Line Honey Badger Skis 2018

I’ve ridden Line Skis for the better part of my life and have always enjoyed the way they feel underfoot whether I’m in the park, on groomers, floating on powder, or charging through thick/soft spring snow. And while it’s more of a park ski made for easy spins and grinding/buttering rails... you could easily take it into the whole mountain and cruise the groomers, weave through the glades, hit the bumps, and make some nice carves all over. The wide 92mm underfoot and tip/tails combined w/ the early rise help you float over the powder as well as the wet/soft crud you find in mid/late spring skiing. I did notice the tips chattering in hard packed/Ivey runs a bit more than I’d normally expect out of a 166 length ski... I’d attribute it to that early rise and the thin tip/tail design that’s meant to help spins in park or in the air, that said imthey still held their own but recommend if your a heavier/taller rider get the 172s for additional surface contact. My one gripe that I have w/ these skis are how easily the top sheets get chipped, scratched, nicked, etc. in just the few weeks I’ve had them (total of 5 days on the slopes). I recall seeing past reviews from folks saying the same thing but they were more aggressive park skiers so I attributed the faster wear and tear to that. And while I occasionally drop into the park I don’t ski nearly as hard on the rails and jumps as I used to in my younger days. That said I did notice a deep gash open up on the top sheet above the edges on one of my tails after I took a spill after one jump when I landed a little low on the transfer. I had heard a little cracking and thought nothing of it until on the lift up a few runs later noticed the gash which was sizeable Enough that I could see the wood core under the top laminate and paint. Not entirely sure how deep it goes or if it’s repairable... but will keep an eye on it and see if it opens up more. Again I’d express something like that to happen after a full season of hard charging runs through the park, but I was a little off out seeing this after only a few days on the slopes and only a handful of jumps. Bottom line... if your looking for a light, fun, poppy, well balanced set of twin tips that you can play around on the whole mountain and happen to be a lighter/shorter and more of an intermediate park skier then these are the skis for you. If your more of an aggresive and have a tendency to be a bit tougher on your skis, or are a bit of heavier/taller skier that needs a bit more firmness/stability underfoot then I’d recommend passing on these in favor of the Chronic or Blends.