- Joined
- Jul 8, 2018
- Posts
- 2
Age:15
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 105
Years of Skiing: 12
Years Racing: 6
For more information about me you can go to my profile page, then to the information tab.
Sizes (mm): 166, 174, 182
Dimensions (mm) @ 174: 131 - 96 - 118
Turn Radius @ 174 (m): 17
Weight (g): 1676
The Icelantic Pioneer 96 is an exceptional all mountain ski that can easily complete someone’s one-ski-quiver. It charges down steep slopes, floats in deep powder, and busts through crud. It’s a lively and bouncy ski that I have not yet found a speed limit to. Plus, the graphics on the Pioneer are sick and super durable so they don’t look trashed after a few months of hard use.
The tech stuff: The Pioneer 96 is constructed with tip and tail rise, 7mm of camber underfoot, and a poplar core, which is a light, strong, and playful wood used primarily in all-mountain and park skis. This poplar core is highly elastic, meaning that when it’s deformed or, in the case of skiing, flexed, it returns to its original shape quickly. This creates that bouncy, energetic, and lively ski that I referred to earlier. Icelantic is also known for their thicker than normal steel edge, thick P-TEX sidewalls and impervious P-TEX bases. Combined, this produces extraordinary glide and durability. The rest consists of layers of fiberglass and rubber foil sheets to create a damp stable ride at speed with a lively “pop” upon compression.
The trade off for added stability and power out of the turn is added weight. Someone who is lighter than I, may want to size down. Also, because of the weight and width, I would steer you away from the Pioneer 96 if you spend more than 30% of your day in the park. As with most skis this wide, I couldn’t drive the edge into bulletproof ice or hard frozen groomers like I could with my race skis. In these conditions, I couldn’t completely appreciate its edge grip but possibly someone heavier would be able to dig in easier.
The Pioneer, in almost all snow conditions, turns on a dime for me, even though 174cm is aggressively long for someone my height. In deep pow this ski is amazing; one or two turns and the poplar core creates a bouncy rhythm on top of the snow allowing me to ski as much time in the freshies as possible. On groomers, they are much more responsive than I would expect for 96 underfoot. The thicker sidewalls and camber underfoot gives the control that any experienced skier has learned to rely on and love. Sometimes on groomers I’ll bend the ski so much that it will literally pop me out of my turn and make me jump across the snow, reaffirming how bouncy and poppy the Pioneer is. Long turns or short, fast or slow, I feel like I can get this ski to do whatever I want all over the mountain.
Even though the Pioneer is bouncy and playful, it is not a flimsy ski. The Pioneer 96 will bust through crud without the tip deflection or chatter usually found on a ski this lively. And remember, less effort in the crud means more skiing without getting blown-out. The Pioneer 96 is perfect for the variable conditions of spring skiing. Hard-packed morning runs, softer snow as the day progresses, corn, then slush, the Pioneer’s camber underfoot and 131mm shovel lets you drive and glide through all conditions.
Hucking off cliffs is a passion of mine, granted, I don’t send anything extreme, but I do often jump 10-20-foot cliffs. When jumping, I feel confident the Pioneer will hold me. It is a damp, stable ski that provides a sturdy platform with enough flex in the tail to forgive an imperfect landing. When I’m in the park I’m still able to have fun on this ski, admittedly, I’m not throwing huge spins or sending massive flips, that’s a different kind of skier. As I said earlier, a park and pipe rider would prefer a different ski.
To summarize, the Pioneer 96 would preferably be skied by an intermediate-advanced to advanced skier. The ski would be fully appreciated by someone who likes to explore the whole mountain. Although it wouldn’t be bad as a carver I would categorize the ski as all-mountain. This ski would not be recommended for someone who frequents the park due to its weight and width. If you are looking for a ski to fill the slot of a one-ski-quiver or a crazy fun all mountain ski the Icelantic Pioneer 96 is a great choice for you.
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 105
Years of Skiing: 12
Years Racing: 6
For more information about me you can go to my profile page, then to the information tab.
Dimensions (mm) @ 174: 131 - 96 - 118
Turn Radius @ 174 (m): 17
Weight (g): 1676
The Icelantic Pioneer 96 is an exceptional all mountain ski that can easily complete someone’s one-ski-quiver. It charges down steep slopes, floats in deep powder, and busts through crud. It’s a lively and bouncy ski that I have not yet found a speed limit to. Plus, the graphics on the Pioneer are sick and super durable so they don’t look trashed after a few months of hard use.
The tech stuff: The Pioneer 96 is constructed with tip and tail rise, 7mm of camber underfoot, and a poplar core, which is a light, strong, and playful wood used primarily in all-mountain and park skis. This poplar core is highly elastic, meaning that when it’s deformed or, in the case of skiing, flexed, it returns to its original shape quickly. This creates that bouncy, energetic, and lively ski that I referred to earlier. Icelantic is also known for their thicker than normal steel edge, thick P-TEX sidewalls and impervious P-TEX bases. Combined, this produces extraordinary glide and durability. The rest consists of layers of fiberglass and rubber foil sheets to create a damp stable ride at speed with a lively “pop” upon compression.
The trade off for added stability and power out of the turn is added weight. Someone who is lighter than I, may want to size down. Also, because of the weight and width, I would steer you away from the Pioneer 96 if you spend more than 30% of your day in the park. As with most skis this wide, I couldn’t drive the edge into bulletproof ice or hard frozen groomers like I could with my race skis. In these conditions, I couldn’t completely appreciate its edge grip but possibly someone heavier would be able to dig in easier.
The Pioneer, in almost all snow conditions, turns on a dime for me, even though 174cm is aggressively long for someone my height. In deep pow this ski is amazing; one or two turns and the poplar core creates a bouncy rhythm on top of the snow allowing me to ski as much time in the freshies as possible. On groomers, they are much more responsive than I would expect for 96 underfoot. The thicker sidewalls and camber underfoot gives the control that any experienced skier has learned to rely on and love. Sometimes on groomers I’ll bend the ski so much that it will literally pop me out of my turn and make me jump across the snow, reaffirming how bouncy and poppy the Pioneer is. Long turns or short, fast or slow, I feel like I can get this ski to do whatever I want all over the mountain.
Even though the Pioneer is bouncy and playful, it is not a flimsy ski. The Pioneer 96 will bust through crud without the tip deflection or chatter usually found on a ski this lively. And remember, less effort in the crud means more skiing without getting blown-out. The Pioneer 96 is perfect for the variable conditions of spring skiing. Hard-packed morning runs, softer snow as the day progresses, corn, then slush, the Pioneer’s camber underfoot and 131mm shovel lets you drive and glide through all conditions.
Hucking off cliffs is a passion of mine, granted, I don’t send anything extreme, but I do often jump 10-20-foot cliffs. When jumping, I feel confident the Pioneer will hold me. It is a damp, stable ski that provides a sturdy platform with enough flex in the tail to forgive an imperfect landing. When I’m in the park I’m still able to have fun on this ski, admittedly, I’m not throwing huge spins or sending massive flips, that’s a different kind of skier. As I said earlier, a park and pipe rider would prefer a different ski.
To summarize, the Pioneer 96 would preferably be skied by an intermediate-advanced to advanced skier. The ski would be fully appreciated by someone who likes to explore the whole mountain. Although it wouldn’t be bad as a carver I would categorize the ski as all-mountain. This ski would not be recommended for someone who frequents the park due to its weight and width. If you are looking for a ski to fill the slot of a one-ski-quiver or a crazy fun all mountain ski the Icelantic Pioneer 96 is a great choice for you.
