Black Diamond Unveil Their Impulse Range Of Skis | Piste Off TV
While the ski industry in general is slowly waking up to the beauty of ski touring, it’s fair to say that Utah-based Black Diamond aren’t shy of the backcountry. In fact, you’ll not find a single piste ski in their entire ski quiver. For that reason, we’re always stoked to see them launch a new ski range. That’s certainly the case with their all-new Impulse range of skis.
This new range of skis from Black Diamond replaced the old Boundary Pro range. These skis sat in the freeride / all-mountain ski category but, as the name suggests, they were positioned towards the professional / expert market with a stout flex and large turn radius.
The Impulse range also sits within the freeride / all-mountain ski category but has a much more approachable flex rating and shorter turn radius, making it a bit more accommodating for a range of skiers – from advanced to expert.
The new Impulse range consists of three different shapes; the Impulse 98, 104 and 112. All the skis feature a pretty similar shaping profile, with a good amount of tapering in the tips and a touch less in the tails. In terms of rocker profiles, you’ve got a standard rocker, camber, rocker mix throughout the range, with the 112 sporting a good deal more early rise for soft snow performance.
As mentioned above, the Impulse range features medium stiffness; it’s no wet noodle, yet it’s also not a Jeremie Heitz Pro model. It’s got an energetic flex that we could see a good deal of skiers getting on with. This lively flex has been achieved by layering two fibreglass laminates onto a Poplar wood core. The bottom fibreglass laminate is a traditional full-spanning layer, while the second layer is a fibreglass mesh – similar to the Adaptive Tank Mesh found on the Armada Tracer.
We’re really looking forward to getting out on these skis. They sit in that highly competitive (and quickly growing) mid-fat range of skis that like to play across the entire mountain. After having a quick peek at the skis, we reckon they’re going to put up a good fight against the usual characters (the Mindbender 99 Ti, Black Crows Atris and K2 Reckoner 102 to name a few).
If you’re after specifics on weights, dimensions and sizes then be sure to check out the in-depth preview below.
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