LINE Blade Review after 2 Years - The Most Versatile Ski?

This is my ski review of the 2020 Line Blades after 2+ years. They're definitely a great ski to add to the quiver if you're looking for something to spice things up! I include a bunch of ski footage with them in the review as well. I go over the impact of the different aspects of the ski, including waist, sidecut, profile, flex and weight; as well as an overview for different types of skiers, different conditions and different types of terrain.
Gear Used:
Using a GoPro Max: amzn.to/3RI5Ju4
Line Skis: amzn.to/3tGO5z9
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:16 - Specs & Impact
4:27 - Tidbits
5:41 - Overview
7:08 - TL;DW (Summary)
7:45 - Outro
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[@c_kennmusic5737]

Great review! I'm tempted!!

[@jWalski]

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

[@michaelczorniak8516]

Very very practical and helpful review. What is key is fun, fun and fun in all conditions. Thank you. Mikey

[@jWalski]

Thank you! They really are quite fun.

[@Kiryana]

Very cool skis! I've been riding them for 2 years and they are amazing!❤

[@jWalski]

Yes they certainly are!

[@johndavis16]

Nice review. Thanks

[@jWalski]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Manetherenlw1982]

I just bought a set of 2023 Blades and can't wait to try them.

[@jWalski]

Sick!

[@darinsmith2458]

i want to try them for the geeze.. i like how you showed a lot of versatility...

[@hikeebatube]

Great vid! Love the Blade! Just wrapping up my second season on my 2020s. This year I think I've skied the Blade as much, if not more than my go-to Line Supernatural 92. I think I calculated the 'general' turn radius to be somewhere between 13.5m-14m. Also, I thought they pivoted nicely due to their mounting point being closer to center than your usual directional ski. Even here in Southeast WI - where crappy conditions have been the norm this season - the Blade has been fun. Dean V. Because the Blade has a wider waist than your typical slalom race ski, I think a boot out incident will be much less likely to happen. As for wash out; keep them sharp. I'm no racer, but I like to charge when I can, and I have not experienced chatter at speed with these.

[@jWalski]

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.

[@bramcops5137]

Nice video ! I'm riding Bent Chetlers

[@jWalski]

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

[@deanvaladez]

I’m looking at getting some blades for my daughter. She’s a former ski racer and wants skis that will carve hard to the point of getting hips on the ground, but her current slalom skis are too narrow to allow that. Will these allow for hips on the ground carves or will they boot out or wash out? Also, are they stable at high speeds or do they get squirrelly or have chatter?

[@jWalski]

These definitely carve hard enough to get hips on the ground! That being said, they aren’t quite as stable as a dedicated slalom skis. The metal in the Blades do make them decently stable for most skiing. To give an idea, if a good pair of racing skis is 10/10 in stability, the Blades would be around a 7 or 8. I ’ve found they’re great up to ~60km/h, have a bit of chatter above 80, and a bit more above 100km/h. So still great skis with good stability, but don’t expect them to be quite as stable as dedicated racing skis.

[@thisoledad1946]

Look into black crows mirus cor

[@proofofblake]

what camera stick did you use at 2:00 ?

[@jWalski]

This one: 106” Lightweight Carbon Fiber Extendable Handheld Monopod a.co/d/eUBK1I7 It’s not quite perfect, but still good for those angles!

[@zeitakulobusta9708]

Like a man who can use 'dang' and roll with it.

[@ofacefan]

decent review, i have a pair they are fun, really remind me of OG elan "parabolics" from the late 90's but wider, they carve decently but I feel like they have way too much tip rocker for the intended purpose and the recommended mount point seems too close to center given the amount of tip rocker, the tails feel long and especially grabby when you are just trying to run out flats, you have to be on either a shallow edge angle or make lots of really quick turns to keep them from not wanting to pull across the hill which on hard pack with a wider waist gets kind of old fast. so yeah fun ski in the right condition but i would argue that they really are not a great choice for a versatile ski.

[@jWalski]

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!

[@choski76]

Thanks for review. At your skill level, you can make any ski perform and have fun. And an intermediate would struggle with a Blade or high performance ski. The skier makes the ski. So maybe it's takes someone of your skill to make the Blade do well in bumps and pow. You would do well on a beginner ski. Not sure if this ski would be good for me. Looks and sounds like fun but I might struggle in the chunder and steeps vs a Head Kore or QST. The carving aspect looks awesome. But would the average skier handle it on the back side of a mountain?

[@jWalski]

I think you have some good points! If you’re on a more beginner or intermediate-focused ski, I agree you’ll probably have an easier time in more difficult conditions. Some friends of mine who are more average/intermediate also tried the blades, so I can confirm they loved it on groomers and some pow runs, but struggled a bit more than they usually would on steeps/bumps/chunder. I think if you’re willing to go through some struggle in mixed conditions at first, then these are great to push your skills/limits. But yes, if you’re looking for something that will make those mixed conditions easier, then something like the Kore, QST or Mindbenders would be better.

[@choski76]

@@jWalski thanks for answering. I'm prolly typical. Older male taking a few trips out west a year. So struggling to learn a new ski on vaca isn't as fun as ripping on your known planks. Especially on steeps in the back/trees. Looks like so much fun for arcing on wide uncrowded groomers.

[@jWalski]

@@choski76 yup, I hear ya! If you are able to afford it, you could bring your known planks then have the blades to take on the groomers on some days, or even swap out during the day for those runs!

