Nevertheless, picking lines, absorption, pivoting, and carving were needed. No teeth were dislodged in the making of this comparison. The result is a ski that is 90% of what the Cochise can do, in conditions the Cochise is supposed to reign supreme.īumps: These were soft, friendly bumps. I have read about its alleged irregular flex pattern, and its aggressive sidecut (20.5m radius, vs 27m for the Cochise). No tip dive, no grabbiness in irregular snow, no fear. On a midweek day with no crowds and no small children to look out for, let ‘em run and enjoy the ride. Out of the trees, and into open-space crud, the Cochise is a treat. In fact, I think (for me), the 185 Cochise is better here than the 187 Bonafide it feels more nimble, more pivot-y. Despite the added camber, the 2016 Cochise felt just as maneuverable in the crud between trees in Sunlight and Snowmass as the 2012 Cochise felt in similar conditions at Kirkwood. Especially in tree-filled crud, the Cochise is a lovely combination of deflection resistance and quickness. Terrain included crud, bumps, untracked, and groomers basically, most of what you can expect to see out west on "this day didn’t suck" kind of snow days.Ĭrud: The Cochise rules here. Day 1 was at Sunlight with fresh snow and no crowds Day 2 was at Snowmass, not quite as much fresh snow, but still few crowds in the terrain we rolled through.
I got to test these same day, same conditions, two days in a row.