The BobTail Skis
By ScottyBob's Handcrafted Skis
Note: photo updated spring 2003, these are the
production model skis
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Length: 178...Dimensions:
118/77/98/50 ..Weight: 6 Lbs 2 Ozs. (2,778.7Gr)
December, 2001--The handmade
BobTail prototype skis we received at the end of this month are
pretty special in a number of ways, but first let's begin this
review with the usual details on their construction. These are
wood core skis hand laid up with triaxial fiberglass cloth, carbon
fiber reinforcement and a lightweight phenolic binding retention
plate. All of this covers a vertically laminated American White
Ash core. The edges are installed in a single piece around the
tip (or "snout" as ScottyBob calls it) and the bases
are made with an exceptionally hard sintered p-tex material to
which graphite is added.
When reading this review it
is important to keep in mind that we are discussing both a telemark
ski and a radically new telemark ski design concept as well.
I'll do my best to keep the distinction clear but some of the
comments below will apply to the BobTail design generally while
others will speak specifically to this iteration. The ScottyBob
crew has made clear that they hope to be able to offer other
skis with different dimensions, weights and flexes but for now
we have this first model to discuss and report on, so let's get
to it.
When we opened the box the
first thing we noticed about the skis, other than the unusual
shape (which we were expecting) was the "radiator cap"
construction. This can be seen clearly in the photo of the tail
section below. ScottyBob shaped the ski with 4 diagonals that
run along the top, from the binding platform in the middle, out
to the edges at the tip and the tail. These humps are reminiscent
of the Atomic Beta skis but run diagonally instead of longitudinally.
The goal is to create a shape that transfers foot pressure and
body weight forces outward progressively to the ends of the ski
and downward to the edges, resulting in a more even distribution
of this pressure along the length of the ski.
The next thing that caught
our attention was the extremely thin profile of the BobTails
both in the fore body and tail sections of the skis. This can
also be seen in the photo above. Looking at the construction
and hefting the skis, we knew right off that these prototype
BobTails were very light, so it came as no surprise when we got
them on the scale and found that at a little over 6 pounds they
weighed in similarly to much narrower skis.
We mounted them up and anxiously
headed off for the first day of testing at our local resort.
A group of 4 of us skied hard
all day, from the opening to the closing bells. I have already
reported on the Telemark Talk Forum the following observation:
"Fast, carvy, powerful, positive, stable, quick edge to
edge with an uncanny ability to make lightning fast transitions
after which the skis feel like they are on rails, the BobTails
may prove to change everything we think we now know about telemark
skis," subsequent testing has done nothing to alter that
initial opinion. In fact the more time we spend on the BobTails
the more we have come to understand exactly what designer ScottyBob
Carlson is trying to do here and how he has accomplished something
unique and special.
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ScottyBob's concept of
skis with asymmetrical offset sidecuts and how they serve to
optimize a telemark skier's foot pressure on both the front and
rear ski while telemark turning is well covered on the ScottyBob's
Handcrafted Skis website so I will not repeat that information
here, rather I will say that not only does the theory make complete
sense, but when applied in the BobTail prototypes we tested,
it clearly seems to result in a better ski for telemark turning. |
...not
only does the theory make complete sense....it clearly seems
to result in a better ski for telemark turning.
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How? The difference is most
noticeable during transitions. The fact is a good skier can make
symmetrical sidecut skis work for the telemark turn just fine
by correcting for the sub-optimal position of the back ski's
pressure point when the rear foot is raised. This despite the
fact that the pressure point has moved forward several inches
as the transition is completed. A good skier makes the correction,
less skilled or less attentive skiers tend to skid the back ski
during at least part of this correction. With the BobTail's asymmetrical
and offset sidecuts the need for this correction is eliminated,
resulting in smooth and positive transitions. I believe this
largely accounts for our initial impressions regarding the BobTail's
"uncanny ability to make lightning fast transitions after
which the skis feel like they are on rails."
It is an incredible feeling
of stability and "railability" much of which stems
from the fact that the moment of sketch when the pressure point
of the new rear ski has been suddenly thrown forward several
inches (as much as half a foot for big feet in stiff boots) is
no longer a part of the equation. This alone feels like a real
breakthrough but Carlson did not stop there. The BobTail's have
a lot going on....
As mentioned, our prototypes
are very light but are fat, 118mm's in the widest part of the
tip. Now normally a light ski with a wide fore body gets tossed
around pretty harshly in less than smooth snow. We were very
pleasantly surprised by the stability of the BobTails on that
first day as the sun warmed the snow and piles of mush began
to appear all around us. The BobTails continued to track straight
and true, still as if on rails. Surprisingly Big Tim commented
that while skiing behind me in this mush on his long, 195cm Mod
X's that it appeared I was more stable on the BobTails. Later
when we switched skis this was confirmed, and those K2's are
not light.
