LINE's "Blade", which appeared in the 2021 season, has awakened many people to the fun of sliding due to the turning performance brought about by its spectacular shape.
This ski is a new cornerstone for LINE, which has been making freestyle skis for a long time. Deep carving turns, cruising at high speed, sliding and carving can be freely manipulated, and it expands the range of enjoyment of skiing without flying.
The outline of "Blade" has a volume of 154-95-124 from the top. The rocker in the top and tail is low, and the long effective edge provides grip and stability in turns.
The core material is made of 100% aspen, which is light and stable. A hollow titanium metal shaped like a fishbone is put in there to enhance the stability of edge grip and torsion while taking advantage of the characteristics of the core material.
Check LINE's YOUTUBE for the image video of "Blade".
There are some skiers who are early adopters of this new ski.
One is Koji Kato, a staff member of the Paddle Club Sapporo store in Hokkaido.
The other is Mikiya Tanno, the owner of Yamagata's pro shop "TRUNKBASE" and a support rider for LINE. What is the difference between "Blade" and general carving skis, and how can you enjoy it? Let's listen to two voices.
Paddle Club Sapporo store Koji Kato's case
Worked at Paddle Club Sapporo store. Former alpine skier. Skiing mainly in the mountains of Hokkaido and ski resorts. He also participates in freeride competitions and devotes himself to improving his skiing skills. He enjoys SUP SURF and skateboarding in the summer, and has a sense of sideways.
With Iwaonupuri in the background, you can enjoy sharp carving with Blade. No pole style in BC
"At first glance, you'll think, 'This ski has a great shape.' It's a fiercely constricted shape that you don't see in fat skis or racing skis. The waist is 95mm, but the top is 154mm, and the radius is ' Tight", what is that?
It's going to be. Although it is a directional ski, the recommended binding position is -6 cm from the real center. Considering that many skis have a setback of nearly 10 cm, the recommended position is quite set-front. Therefore, the tail is easy to use, and I think that is the secret to making sharp turns.
Titanium metal is covered with a sheet shaped like a fishbone, but the metal is removed from the bottom part of the foot, so the ski flexes well while maintaining rigidity and generating moderate torsion. Not only is it a strong edge grip, but you can adjust the amount of force applied to create a tenacious grip that allows you to make long, drawn turns.
The greatest advantage of this ski is that you can enjoy all the pleasant parts of the turn. In the first half of the turn, you can feel the maximum grip on the top, and in the middle, you can feel the whole ski gripping under your feet.
I rode this ski from mid-December to the end of March, especially after work, for night skiing about four times a week. first, I was skating with poles, but after playing with Ken-san ( Ken Sasaki ) from Teine, I decided to try skating with no poles.
When I did that, I was able to pick up undulations in the terrain that I usually overlooked, and I was able to put both hands on the snow surface to make a bitterly turn.
So I entered the halfpipe that I skated two seasons ago.
A 6-meter high half pipe, one of the largest in Japan, located in Sapporo Bankei.
When I used to ski, I used both the left and right walls, so it felt slow, but when I was doing SUP SURF in the summer, when I was able to make a nice bottom turn, I tried using one wall of the pipe. I wondered if I could experience this feeling. Also, when I saw a video of Akira-san (Akira Sasaki) playing with only one wall, I was convinced, "This is it!"
Combined with the performance of "Blade", the bottom turn feels really good.
The power that comes down from the top of the pipe is amazing, and when you use that power, the ski bends back incredibly, so the ski runs really well. I use that power to connect to the top turn, but after the skis are higher than my body and I finish climbing, I feel like I'm weightless and floating. It's easier to move the skis there. It's up to you whether to shift from there or cut it. Just like surfing. It feels like SKI SURF.
Any ski can perform a single top turn movement, but I think only "Blade" can express bottom and top turns in this span. Personally, the bottom turn is the most comfortable, and I can wear it just to enjoy it.
What I was conscious of was how to use the body and eyes of surfing. Skiing is taught by facing the fall line, so that alone creates restrictions on movement. So when you skate with no poles, you can use the rotation of your upper body to create more flow. Actually, this is an energy-saving way of sliding.”
The Case of Mikiya Tanno, LINE Support Rider and TRUNKBASE Owner
Participated in the All Japan Championship in moguls. After that, he shifted his focus to big air and slopestyle, and also competed in World Cups and World Championships in halfpipe. Currently, while running a pro shop in his hometown of Yamagata, he skis ski resorts and backcountry skiing and expresses skiing through videos and photographs.
"I've been skiing with 'Blade' since last year, but I've been enjoying most of the time on ski resorts when there isn't much snow.
Last year, I think I said that it was a bit difficult to make guesses and shifts, but this winter, I had the opportunity to test ride basic skis for small turns. With this type of ski, once the top bites into the snow surface, it doesn't shift at all. Compared to those skis, the "Blade" still has a wider range of tolerance, and if you can make a sharp turn, you can make a turn with a slight shift depending on how much force you apply.
Click here for last year's impression article
By skiing on snow under various conditions, I learned how to adjust the force applied to skiing, which made it even more interesting.
You can enjoy freestyle play such as playing with various arcs of turns according to the slope conditions, mainly low rotation tricks and jumps in the park, flying according to the topography of the ski resort, and guessing.
Since the rocker rise is small, you cannot expect sufficient buoyancy in deep snow, but you can ski without problems on powder at the edge of the course or on a course with a light powder. In that sense, if the snow isn't deep, it's good to ski all over the ski resort with this one.
Until now, most LINE skis have had soft flex and torsion.
I used to ride such skis for a long time, so I thought that the "Blade" with titanium metal was a completely different genre of ski. However, the flex did not make me feel that hard, and the torsion made a strong impression. The ski flexes evenly from top to tail, rather than being stiff in one spot. You can ski while crushing the snow without slowing down even on a rough barn. I think it's thanks to the titanium metal that was effectively put in.
The binding position is closer to the center than a normal carving ski, so the swing weight is light. Even if you get off your feet while riding a lift, both the top and tail feel well-balanced. Therefore, it is easy to balance even when flying, and it is easy to do tricks.
This ski is like no other and the Blade is almost one of a kind.”
summary
As they say, "Blade" is a ski for skiing freely on snowy mountains.
Carve deep turn arcs anywhere, slides, slashes, surf-like bottom turns, rips, and cutbacks. The tight Radius has a quick ski response, making it easy to carve, and it is perfect for those who are not good at it as a one to get a feel for it. For those who are confident in their skills, it is also a good idea to develop a different style of skiing.
While many skis that use titanium metal emphasize stability and power, the Blade was born to realize LINE's core, fun.
Regardless of the genre such as freestyle, freeride, or basic, this is a ski that I would like you to experience the new era of all-mountain ski "Blade" this winter.
Blade95
Blade 92
Please refer to the following website for the full lineup of
LINE https://lineskis.com/en-jp