The LINE "Blade," which debuted in the 2021 season, has rekindled the joy of skiing for many thanks to its remarkable shape and the resulting turning performance. This ski represents a new direction even for LINE, which has been making freestyle skis for a long time. It
allows for deep carving turns, high-speed cruising, and effortless control of both sliding and carving, expanding the range of enjoyment of skiing even without jumping.
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 already mastering this new ski.
One is Koji Kato, a staff member at Paddle Club Sapporo in Hokkaido. The other is Mikiya Tanno, owner of the Yamagata pro shop "TRUNKBASE" and also a LINE sponsored rider.
What makes "Blade" different from typical carving skis, and how can you enjoy it? Let's hear what these two have to say.
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
"When you look at these skis, you immediately think, 'What an amazing shape!' They have an intensely tapered shape that you don't see on fat skis or racing skis. The waist is 95mm, but the tip is 154mm, and the radius is labeled 'Tight,' which makes you wonder, 'What does that even mean?'
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 set quite far forward. This makes the tail easier to use, which I think is the secret to being able to make sharp, carving 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, butKen Sasakiwhile playing around with
When we did, we were able to pick up on the undulations of the terrain that we would normally miss, and do bitchy turns where we could put both hands on the snow, and we were able to do movements like snowboarding, which was really fun.
So, I decided to try out the halfpipe I'd ridden two seasons ago. It's one of
the largest halfpipes in Japan, located at Sapporo Bankei, with a height of 6 meters. The last time I rode it, I used both walls, which made it feel a bit drawn out, but when I was able to do a nice bottom turn while doing SUP SURF in the summer, I thought that if I tried doing it on just one wall of the pipe, I might be able to experience that feeling again
. Plus, after seeing a video of Akira-san (Akira Sasaki) playing around on just one wall, I was convinced that this was it!
Combined with the performance of the "Blade," bottom turns feel incredibly good. The force of falling from the top of the pipe is amazing, and using that power causes the skis to flex and rebound in an unbelievable way, making them really fast.
You use that force to transition into a top turn, and once the skis are higher than your body and you've reached the top, you get this floating, weightless feeling. That's when the skis become much easier to maneuver. From there, it's up to you whether you slide or cut. It's just like surfing. It's like ski surfing.
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 I mostly enjoyed using it at ski resorts when there wasn't much snowfall. I think I mentioned last year that it was a little difficult to make sharp turns and slides, but this winter I had the opportunity to try out some basic skis designed for short turns. With
those types of skis, once the tip bites into the snow, it doesn't slide at all afterward. Compared to those skis, the "Blade" has a wider margin of error, allowing you to make sharp turns, and you can also make turns with a slight slide 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 have fun with various turn arcs depending on the slope conditions, and in the park, you can fully enjoy freestyle play such as low-rotation tricks and jumps, or jumping and hitting the terrain of the ski resort.
Because the rocker is not very pronounced, you can't expect much buoyancy in deep snow, but you can ski without any problems on powder at the edge of the course or on courses with a light dusting of powder. In that sense, as long as the snow isn't too deep, this one board is perfect for skiing all over the resort.
Up until now, most LINE skis have been soft in terms of flex and torsion. I've been riding those kinds of skis for a long time, so I thought the "Blade" with titanium metal would be a completely different type of ski.
However, the flex didn't feel that stiff, and I was impressed by the strong torsion. Rather than being stiff in any particular part, the ski flexes evenly from tip to tail. Even on rough slopes, you can ski while crushing the snow without losing speed. I think that's thanks to the effectively incorporated titanium metal.
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 of them explained, the "Blade" is a ski designed for free-flowing skiing on snowy mountains. It allows you to carve deep turns anywhere, and enables slides, slashes, surf-like bottom turns, ripping, and cutbacks.
The tight radius makes the skis responsive, making carving easy, and it's also ideal for those who are not yet proficient at carving to get the hang of it. For those confident in their skills, it's a great way to hone a unique skiing style that sets them apart 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
Please see the following website for the complete LINE lineup
https://lineskis.com/en-jp: