Black Diamond Helio 88 Ski

I have been very hard on my Helio 88 skis for several seasons now. One of them got core-shot, then repaired, then the core-shot fell out, and I've just been having to wax the gash in my base ever since. I'm still skiing them, and they still work great.

For what they are, they are a fantastic ski. You will fly up the mountain. Will you look good going down it? Well, it depends on a combination of the conditions and how good a skier you are. I suck, but I feel I have learned to ski these skis in a variety of conditions reasonably well. They will obviously not do well in bottom-less powder, but they're not designed for that. They're also going to get deflected a lot in crusty, icy or choppy conditions. However, they do very well when you've got soft snow over a very supportable base. I find that they're quite squirrelly for me, but I'm still having fun.

And I see now they've dropped in price from $830 down to $400. Can you guess which price I paid? SIGH.... oh well.

I'm still giving them 4/5 stars, though, because I've had so many fun days on them. They really are a good ski for what they are. Remember, there is no ski that does it all. For what this ski is designed for, it is very good at what it does, which is let you fly up the mountain, and then get down it reasonably well, depending on your ability and the conditions.

This is a great ski. I wasn't as a big fan of the 105s but for fast and light missions these really were great skis. I skied in a variety of terrain. And these really excelled in the soft snow of the Wasatch. If you are looking for in-a-day missions, I highly recommend it. Not sure if it is a daily driver on the deep days but as they say at skimo, "You can ski anything in powder."

Hello,
i currently ride a ben chetler 100 but it is way to heavy for the mountains we have in quebec.

I am looking to change thoes one with an helio carbon. i am really in between 88 an 95. Witch one do you recommand ?

I'am 5"7 for 200lbs and a usualy ski undergrowth, and sometimes in groomed. My boots are salomon slab, and i plan to change my fix with helio 350.
Is 162,161 seems a little bit short and 170s a little long ?

thanks

Any more intel on the mount point? Many reviews say that the recommended line on Helios 105 and 116 is way too far forward. So many people are going -2 to -3 cm. Anything similar going on with Helio 88?

Struggling to decide on a size, of course...I'm 5'11", 150lb, ski conservatively when I need to and open it up when I can. Want this ski for peakbagging and narrower couloirs in CO, which has me considering the 168cm. Prior skis and the thought that I might end up using this ski for everything has me thinking 178cm.


Other skis:
-Helio 95 Carbon 183cm. Been driving them with the Scarpa F1, feel the boot gets overpowered before I can really flex the ski. Going to remount the Superlite 2.0s I have with the new Dalbello Lupo Air 130 and think it'll be great.
-Blizzard Brahma 88 180cm. Resort ski, feel at home on it.

Thanks for an opinion!

Used them for one season. I think these will be alright for skinning up the resort and carving groomers, as well as cross country touring (like Grand Traverse or similar). Skis are light and stiff. However, as actual skis for spring skiing objectives they do not perform well. They are too light for variable conditions and not responsive or predictable. They underperform in powder being so narrow. I am much happier on a different ski.

What mount point do you recommend for spring bc objectives and skimo racing? Thinking "BC" or +1.

I am considering getting the helio 88 and 116 for a two ski quiver. I am currently on Volkl VTA 98s @ 178cm with kingpins and am happy with the versatility, but am looking to go lighter with a Helio & G3 zed pairing as well as expand my quiver. The 88 would be for objectives in the White Mountains in typical east coast conditions (ice/mix) with the 116 for Alaska trips and the occasional 10” plus day in New England- how do the two skis handle mixed snow? Is the 88 enough to handle 4-5” of fresh and the occasional powder pocket? How much would I benefit from adding a helio 105 to the quiver for mixed conditions? Many thanks

I'm looking for a ski to take on long 1 day traverses with variable conditions. I am looking for a ski that is light but also dependable if conditions are icy. Soft snow performance would be a bonus. I'm 5'10 and 175lb. What do you think of this ski for those specifications? What size would you recommend?

Hey I was wondering about what size to get. I am 6'4 and 200 lbs, wanting a touring setup that's better than my 20 pound sidecountry setup. I ski in Montana, and it would be a touring only ski. I have heard different things about underfoot width, and was told not to get anything below 110 underfoot, which made me think Helio 116 @ 184, but i don't know if that's the best ski for everything. Can you steer me in the right direction?

Trying to decide between the 88 and the 95. 6'5" 182lbs. New skier switching from splitboarding. Ultrarunner who wants to train through winter without the pounding. In the Scarpa F1 boot, leaning toward the G3 Zed unless you call me a dummy. Length and width ski you'd reco?

Hi,
I am getting a BD helio 85 158cm for skimo. (I am 115lb and 5'3) What binding do you recommend? I am thinking about the dynafit speed turn because of its lightness, but I am also somewhat concerned about the degraded downhill performance?

Hi all,

I am living in Northern New England and am about 5'11" 170 pounds. I am a splitboarder who has made a hardboot transition for my splitting, and is now looking to get back on skis for fitness before the lifts run, traverses, approaches to climbs (especially in the presidentials), and some other two plank fun. My boots are the arcteryx procline (noncarbon). yes I snowboard in them too!

I have narrowed my choices of ski down to the Voile Objective, the BD Helio 88, the Blizzard Zero G 85, and the Dynafit 7 Summits. My question is not just which ski, but how long? I will not be the most graceful skier, and most likely not maching down the mountain on these things. And also, any recommendations for which ski to go for? I have an old pair of speed radical toes that I will be using.

Thanks,

- the one planker.

I am 5'6 150 and am looking for a ski most suitable for pure ski mountaineering objectives and climbing approaches. I am torn between the 88s and the 95s and on how to size them.

The specs say that they are not recommended for telemark bindings. Does anyone know why?

Thanks jbo. Follow up questions to the one posted below! I am debating between the Helio 88s and the 95s. I just realized they are quite different dimensions. The 88s @ 168cm are 121-88-112 and 95s @163 cm are almost the same tip and tale but wider under foot. (122-95-112). So the 95's actually have less side cut - which I think would be an advantage skinning up on ice?

I am 5'6, 150 lbs and a intermediate+ skier with many years of touring. I think the 163's might be a little short for me, so maybe that solves it and I should buy the 88s.?

Thanks for any thoughts!

I am considering the 88's for a spring tour in the alps. I currently have the BD converts but want something lighter. I also hate how insecure the converts (and any wide and shaped ski I have used in the past) feel when skiing up icy snow. Do you think the 88s will hold an edge better when skiing up? Thanks!

I now have four days on these, in wildly varying conditions. So far, they are exactly what I hoped for—maneuverable, turny, easy. On skied-out end-of-the-day manmade, there were no unpleasant surprises. On sticky, soggy sidecountry mush, I was somewhat surprised to be able to turn at all. On pristine pre-first-chair corduroy, they were swoopy and fun. Today, on really brutal skied-out semi-refrozen dust on crust, they were really quick across the fall line in tight spaces, and I could steer them through the ruts and piles while staying upright. I was amazed to survive that snow at all. They're light enough that I never noticed weight on the up. I'm skiing these with a Dynafit classic toe, Speed Superlite 1.0 heel, and TLT6Ms. I'm so looking forward to more skiing with these!

I'm debating between the helio 88 or 95 for my lightweight touring setup. Mostly skiing on the west coast on both steeps
and heavier powder. I don't weigh much (120lbs) so I thought I could get away with a skinnier ski that would still be able to
perform in crud and heavier west coast snow. What do you guys reckon?

Thanks in advance,

Frederique