Review: Liberty Evolv 100

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Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby jbotti » Sun Dec 29, 2019 3:11 pm

As everyone knows I have been looking for ski to replace the Head Rock n Roll which was my favorite all mountain/pow ski. I have demo'd a lot of skis in the 92-100mm range underfoot over the past several years and never found much that I like all that much. Heluva skied the Liberty Evolv 90 last year in Colorado in some fresh snow and really liked the ski and encouraged me to try them. Since I own and really like the Monster 88 I saw no reason to try the Evolv 90. I took a shot and bought the Evolv 100 (yes bold move without demo) and I have now skied it about 4 days in a variety of conditions. It's a really nice ski for people that ski the way we do. The tip has slightly more tip rocker than I like but its modest versus most skis of this width these days. Off piste it really is a great ski. Slightly stiffer than the RNR’s but it skis so easy. I think I like the tail on this better than on the RNR (and I like the RNR tips better). In brushed SRT’s on groomers they are nice but not quite as nimble as the RNR (which we should expect as its 5mm wider under foot). In Carved arcs on groomers they are nice and fun. Harder to bend than the RNR (mainly due the the increased tip rocker) and the RNR would/will carve tighter arcs but these are more stable at speed. I skied them in double black terrain with 6-8" of fresh last week and in some soft bumps with less fresh snow on them and they are really nimble. I was continually surprised at how quick I could be with these skis when I needed tight and quick SRT’s. In pure pow it floats better than the RNR (due to being wider and a little more tip rocker) and in steep black and double black terrain with softer conditions its a great ski. Probably the best biggest endorsement is that I skied 90 mins with my wife later that morning and I never switched skis even when I was only on groomers. Fun skis. By far the best 95-100mm ski I have skied since I started looking for an RNR replacement 2-3 years ago.

Those interested should also try the Evolv 90. My only concern with that ski is that if it has the same amount of tip rocker as the 100, that would be too much for me in a 90mm ski. But as stated before Heluva really liked them and I have not skied them.

I hesitate to post reviews of skis that HH and Diana have not skied and endorsed. At least I was right on the Blossom White Outs that both HH and Diana really like. I will also say that we have the kind of mountain and conditions at my home mountain in Montana that warrant having a ski like this and days when we can ski fresh lines and or very soft conditions all day or even for a couple of days. We now have had no snow for over a week and I am skiing my Head SS Speeds all over the mountain and they are way better than these skis for the skied out harder conditions that we currently have. My point is for people to be smart and bring out a ski like this out only when it makes sense and only if you have the skillset to make it perform. And if you are working on perfecting PMTS movements, this is not the ski to be attempting that on.
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby noobSkier » Sun Dec 29, 2019 5:25 pm

jbotti, what do you look for when you assess how well a ski tail performs?
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby jbotti » Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:10 pm

Flat tails give you lots of support, confidence and help hold a ski in its arc (whether brushed or edge locked). But flat tails when weighted will get stuck in soft snow and crud (so not very forgiving). That’s why rocker was invented. Heavily rockered tails will pivot even when tail is weighted but often with just aggressive tipping they will wash out, hence no support, and not confidence inspiring in SRTs in steep off piste terrain. The Head RNR has some marketing rocker and they came around nicely but still would not wash out. This Evolve, has a stiffer tail, super stable but it has just the teeniest rocker and I never once noticed the tails getting even a little stuck. Of course it could be be my awesome fore aft balance:)

Of the many all mountain skis I have owned and skied this tail may be the best. Again super stable but also quite forgiving.
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby HeluvaSkier » Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:22 pm

I believe the 90 and 100 share the same construction and profile. Given a choice between the 90 and the Monster 88, I'd still lean toward the Monster 88 unless I was going to be exclusively in manky, cruddy snow... then the tip profile of the Evolv 90 may be more favorable in shape and rise. The 90 skied narrower than the waist width suggests, so I imagine JB's 100 shares a similar trait. I'll second what JB said about the tail--it is really nice--giving a feeling of power and assurance without being punishing. Good ski--especially for chop. They don't seem like a full-on RnR replacement, but they are a ski that rewards good PMTS technique.

