Blossom 2012 Off Shore
Length Tested: 185
Dimensions/Turn Radius:145-120-135
Camber: Flat/ slight Camber underfoot /Flat
Binding: Rossi WC MFX
Mount point: Boot Center
Environment & Conditions:
Location of Test: Vermont
Number of Runs: 20+
Snow Conditions: Terra firma to 4"
Demo or Own: Own
Tester Info:
Username: Iriponsnow
Age: 35
Height/Weight: 5'9" /145#
Ski Days/Season: too few of late
Years Skiing: 33
Aggressiveness: Competitor
Current Quiver: Blossom Hook 185, Off Shore, Overlimit + WC FIS GS 189, Follow Me WC FIS SL + 165
Home Area:
Preferred Terrain : all mtn
Review: This is a beast of a ski, yet the camber profile makes it quite nimble. I have held on the review because of the lack of snow, yet I've been skiing it & loving what I get from the ski. I've never been a huge fat ski fan, but this ski is a game changer for me. This ski is so easy to turn & so quick for a fat ski, I have been able to ski it places I have never been on a wider set of boards. This Off Shore handles crud & pow like nothing else. It is just like buttery smooth, like nothing tosses it. When I've skied hard charger skis in the past, they were a ton of work. This ski is just as easy as can be. Surfy fall line pivoting turns are just as easy as can be. The ski simply sucks up all the terrain, you could run over a tree & barely notice the disturbance. The flat tail & tip just glide over the snow. I've ever taken them into the bumps without fear.
Yet why I believe this ski really shine is not the pivoty short swing turns, but the hauling super G style, hip scraping, epic arching turns. I've always looked at certain faces on the mtn & thought that my ideal run down them would be a handful of just fast cruising S turns. You know these places. They are where the instructors stare for hours planning their descent, the tourists fall sideways, & the majority of your experts end up hop turning in a series of speed check maneuvers. Typically a lesser ski would death rattle at the speeds were speaking of. Not these! They are plenty powerful to arch, yet smooth to absorb the terrain. The Off Shores have that really mature blend of power & suppleness to allow this to happen. The other day I lapped Lower Superstar at Killington on these for a few hours. I made 3 turns down the pitch, even as it got skied off. I've never skied that section so well before. I had actually had someone stop me in the lift line & say "holy shit......you're that guy, how to you ski like that?!"
The skis are that kind of altering equipment.
Conclusion: The Off Shore is a charger that is just as easy to ski slow as it is fast.
Pros: With just a little snow, the ski provides a new age platform for high speed fun. Just let the snow build under the skis as you cut across the hill & the construction feels like you are cutting virgin untracked powder.
Cons: This is a big stick. Most folks are not going to want a 120mm ski for an everyday pair of skis.
