2008-2009 Hart Blue Phoenix Carving Ski

[exoticskis]

(hello from the USA...sorry for the English-only...)

Hart Blue Phoenix
(116-66-101) 15.7m radius @ 158cm
(116-66-101) 16.2m radius @ 166cm
(116-66-101) 16.8m radius @ 174cm
(116-66-101) 17.3m radius @ 180cm

2008-2009

[ externes Bild ]

[click here for larger picture]

Manufacturer Info:

Hart Ski Corporation
641 E. Lake Street, Suite 225
Wayzata, MN 55391
Tel. (952) 476-7849
Fax (952) 476-7845
http://www.hartskis.com

Blossom in Italy makes the new Hart skis, and I think this ski is the same as the Spoilt racecarve made by Claudio and Sandro Mazzoni of Spoilt skis. Spoilt and Blossom share many designs and construction technologies...excellent skis (in my opinion).

Suggested Retail Price (MSRP):
$1,049

Usage Class:

All Mountain Carving

Your Rating (with comments):
(1="get me off these things"->10="I have to own a pair")

8+ to 9

Summary:

Fantastic frontside carving ski. More racy and oriented toward hardpack groomers than the Fuelie Stage1 (Phoenix has a 10mm narrower waist), with more dampening and great grippy ride. Near race-ski grip but with much less effort required. Strangely identical in construction and feel as the Spoilt RaceCarve from Italy (which I really love). Me thinks these are made by the same hands in the same factory. Smooth operator capable of running gates if you wanted, but happy to cruise easily or lay down serious carving trenches on demand.

Technical Ski Data:

Wood core, fiberglass, Titanal and rolled steel metal sandwich construction with rubber dampening layer. Melamine sidewalls, Graphite bases, aluminum tip and tail components. Hand made in small batches.

Pre-Skiing Impression:

Very nice quality, excellent finish, glossy topsheet (to be textured in production next year?). Damp, "it has metal" flex and rebound with smooth feeling pattern. Cool color scheme.

Test Conditions:

Cold, dry packed powder conditions, perfect combination of packed groomers and some cut-up fresh stuff (only a few inches) on the side of some trails. Some broken-up crust plate garbage and granular junk and hardpack on some trails.

Test Results:

The Phoenix has that feel at slow speeds in your first runs that says "just wait until you get me moving." The grip becomes stronger and deeper as you roll this ski up onto its edge and retains a really fun, smooth feel as you increase speed. The more you put in, the more it gives back. Really well controlled at any speeds, with an urge to put it into a high edge angle and lay down some tracks under any pressure you want. If you like race-like grip without race-like effort, the Phoenix is a great choice. The dampening of this ski (probably due to the metal) makes it super quiet on the snow with great torsional strength. The soft longitudinal flex makes it easy to start your turns and actually go off-piste without any protest. The narrow waist will sink, for sure, but the forebody comes up nicely and behaves just fine off the beaten path. Very versatile, but it really comes alive on the groomers. Great round turns of different radii are easy to make with this ski (just like its Spoilt racecarve sibling). More damp and racy-feeling than the Fuelie Stage 1, and not as good off-piste. If you haunt the groomers, the Phoenix is the "cheater GS" ski you might be hunting for.

Analogies: (this ski is like...)

Alfa Romeo - stylish, high-performance turns putting most other vehicles to shame. Not a pure racer, but has the heart of a thoroughbred and elegance in the way it handles.

After Skiing These, I Want To...

Try the other sizes and keep them all for a season.

Self-Description of Skiing Style, Ability, Experience, Preferences:

Expert groomed-surface carver, "old-style" race inspired, "foot steerer" with fairly sensitive edging feel. Loves to hold long arcs with lots of pressure on the downhill ski (you know the type), but also loves the feel of both skis on-edge leaving tiny railroad track edge tracks. Not an instructor, but 10 year coach for youth race team in New England (bulletproof is the norm).

More reviews will be posted here:
http://www.exoticskis.com/forum/defa...x?g=posts&t=59

[Tom from Austria]

(hello from the USA...sorry for the English-only...)

Hart Blue Phoenix

Eric,
does "Hart Blue" stand for backcountry snow in New England ?

[extremecarver]

AFAIK they are produced at the same factory at Blossom just like Vist skis by Mr Panatti (it's a vist binder on them, isn't it?). There quite a lot of brands being produced at that factory. I forgot the name though, most skis retail in Switzerland at around 1200-2000CHF inluding plates and binders (€750-€1300), don't know about prices outside Switzerland.

[exoticskis]

"Hart Blue"....Yes...we have "blue ice" here in New England, USA. Excellent material for the ski run...very durable...can withstand many skiers without changing....

Yes, the Hart skis are produced in the Blossom factory. I am not sure which mold this ski comes from in their product line, but it is one of my favorite skis (both the Hart and the Spoilt versions). Classic turns. Very nice for carving smoothly. I liked this one better than the STAGE1 or SCARAB models (wider).