Black Diamond Verdict Ski - 2009 BCS

No, this model has a "traditional" camber.

Depends a lot on terrain choice, turn preference and how aggro you are. If you like the trees, bumps and slalom turns I'd stay with the 170s. If you prefer to arc it out at mach 7, get the 180s. Bindings: AT or Alpine? If AT I'm a believer in the light weight and bomber turning of the Dynafits. Enjoy!

I think at your size plus the early rise tip in these skis, you should go for the 190 cms 100%.

Depends a bit on where you ski. If out west in powder-land, a ski of a similar width, but a bit softer might work well, Atomic Charter & G3 Zen or Tonic are good options. If not always in the deep, I'd definitely look a little narrower (easier to get on edge). G3 Saint, Atomic Aspect, etc. Look for some tip rocker, but not too much. Hope this helps.

Haven't skied the Kilowatts but the Verdicts are going to be a very versatile ski for you. I think your weight and height will help control these skis nicely, but the Verdicts are not really a beginner ski ... not at all. You have to ski them hard and good carving skills are essential in order to have a good time on these.

I would be sure to either de-tune your Verdicts (or have someone do it for you ... which takes about 30 seconds and should be free even a pro shop). The tips and tails are very grabby at low speeds.

I would also recommend against the Diamir Freerides. These are heavy skis, you're heavy, and it sounds like you're going to beat them up. Freerides don't offer the best control and have some delicate parts in my opinion. I'd get some Marker Barons (or similar) unless you absolutely need to have the ability to unlock your heals without taking off the ski. The Barons will offer a lot more control and are simliar in weight to the Freerides.

I'd go for the Verdict or even the Justice. When snowkiting, you want as straight of a ski as possible. When looking at skis, those with a larger sidecut are more straight. I feel like the Verdict would be a good enough ski to learn on and provide you with the other requirements you have - sorta a quiver of one. That being said, the straighter the ski, the harder they are to turn, so keep that in mind; could end up with a steep learning curve.

oh sorry about that i meant the megawatt. I dont think the verdict works well in powder comparatively to other skis this size. I'd get some coombacks instead just to have a little more float and better carving ability

CR, Will Guru is mistaken about a few things (no offense). The Verdict is wider and will perform better in deep snow, although if you're looking to ski deep blower you'd be much more suited on the Justice or the Megawatt both of which have rockered tips. I run the Justices as my daily ski here in Utah and I really dig them. Neither the Kilowatt nor the Verdict has a rockered profile. The Kilowatt is a bit turnier (the Verdict is stiffer), which you might appreciate in the trees, although I have skied the Verdicts on a few deep days and really liked them. Hope that helps.

verdicts have no rocker a high camber and a very small shovel so they wont be so great in powder. the kilowatt is rockered and has really good float as well as being very manuverable.If your looking for a deep snow ski get the kilowatt cause the verdicts won't be so great in powder.

I'm 6' and 175, I own 190's. These skis beg to go fast at the resort. For backcountry, 180's would save a little weight and still let you straight line away.

I think you'll enjoy the 190 more if you like to go fast. I'm 6'2' 190 and they are great all around. With the slight rocker they turn as quick as you need them to.

Shred on!

the 180 will work for you just fine. the 190 is a long ski and you dont need to be carrying around that extra weight in the backcountry if you dont have to.

180

180's

i would give the BD justice's a try if you haven't already. they have a softer flex than the zealot along with a longer tip rocker which will make them more maneuverable and playful. and they still have enough sidecut to hold a decent edge when the conditions get bad.

Go for the verdict its a super fun super light ski.

Hey, I know your pain - I'm 6-0 and 225, so I too am looking for that balance of performance. If you are going 90% back country and you want to ride like the wind, you may want to try on a pair of Hippy Stinx - I ride the 189cm with Rainey Hammer Heads so I can adjust to the terrain/how hard I want to drive. They will really cut into hard stuff well if you keep em sharp, you just have to be ready for the speed on packed or hard snow - in the powder, you will find yourself doing stuff you didn't think you would - very confident ski but not a light snappy board, more of a cruiser.

If you want a touring setup thats lightweight, i would get the gaia tf-x boot and mount them with the dynafit tlt vertical.

Bring it on buddy, the Verdicts are ready for you.

