Ski Review: Moment Deathwish 104

Yeah it was not all that memorable as a ski day, hence this report. Click here to jump to a brief conditions report.

Obviously since I have mentioned the Moment Deathwish 104 several times lately, I have been anxious to tell you all about these beasts. I bought a pair back in January, after three different people told me I would like them in one week. Since then, I have put in 70 days in during all sorts of conditions. I love these things and so do my friends. Mark_The_Skibum and I frequently find ourselves riding a chair together and commenting at the same time “Man, I love these skis.”

I am not sure I am the target market for the Deathwish, being in my 60’s and having just become a grandfather. All of my friends generally ski the Volkl Mantra, the Blizzard Rustler or the Nordica Enforcer. All of those are more well mannered “gentleman’s skis” that offer a smooth ride at high speeds due to their stiff nature. What drew me to the Deathwish 104? It’s not the name, nor the graphics, which feature 5 scary looking wolves on this season’s top sheets. That’s what this review is all about.

The Moment Deathwish was introduced for the 2012-13 season as the Deathwish 112, which isn’t all that unique in itself. What made the Deathwish unique was its “dirty mustache” profile, which featured three different sections of camber. I remember testing the ski out at an Alpine Meadows demo day around that time, finding it to be something really unique that was fun to ski. But Moment was still a young indie ski company and it suffered from the same quality control issues as many of the indies. I also questioned whether the dirty mustache profile was just another gimmick in an industry that is always looking for something that makes their product stand out on a ski wall in a shop.

Here we are, twelve years later, and the dirty mustache is still around. Moment has updated the name of that technology to “Triple Camber Twin Rocker”. Here’s the picture:

You have rocker at both ends and a fairly mild camber section underfoot. That means this ski can be playful and easy to control when you’re skiing an irregular surface as in moguls or trees. Then there are the two pockets of additional camber just ahead and behind the binding. That means you have four very solid points of contact on each ski when you want to rail a turn on a groomer or need to hold an edge in hardpack. This ski can really be responsive when you want it to do so. A few other small ski makers have since adopted similar technologies. The Deathwish series has become Moment Ski’s biggest seller.

The 104mm wide Deathwish was introduced just a few seasons ago and it’s a change that allows this ski to be your “one ski quiver” that just does it all, with very few exceptions. It’s nimble enough to make quick edge to edge transitions on a groomer, yet wide enough to serve well as a powder ski for all but the deepest days. Some people like to have that huge quiver of ski choices in their garage or Rocket Box, but I have always been a fan of that one ski quiver, where you never worry much about having the right ski for conditions.

The construction of the Deathwish is fairly typical, using a poplar and beechwood core. The magic of this ski is the hybrid of fiberglas and carbon fiber in the layup. It gives the ski the rigidity it needs to hold an edge or charge through broken snow and crud without using metal in the core of the ski. So many skis use just fiberglass and metal to add rigidity and they end up skiing like a 2×4. Some people like that. I don’t like that. I want a ski that can hold down the fort when needed, but then let up and let you be playful when conditions are right. I feel like the Deathwish adds energy to my ski day rather than making me use energy to keep things headed in the right direction.

Ski purists will tell you that not everyone will like the way the Deathwish handles on groomed slopes. The “carve” probably isn’t as smooth as a traditionally cambered ski. Some even claim the ski can be “hooky”. I have never felt that sensation myself, then again nobody had ever called my skiing beautiful carving. I’m just out there having fun.

The base is a fully sintered high density p-tex which is fast and durable. The edges are a 2.2 mm hardened steel edges that are burly and stand up to abuse. The top sheets are a textured nylon that deters scratching. After 70 days of use and abuse, mine are still looking pretty great, given the level of abuse I give my skis. The bases have a couple of light scuffs from rocks and the edges have some typical burrs. The crazy thing is, Moment will do basic tunes on your skis for free at their Reno factory. It’s not so convenient for a guy like me that wants to ski them every single day, but that sort of service is rare.

Moment Skis is not that indie ski builder that is making skis in someone’s garage or unit #23 at the local storage yard. Moment now has a good sized factory in Reno near the Grand Sierra. You can check out the skis in the showroom and get a factory tour. They have a full service shop for maintaining skis, doing binding mounts and other work. They also have some very good boot fitters. In the last decade, Moment Skis has consistently been the largest ski company making 100% of their skis in the USA, right in the Reno factory.

The Deathwish 104 has upped my game again as a skier. Over the last two seasons or so, I was skiing the Salomon QST 98, which is also a fine ski. It comes close to doing it all, with the exception of powder with only a 98mm waist. The QST 98 is easy to ski and is super forgiving, probably too forgiving. Not only did it not push me to new levels, it probably let me get away with just slarving around the mountain. With the Deathwish, I am more likely to tackle moguls, steeper pitches, crud and chunder and other challenging conditions. They make me want to be a better skier and that makes skiing more fun and more interesting. Lately when I go charging into some challenging location, I giggle to my self about the Deathwish name and the truth it entails. Skiing is my life and I love that this is a tool that encourages growth. Those wolves have grown on me too.

In the past, the last two skis that served as a perfect one ski quiver were the PM Gear Lhasa Pow and the Slant Blaze. Both of those were also energetic skis with a combination of fiberglas and carbon fiber, giving them strength and rigidity without metal. Both of those companies never got past the boutique ski phase and are now out of business.

The Sierra is another ski in Moment’s line up that uses the Triple Camber Twin Rocker technology. It is generally shorter in length and slightly narrower. Some people call it the “women’s Deathwish”, but I am fairly certain my wife would also love the Deathwish 104.

Moment Skis offers a generous demo program. You can check out a pair from the factory for a day or do a more extensive comparison via their Demo Season Pass. For $150, you can keep a demo for up to a week and then trade in for another model. Eventually you can apply the cost to a new purchase. The Moment factory is located at 1085 Bible Way in Reno and is only open Tuesday through Friday from 8am to 6pm. For those that are not in the Tahoe-Reno area, some Moment Skis are carried by the Sports Basement chain in the Bay Area.

Fun Fact: The CEO and one of the founders of Moment Skis is Luke Jacobsen. Luke’s father, Dean Jacobsen is a frequent skier spending many of his days at Alpine Meadows. You can find him tooling around the mountain, usually on some super secret pre-production model.

So How Was It Today?

Three words: Hot and sticky. Tomorrow and Tuesday are supposed to be even warmer. Hopefully we will get a little father into the corn cycle with less stickiness. Andy should be back tomorrow with more of a report.