SUMMARY: The Surface Live Free is an ultralight, fat, all mountain ski perfect
for backcountry powder, ski mountaineering, and variable inbounds and sidecountry
conditions. Despite being significantly lighter
weight than most similarly sized skis, the Live Free is a solid wood-core ski incorporating
hybrid flex: conventional camber underfoot and progressive rocker in the tip
and tail. The Live Free has proven
itself a fun, durable, versatile “one ski quiver” in the Teton Range.
LENGTHS: 181cm, 191cm
RADIUS: 181cm: 22m, 191cm: 26.2m
WEIGHT: 181cm: 8.6lbs, 191cm: 10.2lbs (pair)
WIDTH: 181cm:146/110/130, 191cm:156/120/135
REVIEW
SPECS: Reviewer is 200 lb, 5’10” male backcountry powderhound
and occasional ski mountaineer in Wyoming’s Teton Range. I have skied 30+ backcountry days on the 2013
Surface Live Free 191 in conditions ranging from bottomless powder to hero snow
to groomers to steep, sketchy sun and wind crusts.
Review conducted with Dynafit TLT Mountain Boots
and Dynafit TLT Speed Radical Bindings.
I experimented with multiple binding mount
configurations, initially starting at the manufacturer recommended
mount – 90cm from tail to boot center – before moving the mount back ~5cm and
then ultimately moving the mount back an additional 4cm to 81cm from tail to
boot center. After several seasons
riding a fat, floppy 188cm ski with boot center 78cm from the tail, I didn’t
enjoy having 90cm of tail and the necessity of leaning back in the deep stuff. I predominantly ride powder and found
mounting the skis 9cm back from the recommended mount to be a whole lot of fun in
deep snow without sacrificing hard snow performance. I have to lean forward a bit more
aggressively to engage the edges for carving, but I’d rather do that than
continually lean back to keep my tips afloat in the fluff I’m generally out hunting
for.
THE
GOOD:
The Surface Live Free 191 gives my previous
favorite backcountry ski (the BD Megawatt 188) a run for its money. Since the BD Megawatt is such a popular fat
backcountry ski, comparing the two seems like a great way to highlight the Live
Free’s positive characteristics and how it stacks up to a very popular ski of
similar dimensions but with a different flex pattern.
*Live Free 191 is FAT, offering ample float in
the pow with it’s 156/120/135
measurements. BD Megawatt 188 dimensions
are skinnier in the shovel and tail but fatter underfoot at 151/125/131. The Live Free’s more pronounced curves offer
better carving performance on hard pack while the BD Megawatt is more prone to
smeary turns in hard conditions.
*Live Free 191 is ultralight at 10.2 lbs per
pair. The Live Free is 3cm longer and
equally fat but weighs in just over a pound lighter than the BD Megawatt 188
(11.25 lbs per pair). The new BD Carbon
Megawatt 188 weighs in at 9.3 lbs, making the 10.2 lb Live Free approximately a
pound heavier than the Carbon and a pound lighter than the conventional
Megawatt.
*Hybrid profile provides great traction underfoot
for carving hardpack or navigating icy steeps while offering good floatation in
bottomless powder. I definitely notice
the Live Free’s advantage over the Megawatt on groomers and firm snow. The Live Free is a better “all mountain”
option while the Megawatt is more powder specific.
*The Live Free offers excellent uphill
performance thanks to the reverse camber nose, which offers good float when
setting a skin track in deep snow, especially when making kick turns. I find that a reverse camber nose concentrates
more of the skinner’s weight underfoot and in the tail where more traction is
generated. The Live Free’s conventional
camber underfoot may provide slightly less traction when travelling steep,
slick skintracks but I didn’t notice any difference in uphill performance
between the Live Free and the Megawatt aside from the Live Free being ~8oz
lighter per ski.
*The Live Free’s stiff but lightweight Poplar
wood core is reinforced in the mounting zone providing what is proving a solid
and durable ski. So far I haven’t been
able to ding up the topsheets or sidewalls and have had no concerns about the
overall integrity of the ski. Though
light, it feels solid.
*The Live Free’s full wrap steel edges are
solidly built into the ski. This shallow
early season I hit 20+ rocks and put some nice gouges in the bases but the edges
have remained intact. I have had similar
luck with the BD Megawatts. Perhaps
these fatter skis are less likely to impact rocks with edge-shearing force on
account of their girth and floatation. I
have blown out quite a few edges on skinnier skis over the years.
