The Black Diamond Megawatt is the flagship powder ski in BD’s lineup. The ski has been around for a few years now, with only slight changes made here and there, most noticeably on the topsheet design. Just about everywhere you turn at Alta or Snowbird, some hard charger is rocking these rockered beasts like it’s a fashion statement. So what is it about the Megawatt that have practically made them an institution in Utah?
First of all, they’re damn fun. Word in the liftlines has been that the Megawatt can only be handled by the burliest of skiers who tear through deep Alaskan lines like tissue paper. But after skiing them in both powder and choppy leftovers, I found that the Megawatt’s “mega gnar” reputation is unfounded. These babies are remarkably easy to turn, float like a dream, and can stop on a dime.
While skiiing the Black Diamond Megawatt skis, “surfy” is the word that kept popping in my head. Not only do they float with awesome stability, but they would turn exactly as I asked them to. If I tried to make long, sweeping turns, they responded in kind. Tight turns in the trees were easier than expected, especially considering the substantial width underfoot. This is likely due to the massive rockered shovel and raised tail along with what Black Diamond calls “zero camber” (not to be confused with reverse camber.) I simply had to laugh when I tried as hard as I could to bury the tips on a deep powder day in Eagle’s Nest at Alta… it was impossible.
Of course on hardpack or icy snow, the Megawatts aren’t so much fun. They’re powder skis afterall, and don’t handle every single condition a mountain can throw at you like all-mountain skis can. But with the bit of sidecut these skis do have, they are actually turnable on groomers. With 125mm under my boots on the 188cm size, I really had to lean into the turns to get on edge, and even then, the turns ended up being really wide.
In variable conditions, the Megawatts are competent as the rockered shovels plow through chop and crud. I did find them a bit squirrely in bumps, but again, nothing was impossible to handle except on icy, hardpacked snow.
Here’s the Megawatt description from Black Diamond’s website:
•Long rocker tip, wide and zero camber for an aggressive, high-octane powder specialty ski
•New Internal Wall Core Technology for increased pop and stability
•CNC-machined poplar and birch core wrapped in Torsion Box construction
•Formula One Technology with integrated 3D dampening
•New stiffer tip and optimized fiberglass layup
•Standard underfoot sidecut for solid turns when the powder disappears
Weight Per Pair :
4.7 kg, 10 lb 1 oz (188 cm)
4.2 kg, 9 lb 4 oz (178 cm)
Dimensions :
153-125-130 mm (188 cm)
147-120-126 mm (178 cm)
Turn Radius :
42.0 m (188 cm)
38.0 m (178 cm)
Materials : 3D CNC birch and poplar core, 3D damping, high-speed sintered bases, MicroGlass laminates
Overall, the Black Diamond Megawatts are a very fun, friendly powder ski that should not be feared.
You can purchase the Black Diamond Megawatt skis at Backcountry.com
That’s the whole review? REally?
What else would you like to know?
Looks like you got a fan, Jared. LOL
Don’t you love it!