SKI TEST SKI TEST SKI TEST
James Fielding
JULEN SPORT The sponsor of our ski test this Winter is Julen sport. Martin Julen and his wife Katja run this long established sports shop. They have a tremendous range of skis and snowboards, with all the latest models. You don’t get much better in the way of expertise either. Martin kindly offered to lend us some of the latest models to test. Lee Sadeghi was assigned the task of selecting two very different but outstanding skis from the range. He chose a park ski from their new freestyle brand Line and a slalom ski from veteran ski manufacturer Elan.
Line Afterbang The verdict – “It works, man!” While designed as a park ski – “the only ski built like a skateboard” according to the manufacturers – the Lines apparently performed pretty well on the piste as well as being “really nice” on the powder at the edge. This makes them a great all-rounder, good for a bit of general freeski jibbing all over the mountain. James would recommend the newly revamped Afterbangs for all levels of park skier. If you’re a park newbie just opt for shorter length, but they are so symmetrical they can be handled by a beginner. They’re great on the rails and the kickers – good and solid under foot and more flexible in the tips and tails. This year’s new 3D Butterzone has been a selling point for Line. They claim that it allows for smoother and more consistent butters and presses than ever before. James was really happy with the way he could get even further out over the skis without them folding up like a big banana. Part of this year’s revamp has also aimed to improve the durability of the ski, and James was impressed by the way the super flat base and huge edges could take a hammering on the rails. He did find that on cold snow he wanted to re-apply wax with unusual frequency, but added that might have been a result of the aggressive conditions. It wouldn’t be an issue if you were spending all day riding the park. In summary, although the colour is “a bit loud” (to put it mildly!) the Line Afterbangs – “feel like what a park ski should feel like.”
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Zermatt Times