2021 Liberty evolv90w

Liberty calls the Evolv90W their "all-mountain gateway ski," and I think that's a good way to think about it. With a front-side mentality but a love for versatility and fun, the Evolv90 is an ideal choice for advanced and expert level lady skiers who are looking to lay down some mean carves on the front side in the mornings while keeping things wide and light enough for some fun in the sun in the afternoon or on fresh snow mornings. At 90 mm underfoot, the skis have enough width to pass for that fun all-mountain shape, but the build, taper, and rocker profiles all point to a more front-side oriented carver. Liberty, as a company, is more well-known for their freeride and freestyle skis, and this is no different in terms of that personality, but the nuts and bolts are certainly better suited for laying down some deep trenches on the groomers.

They do some really interesting and innovative things with the construction of the skis, and it all starts with the wood core made from bamboo, poplar, and paulownia wood. This combination of light and flexible wood is great in its own regard, but does need some extra strength for stronger and more aggressive skiers. In this light, Liberty installs their vertical metal technology, consisting of two vertically placed metal struts that do the bulk of the heavy lifting. A lot of companies use this type of technology in their race skis, so there is merit behind it. For the most part, it stiffens and dampens the ski without adding the weight of a full-sheet of metal in the traditional horizontal fashion. It also prevents the ski from counter-flexing at the end of the turn, allowing for skiers to enter the next turn with confidence and smoothness.

Caroline Kessler skied the 172, and although that was a good length, she could also bump up to the men's version to get into the 179. Basically the same skis, the men's leaves out the paulownia wood. Her scores were all 4's and 5's with a 5 for overall impression, stability, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness. These are some impressively high scores, and Caroline's comments reflect as much. "I absolutely loved this ski. One of the best all-mountain skis I've been on. Smooth turns and poppy transitions thanks to the bamboo core. Super-fun on all snow conditions. I would recommend this to any intermediate and above skier, especially on the east coast." On the men's side, we were very impressed with the silence and stability of the Evolv90, and that all carries forward to the women's skis as well.

Fun, fast, and incredibly smooth, the Liberty Evolv90 W is a fantastic choice for cruising the whole mountain. Blending the gap between front-side and all-mountain, the Evolv90 W is a great choice for mostly on-trail skiing, and if you're heading off-trail just remember that there's minimal taper and rocker, as a nod to that superior front-side performance.