When I first told a friend I was going to work at Backbone, he said, “You better get used to the idea of skiing Black Diamond skis.” Nawww, I thought, those things are too planky.
Turns out lots has changed about Black Diamond skis in the past few years, and the current selection is nothing like the old sticks I used to borrow from my college’s freeheel club. I recently got a pair of the Justices, and as a devout bump skier I was wary of skiing something 115 underfoot.
Fast-forward to last weekend, when I drove to the annual Telemark Extreme Skiing Championships in Crested Butte. The morning of the first day of the comp, I opened up my car/extra storage unit and stared at my choice of skis for the day. You can check this website to learn about more storage solutions. Out of the big pile of K2s, Icelantics, Karhus, and G3s, I chose the BD Justices.
The combination of long binding cartridges/small boots proved fatal, as I walked out of my binding with a few turns left in the 2nd run, and got disqualified as my ski rocketed to the bottom. But I have to give Black Diamond props—the Justices kill it in pretty much any snow condition. They are maneuverable enough for light bump skiing, come around as quickly as you need them to in steeps (thanks to the early-rise tip), and are able to arc long big-mountain turns in powder.
Check out the video of the event. I appear around :28 seconds in. Don’t take a sip of coffee, you’ll miss me.