My partner and I begrudgingly skied a lap in the trees, it was ‘okay’ I thought. Strong winds the week before made for variable snow, overcast skies made for flat light, and cold air made for cold lungs. My first day out on them was a day at Tincan in Turnagain Pass. The Helio Carbon is not a featherweight division contender like say the Movement Alp Tracks or Fischer TransAlp, but a lightweight ski that maintains a bit of the umph of a heavier setup, akin to the Atomic Backland, the Scott Superguide, or the Blizzard Zero G. These skis feel heavier on the down, but at the same lightweight for the up. Along with a bidirectional carbon weave and ‘elastomeric’ core damping materials – yea, I’m not really sure what that means either – the new construction gives the Helio Carbon a more stable ride, smooth ‘carvier’ turn, and playful edge. The biggest change between the old Helio and the new Helio Carbon is an engineered paulownia wood core (trading out a balsa falx core). After this winter’s redesign, I am converted. I know some lighter folks out there loved this ski (likely getting the ride I got out of the 105s), but I couldn’t quite find their lane.
#BLACK DIAMOND HELIO CARBON 104 DRIVER#
The first generation 95 was easy to ski, but not quite zippy enough for a daily driver and not quite nimble enough for objective skiing-while a jack-of-all trades, it felt like a bit of a master of none. Out of the old Helio widths offered, the old 95 was my least favorite. The most interesting thing to me about this year’s Helio Carbon 95 is that it doesn’t remind me of the earlier Helio 95. Improved balance and power transfer make it a Black Diamond ski for black belt skiers. The Helio Carbon 95 offered the chance to find out. The line got a redesign this year and I couldn’t wait to see what had changed and what stayed the same. The 105s were my daily driver, soft-snow ski for a few seasons ( reviewed and compared to the 95 here). The 88s have been my go-to ski mountaineering, long approach, techy ski for a while. I have had more days on Helios in the last few years than any other ski. The Black Diamond Helio, BDs lightweight line-up for the past five seasons, aims to allow for a burly ski feel in a light-ish package. (Interestingly, Lundgren’s 1985 major motion picture debut, A View to Kill, starts off with Roger Moore’s James Bond in perhaps the big screen’s most infamous ski chase…a story for another day). Clearly this is no secret to the folks at Black Diamond, as the Helio Carbon ski’s redesign quite similarly utilizes a foundation in top-notch engineering to pack a precision punch: hard-charging, impressively stable, and surprisingly nimble for their size.
#BLACK DIAMOND HELIO CARBON 104 FULL#
Early rise in the tip and tail improves flotation and trail-breaking efficiency, and an ABS tail protector also has an integrated skin-clip tab to keep your skins from sliding off.Sunshine in the Chugach! Photo: Taylor BracherĪnyone who’s read Dolph Lundgren’s Wikipedia page knows full well that it takes a Fulbright Scholarship at MIT in chemical engineering to fully develop one’s appreciation for the hard-hitting, yet smooth style of Kyokushin Karate. The Helio also maintains a smooth flex and torsional stiffness for reliable, responsive skiing on the way down. Balancing playful, soft- snow performance with a lightweight build and technical precision for when conditions are variable, the Helio 104 features a pre-preg carbon fibre layup with full-perimeter ABS sidewalls for improved dampness and a smooth ride, while the engineered paulownia wood core keeps it lightweight for big vert days in the backcountry. Black Diamond's Helio Carbon 104 is built for dawn-to-dusk backcountry missions where slashing powder stashes is the name of the game.
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