Karhu Storm Review (AT)

Length: 177 cm
Dimensions: 128-96-117 mm
Weight (per pair): 8.55 lbs
Running Length: 1511 mm
Tip/Tail Height: 55/9 mm
Bindings: Dynafit Vertical ST
Boots: Scarpa Spirit 4

Karhu Storm

My journey to the Karhu Storm as an alpine touring ski begins with my love for telemark skiing. Since picking up the sport a couple seasons ago the idea of resort skiing on the east has been completely rejuvenated for me. New Englanders know better than anyone just how fickle Ullr can be, and free-heeling has been there to help be through the rough patches by transforming mundane groomers coated in man-made frozen granular into something that is once again exciting and challenging. At some point during this one-sided love affair, I decided that I had achieved a requisite level of confidence to venture outside of the resort and begin touring on my Tele gear, as it was much lighter and more comfortable than anything else I owned. All it took was one morning of bouncing off birch trees, rocks, fallen logs and one mentally challenged labrador retriever, all the while in knee deep powder, to shatter that confidence. While making the 5 mile slog back to the car with my tail between my legs, I had plenty of time to lament squandering a rare weekend powder day in the Whites.

I decided that I needed to find a better way to play in the backcountry – something that was as light and tour-able as my tele setup, but with the comfort and security that a fixed heel brings to the table. It was time to add a pure alpine touring setup to the quiver. Going with Dynafit bindings was a forgone conclusion – if this was going to be a dedicated touring rig, there is no other option that would offer a comparable performance to weight ratio. Selecting the ski was a little more difficult. I tour almost exclusively in the White Mountains of NH, so a given day on the hill might include navigating frozen 55 degree couloir, followed by meadow skipping through breakable crust, and punctuated with bushwhacking through laughably tight glades. I needed a ski that was stiff and stable to keep me upright in the steeps, wide enough to steamroll crappy snow and float in powder, and was maneuverable enough to cope with tight quarters. A slew of magazine reviews and feedback from internet forums directed me towards the Karhu Storm as the potential Holy Grail touring ski for which I was searching. It has a similar construction to the Prophet 100 which I like so much (cap, macroblock maple core and a layer of titanal) so I was willing to take a risk based on that alone. I pondered the size selection for some time, going back and forth between the 177 and the 184, finally settling on the 177 after recalling my morning of near misses in tight trees. Contrary to Black Diamond’s latest marketing campaign, in the Northeast its all about the up, and the shorter ski was also going to be the lighter ski.

Spring Touring on Mt Washington

My first opportunity to test the new setup was the friday of Inferno Weekend up at Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington. It was a blue bird, 40 degrees, and the entire bowl was corned up and skiing perfect. The Storm’s toured wonderfully, they felt lighter on the feet than their actual weight, and the notched tail was a welcome feature providing a nice and secure mount for my BD Clipfix Skins. Rather than do a shakedown test, and get comfortable on my new skis/boots/bindings with a milder run over in right gully, I opted to go for it and shoot the Center Gully on the first run. Having grown accustomed to longer stiffer skis, I would have to say that my first experience on the shorter softer Storms was a bit frightening. The soft tips do not like to be driven, and the short length encouraged close technical turns, as opposed to more modern large radius turns. I found myself picking down the fall line and making far more turns than I would have liked. When things did taper off to a pitch on which I felt I could let the Storms run out on, I found them to be squirrelly and easily deflected by the heavy slushy snow. I recall doing a similar line on a pair of 177 Mantras (Red 2007 Vintage) a few seasons back – same length ski, but wildly different experience. The Mantra is a heavier ski with a vertical sidewall, and was infinitely more stable in those conditions. On the Storms, I never felt completely in control when things got rough, and I had to change my skiing style to suit them. The soft tips did not respond well to being pressured, and I found a more balanced upright approach worked best.

The journey back down from the Ravine takes you down the little headwall, past the lower snowfields and onto the John Sherburne Trail, all the way down to Pinkham Notch. In the spring time, this classic ski run transforms into a 2.5 mile long narrow bump run. In these conditions the Storms performed much better. The soft tips I was cursing down the bowl were now a welcome aid to tired legs, as they helped to make quick work of all those moguls. The 177 length does in deed make for easy quick turns but I never did get comfortable with the ski’s odd flex pattern. I had some difficulty getting the tails to release quickly on demand, as they were quite a bit stiffer than the tips. I find that I generally prefer a more even flex pattern in my skis because it makes for a more predictable performance.

As a rule I believe that I should not have to alter my skiing style, but rather I should be on a ski that compliments and rewards it – and so far this is where the Storm has let me down. I think going with the 184 would have been a better decision for me overall, but that would not have necessarily changed how the ski felt through the turn. I would still like to get these out in powder to see how those soft tips perform in their intended environment, but they might be hitting craigslist before then. I think overall the Karhu Storm may be better suited as a soft snow ski for the west, rather than the Swiss army knife that I was banking on. It’s also possible I would have had a completely different experience on the 184 seeing as I drew parallels to the Team 100 in terms of construction, and others have similarly griped about the squirrelly nature of the shorter lengths of that ski. I actually opted to tour on my Team 100’s with dukes in identical conditions up on Mt Washington just a day later, and I had a much more enjoyable experience despite the added heft and compromise in uphill performance. Maybe Black Diamond had it right all along.

After spending my first full season on a ski with rocker I have seen how those shapes can make skiing in virtually any condition, no matter how adverse, an enjoyable experience. I think in the Northeast where you are guaranteed a diversity of snow quality and conditions on a daily basis, that offerings like the 2010 K2 SideStash, Hardside or Coomback or even a 2008-2009 Anti-Piste might actually fit the bill as a be-all end-all east coast touring ski.

Bottom Line

While it feels light on the feet on the way up, makes easy kick turns and is highly maneuverable, I felt the 177 was too short for me. The ski’s lack of stability at speed, coupled with the odd flex pattern left me underwhelmed.

GS Rating: 2.5/5