Mountain Climbing News, Mountain Climbing Gear, Ice Climbing Gear, Backpacking Gear
News and Gear Reviews for Mountaineering, Climbing, and Ice Climbing
home | gear | mountains | training | safety | photography | resource center | coupons | news archives
 Advertisement
Rab at ProLite Gear
Tuesday
September 7, 2010

Black Diamond Verdict Review

return to » mountain climbing gear

Berg's Ski Shop

Making its presence felt, the powerfully designed and crafted Verdict bridges big mountain and in-bounds skiing by handling firm on-piste snow as easily as it rules powder and chunked-up crud. This season'­s Verdict increases in width by 4 mm and incorporates a NEW Formula One Technology and a damper 3D CNC wood core to increase agility and render decisive, high-speed turning. The geometry is fat, with a terrain-busting tip and a stable mid-section that floats underfoot. A smooth flex and high torsion allow solid, race-inspired turns.
The New presence felt, the powerfully designed and crafted Verdict bridges big mountain and in-bounds skiing by handling firm on-piste snow as easily as it rules powder and chunked-up crud. This season'­s Verdict increases in width by 4 mm and incorporates a NEW Internal wall core technology with snappy birch wood core to increase agility and render decisive, high-speed turning and give it a more lively feel. The geometry is fat, with a terrain-busting tip and a stable mid-section that floats underfoot. A smooth flex and high torsion allow solid, race-inspired turns. Truly an amazing ride that will take you anywhere your heart desires.
Winner of the Outside Gear of the year Award 2007
Features
  • Series :
  • Power
  • Weight Per Pair :
  • 4.5 kg, 9 lb 11 oz (190 cm)
  • 4.2 kg, 9 lb 4 oz (180 cm)
  • 3.8 kg, 8 lbs 6 oz (170 cm)
  • Dimensions :
  • 136-102-122 (190 cm)
  • 134-102-120 (180 cm)
  • 132-102-118 (170 cm)
  • Turn Radius :
  • 27.0 m (190 cm)
  • 26.0 m (180 cm)

B.D. Says:
THE TELE VS. ALPINE WARS ARE OVER. Skiing in the area can be as much fun as skiing in the backcountry. And more and more folks are skiing through gates and riding the plush sidecountry in search of the fresh. This is Freeride. An approach to skiing that is all about the down, wherever you can find it. The boundaries between in-area and backcountry are crashing and skiers are breaking through to the other side. We built our 2007 lineup of Freeride skis to help break down these boundaries and let you ski where you want.
At Black Diamond, we only build a product if we believe we can make it better than anything else out there. So our all new line of skis began with this dare. Could we build the best skis for how people ski today? Not just the best telemark ski or best alpine touring ski, but the best skis that we and our friends would draw from the quiver time and again, because they ski the best, wherever. Once we decided to accept this challenge, we applied the same mindset that'­s been driving our innovative climbing, mountain and backcountry ski gear for 50 years.
In order to make our skis the best they could be, we decided to start from scratch, skiing everyone else'­s ultra-light to ultra-beefy sticks before coming up with our ideal performance characteristics. First we had to agree on why we build skis for climbing up, racing, skiing the groomers or pow? Pow, of course, but when we thought hard about it, we settled on the thread that ties all of our skiing together, the skiing we like to do most of all and it'­s all about the down. Our skis have been designed, engineered and manufactured to make good on this commitment.
Then we identified our favorite attribute in the skis we liked: torsional rigidity. Skis that hold their edges in high G-force turns when we'­re carving at speed or tip-toeing through trouble powerful skis like these make us believers. Using several different technologies and constructions including 3D CNC wood cores, Torsion Bow and Dual Torsion Bow geometries, as well as 3D torsion box construction, we'­ve achieved smooth and nimble boards that keep your edges on snow with torsional power that lets you pull high-speed carves.
For many of us, going up is also part of going down. Others love early tram laps or duck ropes and rip the sidecountry, with a little help from the quad. We knew that trying to build a few skis for all of these personalities would get us mush. Better to build individual models to be the best big mountain, powder fiend, all mountain, ski mountaineering, purist backcounty, enduro traverse tour skis we could. And let these ski personalities be themselves.
They are all about the down, but our Fall 2007 Freeride skis are divided into two collections. Efficient Series skis are all about the backcountry and lower energy input, emphasizing lighter-weight constructions, while still having the guts to rock solid on the down. Power Series skis emphasize powerful constructions, with no compromise. These skis are torsionally precise and deliver dynamic performance lap after lap. All together, our Efficent Power skis are built for aggressive skiers who ski with passion and believe in taking the path less traveled to powder and beyond.
Countless hours of prototyping, field testing, problem solving, innovating and flat-out skiing have gone into making this the best line of skis we'­ve ever built, and we believe the best skis out there. You can trust our Efficient Power technology will keep you on track. And we encourage you to find out for yourself.

Marmot Mountain

This year the Verdict is slightly narrower, and has had a complete over haul from stem to stern. A visible to the eye, Internal wall core construction of Popular, and Birch sidewalls produce more "POP" when rebounding into the next turn and an increased edge hold in harder snow conditions than last year. The Verdict has been Black Diamond's best selling ski, and now it is even better. It is designed to be an all-mountain, semi-fat ski for the powerful skier. By blending Formula One Tech construction with BD's proven Dual Torsion Box technologies, the Verdict distributes edge pressure proportionally along the entire edge of the ski, which helps it hold on harder snow conditions. The Densolite core keeps it light for such a wide ski if you take it off piste. The newly designed Verdict is surprisingly versatile in the powder and it will surprise you on hard pack. Probably Black Diamond's best all-around ski for the intermediate skier and up, the Verdict varies the width by size so that the ski performs equally for all weights of skier. If it felt like to much of a ski in the past, don't miss the new version.

