2022 Liberty Origin 106 BC

The 2022 Liberty Origin 106 BC is a fantastic choice for backcountry and adventure skiers who love the shape and attitude of the Liberty skis but are looking for something without the weight. The wood core has a great blend of bamboo, aspen and cedar wood. Top it off with carbon, and you’ve got a pretty high-functioning ski. At 106 mm underfoot, the skis are right in the sweet spot for being efficient enough for the climb up and floaty and smeary enough for super-fun downhill skiing. This is a great option for a hybrid binding like a Shift or a Kingpin, but also works well with a straight-tech binding. It also makes a nice option for both resort and backcountry skiing, capable of doing either, or both, equally as well.

The nod to the backcountry is evident with the tail notches, as the normal Origin 106 has that rounded tail for surfy and slarvy skiing. This notch allows for easier and more confident connection in the tail, creating a better option for hoofing it up some of the steepest and most craggy peaks you can find. They’re not too wide that it gets awkward in the skin track, nor too narrow that you get submerged on the deepest of days. Like a lot of skis in the Liberty line, these stand up to a variety of uses and applications, and check a lot of boxes right down the middle.

Dana Allen skied the 182, and notes that at 5’10”, it “honestly felt like the right size for me.” He gave top marks of 5 out of 5 for a lot of categories, including overall impression, versatility, playfulness, quickness, and maneuverability. All other scores were 4’s, and if this were a normal alpine ski, those would be some of the highest average scores that we see, but since this is a BC version, it makes it all the more impressive. “Where the other Liberty skis were heavy, dampened, and not playful, these were lighter, felt more playful, and were surprisingly stable at speed (though not nearly as stable as the Evolv skis). If I were looking for a one ski quiver, this could be in the running. Decently light for a BC ski but doesn’t seem like it would deflect like some light skis can.” Sometimes the right build is the right build, and it doesn’t matter if there’s metal in it or not, it just makes sense, and it seems like that’s what is going on here with Dana.

If you’re looking for a floaty and versatile backcountry ski that has a lot of different uses, look no further than the Liberty Origin 106 BC. You may think that it’s too light for resort use, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad at it. Instead, it’s great to see the ski and its ability to make a lot of different turns in a variety of snow conditions and terrain. There’s a whole lot of fun to be had on these skis, and it’s all thanks to Liberty and their innovative approach to ski construction.