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2020 Commencal Clash

Belgiangirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Last weekend there was a Commencal demo day here in Serre Chevalier. Commencal is a French bicycle company who started selling Faction rebranded skis in 2019, now releasing their own model, the Clash, for 2020.

Some information about the Clash: it's a unisex all-mountain ski, with lengths ranging from 170cm to 188cm. Dimensions vary between lengths, from 130-99-116 in a 170cm to 141-108-127 in a 188cm. It has quite a bit of tip and tail rocker, 5mm of camber and a dual radius ranging from 17.2/21.2m in a 170cm to 18.4/22.4m in a 188cm. The 170cm model weighs 1670 grams per ski. Other notable features are a 100% poplar core and a ptex 6000 base.

Also worth mentioning, they have a pretty, minimalist top sheet, available in light and dark grey :becky: Demoing was free so I took out the 170cm model. I'm 5'4, about 125lbs and an advanced skier, for reference.

There was rain in the forecast, so we headed up the mountain to look for some leftover powder before things would take a turn for the worse. One of the first things I noticed was the similarities between the Clash and my daily driver Volkl Auras. They both feel very stable on groomers, like to be driven and go fast and have a similar turning radius. I thought that was pretty remarkable, since the Clash doesn't have any metal in it. In my experience, it had a bit more energy and a slightly more playful feel on groomers. The Clash also felt a bit more balanced when taking small jumps.

This model is marketed by Commencal as a 'fun and efficient backcountry ski' and it's easy to tell this was the goal once you take it into some soft snow. For me, it provided enough float and a surfy feeling, but still had enough stability to handle the occasional patch of 'bad' snow. I like to make medium to big turns, but could also make short turns or come to a quick stop if needed.

After that it started to rain :frown: We skied some heavy chopped up snow on our way back, the first time that day that I wished I had my Auras instead of the Clash. The tips seemed a bit hooky in this kind of snow and I had to adopt a more cautious skiing style to make it down the run.

Once back on the groomers, it handled the rained out mushy snow like a champ, plowing through the soft piles. They had great edge hold and were fun to carve on.

Overall, I think this could be a great all-mountain ski for intermediate to advanced skiers, looking for a stable ride without compromising too much on the fun factor. To me, they felt narrower than they actually are on groomers but still gave the float you'd expect from a +-100mm ski in soft snow. But perhaps the biggest surprise was finding out they sell them for 350€/350$ on the company's website. I'm not looking to buy another pair of skis right now, but if I were, this one would definitely be on my radar. :ski2:
 

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