I’ve toyed around with many a ski over the years and the Ski Logik Howitzer seems to fit the “quiver” tag the best. It’s dimensions (134/110/128 – 176cm ski) is a nice, happy medium that can rest on the high end of the fatty preference of some people’s threshold. Truth is, the 110 waist is balanced out by the early rise and the tip and tail aren’t absurdly wide. The weight to sidecut ratio is unlike anything I’ve seen with a not so insanely heavy overall weight (3500 grams – 176cm ski) and a burly enough sidecut to tackle most any condition. Its a fat ski, but the shorter length (176cm) avoids any tail snags in tight and steep couloirs involving committing jump turns, or condensed inbound trees. I wouldn’t make a habit of taking these into mogul fields all season, although it couldn’t hurt your form from overcompensation – but moguls aside, this ski can, and will, do it all. The early rise is a noticeable bonus in deep powder. This ski flat out floats!
Some of it’s counterparts within the Ski Logik family – such as the lighter Yeti, the heavier Ullr Chariot and the fatter Bomb Squad – all serve their purpose. I’d go as far to say the Chariot is arguably the best overall ski ever made, but it’s weight is undesirable for long backcountry tours. The Yeti is lighter, but lacks the control and manueverability. The Bomb Squad is better suited for Utah pow days or Alaska heli drops. The Howitzer was made for the lower 48 – Colorado in particular. There will be no regrets.
Lastly – the durability of the bases of Ski Logik skis is a modern wonder of the world. Ben and I, during our deproach of Cronin Peak in the Sawatch Range, hit quite a few rocks on the ride out along the Baldwin Gulch Road. We were too tired at that point in the day to properly remove our skis when there wasn’t enough snow to pass on and hit a number of rocks en route to the car. When we clicked out of our bindings, we were expecting numerous ugly core shots, but were pleasantly surprised to see barely scratches on the bottoms of our SL’s. We had to make multiple double takes and then confirm with one another to make sure we weren’t delirious. Truly the legend of backcountry lore.