I paired the skis with Black Diamond 145 bindings (discussed below), and replaced my tried and true Scarpa Maestrale boots with a pair of Dynafit TLT7 CR. Suffice it to say that I decided to make my big weight savings in other areas – i.e., bindings and boots. La Sportiva Vapor Nano comments I’d seen online suggested the Vapor Nano was even more of a powder-oriented ski which was even less capable when things got hard and icy underfoot. The Vapor Nano, also 105mm underfoot, at 1200g per ski (for the 179cm version), is much lighter. The only other ski of this width that I considered as an alternative was the La Sportiva Vapor Nano. The extra leverage required to hold an edge on icy traverses can get tiring pretty quick, particularly when carrying a multi-day load on your back.Īt 1600g (3 lb 8 oz) per ski (185cm version), the weight of the Helio 105 is not in the lower echelons of super light-weight planks, but given its solid downhill performance, it is nonetheless relatively light weight for a ski of this width. It loves the powdery downhill, and the width deals admirably with carrying heavy loads on climbs through very deep powder. In Hokkaido’s spring months of mid-March till May, however, a narrower ski will perform better on rock-hard northern-aspect slopes and long traverses. So, with this in mind, this ski performs amazingly in Hokkaido during those mid-winter months. But those of us who live in Hokkaido year-round know that some of the more adventurous skiing, such as Rishiri Island, Shiretoko Peninsula, and peaks deep in the Daisetsuzan Range, happens in spring: mid-March till May. Yes, we spend around 3 months gliding through forests and alpine areas on meters of bottomless powder. We all want to ski 100% powder snow on giant, untracked, wide-open human powered mountains…if it is your reality, the Helio is perfect.” They also note that “this isn’t always the reality.”ĭespite Hokkaido’s reputation for epic powder snow, OutdoorGearLab’s observation also applies here. The 105 covers more bases (and honestly is wicked fun), but the 95 is friendlier in hard snow and a bit easier to ski.The OurdoorGearLab review of the Black Diamond Helio 105 skis mentions that “ are made for what many of us want. Overall I think the Helio is an impressive ski at both sizes. The 95 is not the catch all that the 105 feels like, but it excels in its strengths : ski mountaineering, long ski tours, easy turning, light weight fun. The Helio 95 made fine and fast work both touring and turning in AK.Ĭonstruction: Prepeg carbon on a balsa flax wood core, ABS sidewall The Helio 95 at 183 has nearly the same turning radius as the Carbon Aspect (90 underfoot) at a 176 (20m vs 19m), maneuverability with less chatter and bit more ski make the 95 possibly a better version of an already good touring ski (with an extra 7 oz of weight). The tapered tail design (also with early rise), slightly smaller shovel dimension, and ultralight wood core seem to borrow what worked well with the Aspect and improve on it. Helio 105 skis powder like a big pow ski, but still manages to be remarkably carvey in making turns (perhaps a factor of the 185 size) in corn snow. Definitely a bit of chatter on hard pack (to be expected), but these feel stiff for the weight while still light. This was surprising for such a light ski, but big turns in good snow felt like the 105’s prime time. I found this to be true in just about any snow conditions. No time spent in bounds on either ski, but I took them out in variable conditions, mostly spring corn and spring pow, with a bit of hard pack and crust sprinkled in. I have done some spring skiing on these in Colorado and took these on a recent expedition to AK. The 105s I skied at a 185 length with both Dynafit Speed Radicals as well as Vipec 12s. The 95s I skied at a 183 length on Vipec 12 bindings. I ski toured both skis with both a 2-buckle boot (La Sportiva Spitfire) and a 4-buckle boot (La Sportiva Spectre).
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