Review: Karhu Team 100 / Line Prophet 100

Length: 186cm (Actual tip to tail is ~183cm)
Dimensions: 134-100-125
Sidecut: 18.9
Tip/Tail Height: 50/50mm
Running Length: 155cm
Mounting Point: 82.5cm straight from the tail (-1cm from Prophet 100 line)
Weight (per pair): 9.53 lbs
Binding: Marker Duke
Boot: Tecnica Agent 110

Karhu Team 100

Last season I found myself without a solid every day ski in my quiver that would handle whatever conditions I would encounter on the mountain on any given day. I needed something that would carve on hard pack well, yet provide enough float to be serviceable in deeper snow, crud, or cut up powder when called upon. I needed a daily driver. After some laborious research, mulling various magazine and personal reviews, there was one ski that seemed to be universally loved and completely fit the bill. That ski was the Line Prophet 100: A playful cap-constructed twin that sports a generous sidecut, maple core and a layer of titanal for good measure. A number of seasons ago when the Prophet 100 first debuted, at 100mm under foot, it might have been considered a powder ski in almost any locale save for maybe Utah, where its bigger brother the Prophet 130 was the weapon of choice on deep days. Fast forward a few years and 100 is the new 80 – fat is now mid-fat (yes, even in New England.)

In my search for the Prophet 100, I found it was such a popular ski that it was difficult to find at a price at which I was willing to pay (a good gear sloot never pays retail.) Fortunately for me, Line and its sibling company Karhu (former parent of Line, but now both are owned by K2) share a number of the same skis between their product lines, with the only difference being cosmetic. That being said, Karhu’s Team 100 is identical to the Prophet 100 with the exception of its glorious neon green top sheet and that it could be found for hundreds less than it’s more notorious twin.

Sizing

I am 5′10 175lbs and of an athletic build. I generally like skis that hover around the 180cm length because they are the perfect mix of stability at speed and maneuverability in the tight spaces that define the New England skiing experience. The Team 100 comes in both a 179 and a 186cm length, and at first I was inclined to go with the 179. Further research revealed that something was awry with how Line works a tape measure, and with the high twin tip on this ski, the 186 had a dramatically short running length. Im very happy that I settled on the 186, which actually turns out to have a 183cm tip to tail length (Line appears to measure material length, following the curve of the ski.)

First Impressions

In terms of flex, the Team/Prophet 100 is not as stiff as the magazine reviews let on. It has a rather soft tip and tail and is stiff underfoot. The flex pattern is very even and transitions smoothly from soft to stiff. This translates to a buttery predictable feel on the hill. My first time out on the ski, I was very impressed with how smooth and damp it was. For a twin it lacked a lot of the spring and pop I was accustomed to from that type of ski. It reminded me a little bit of vintage K2, but it managed to do so without being lifeless out of the turn. It carved incredibly well on groomers and hard snow with its tight radius sidecut, making long, medium and short radius turns with no effort. I was able to really crank on them and lay down some aggressive carves with my hip to the snow. One of my big complaints with skis like this that have a lot of sidecut are that they can become squirrelly and want to turn when you are running them straight. I found the dampness of this ski tended to counteract that and you could let them run and not worry too much about them wandering beneath you. Encounters with ice were relatively painless where the Team 100 carved as well as any 100mm wide ski would on boiler plate. In the bumps, the Team 100 really shined. The nice soft tips and tails really encouraged zipper lines in both hard and soft moguls. I found that they skied much narrower than they are in this scenario.

Off-Piste/Powder

Moving off the trail, into powder and soft crud they were excellent, and again the damp nature of the ski aided it in busting up crud and swallowing the terrain in front of it. The softer tips wanted to rise up out of the powder, and as expected the platform as a whole floated very well. In contrast, when the snow became crusty or heavy, the tight sidecut that makes the Team 100 such a competent carver was now a hinderance, causing the tips and tails to hook up and want to turn when what I really wanted to do was skid and slip. Add in some tight trees to that crusty snow and it was the perfect storm of near misses. To be fair, these conditions will be troublesome for ANY sub 25-30m sidecut ski, and in comparison to the Volkl Mantra, a ski that I have logged roughly 60 days on, the Team 100 handled things much more gracefully. This can probably be attributed to its softer, more upturned tail which promotes an easier release through the turn when called upon.

Touring/Spring Conditions

I mounted the Team 100’s with Dukes so I be would be able to venture outside the resort for short skins or traverses into the sidecountry, as well as shorter spring tours in the Whites like Tuckerman Ravine where a full alpine setup would be more desirable and worth hauling along. This spring I had the opportunity to spend a few days on this setup in true spring conditions, one of which included an 8 hour day of touring in alpine boots on Mount Washington and into Oake’s Gulf for some slush-tastic skiing. This setup tours wonderfully, even with alpine boots, but I would definitely draw the line at day trips. I should also mention this ski absolutely slays corn and slush and it would be my first choice for these conditions every time.

Bottom Line

The Line Prophet 100/Karhu Team 100 lives up to the hype. It is to resort skiing what all wheel drive is to winter driving, giving you stability and control when you need it. I would recommend it for those who split time 50/50 or 60/40 on/off trail. If you’re MO is shredding powder or variable snow in tight trees, then I would look into something with rocker and/or less sidecut, but if you’re looking for a modern day mid-fat that excels on piste and wont leave you stranded off the trail then this ski is the ticket.

GS Rating: 4/5