- Joined
- Mar 5, 2017
- Posts
- 1,202
Philpug: I have owned every generation of Bonafide since it was introduced; each had its own, slightly different personality, but the all-new Bonafide 97 is a complete departure. Only two things carry over from previous Bonafides: the name, and ... well, that's one thing. Construction, length, scaled widths, all of that is new. This ski is the most "all new" that you can call a ski while keeping its name.
With Flipcore, Blizzard took a marketing approach to a new core design, but with the new Bonafide, the construction is much more size-specific, with different wood stringers set up for different lengths in order to scale the flex. It is a great concept if you get it right, but if you are wrong, it can go waaay wrong. This is one of the few skis I skied in multiple sizes. A 180 Bonafide was always dead-on for me, so would I want the 177 or the 183? Since I had the opportunity, I skied both. I tried the 183; well, I should have tried the 177 first. The 183 felt like a truck, big and cumbersome. I don’t think even my old 25-lb-heavier self would have liked it. The 177 felt better, but still not like my old Bonafide. It is so new, they probably should have renamed it. It is a different ski; the apple has fallen far from the tree.
With all of that said, all-new is not all-bad. As you can see, the Bonafide 97 still gets a Tester's Choice because it is still a really good ski. The 97 is much more of a charger and has a higher point of entry than the older models. That is fine, you just need to know what to expect.
With Flipcore, Blizzard took a marketing approach to a new core design, but with the new Bonafide, the construction is much more size-specific, with different wood stringers set up for different lengths in order to scale the flex. It is a great concept if you get it right, but if you are wrong, it can go waaay wrong. This is one of the few skis I skied in multiple sizes. A 180 Bonafide was always dead-on for me, so would I want the 177 or the 183? Since I had the opportunity, I skied both. I tried the 183; well, I should have tried the 177 first. The 183 felt like a truck, big and cumbersome. I don’t think even my old 25-lb-heavier self would have liked it. The 177 felt better, but still not like my old Bonafide. It is so new, they probably should have renamed it. It is a different ski; the apple has fallen far from the tree.
With all of that said, all-new is not all-bad. As you can see, the Bonafide 97 still gets a Tester's Choice because it is still a really good ski. The 97 is much more of a charger and has a higher point of entry than the older models. That is fine, you just need to know what to expect.
- Insider tip: If you were between sizes on the old model, you will be happy. If you hit the old sizes right, you won’t be.
- Awards
- Who is it for?
- Chargers. This Bonafide is bull-worthy.
- Who is it not for?
- Those who loved the outgoing model might want to stock up.
- Skier ability
-
- Advanced
- Expert
- Ski category
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- All Mountain
- Ski attributes
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- Moguls
- Off Piste
- Trees
- Segment
-
- Men
Specifications
- Available sizes
- 165, 171, 177, 183, 189
- Dimensions
- 136.5-97-118.5
- Radius
- 17m@177cm
- Rocker profile
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- Camber with tip and tail rocker
- Construction design
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- All new
- Binding options
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- Flat
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