These might be constructed as well, as the mantra (that's a big might) But you are going to notice a significant difference in the turn radius. I'm guessing for your size and weight you ski a 180 or 190. The 184 Mantra has a 22.5 m turns radius. The 180 BD has a 26m turn radius. These are going to be a little bit harder to engage, but still do-able. If you telemarked on Mantra, my hat sir, is off to you. I ski/tour them, and they are a beast. Get SOME!

There a relly solid ski. You might start to see cosmetic wear after the first year or so but nothing that will affect the preformance.

Id go for the killowat its a super light ski that is perfect for touring. Its quite flexy so wouldnt want to get stuck on any ice.

Verdict or Kilo would be a good choice out West, but the Kilo or the Havoc would be better for East Coast conditions. Neither should be too much ski for you to handle, but either would be a pair with which you could progress your abilities for a few seasons. Good luck and enjoy!

Your Garmonts should be fine as long as you aren't getting into jumping cliffs and racing. Stiffer boots are much better, and with the addition of thermal-moldable liners, fit and performance have improved a lot. The Scarpa T2 Eco is a great boot to look at as an upgrade. As far as bindings go, the only binding I can honestly recommend is the 22Designs Hammerhead. If you'll be touring a lot, then I'd recommend the 22Designs Axl, or the Voile Hardwire. The HH and Axl give the best performance downhill, and the Axl is a free pivot binding which makes touring much easier. The Switchback is free pivot, too, but it is not as stiff and active as the 22D binders. I would not recommend G3 or Black Diamond Bindings because they break down a lot. Seriously- find a part and I'll show you how it can, and probably will break. 22 Designs bindings are the only bindings I've ridden with 100% confidence. I've broken G3's and BD's, and will never go back. The Switchbacks are really light weight and built well, but I would not give them the same endorsement I gave 22Designs.
The Insane does not have rocker, nor does the Verdict. The Insane is still a great ski, and I would highly recommend it. If you're looking for a rockered ski, then the Shogun or the Coomback would be good options. Still, there's a lot of folks out there with Switchbacks on Insanes, and it's because it is a great combo. I know a lot of guys who have been on their Insane/Switchback for multiple seasons. It is not the most progressive setup, but would be a great step up for you, without having to upgrade boots. If you buy skis, bindings, skins from voile-usa.com, they do package deals, too, I think. bc.com has been out of some sizes of skis, so you might want to check the Voile website. Hope that helps a bit. Good luck, and enjoy!

Id say go in between and go for the killowat. its a light ski that youd be able to turn and with a 95mm waist it would float you in powder.

Your T2X will be able to drive the Verdict just fine. I would encourage you to go with the Verdict over the Havoc, because it is very versatile, and with a 100mm waist, you will float much better in powder. The Verdict does have quite a bit of sidecut, though so it will still be able to carve really well on groomed and choppy runs. The Havoc is better suited to technical lines, and hard snow. It will do okay in powder, but it's really not much of a leap from your Pistes.
Other skis to consider as well, are the Salomon Shogun, the Voile Insane, and the K2 Coomback. All lighter than the Verdict. They are all fairly similar in dimensiions, but the Shogun and the Coomback have the added powder snow performance of Rocker in the tips. Rocker is the way to go. Your powder skiing will improve so much, and you will definitely be able to rip groomers, too. Those are all great options to progress your skills, while not changing your "old school" attitude and style.
If you're set on Black Diamond, then I'm sure you'll be happy with the Verdict, but for what it's worth, I think you'd really like a rockered ski. I don't think I'll ski a traditional cambered ski ever again. It's that awesome. Good luck. Happy turns.

I have skied megawatts mounted with dynafits for the past 2 seasons. Unless you weigh 220+, dynafits will not hold you back from doing anything.

I second the Freeride Plus recommendation. This ski demands a beefy binder, it is a no-nonsense big mountain ripper.

Check out the Black Diamond Fritschi Diamir bindings:

http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Black-Diamond-Fritschi-Diamir-Eagle-Binding/BLD0497M.html

http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Black-Diamond-Fritschi-Diamir-Freeride-Plus-Binding/BLD0783M.html

The Eagle would make a sick lightweight touring set up. Or beef it up with the Freeride Plus, with a DIN up to 12.

Seriously? Really? Yes. They are parabolic, hour-glass, or "shaped" skis.

Go for the 125 or bigger so you get the most traction.

