick’ tricks like sniper and knuckle taps seem easier than many skis, though not quite as easy as the Honey Badgers, which feel like they aren’t even there.

Durability

Line sometimes take a bashing on Newschoolers for their durability but in general, I have found their higher end park skis (Chronic/Blend) to be just as durable as comparable skis from most brands. Line use a 2.2mm x 2.5mm edge and a 1.7mm base which is significantly larger than most brands. The Tuff Top held up better than any topsheet I’ve tried.

Click here to read our full review of the 2021 Line Chronic | The Roofbox Reviews

972090

With over a decade in the game the preeminent freestyle ski returns. With a slightly wider footprint, and a reimagined rocker and flex pattern, the Chronic take on the whole mountain as well as the park. Jib, arc, and blast, it's the Chronic, yo.

LJ Strenio on The Chronic