Peacepipes Ski Review

Content Summary: Powder Ski Review

Manufacturer: RAMP (Technology)
Type: Big Mtn / Powder Ski (Rocker & Reverse Sidecut Tip)
Lengths: 169cm, 179cm, 189cm
Sidecut: 146-110-134, 146-112-134, 146-115-134
Average Weight: 8.4, 9.8, 10.4
Turn Radius: 14.4, 17.5, 21.9

Testing Conditions: Powder (in & out of resort)/Chopped Powder/Cold Weather Snow/Groomers

A year ago this October I started posting about RAMP Sports, a Utah-based company building skis by hand right here in Park City. Now that I have gotten the opportunity to ride some of their skis, during PRIME Little Cottonwood stormrides/powder cycles mind you…the only thing that would have made the skiing better the last 10 days would have been a 140″ base! I thought I would start out with a report of the Peacepipes.

We have a season that’s off to a good and consistent start. As of this posting (Happy Merry!) we’re on the heels of an 18 inch storm, with 173″ snow total so far and a 69″ base. No complaints for pre-January. It was a solid month of good ski riding at an empty Alta. With the snowpak building the Peacepipes certainly have not disappointed. I have been riding the 189s (146-115-134mm).

I was advised they ski long and that’s no lie. This is a LOT of ski, but that’s just what the LCC calls for. I skied them as hard and as aggressive as I could in area, knowing where (for the most part!) it’s good to let them run with the early season snow base. I also got some untracked and deep pow out of area. I did some base damage on the demos one day, which I felt really bad about. But the one good thing that came from that: I can honestly report that these skis weren’t faded by taking some serious licks. One massive core shot was right under foot, and too close for comfort to the edge. I have shredded edges with half the impact on skis from other well-known (worldwide) ski brands. So that’s the first point to make. Peacepipes are burly, and rugged.

Secondly, they are solid feeling (and sounding, like when the edges hit together) skis. My immediate thought first few turns was that they felt stiff. By the 10th turn I was noting responsiveness. After five laps of skiing them in soft snow/powder conditions, I was completely aware of how responsive they felt for being such a solid ski. The technical specs of the Peacepipes say essentially the same thing: The full vertical bamboo core makes the ski feel more rock solid and energetic than any other construction. I had not read tech data description, but nailed it.

I also rode them a bunch on groomed terrain while heading back to the lift, and did some high speed top-to-bottoms just to get a feel for them there. All good, in fact all great. The harder I dug them into the groomer, the more they responded to me. A nice change for a powder/big mountain ski considering I am used to feeling no edge or grab on most skis that size on groomers.

Final thought: if you’re interested in a real deal charging ski for an array of snow conditions check out the Peacepipes for this season. They are burly enough to last you several. RAMP does a lot of out reach and their demo schedule is available online. You can even reserve some demos FREE if you’re from the Park City area. Try before you buy, and see what you think. So far, so good from RAMP and it’s nice to know they are being manufactured here by Wasatch skiers, instead of in some factory overseas.

Who Would Ride It-
The Peacepipe is a blend of War and Peace. For the out-of-bounds warrior who lives for charging big, open slopes in the deep white, yet has a proclivity for the peacefulness of the White Room. The most versatile wide ski out there—strong and solid on windblown hard sections and fast and furious on groomers.

Features-
The 115mm waist and 18m turn radius provide the best planing and turn shape for actually carving turns in powder and soft spring velvet (waist on size 179 is 112mm; size 169 is 110mm). The Pow Camber has the most early rise and reverse sidecut in the tip for effortless, catch-free skiing in all snow conditions, even heavy crud. The Razor Cut Sidecut gives this wide ski incredible edge grip on the hardest snow. The full vertical bamboo core makes the ski feel more rock solid and energetic than any other construction.