With the twin tip/tails, which skins are best for dealing with the tail attachment?

Evan's right. 125mm would be good, but the 140 would give you even better coverage. I'd for go no smaller than the 125mm, though. Also, remember to check out Black Diamonds skin trimming video:

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/blog/index/view/slug/howto-video-trimming-skins

This will show you how do get the best fit, and some other pointers, too. Remember, you want to have your metal edges showing when the skin is on. This helps dig into the harder snow when traversing.

Personally, I always custom trim my skins for maximum coverage. If you got 110mm skins, that would leave approx 2cm of base showing near your tips and .5cm near your tails. If you have minimal base showing you will slip on the skin track less. I think the cost savings for 125 vs. 110 is non existent so I say get 125mm and have the wall to wall carpet.

I have the Verdicts. Fast. Stiff. These definitely do not have a softer flex. While not as stiff as the Zealot, these still feel like skiing on rebar--but in a good way. So, yeah--I agree with the other reviewer: Coomba is a much softer with more flex. Good ski--I know several people who have them and love them. Just worlds apart from the Verdict.

two super different skis. the coomba has a softer flex and will be a super fun ski, and if you like a softer ski it would be the way to go. However, the BD is my go to ski. the Verdict is killer for every type of snow. i love it in the Tahoe snow, and the Utah pow. so that said i like the BD over the K2.

No it dosent have any rocker its more of a versitile ski than full out powder.

No this is a regular cambered ski, with no rocker. The smallest ski in the BD lineup that uses rocker is the zealot. In addition to the zealot, the justice and megawatt use rocker as well. All the skis smaller underfoot than the zealot, are meant to maximize versatility and perform well on all terrain, so they do not implement any rocker in the construction.

Go with the line its a little less stiff and really fun in tight trees

I second Gabe's suggestion. Only, I'd say go for the Line Blend. It's got a more forgiving powder shovel.

BOTH great skis, however they are two TOTALLY different skis. it depends on your skiing style. the LINE will be a little more forgiving, the BD will be a little stiffer and harder charging (IMHO). though they both have wood cores the LINE macroblock vs the BD milled create a different flex pattern. SO i would say if you are looking for a little quicker ski that is a little more playful then go with the LINE, and if you want a Bulldozer that can take on anything you through at it and requires a little more power to get the good stuff from it then go with the BD.

I use the Garmont Megaride with the Verdict. Unfortunately, I haven't used any other boot with Verdicts so I can't make a comparison; however, I can say that I haven't noticed any issues whatsoever. I love the Megarides and am very happy using them on my Verdicts.

you will love this ski. the Verdict will be a great step up for you. the boots will do just fine. a stiffer boot will give you more lateral control -- you could try putting a stiffer liner in your boots if you find you are mushing around.

3.8 kg, 8 lbs 6 oz

go for the kilowatt its a good all moatain ski but it has a 95mm waist so it preforms well in powder

I think a kilowatt will be better in the bumps due to its less girth. The Verdict will feel huge in the bumps!

Go for the 180s there turn radius is pretty good and there quite forgiving.

I'm your size and had the 180's mounted with freerides. I found them a go big or go home ski. Had 'em for a season in Alta and the Wasatch backcountry and sold them to get a pair of Volkl Mantras (177) which I love.

For me, the Verdict was too much work in heavier snow at sub mach speeds. I like to be in the snow more than on top of it. On deep days they were unstoppable and on the groomed I can count the number of people who passed me on one hand. Big Big fun if you like to ski fast.

Fantastic ski, just not for me. If I remember correctly, I was told at the BD store in SLC that a guy went to Chile with the 170 and 180 and skiied the 170 in the steep chutes for most of the trip and loved it.

Personally, I have the 180's and I think I would have been happier with the 170s. I am 5'11''. I tend to like a shorter ski that I can push around alot, and the 180 is good, but I think the 170 would be a bit more maneuverable. I do tele ski on them, so that is one caveat that should be considered. Also, the 170 makes snap turns on tight skin tracks a bit easier. Just my thoughts, take em as you will

180's!!!

p.s. I'm 5'6", 130 lbs. I'm skiing the 170's this season... last season's model. The guy I'm buying them from is 5'10" but he's a slender 145 lbs.
They're a super-stable ski - I don't think you'll get chatter by adding 10 cm

get the 180's.