Black Diamond has revamped their ski lineup for the 2013/14 ski season, and part of that new fleet is the Convert ski. We tested out a pair at the Outdoor Retailer 2013 All Mountain Demo at Solitude on a day that was sunny and warm on a mountain covered with hardpack and groomed snow.
The Convert skis are part of the Freetour Series and can best be described as an “Amperage for the backcountry.” Well, at least that’s what I thought when I put them to the snow and started carving lines in the corduroy. After just one run I had to stop and take the skis off to fondle them because, wow, I really liked these skis! On both cut-up, weeks old pow and groomers, the Convert were smeary, fun to turn, light weight, and stiff.
Surprising considering their dimensions, the Convert were playful on groomers and were even fun in the moguls as they turned very quickly. They also felt quite versatile as I could stop on a dime and make both tight and wide radius turns.
I think Black Diamond knocked it out of the park with this one. If I were in the market for new backcountry skis, I would buy them today. I’d even go so far as to say they were the best skis I tested at the All Mountain Demo, hands down. Black Diamond, thou hast converted me.
The Black Diamond Convert are 133 at the tip, 105 underfoot, and 117 in the tail. They will come in 164, 172, 180, and 188 (I skied the 180.) These and all the new, redesigned skis from Black Diamond will be available Fall, 2013.
For more information, visit blackdiamondequipment.com
Thanks for the review. Any specific thoughts on how these do in heavy crud; stability at speed? I’m looking for an all around/daily driver for my BC quiver. So far the dimensions and weight specs on this are very attractive but wondering if it would be too flimsy given the weight? Other top contenders are the G3 Zenoxide and Volkl Nunataq(sp?). Not sure to wait until the Convert comes out this fall or look for end of year deals on the g3 or Volkl. Any thoughts would be welcomed.
Thx
John
Steven,
I tested the Converts on a pretty cut up day, and they were very stable at speed on hard pack and were champs when seeking out old powder in the trees. They are totally too light for resort use and hard charging there, but seemed to me that they’d do reasonably well in crud in the backcountry. I think they’re the perfect dimensions for an all-around daily driver.
Can’t help you in comparing them to the Volkl or G3 skis as I’ve not tried either of them. But if you’ve ever skied on the BD Amperage, and liked those, then you’ll like the Converts.