Here's a short ~20 second clip of me skiing the 90 (only the run starting at 49s).

https://youtu.be/p619OlQvXik?t=49
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby noobSkier » Fri Jan 03, 2020 12:01 pm

jbotti wrote:Flat tails give you lots of support, confidence and help hold a ski in its arc (whether brushed or edge locked). But flat tails when weighted will get stuck in soft snow and crud (so not very forgiving). That’s why rocker was invented. Heavily rocketed tails will pivot even when tail is weighted but often with just aggressive tipping they will wash out, hence no support, and not confidence inspiring in SRTs in steep off piste terrain. The Head RNR has some marketing rocker and they came around nicely but still would not wash out. This Evolve, has a stiffer tail, super stable but it has just the teeniest rocker and I never once noticed the tails getting even a little stuck. Of course it could be be my awesome fore aft balance:)

Of the many all mountain skis I have owned and skied this tail may be the best. Again super stable but also quite forgiving.


Wow, this makes sense. I've been trying to ski the SLX on everything which works for most days since we don't get a lot of fresh snow. In heavy mush its definitely a huge challenge to get the ski to brush; it seems like the tail just stops but the tip want to keep coming around. Is there a ski you would recommend in the 80mm range? Preferably something cheap because I would only use it ~10 days per season.
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby jbotti » Fri Jan 03, 2020 2:18 pm

I know we are talking in the gear forum, but what you really should do is practice using your SLX in the heavy/slushy and manky conditions until you no longer have an issue with the tail coming around. The tails only stall when they are weighted. This means you need to work on your fore aft balance and focus heavily on free foot pullback at the top of every arc. Harald skis flat tails in all conditions. I make sure that I ski on flat tails in all conditions regularly. Every once in a while my tails stall and its an immediate reminder to be more attentive to my pullback. Flat tails are a great coach!

This is where we run into the issue of technological innovation that actually hinders skier movement development. Again rockered tails will pivot when weighted. Hence we have two choices, ski rockered tails in all funky conditions or improve our movement pattern so any ski will get the job done. The choice is up to everyone individually.

The Blossom White Outs are 77mm underfoot and are great on and off piste, but they also have a flat tail. Finding a somewhat rockered tail is actually easier than finding a flat tail in skis 80mm and wider.
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby noobSkier » Fri Jan 03, 2020 2:47 pm

thanks for the advice, as usual its the answer I needed. Interestingly it's not an issue in steep mushy terrain as the pullback is one of my main areas of focus there. Blue slopes with speed control is where I notice it the most. This is why I love PMTS, always something to work on!
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby Vailsteve » Sat Jan 11, 2020 5:38 pm

jbotti wrote:I The Blossom White Outs are 77mm underfoot and are great on and off piste, but they also have a flat tail. Finding a somewhat rockered tail is actually easier than finding a flat tail in skis 80mm and wider.


I did not know the White Outs had a flat tail. Learned something...

I do know that I am just amazed at how well this ski performs in the powder and crud. Yesterday Vail had 5 plus inches and it was dumping this afternoon when I skied down. Easily another 4-5 inches so far.

Flat out the best I have ever skied boot-high powder, as a key goal of mine is to get comfortable in ”deep-er”powder.

As HH says, at some point you have to trust the movements. Not there yet, but the White Out certainly helps.
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby A.L.E » Fri Feb 14, 2020 3:29 pm

jbotti, what length are your 100s?
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby jbotti » Fri Feb 14, 2020 4:44 pm

179cm. They measure about a centimeter longer than my Head Rock N Rolls (180cm length). And they don’t ski short mainly because the tail is almost flat.
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby NothingClever » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:52 pm

Good to hear you've found a good replacement :-) I scored a good deal enough deal to take the risk on last year's Kastle BMX 105s and after a couple of days on them they're not going to work :-(

A couple of questions on the Evolv 100:
1) Did recommended mount point work for you? (did you experiment with a demo binding?)
2) Are you using a demo binding, and if so do you notice any significant knee tweak/pressure being higher off a wider ski?
Thanks!
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Re: Review: Liberty Evolv 100

Postby jbotti » Thu Feb 20, 2020 8:10 am

I pretty much use the Tyrolia PRD/PRX system on all my skis and I never notice any slop or issues with them. I prefer a little stand height which one gets with these and I don't notice any increased knee strain. Wider skis are harder to tip but we tip from the feet and ankles in PMTS and I never notice any knee issues (others do mention some issues on wider skis). As far as the mount on the Evolv's I have mine right on the line and I have had no inclination to move them fore or aft as they ski nicely there.
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