[@src248]

I think I'd rather be on just about anything other than a Kore for chunder, super light and stiff is not a good combo when things get rough

[@choski76]

@@src248 I ski a Kore 99 and it does well just about everywhere. It would help to be wider in deeper pow but still does ok. I like em on the back side of the mountain

[@downhillskier7]

I should have got the 169cm instead of 176cm as it doesn’t turn as quick as slalom ski

[@jWalski]

Hmm…about how tall are you?

[@ralfarmsen422]

Hello, I'am an Expert Skier from south of Munich/Germany. I ski 2 Pairs of Salomon BBR's in 186 cm, so i'am used to the Skiconcept. The 186 cm BBR is probably compareable to an 170 cm Racecarver. Both, in Running Edge length and stiffness. In the meantime I go sometimes on an 181 cm Line Sakana, which is great for Resort- Pow-Days. I like the Ski generally, softness of the shovel is good for Pow, but the overall-stiffness could be stronger for agressive carving and the Radius even tighter. More like 13m like the BBR. So now comes the Blade ... Lineskis are not too common in Germany, so i need your knowledge 🙂 Question: Does the 181cm Blade has the same Radius, more or less, then the 169cm, looking at the same Dimensions etc.? Probably not, comparing other skis i have in several lenghts. My Experience would be ...10 cm shorter Skilength, 1m smaller turningradius ...trendwise :-) ? Overallimpression of the Sakana is: too soft for hard charging on the Edge (ok, it is 105 mm wide :-)) and i would like to have a smaller Radius (Sakana in 181 cm has probably 16 m??) Question: Could the Blade meet these Expectations? I would prefer the 181 cm skilength for offpiste performance and maybe the 176 cm for the smaller radius onpiste. Is the Blade stiffer then the Sakana at all?? Do you have any Background information about the Radius? Thanks for sharing any information and experiences... pray for snow 🙂 Rallo

[@jWalski]

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!

[@ralfarmsen422]

@@jWalski ok. thanx 👍😃

[@mf8615]

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.

[@JamminTunes]

My Parkski Size is 178cm. Is it ok to buy them in 169cm?

[@jWalski]

Sounds like those might be a little short for you if your park skis are already 178cm. You’re probably better off with the 176cm

[@0L0FED]

Used to dream about owning the Salomon BBR, but could never find a pair. Looks like this these skis have stolen the niche from the old salomons. Hope to get my hands on these if only i can get them for a good price (sadly, that rarely happends for Line skis). These, along with a dedicated lightweight touring set would be my dream quiver. Traveling with dedicated carving/alpine skis, chargy allmountain skis AND touring skis is a little bit too cumbersome, and impossible when flying.

[@jWalski]

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!

[@jimmycorks]

How are the mindbenders 108ti compared to the line blades? They seem more directional and less playful

[@jWalski]

Yeah, the 108ti’s are more directional, but still offer a good amount of play. Boiling it down, the Blades are way more fun on groomers (though the Mindbenders can still carve), and the Mindbenders are a bit more fun and maneuverable in mixed conditions (variable snow, trees, etc.). And you don’t have to get used to the different shape of the Blades if you’re used to other all-mountain skis (which could be a + or - depending if you want to change things up).

[@jimmycorks]

@@jWalski Thanks for the reply! Can the Blades still hard charge through variable conditions and crud? I'm looking for a ski to balance out my main skis, the Line Sir Francis Bacons

[@jWalski]

@@jimmycorks you’re welcome! For sure! They just take a bit more effort / getting used to when going through crud and whatnot. I actually have an old pair of bacons too. The Mindbenders are much more similar to Bacons than they are to the Blades. So if you’re looking for something a bit different (and better on groomers), I’d definitely recommend the Blades.

[@jimmycorks]

@@jWalski Interesting! Super helpful. In what ways are the mindbenders similar to the Bacons in your point of view? That might be a plus for me as I could have a similar-ish ski, but use on days where the conditions are not as soft

[@jWalski]

@@jimmycorks in short, they’re just fairly similar overall. So around the same playfulness, responsiveness, maneuverability in most conditions. The only real difference that comes to mind is the Mindbenders hold a bit better when carving, especially for wider turns.

[@MeanLaQueefa]

The designer confirmed it’s a 15 meter turning radius

[@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

[@MeanLaQueefa]

@@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

[@jWalski]

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

[@turnergamache327]

What mountain is this at 1:12?

[@jWalski]

Panorama, BC!

[@blade1535]

Have you skied the Sakana at all?

[@jWalski]

Yup, actually just working on that review!

@@jWalski curious to hear how they compare!

[@jWalski]

@ long story short, Blades are more aggressive, Sakanas are more surfy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2qYeoSpe7iDrMk

[@dano-rider]

As a moguls skier done who spent a day on 2021 176cm Blades, I have to say they are terrible for moguls because of ski width. Slow to get from one edge to another and adges hitting top sheet in each bump. So you can ski moguls but slow and skis will look like trash after several runs. Otherwise the best skis I tried over my career which started in 2002 :)

[@jWalski]

Good to know! They’re definitely different in moguls, that’s for sure.

[@Snow-Journal]

I wish I could try a pair of these but 2 years ago I bought a pair of Sir Francis Bacons and they delaminated after 3 months of riding and Line did everything to deny coverage and after months of fighting they low balled an insurance offer so just keep that in mind when buying line products. They lost a lifelong customer multi ski purchaser for there extremely shady customer service🤔

[@jWalski]

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!

[@alexguiseppe]

i was with ya till you side hit that rail :(

[@tonyg3091]

The “carving” part is painful to watch, not gonna lie.

[@jWalski]

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

[@tonyg3091]

@@jWalski 😆