23/24 Test Day 16: Head Skis, Lib Tech and Various Outerwear

Not every test day is a smooth bluebird groomer day. Some days, especially in New England, the snow is a bit dicey. On this particular day at Sunapee — our favorite local hang — the snow was a bit icy and thin. There was a little snowfall later in the afternoon, which helped but ended up giving the trails a big dust-on-crust vibe.

Truthfully, it was a tough day to test skis. That being said, it did allow us to get an idea of how the skis and boards held up when the snow wasn't stellar. Because of this, we were also able to put a little more focus on outerwear. Our testers were wearing new 23/24 kits from Orage, Flylow, Strafe and FW, and accessories from Pret, Giro and Smith. The variable weather conditions put these pieces to the test. The weather may have been dull, but our clothing was bright! 

Softgoods buyer, Tate O’Brien, was wearing a new kit from FW in the color 'Trash Pink' — yes, that is its real name, and we love it. FW is known for more of a streetwear vibe, which we love for its oversized style, providing great versatility for layering. “It was super warm. I wore it a little big but ended up loving the way it looked and fit,” she said. “Plus, it had lots of good pockets.” 

Tate is also a huge fan of her Giro Contour RS goggles for their seamless fit into her Jackson helmet and superior lens quality. 

Boot fitter, Dylan Lavoie, spent the day on the Lib Tech Lib Rig. This is a full camber board with a C-3 profile. He felt it had more grip and stability compared to other models in their hybrid C-2 profile shape. The Lib Rig is easier to get on edge at a low speed but still feels comfortable at a higher speed.

He also spent the day in the Orage Glacier Light 3L jacket — a favorite of his for many seasons. “As someone who runs warm, this jacket is perfect,” he said. “It has great temperature management and is lightweight and breathable.” This makes it an awesome option for people who run hot or those who are looking to do a little bit of touring. Not the greatest shell if you are usually pretty cold out there though. 

Softgoods buyer, Devon Scovill, spent some time on both the Head Kore 97 and 91. She found the 97 to be pretty stable given the conditions and that they had an easy turn initiation. 

“In general, I did prefer the 91 for the day's conditions,” she said. “But as the little snow we had became churned up and choppy in places, it was a bit challenging to navigate the chop on the 91.” She felt the 97 was just a bit less chattery and better at handling the chop. 

We ended the day with some quesadillas on the Sunapee beach, cooked up by TSM co-founder and après chef extraordinaire, Eric Gerrmann. We’ll be testing all the Head skis later in the season and are hopeful we’ll be able to get them on some better snow. 

For any questions about gear, book an appointment to see us in Boston or contact one of our gear experts!