Gearx

Slash the powder all morning, then make trenches in the hardpack all afternoon with the Black Diamond Verdict Ski. Despite its large dimensions and powder leanings, this quiver-of-one has all the power you need to charge down steep faces and lay trenches in the hardpack. This versatile ski has won awards from Skiing Magazine, Outside Magazine, and Powder Magazine. The secret to the Verdict's aggressive, race-inspired feel is the CNC-machined solid wood core. The core profile transfers torsional power to the tips and tails to give you vice like edge hold and more power, while retaining a smooth longitudinal flex. Despite the burly construction and fat profile, the Verdict retains a light weight for long tours over variable terrain or making jump turns down a tight chute.

Features:

  • 170cm under 74.8 kg / 165 lb
  • 180cm 70.3 - 83.9 kg / 155 - 185 lb
  • 190cm over 79.4 kg / 175 lb
  • CNC Machine Wood Core
  • Lightweight and Powerful for Pow. Crud and the Steeps.
  • Super Sweet Stiff Flex

Mountain Gear

For those who love to drive their skis into fresh fallen powder, the Verdict from Black Diamond is a gourmet fat-ski that rewards you. Where varied terrain is guaranteed, the CNC-machined birch and poplar core dampens and enhances torsion so you can rail your carves and let it all hang out with control. Specifications based on size 180 cm.

Features:

  • Get an efficient ride with the solid birch and poplar core that is CNC-3D-machined for less chatter, then wrapped in double torsion box construction
  • Lock into turns, even at high speeds, with the Formula One Technology that utilizes a sway bar at the nose for increased performance, especially on hard snow
  • Take on waist-deep descents as the wide underfoot platform has the versatility you need for big powder days
  • Zip downhill on a high-speed sintered base that balances durability, glide, and maintenance -absorbs loads of wax for a fast ride

USOutdoor.com

At Black Diamond it's all about climbing and skiing. They share the same experiences that you do on rock, ice and snow and these experiences push them to make the best gear possible for their worldwide family of climbers and skiers.

An all-around ripper, the award-winning Verdict bridges big mountain and in-bounds skiing by handling firm on-piste snow as easily as it rules powder and chunked-up crud.

Features:

  • An all-mountain, semi-fat ski for the powerful skier
  • CNC-machined poplar core wrapped in Torsion Box construction
  • Formula One Technology with integrated 3D dampening
  • New Internal Wall Core Technology with snappy birch for a more lively feel

Backcountry.com

The jury is in, and the Black Diamond Verdict Ski is still the ultimate quiver-of-one ripper for everything from steep, icy chutes to epic tours through backcountry fluff. Updated with BD’s latest technology, this mid-fat plank gives the powerful skier a race-inspired tool to crush every inch of the mountain.

Bottom Line:The Verdict is this ski kicks ass on any terrain.

Features:

  • All-poplar core balances a smooth ride with active energy return
  • Formula One geometry features three internal ribs for hard-snow and turning performance
  • Internal Wall Core Technology uses birch for extra snap and a lively, responsive feel

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS)

A race inspired ripper, the ever popular Black Diamond Verdict has a new core for a snappy feel.

Features:

  • 3D geometry creates ribs and channels of varying thickness allowing optimal control of a skis longitudinal stiffness without increasing weight
  • An all-mountain semi-fat ski for the powerful skier
  • Fiberglass wrapped core provides major torsional power and energy pop
  • Formula One™ technology with three ribs increases rigidity and hard snow performance
  • New core includes birch sidewalls to produce more pop and increase edgehold
  • Part of the power series which has increased fiberglass content at 45° orientation

Gearx (2010)

FEATURES:

Don't be fooled...

TheDude at Backcountry.com on 03/19/2010
Rated: 3

The BD Verdict is NOT the "ultimate quiver-of-one ripper," regardless of how the marketing department tries to sell it. This ski is for soft snow and for going fast. That's it. No bumps. No hardpack. No quick turns. No playfulness. No maneuverability. Point-and-shoot ONLY. If you ski aggressively in a region with plenty of snowfall, these might work great for you. On the other hand, if you find yourself on firm snow, in tight trees, on bumps, or (god-forbid) all three at once, you too may curse your decision to buy this "all-mountain quiver of one." My pair is going to the ski swap next Fall.

Nice

wal3418797 at Backcountry.com on 12/15/2009
Rated: 5

i am 6'3" 175 and got the 190's. I am very happy. my last skis were about 80mm in the middle, so these are big. Make sure you have a boot and binding combo that can stand up to these. I dont enjoy my boot-binding combo as much (BD O1 mid stiff, Scarpa T Race) now that i have the fatter heavier skis.

Great ski

James Francis at Backcountry.com on 09/17/2009
Rated: 4

I bought a pair of these last winter in the 180, mounted with BD01's. I have been very happy with them, for a ski of their width they are still capable of tight turns and are a ton of fun to ski on. They float very well, and are quite responsive. My only gripe is the weight...at nearly 9lbs these can be a bit of a beast on a long tour (especially when paired with tele bindings). But, for shorter tours, slackcountry, and in-bounds these skis are a ton of a fun and a great mid-fat pair of boards

 Search News Archives

Copyright © 2003; Mountain Climbing News | All Rights Reserved. | Site Map
News and Gear Information for Mountain Climbing, Ice Climbing, and Backpacking.
Valid XHTML Valid CSS Made for Firefox
Hosted by InfoGears