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You and me both! If you can find a demo day near you, it's definitely worth a try.

Cool! I agree that the tails feel a bit longer than the average ski. I haven’t had the grabby tail problem, but good to know your experience. Thanks for watching!

Sick!

Thanks! Yes, fair point. For reference, I’m about 5’6”/169cm, so I tend to go for a longer ski.

Appreciate it!

Cool! Great to know they do well for touring. Definitely makes sense that it’s close to a powder board.

Can you link the insert you are talking about? I'd consider myself quite a gear nerd but I've never heard of this before.

That year, if I remember correctly, the conditions got significantly better closer to Christmas/New Year’s

Hm, that’s a tough one. If it were me, I’d lean towards more of a variety of skis. Then again 108mm is fairly wide for east coast. If possible, I’d try to find a demo day nearby so you can test some wider skis out!

Sick! Are they worth the hype? They’re on my radar…

Yes, it is! You can either hike over to this area or pay for the Monster X snowcat.

​@@jWalskiHow long do you think the hike would take?

@@rounaks6519 never hiked all the way to where the Cat drops you off myself, but from what I hear, is it’ll save you a 30-45 min hike

I haven’t tried the Vision 108’s, but if I had to go off other reviews and specs, I’d bet they’re more balanced for all-mountain performance.

Haha for sure. I have a bit…just no footage of it. The soft tips at least make it a bit easier to butter

Hmm…about how tall are you?

Haha not my favourite, but they have their strengths. Thanks for watching!

Nice! Yeah, I think you're onto something with them being better for reds & blues (Greens & Blues in N.A.). Weren't my favourite, but stoked to hear you enjoy them!

If I have a chance to, those would be interesting to try. Have you tried them? And glad it was helpful!

I've had both the blades and mirus cors. I find them very similar in performance, though mirus is softer, lighter and narrower. They behave very much the same - very playful, carvy, agile and overall just tons of fun. Hands down my two most favourite skis and I love them about equally! With the stiffer blades you can go faster and just charge harder overall, but mirus cor is perhaps a bit more fun on mellow slopes and they require a little less effort to initiate a turn and to snap out of it early if needed. I am now looking into Sakanas for a similar experience with wider ski under foot which is light enough to double-up as a near resort tourer

Glad it was helpful!

For sure!

The best!

Yup, actually just working on that review!

@@jWalski curious to hear how they compare!

@ long story short, Blades are more aggressive, Sakanas are more surfy: ruclips.net/video/995IQsFSPvg/видео.html

Thanks! Yeah, I’ve heard the Anima’s are pretty good. And yes, I’d bet the Noctas float a bit more in deep pow. The waist is a large factor in that, so at 115mm you’re already getting most of the float imo.

It’s a ton of fun, that’s for sure!

Hi Denis, I'd love to know your opinion if you don't mind. I live in Hokkaido and use and LOVE my pair of Volkl Two (bought second hand last year). Nocta 2024 has added camber which I'm not interested in, as I only ski pow (mostly in trees). But I'm interested in finding an earlier model Nocta 2020. How do you think they'd compare to Volkl Two in my conditions? I think my only complaint about the Two is they don't pop off mushrooms much and they're heavy (I tour, but I mostly use them in side country). Anyway, seeing as you've skied both I'd love to hear what you - or anyone - has to say. Thank you!

Hi@@tomlives, The Black Crows Nocta 2022 and older versions (full rocker and 26 meters radius @176cm) are in my opinion much superior to the Volkl Two, in about any snow condition. The deeper or heavier the snow, the more the Nocta outshines my other skis. The Nocta always feels nimb, light, stable and predictable whatever the snow conditions. Typically, I ski the whole day in glades and bumbs with fat skis, whatever the snow conditions (deep and shallow powder, soft, heavy, crusty and hard pack snow), even on hard groomers when glades and bumps are too icy to ride. There is always a small amount of soft snow on groomed trails. Our fun begins when carvers can no longer ride on icy or bumpy trails. I would rate my ski models as following: #1: Volkl Three @186: so stable and easy to ride, anywhere and any time. Definetely not the most nimble ski. #2: Black Crows Nocta 2020 @176: nimble, stable, fun and easy to ride aroung trees and bumps. #3: Volkl Revolt 124 @176: very stable and easy to ride, much like the Volkl Three. Still very good on hard pack and icy conditions. #4: Icelantic Nomad 125 @180: feels like a slightly more stable version of the Volkl Two. Although very close to the Volkl Two, the Nomad is more difficult to ride in deep and heavy snow (feels like a longer ski because there is no taper on tips). #5: Volkl Two @176 and K2 Catamaran 120 @177: two very different personnality. The Catamaran outshines the Two in soft or deep snow (nimblier), but the Two are more stable and less demanding on hard pack. You will truly love the Nocta 2022 (and older versions) in soft and deep snow. Nimble, so funny and easy to ride on soft bumps and in glades, while dancing with the trees... ruclips.net/video/520aDrdT8kE/видео.html I hope this information will be useful to you.

