LINE's Blade, released for the 2021 season, has awakened many to the joys of skiing thanks to its eye-catching shape and turning ability. This ski represents a new direction for LINE, which has been making freestyle skis for a long time. It
allows for deep carving turns, high-speed cruising, sliding, and carving with ease, broadening the scope of skiing enjoyment even without flying.
The Blade outline has a volume of 154-95-124 from the top. The rocker at the tip and tail is low, and the long effective edge provides grip and stability during turns
The core is made of 100% aspen, which is lightweight and stable. A hollow titanium metal piece shaped like a fishbone is inserted into it, taking advantage of the core's properties while improving edge grip and torsional stability
Check out LINE's YOUTUBE for the "Blade" image video
There are skiers who are among the first to master this new ski.
One is Kato Koji, a staff member at the Paddle Club Sapporo branch in Hokkaido. The other is Tanno Mikiya, owner of the Yamagata pro shop "TRUNKBASE" and a support rider for LINE.
What makes the "Blade" different from regular carving skis, and how can you enjoy it? Let's hear from these two.
Paddle Club Sapporo store Koji Kato's case
He currently works at the Paddle Club Sapporo branch. He is a former alpine skier and enjoys skiing mainly in the mountains and ski resorts of Hokkaido. He is always striving to improve his skiing skills, participating in freeride competitions and more. In the summer, he enjoys SUP surfing and skateboarding, and also has a knack for sideboarding
With Iwaonupuri in the background, he shows off his sharp carving skills with the Blade. No-pole style with BC
"At first glance, these skis will make you think, 'What an incredible shape!' They have an incredibly tapered shape that you won't see in fat skis or racing skis. The waist is 95mm, but the top is 154mm, and the radius is marked 'Tight' - what's that supposed to mean? You might be wondering.
Although they are directional skis, the recommended binding position is -6cm from the real center. Considering that many skis have a setback of nearly 10cm, you can see that the recommended position is quite set forward. This makes it easier to use the tail, which I think is the secret to making sharp turns."
The entire ski is covered in titanium metal, shaped like a fishbone, but the metal is removed in a section under the feet, allowing the ski to flex well while maintaining rigidity and generating just the right amount of twist. Not only does it provide a strong edge grip, but the sticky grip that allows you to adjust the amount of force applied allows for long, drawn-out turns
The greatest strength of these skis is that they allow you to experience all the pleasure of turning. In the first half of the turn, you feel maximum grip at the top, in the middle you feel the entire ski bite strongly under your feet, and in the second half, the tail stays in place, allowing you to both cut up and run
I used these skis from mid-December to the end of March, especially for night skiing, which I did about four times a week after work. At first, I was skiing with poles, but while hanging out with Ken-san ( Ken Sasaki ) from the Teine store, I decided to try skiing without poles.
Then, I was able to pick up undulations in the terrain that I would normally miss, and I was able to make bittery turns with both hands on the snow, making movements similar to those on a snowboard, which was really fun.
So I decided to try out the half-pipe I'd skated on two seasons ago. It's one of
the largest half-pipes in Japan, at 6m high, located on Sapporo Bankei. When I skated there before, I used both the left and right walls, which made it feel drawn out, but when I made some great bottom turns at the SUP SURF event I did in the summer, I thought maybe I could get the same feeling if I tried it on one side of the pipe.
Then, when I saw a video of Akira (Akira Sasaki) skateboarding on just one wall, I knew "This is it!"
Combined with the performance of the Blade, bottom turns feel amazing. The force of falling from the top of the pipe is incredible, and when you use that power, the skis bend and return incredibly well, allowing them to move really fast.
You use that force to connect to a top turn, and once the skis are higher than your body and have reached the top, you feel a floating sensation, like there is no gravity. At this point, the skis become easier to move. From there, it's up to you to shift or cut. It's a true surfing movement. It feels like SKI SURF.
You can do a single top turn with any ski, but the Blade is the only ski that can perform a bottom turn and a top turn in this span. Personally, I find the bottom turn extremely comfortable, and I'd even consider wearing them just to experience it
I was conscious of how to use my body and my line of sight in surfing. When skiing, we're taught to face the fall line, but if you only do that, it restricts your movement. So when you ski without poles, you can use the rotation of your upper body, which gives you more flow. In fact, this is an energy-efficient way of skiing."
The case of LINE support rider and TRUNKBASE owner Mikiya Tanno
He competed in the All Japan Mogul Championships. He then shifted his focus to big air and slopestyle, and competed in the World Cup and World Championships in halfpipe. He currently runs a pro shop in his hometown of Yamagata, skiing at ski resorts and in the backcountry, and expressing his passion for skiing through video and photography
"I've been skiing with the Blade since last year, and when there's not much snow, I've enjoyed using it almost every time I go to a ski resort. I think I said last year that it was a little difficult to make a turn or shift, but this winter I had the opportunity to try out some basic skis for tight turns. With
these types of skis, once the top of the ski digs into the snow, they don't shift at all. Compared to those skis, the Blade has a wider tolerance range, and you can make sharp turns and even shift the turn slightly depending on how much force you apply.
Last year's impression article is here
By skiing on snow in a variety of conditions, I learned how to control the forces acting on the skis, which made it even more interesting
You can play around with different turn radii depending on the slope conditions, and in the park you can mainly do low-spin tricks and jumps, and enjoy freestyle fun by flying and hitting the terrain of the ski resort.
Because the rocker doesn't rise much, you can't expect full float in deep snow, but it works well in powder on the edge of the run or on runs with a thin layer of powder. In that sense, as long as the snow isn't deep, it's a good idea to use just this board to ski the entire ski resort.
Up until now, most LINE skis have been soft in flex and torsion. I've always ridden skis like that, so I thought the "Blade" with its titanium metal would be a completely different genre of ski.
However, the flex didn't feel that stiff, and the torsion was impressive. Rather than being stiff in certain areas, the ski flexes evenly from tip to tail. Even on rough runs, you can crush the snow without losing speed. I think that's thanks to the titanium metal that's effectively incorporated.
The bindings are positioned closer to the center than regular carving skis, so the swing weight is lighter. Even when you put your feet down while riding the lift, both the top and tail feel well-balanced. This makes it easier to maintain balance when flying and perform tricks
There's nothing else like this ski, the Blade is truly one of a kind."
summary
As the two say, the Blade is a ski for free-riding on snowy mountains. It allows you to carve deep turns anywhere, slide, slash, do surf-like bottom turns, rip, and even cutbacks. The
tight radius makes the skis responsive, making carving easy, and it's the perfect ski for those who aren't good at carving to get the hang of it. For those who are confident in their skills, it's also a good way to hone a different skiing style from others.
While many titanium skis emphasize stability and power, the Blade was created to achieve the "fun" that is at the heart of LINE
The Blade is a new generation all-mountain ski that goes beyond freestyle, freeride, and basic skiing, and is definitely one you should try out this winter
Blade95
Blade 92
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