I am looking for my first dedicated short and light mountaineering ski, tired of spring skiing chutes in 190cm wailer112s. These will be for long approach and multiday outings carrying all the associated gear on my back (about 220# wearing all my gear plus fully loaded pack). I'm 6'3" and 185, fairly aggressive skier who likes hop turning tight chutes then a large radius turns on the apron and a playful ski that is fun and forgiving on featured terrain. These will be used mostly in the Uinta range and the Wasatch, although I would like to be able to take these to places like Rainier and Pakistan in the not too distant future.
I have narrowed it down to the Blacklight Pro, Blacklight 88, Voile Objective, or this Sintesi, all in the 178ish range, and almost certainly will be going with the Ski Trab Titan Vario2.0, sans brakes. This ski sounds awfully similar to these other options, but cost a good bit less. Is there something I am missing on why this ski is more affordable? If cost wasn't a factor, what would you think the most fitting planks would be for my intended usage?
Thank you! I also want to give a big thanks to Jeff. I saw his SkimoCo jacket while out hiking yesterday and chatted his ear off while he was probably just trying to get some peace and quiet, but he was patient with me and helped me narrow my options before we parted ways.
The Sintesi is lightweight mountaineering ski with a long-ish radius that has great handling on steep ice. It also handles the variable conditions your throw at it due to the Attivo progressive shape and flex. The Sintesi is offered with a couple stiffness ratings, with the "70" being more appropriate for bigger skiers or for carrying a heavy pack. The extra stiffness versus the "60" is due to a Power Fiber wrap around the core. Turns are easy to initiate in a pinch and the rebound is ample due to a light wood core. As per usual with Ski Trab, the skis are finished to perfection with a textured base and sharpened steel edges. The Sintesi is built in Italy and is covered by Trab’s unbeatable 3 year warranty. Let’s just say it’s not their first ski.
- Liwood core is carved with air channels to reduce weight with minimal loss of strength.
- Power Fiber Box Core wrap in the 70-flex is a souped-up carbon cage that is built around the core.
- Fiber Box Core wrap in the 60-flex is a different carbon weave that makes the ski more supple.
- Additional quadraxial and fiber glass layers reinforce the mounting area and add rigidity.
- Robust 52 HRC steel edges are about as hard as you can find on a ski.
- Attivo progressive shape is integrated with the flex for easy variable skiing.
- Sintered bases will take some abuse and come intricately textured.
- Nylon topsheets resist nicks and other damage you’ll try to inflict.
- Made in Bormio, Italy and backed by a three year warranty.
Update 2018/19: Just a new topsheet, otherwise the ski remains the same.
| Specifications | |
| Lengths (cm) | 150, 157, 164, 171, 178 |
|
Weight |
910g [150, Flex 60] 950g [157, Flex 60] 1060g [164, Flex 70] 1110g [171, Flex 70] 1165g [178, Flex 70] |
| Weight (pair) | 1820g [150, Flex 60] 1900g [157, Flex 60] 2120g [164, Flex 70] 2220g [171, Flex 70] 2330g [178, Flex 70] |
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107-78-94 [150] 107-77-94 [157] 107-76.5-94 [164] 107-75.5-94 [171] 107-75-94 [178] |
|
Turn |
17.9m [150] 18.4m [157] 19.1m [164] 19.9m [171] 21.9m [178] |
|
Skin |
Attivo |
| Specs Verified | Yes |
| Design | |
|
|
Early rise tip, traditional camber, flat tail |
|
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Attivo shape with fish tip and swallow tail |
|
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14-layer Power Box cap |
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Liwood |
| Skimo Co Says | |
| Usage | Ski mountaineering, training |
| Notes | 3 year warranty |
| Bottom Line | Reliable tool for the steeps |
| Compare to other Low-fat Skis | |
Questions & Reviews
12/7/2020
12/7/2020
We're stoked to hear that Jeff helped narrow your selection down! The Sintesi is the heaviest out of all the options you have listed, which means that Ski Trab was able to keep the cost down due to not having to use as many complicated construction methods. The Blacklight 88, Voile Objectives, and Sintesi are all playful and forgiving skis. Due to their girth, the Blacklight 88 would be better for softer snow whereas the Objective will be quicker edge to edge, which could come in handy in tight couloirs. The Blacklight Pro is a shop favorite here at Skimo Co, and weighs in at less than a kilo for a size 172, which is impressive. If you are looking for a ski that can handle hop turning down a steep couloir, then make fast confident turns down the apron, this would be your best option. Overall, the Blacklight 88 will be the best soft snow performer, The Objective will be the most playful, the Blacklight Pro the most confident making GS turns out of the Apron, and the Sintesi will round out the bunch by being the heaviest but smoothest ski. Please reach out if you have any further questions!
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I've used these a few times so far putting about 20k feet of vertical on them. With the matching mohair skins they climb and glide great. For the down we've some classic northwest Cascade concrete, a few inches of pow on ice and rain on groomed snow. They've handled everything pretty well. The relatively wide tips help soak up a lot without any chatter. They definitely reward good technique. They will be an ideal spring tour ski if the sun ever comes out and it stops raining. I'm 6'6 and 205 and am skiing a 178 with the Trab vario bindings.
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These skinny skis are so much fun! I use Scarpa F1 boots and Dynafit Speed Turn bindings, a nice light rig. The Sintesi has exceeded my exceptions. We had a nice, little storm last night here in Tahoe, that put down 6-10 inches of early spring powder. I took out the Trabs to my standard backcountry powder stash, not expecting them to be as good as my Wailer 112s. Boy, was I surprised! Making powder turns on a good 75mm waist ski was fun! The old school powder turns came back quickly. Not to mention the light weight on the hike up. I can't wait for the Sierra Corn season to kick in.
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I picked up an older (2013 vintage) pair of these in a 171 with bindings and skins recently for a song, thinking they would be a casual race ski / spring mountaineering ski. So far I have maybe 8k' on them, and I'm super impressed. Despite being rather short for me - my usual touring skis are 177 and 179 - they ski surprisingly well in soft, 3d snow. I was taken aback by how well they handle settled or fresher pow (no more than 6" so far, but I have other skis for skiing deeper snow). They're light, easy to turn and surprisingly fun, and for a short ski you can still go fast confidently on them. The skin attachment system is really the best of both the "race" and "casual" worlds, with a bump-connector (like a plastic button) that keeps the tail attached if the skins get snow on the glue, but they still can be ripped from the toe. Despite this setup being presumably 4 or 5 years old, they still look and ski wonderfully.
I'm happy with the length as I'll also use these for casual racing, but I would certainly feel comfortable on the 178 as well. I also would not hesitate to buy a new pair of Trab skis having been on these, everything about them feels dialed in and polished.
I'm happy with the length as I'll also use these for casual racing, but I would certainly feel comfortable on the 178 as well. I also would not hesitate to buy a new pair of Trab skis having been on these, everything about them feels dialed in and polished.
1/31/2019
I will add to my review (now that I have probably 60k' on them) that I have hit an absurd and unreasonable amount of rocks, stumps, and so forth with these and they have barely a scratch. Nothing deep enough to bother fixing with ptex, and nothing anywhere near a core shot. And believe me: I have been hitting stuff!!! These things are tough as nails and still a lot of fun, especially in tight places or steeps. If they ever die, which seems increasingly unlikely, I will certainly replace them with another pair of Trabs.
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