Thanks! There’s a particular line to Shoulder that I like! The boots are Dalbello Lupo AX120. Will eventually do a review on them…they’re pretty decent but I don’t know if I’d get them again.

@@jWalski I see, I do enjoy anything on the goat's eye.

Yes, Goats Eye is a lot of fun too!

Wow that sucks to hear man! I’ve had a pair of Bacons for about 10 years now and they’re mostly okay. I haven’t had to go through that with a ski company, but can definitely relate to bad customer service ruining the experience!

Thanks! Yeah, it’s so easy to choose over other skis now 😂 I eventually found a stat from Line that said they are 13.5m @ 176cm. Good point! I think the mounting point being closer to the centre makes quite a difference.

Yeah, I’d agree they’re very damp and stable, even at a shorter length. You could probably get a bit more “pop” at a shorter length, but I’d doubt it would be too much different. If you ever try the shorter length, let me know!

Hope so!

Thank you! More are on the way 😊

Hello! As far as the radius goes, I finally found a source that says the Blade is 13.5m at 176cm, so the longer blade would have a slightly larger radius, probably around ~15.5m @ 181cm if I had to guess. I’ve ridden on the Sakana’s a couple times now, and can say that the Blades hold a better edge and seem more stiff in turns. Basically the Blades are more stiff when trying to bend them side to side, and the Sakanas are more stiff longitudinally underfoot and in the tail, and have a softer shovel like you mentioned. Judging from your experience with longer skis, I would tend to recommend the 181cm Blade, even though the radius will be closer to ~15m (but still smaller than the Sakana which is 15m @ 174cm, and probably closer to ~17m @ 181cm). Even if you get the longer Blades, I think the Sakana’s would still be better in pow. And I can pretty much say for certain that the Blades will be better on-piste, no matter the length you end up choosing. I still don’t have a lot of days with the Sakana, so take that with a grain of salt! Hope that helps!

@@jWalski ok. thanx 👍😃

A year late to the party here. I have both the Blade and Sakana in 181. All my other skis are 186-188. I’d go with the 181 if you already feel good on the 181 Sakana.

I’m 5’6”, but I definitely trend to getting longer skis, so it takes some effort to really make the 185cm work. Without knowing much, I would say the 185’s would be a bit better, especially if you’re looking for a lot of float, big mountain or more freeride-focused skis. But if you aren’t as aggressive as a skier and like to take it a bit easier, the 174cm would be just fine!

Much appreciated!

Haha thanks!

Thank you! Cheers!

Yes they certainly are!

Yup, it’s great for a one ski quiver, but there are better options out there if you can afford multiple. Good to hear the 99’s were good!

Bought the 22/23 this fall as an alternate to my 99ti's. Love them. Stable. Quick enough. Match my outfit. What more could you want?

Those BBRs look interesting! Hopefully the used market for the Blades starts picking up at the end of this season. Yeah, that’s a tough ask in only 2 skis! The only thing I can think of is maybe sacrificing a bit on the charginess and weight for something in between, like some Black Crows Atris. Hopefully the tech for all the above keeps getting better!

Thank you for watching! Yeah, they’re an absolute blast on a deep day. Almost don’t even need the snorkel anymore 🤿 😂

@@jWalski I rode them last Friday on about 15” of denser powder. Wow what a fun ride!! First run was one of the best runs I’ve ever had! I did note when the snow is heavy they do get thrown around a lot when you are in the chop heading back to the lift. Probably due to their lighter and softer construction that make them so much fun in the soft stuff. Can’t have everything lol

The first take of that was even worse lol 🤣 Still getting better!

@@jWalski 😆

Thanks for the find! Looks like that’s what Powder7 has for the 181cm, and 14m for the 176cm. www.powder7.com/Line-Blade-Skis/for-sale

@@jWalski I just picked up a demo pair 2021 with Tyrolia attack 14 for a steal. I was teaching my niece while on them. Awesome pair of skis, really a fun ski I love them more than I thought

@@MeanLaQueefa awesome! Glad to hear you’re enjoying them

Thanks! Yeah they’re a ton of fun 😄

V good couch skiing sir

Between these and the Anima’s, I’d go with the Anima’s for more mixed conditions

Yup! Even better when there’s actual sunshine haha