Anyone else ever heard of these?
I know I hadn't. But when I passed their demo tent at Big Sky this past week, far be it for me to resist giving them a try.
White Dot is a small European company with limited distribution, so it's no surprise if they don't sound familiar. The skis are hand-crafted in Poland, and the company says they're made in pairs, which they claim ensures better performance. The company prides itself on its green construction. The skis' cores are poplar/ash, which they say come from sustainable forests; the off-cuts from the cores are used to heat the factory, and the off-cuts from the fiberglass are added to building cement. White Dot offers five different models, each featuring a different background color and white dots. (hence the name White Dots, get it? ). These are unisex skis; there are no women's or men's models.
I tried "The One," their all mountain freestyle ski (they're orange), and "The Director," a rockered all mountain ski (purple).
Conditions that day: we'd had about 6 inches of fresh, fluffy powder. Really nice.
The One comes in 3 sizes -- 166, 173, and 180. Mine were the 166, with a turning radius of 16m. The dimensions: 119/89/113. The One has minimal camber and a slight rise in the tips and tail. The tip is also oddly squared off; the literature says that's for tip grabs in the park (not for me).
I liked 'em. Took them in the trees and found them easy to turn in the bumps-- not too grabby, yet fun to ski on the groomers, too, and easy to maneuver through the fluffy stuff.
Then I tried "The Director." This comes in three sizes, too: 168, 178, and 188. They have a 'five-point' design: 117-121/107/111-107, with a sidecut under foot with a rockered tip and tail that tapers away. I immediately felt unstable -- maybe I'm just not used to a ski with no camber. And though I didn't really like them in the trees/bumps, they're great in the powder; they positively float.
Anyone else ever try these? I'd be interested in your impressions.
I know I hadn't. But when I passed their demo tent at Big Sky this past week, far be it for me to resist giving them a try.
White Dot is a small European company with limited distribution, so it's no surprise if they don't sound familiar. The skis are hand-crafted in Poland, and the company says they're made in pairs, which they claim ensures better performance. The company prides itself on its green construction. The skis' cores are poplar/ash, which they say come from sustainable forests; the off-cuts from the cores are used to heat the factory, and the off-cuts from the fiberglass are added to building cement. White Dot offers five different models, each featuring a different background color and white dots. (hence the name White Dots, get it? ). These are unisex skis; there are no women's or men's models.
I tried "The One," their all mountain freestyle ski (they're orange), and "The Director," a rockered all mountain ski (purple).
Conditions that day: we'd had about 6 inches of fresh, fluffy powder. Really nice.
The One comes in 3 sizes -- 166, 173, and 180. Mine were the 166, with a turning radius of 16m. The dimensions: 119/89/113. The One has minimal camber and a slight rise in the tips and tail. The tip is also oddly squared off; the literature says that's for tip grabs in the park (not for me).
I liked 'em. Took them in the trees and found them easy to turn in the bumps-- not too grabby, yet fun to ski on the groomers, too, and easy to maneuver through the fluffy stuff.
Then I tried "The Director." This comes in three sizes, too: 168, 178, and 188. They have a 'five-point' design: 117-121/107/111-107, with a sidecut under foot with a rockered tip and tail that tapers away. I immediately felt unstable -- maybe I'm just not used to a ski with no camber. And though I didn't really like them in the trees/bumps, they're great in the powder; they positively float.
Anyone else ever try these? I'd be interested in your impressions.