As a brand, historically Line hasn’t been super concerned with what other manufacturers are doing. Look at skis like the Sakana, the Blade, and even going all the way back to their roots with skis like the 1260, Line tends to do their own thing and not follow industry trends. That feels like a nice way to introduce this new Blade Optic collection. This past season, while skiing and analyzing new skis, we couldn’t help but notice a trend of most manufacturers focusing on lighter skis that are geared towards at least some alpine touring use. Line, on the other hand, is basically doing the opposite and giving us some strong, badass skis that are most at home riding the lifts, or maybe taking a helicopter to the top of a FWT course.

These new skis take influence from the existing Vision and Blade skis. They are freeride skis with a freestyle feel and some borrowed shaping concepts. Compared to the Vision, we get a straighter cut throughout. The tips are narrower, respectively, which means these skis aren’t intended to pull you into a turn, rather provide a more down-the-fall-line approach. They aren’t true twin tips, according to Line, but I’d say you could make a good argument that they’re more twin tips than not. They’re not fully symmetrical, but they’re more symmetrical than most freeride skis both in sidecut dimensions and amount of tail rise. We even get a more forward mount point than most skis in the freeride category, around 5.5 cm back from true center. Depending on the width, that allows for some use in the terrain park, the ability to land switch, and a bunch of other progressive skiing techniques, while also retaining strong directional performance.

Construction might be the most interesting aspect of these new Blade Optic skis. Line calls it Gas Pedal Metal Overdrive. It’s similar in concept to the Gas Pedal Metal used in the Blade skis, but we get a consistent, unbroken strip of metal that essentially runs from tip to tail. That’s quite different than the Blade, which focuses on providing torsional stiffness, but allows for a softer, more playful flex pattern. We go back to that down-the-fall-line concept with the use of metal, as Line has given the skis stronger longitudinal stability. If you like to straight-line through choppy, un-groomed snow, skis like the Blade Optic 104 and 114 are designed exactly for that. I’ve often spoken about what I consider to be a modern skiing style of “straight and sideways.” Skiers that like that style of skiing generally aren’t making a bunch of round, clean turns. They’re going straight, really fast, then throwing their skis sideways into a big slash or smeared turn. Maybe tossing in a nose butter 360 here and there, then straight-lining away at speed. We know it’s not an appropriate brand comparison, but think of skiers like Candide Thovex. Straight, sideways to dump some speed, then straight again. That’s the idea here. I suppose this is a good time to mention the 92 is a little different than the 96, 104, and 114 as it is the only ski that doesn’t utilize this Gas Pedal Metal Overdrive.

Now, when conceptualizing this article, we weren’t sure whether we wanted to review each individual ski just yet, or rather focus on an overview of the whole collection. We opted for the later. Although we’ve spent significant time on each width, we do want to take them into a bigger variety of terrain before we do longer, more in-depth reviews of each width. Until then, consider this an overview and partial review of the entire collection. Bob was lucky to spend a considerable amount of time on the 92 and 96. I (Jeff) was able to test the 104 and 114 a handful of times.

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Overview:

At 92 mm underfoot, the narrowest Blade Optic is certainly the most front-side oriented, although I don’t think many skiers would consider this a pure carving ski. It has the personality of the Blade in that regard—it likes to make the shorter carving turns, but not really at higher speeds. The aspen veneer wood core makes it grippy and agile. Line has always done a great job thinking outside the box in terms of construction, and the Blade Optic 92 is no different, for a ski without metal, it’s quite a bit stiffer than you may expect. That said, I absolutely loved making short-swing turns down the sides of the steeper trails, and in the woods they were quick and agile as anything I’ve been on in this width. The tail shape makes it easy to release and get from edge to edge. Interestingly, this is my (Bob’s) favorite Blade Optic, and the only one without metal.

