Hagan Ski Mountaineering Y King Ski

If you're heading into the backcountry with any kind of regularity, you're hopefully already in possession of a solid shovel. Why not add to the crew' Hagan Ski Mountaineering's Y King ski comes with a shovel like construction up front just itching to blast its way through deep, fluffy pow. Made exclusively for professional ski mountaineers once upon a time, Hagan skis are now available for mortals too. The tiny Austrian company's unwavering focus on the backcountry it refuses to make any Nordic or Alpine gear is clear when you consider the versatility of this three and a half pound ski. From Chamonix to Alaska, trust the Y King to confidently devour the deep and steep. Within Hagan's family of skis, the Y line is bred for freeride leaning backcountry expeditions. Exhibiting the line's namesake elliptical shape in the front, tapering to a slimmer waist and tail, the Y King is the widest of them all, bred to float through everything from spring corn to thick powder with ease and stability. That shovel like tip comes with 390mm of rocker, while the tail brings 150mm of its own to the table to deliver you calmly through rough spots, while camber underfoot keeps the ski from getting squirrelly in the steeps. Hagan ensures choppy, days old crust doesn't ruin your day by wrapping the tips in carbon, which smooths out chatter and keeps the Y King behaving at high speeds. It also fed the Y King better than any of its siblings, widening its waist to 107mm for more soft snow stability. Before you think trying to skin in this ski is an immediate death sentence for your hip flexors, consider the paulownia wood core. Hagan chooses the lightest, liveliest wood core around, giving the Y King the low weight and energy for climbs and traverses that it needs to be a go to option in your touring quiver. Though paulownia takes away some of the ski's burliness in favor of skinning ease, Hagan wisely adds ABS sidewalls and a carbon laminate to balance out the Y King's playfulness. ...