*The Live Free’s understated, classy graphics
with the inspiring motto “Live Free” constantly reminds me to keep skiing for
the right reasons. Wood core is visible
through the topsheet, which is always a nice touch. I definitely prefer the Live Free’s graphics
over the colorful, “abstract art” graphics of the BD Megawatts.
* The Live Free’s MSRP is definitely right at $675. Compared with other fat, light backcountry skis
this is very reasonable. K2 Backdrop is $699.
La Sportiva Hang5 is $825. BD
Megawatt is $829. BD Gigawatt is $869. Dynafit Huascaran is $899.
THE
BAD:
*I only have one major gripe about the Live Free and that is the ski’s
exceptionally squared off nose which does not interface well with common skins. I bought a new pair of 140mm Black Diamond Skins
for my setup only to find that the skin tip loops would not fit on the Live
Free’s exceptionally wide and squared off nose.
I adjusted the skin tip loops but they still were not wide enough.
I checked at several local stores and online
and was not able to find any commercial tip loops that would obviously accommodate
the squared-off shovel of the Live Free.
The G3 skin tip attachment system (using clips) may work with the Live
Free, but I prefer BD skins.
I have been using Voile straps as a temporary
fix and will eventually make my own tip loops out of cable to remedy this
problem. Even after making a set of
loops that accommodate this unconventional ski tip, I will be nervous that they
may be prone to slipping off.
If Surface made the ski tip a few centimeters
longer and more rounded, it would be more compatible with the dominant skins on
the market and it would also probably increase the ski’s floatation slightly as
well. Many ski companies (notably
MOMENT) are going with a squared off tip these days for apparently
appearance-driven purposes. I see no
technical advantage to a squared off tip, especially on a ski designed for
skinning.
*My other *minor* gripe is that the
graphics are slightly off center (~3mm to looker’s right) on the pair that I
got in the mail from Surface. This
irregularity is apparent in the photo of the ski tips above. This is no big deal to me but I could see
anal retentive or OCD folks being upset with a less-than perfect top sheet
graphic layout. I got a deal on the pair
I reviewed, so perhaps Surface sent me a pair that was discounted due to the minor
shift in the graphics. Again, no big
deal.
BOTTOM
LINE:
The
Surface Live Free is an ultralight, fat, all mountain ski perfect for
backcountry powder, ski mountaineering, and variable inbounds and sidecountry
conditions. Despite being significantly lighter
weight than most similarly sized skis, the Live Free is a solid wood-core ski incorporating
hybrid flex: conventional camber underfoot and progressive rocker in the tip
and tail. The Live Free has proven
itself a fun, durable, versatile “one ski quiver” in the Teton Range.
FROM
THE MANUFACTURER:
Dawn Patrol here
in the Wasatch is a pretty special thing. Looking down from Mt. Superior onto
the town of Alta while all the little ants work their way into their parking
spots for a day of skiing. Knowing that your day will be done before theirs
even begins is strangely gratifying. But what is even more gratifying is being
completely white-roomed at 8:03am and having time to grab a cup of coffee
before clocking in at 9:00am. The Live Free is a Hybrid Camber/Rockered ski and
is extremely light for its size. Mount these with an AT setup and have the
ultimate soft snow backcountry kit.
LENGTHS: 181cm, 191cm
RADIUS: 181cm: 22m, 191cm: 26.2m
WEIGHT: 181cm: 8.6lbs, 191cm: 10.2lbs (pair)
WIDTH: 181cm:146/110/130, 191cm:156/120/135
HIGHLIGHTS
- Feather Weight
- All Mountain, All Condition
- Mid-Wide Waist
- Powder Profile
CONSTRUCTION
- Hybrid = Early Rise + Camber
- Directional Tapered Shape
- Ultra-Light Poplar Wood Core
- Kevlar
- ABS Sidewall Construction
- Extruded Base
- 2.5mm Full Wrap Steel Edges
- 2mm Mini-Cap
- Feather Weight
- All Mountain, All Condition
- Mid-Wide Waist
- Powder Profile
CONSTRUCTION
- Hybrid = Early Rise + Camber
- Directional Tapered Shape
- Ultra-Light Poplar Wood Core
- Kevlar
- ABS Sidewall Construction
- Extruded Base
- 2.5mm Full Wrap Steel Edges
- 2mm Mini-Cap