Line Skis Mastermind

Great short, light skis for skinning and riding most conditions.

These skis came to me via Craigslist. They had been purchased and mounted with touring bindings in 2014 and never ridden for two years. I drove across the state to swoop up this deal. These are the first brand-new skis I have purchased. I got them in 172cm, which is a little short for me but that was sort of the plan since I am a moderate skier and I intend to carry them places. 

Dimensions: 115/85/112 (@172cm)

More specs:

http://www.skis.com/Line-Mastermind-Skis-2014/314376P,default,pd.html

About my skiing: I am a blue-black run skier but I venture out of bounds occasionally to ski volcanoes in the summer and other places where the avy risk is low. I end up carrying my skis occasionally so light is right.  I'm a 80/20 skier—80% in-bounds. 

In the gear Cave. Prison striped (Hamburgler-looking) skis on the left. 

First Impressions: At first I thought these skis looked like the Hamburgler (showing my age) with their stripes and red color.  Once I picked them up their light weight made me very happy. 

On-Piste: These skis have a short turn radius which lets me make turns very easy, which I like. I skied two days of bulletproof snow and when I held my turns too long the skis started to chatter really bad, it may be me but my other skis never did this. 

The extruded, rather than sintered bases don't hold wax at all, making them slower skis, which is fine for my skill level.

In the Park:  Um...not for me but I know that they are designed for this type of skiing. 

Out of Bounds: I took these skis on short tours before bringing them on Mt. Baker and Hood. I really like the lighter weight and shortness for going uphill and through trees. People say that slow-shoes are better in timber but I toured off-trail through timber in these several times and never found myself wishing for foot-paddles strapped on my feet. 

Mt. Hood

On Mt. Hood conditions near the Crater Rim were like concrete then softened up at the top of Palmer then were mushy the rest of the way to the parking lot and I enjoyed the entire ride with no issues with the skis. 

Mt. Rainier, Muir Snowfield

These are not powder skis, but the turns I made in powder this winter pleased me and they also handle other conditions like an all-mountain ski should. 

Clone #5 with my lifted bindings in the background

Summary:  I have skis that weigh twice as much and ski better at high speed on groomers, but these have become my 90% of the time go-to skis. The twin tips are nice for coaching my little clones when I need to ski backwards with confidence and I like light sticks for the times I have to pack them.