TESTED 2023
Universal width and easy setup for traditional touring or a nice haute route, this ski will always get you home safe
- Buyer’s Guide reviews
- In words
- Technical specifications
Buyer’s Guide reviews
The charts show our impressions from testing
Product info
Category average
In words
Intro
The Wayback is to ski mountaineering as the Vespa is to Italian urban mobility. It's a ski designed by alpine guides who know all too well what their clients need. Each successive version makes the overarching goal clear: to help the skier, because fun needs to rhyme with simplicity. At all times. Waist geometry is all new for 2023-24, now with 106, 98 and 89 models, having retired the 96.
On the snow
The rise of the tip and tail makes for a playful ride. This Wayback will always get you home when the going gets tough (in low visibility or when the snow keeps changing from one turn to the next). Just relax and let the ski's autopilot take you to the bottom of the mountain. But the flipside? It's an easy ski suited for all skill levels, but the more skilled you are, the less this ski will satisfy you. But... compared to previous Wayback models, there's more fun to be had by all here, thanks to the freeride philosophy it's inherited from Mindbender/Dispatch. It's soft and forgiving and enters and exits the turn with ease. But it can also handle packed snow, but it's not intended for groomers. Its vocation is touring, whether it's a haute route or couloir. We're still trying to figure out how we made it down the mountain in that whiteout and chop.
Lab
Nicely flat throughout, no structure, limited wax. Excellent edges, 1.9 x 1.6 mm at 89°, base edge 1.8° (a bit too much). Some ptex micro-hairs on the base, edge to be removed at tip and tail: needs tuning for sure.
Technical specifications
Construction
cap-sidewall
Materials
paulownia, titanal, carbon fiber
Base
sintered polyethylene
Available sizes
160, 167, 174, 186
Released in
2023
Made in
China
Price
650 €
Status
Novelty
Declared specsMeasured by us
We measured the length 174 to get all the details
174 cm
Length
XXXXX
121 cm
Tip width
XXXXX
107 cm
Tail width
XXXXX
89 cm
Waist width
XXXXX
N/A
Edge contact
XXXXX
N/A
Camber
XXXXX
N/A
Tip rocker
XXXXX
N/A
Tail rocker
XXXXX
1.275 g
Individual weight
XXXXX
N/A
Left weight
XXXXX
N/A
Right weight
XXXXX
19,3 m
Sidecut radius
XXXXX
N/A
Load-bearing surface
XXXXX
N/A
Tip torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Center torsion
XXXXX
N/A
Tail torsion
XXXXX
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