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We believe that a big reason
for this is the BobTail's unique shovel design. The tip is turned
up only as much as is necessary, and gradually too. This presents
a far less "solid wall" of a tip as the skis pound
through cut up crud and mush, resulting in very little of the
usual and expected deflection. At right is a comparison of the
BobTail shovel (left) and the shovel on another pair of skis
we recently received for testing. |
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Above is a view of the edgeless outer "bobbed"
tail with its beveled edge'
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Now about these particular
skis and how they perform utilizing the basic design parameters
of the BobTail concept: These 178's are soft flexing and very
short for skiers such as Big Tim and myself. I am 6'1" and
over 200 pounds, Big Tim is taller and somewhere around 235 (he
protested the earlier Forum reference to his being 240 pounds...).
For us these skis would seem to be ridiculously short. Honestly,
they were not. They were, as stated at the beginning of this
review, fast, stable and very carvy. Carlson makes a powerful
case on his website for shorter skis, especially for telemark,
and his comments mirror our own experience thus far, including
an important exception which we will note, but first let's read
what he has to say:
"...in telemark skiing
you are placing equal pressure on each edge (hopefully), so you
need to add up the lengths of both edges to get the total length
of the edge that you are using. With only half your weight on
each edge, a shorter edge increases the lineal pressure along
the edge so that gripping power is increased. What's the best
thing for carving on ice? Figure skates. Why? Because they have
a very short edge which causes the lineal pressure along that
edge to be very high...Simply put, if you want more edge grip
and quicker turning, then shorter is better. If you want more
speed and stability (at high speed) with less turning ability
and less edge grip, then go long."
ScottyBob then goes on to
explain that this first example of his BobTail design sets out
to achieve a ...
"...very happy compromise..
by making them short and wide with a lot of sidecut. The shortness
and radical sidecut provide quick and easy turning along with
increased edge grip for ice and hardpack..the increased width
gives back stability that would otherwise be lost through shortness.
The wide shovel and increased overall width provide flotation
in powder. The shorter outside edge gives (more) power to uphill
ski."
Perhaps surprisingly, this
all makes a lot of sense when you ski the BobTails for yourself.
The "radiator cap" construction and the short length
do seem to combine to make strong and positive firm snow edge
grip possible. These BobTails make super hardpack and ice seem
like nothing more than "good hard snow." And they are
soft skis. Go figure! Big Tim reports that they
were excellent in 18 inches of powder at Mammoth and lightening
quick in small, soft bumps as well. Performance in deep, overhead
blower pow remains to be proven but this early powder test was
very encouraging.
What about parallel skiing?
Even though the Bob Tails have asymmetrical and offset sidecuts,
by giving the skis the same turn radii, regardless of the edge
being ridden, ScottyBob has made a tele specific ski that behaves
itself and is predictable in parallel mode. Ours carve nicely
while freeheel paralleling but truthfully, tele skiing them is
so much fun neither of us have spent a lot of time making alpine
style turns on our BobTails.
What is the exception and
what reservations do we have about the BobTail design as represented
by this first ski from ScottyBob?
First the reservation. Neither
of us feel like this would be a very good ski for a total telemark
newbie. Raw beginners need a ski that makes it easy to skid turns,
that is not the BobTails. This is a ski for tele skiers who want
a pair of carving machines, especially advanced and aggressive
tele skiers or intermediates with improving skills looking to
carve harder. Another thing: if stability at high speed is more
of a priority than strong edge control and quicker turns, a ski
longer than this one would be preferable. An example of this
might be while big mountain skiing in the alps where to keep
up with the group and to conserve energy one might need a very
fast ski capable of burning off thousands of feet of vertical
while parallel skiing. The BobTails are very stable but you need
to be setting a hard edge to really get that stability, hauling
down the mountain on flat skis is not their strong point.
Another note on performance:
We expected the BobTails to ski a lot like other short, super
sidecut skis we have tried. They don't. One of the big problems
with telemark mounted super sidecut or "parabolic"
skis we have tried in the past is that they have all been "hooky",
that is they don't release smoothly out of the turn. At least
not reliably. The BobTails are the first extreme sidecut skis
we have tried that don't behave that way at all. The "bobbed"
tail appears to eliminate that nasty habit.
Conclusion: ScottyBob Carlson's concept of a truly
telemark specific ski and his utilization of asymmetrical and
offset sidecuts has the potential to become a revolutionary
design in tele ski history. We were very skeptical at first about
the whole thing, but skiing truly is believing with these BobTails.
Do ScottyBob's skis instantly render all other tele skis obsolete?
No, fun skis will remain fun. Great skis are still great skis.
But the fact remains that the BobTails represent a significant
step forward in telemark ski design. They are the first skis
to completely and thourougly address the special and unique needs
of the telemark turn. When a tele skier no longer needs to correct
for a new rear ski pressure point that gets thrown forward during
the lead change, something fairly magical occurs. The skis truly
deliver, with an "uncanny ability to make lightning fast
transitions after which the skis feel like they are on rails."
The concept works, and the total package rocks hard. I will say
once again that not only does this tele specific shape make sense,
but when applied in the BobTail prototypes we tested, it definitely
results in a high performnce ride for telemark skiing.
Do not miss out on these.
Try the BobTails, but be prepared, they are not for the faint
of heart. Like they did for us, ScottyBob Carlson's boards may
in fact prove to change nearly everything you think you now know
about telemark skis.
www.scottybob.com |