Who it's For:

Targeted to intermediate and advanced skiers who are looking for a unique one-ski quiver for any day, any turn, any condition, and all terrain. While it’s a bit on the wide side for pure mogul skiing, the target audience will still have a blast in most anything except for super-tight and firm bumps. If you value snap and pop in your ski, the 92 is a great choice.

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Overview:

Likely the sweet spot for the Blade Optic lineup in terms of shape relative to construction. At 96 mm underfoot, this ski can do it all, and with a wider-bodied format that works great in softer snow. The metal does make it work quite well in firmer conditions, offering quite a bit of dampness and stability, especially at higher speeds. This one does like to run more than the 92, not only due to the addition of metal, but also the increased overall mass and volume of material. I felt like it worked a lot better when I loaded it up with energy rather than just standing on it and hoping it’d go. The metal, even though partial, makes the ski quite a bit stiffer than you may expect. It’s a charger for sure in terms of the build, while the shape is a bit gentler and more user-friendly for playful freestyle or freeride skiing. While not a true twin tip in the freestyle sense of the term, it certainly has park and pipe capabilities, not to mention natural jumps and hits all over the mountain.

Who it's For:

A bit more rugged of an audience than the 92. The Blade Optic 96 skier is a higher-octane group that lives off of speed and adrenaline. You are looking for one pair of skis to do it all, and you want some stiffness and power behind your turns.

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Overview:

The Blade Optic 104 is a refreshing ski. As someone with a freestyle background who tests a lot of different skis in a season, it was rewarding to get on a ski that allows me to ski how I like to ski. I’d rather be bouncing around through soft snow, going fast, and slashing quick turns rather than just linking carves. I appreciate both, but it’s fun for me to go back to why I fell in love with skiing in the first place. This ski loves to go straight, it loves to go fast, and it loves to play all at the same time. That’s pretty rare. Usually skis that excel at going fast aren’t very playful, but Line has does a great job combining both elements into one ski. Considering how much metal it has and the relatively stiff flex pattern, I was blown away by its quickness and agility, which really shines when you’re popping off natural hits, tail tapping random things, and making those quick slash turns. Line has spoken about their athletes using these skis for Freeride World Tour venues. I think most athletes would choose the 114, which I’ll talk about next, but I like to think of the 104 as a FWT ski for the masses. You can ski in that style, just at your local resort in “smaller” terrain than those gnarly big mountain courses.

Who it's For:

Strong skiers with a counter-culture attitude and modern skiing style. If you’re looking for a ski that’s going to cut clean round arcs, look elsewhere. If you want to go fast, slash, smear, jump off stuff, land switch sometimes, and get all those hoots and hollers from your admiring audience on the lift, this is your ski.

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Overview:

I think it’s fair to say that as you move up in width, these Blade Optic skis feel stronger and stronger. The 114 is kind of a beast. We’ve heard from Line that it’s become a favorite among their athletes, some already having used it for Freeride World Tour runs. That said, it doesn’t lose that playfulness that makes these skis so special. I admittedly didn’t get to ski it in the ideal terrain or snow conditions, but we did have enough soft snow to get a sense of what it can do. Drop cliffs, charge away through powder, hit some massive backcountry jumps, 180 into deep powder, those are the things I think of when I think of this ski. At 2170 g, it’s got some heft to it, which I think puts it into more of a specific category in terms of ability level and who should ski it. For less aggressive skiers looking for powder skis, there are probably better options, but if you want to ski like the pros, this is a perfect tool. It’s a strong powder/freeride ski and one that will reward aggressive skiing, and I’m looking forward to having a chance to ski it in more open, steeper, western terrain where the ski is really going to shine.

Who it's For:

Strong skiers looking for a strong powder ski with a playful side as well. You should be comfortable driving a ski both in how you initiate turns and in how you steer it and manipulate it. Advanced and expert skiers will be able to butter and play, but it’s probably a bit much for an intermediate or anyone with a less aggressive skiing style.

Written by Jeff Neagle & Bob St.Pierre on 07/07/22