Black Diamond Zealot Ski - 2008 BCS

These are my second pair of BD's. The first were the Verdicts. The Zealots (1st generation) are a hard charging, all out, BIG turning, mountain ski. These skis are not for the faint of heart, you need to be on them all the time. I mainly ski Alta and the backcountry. They grind through crud, love the powder and steeps, but they can be a little frightening in tight trees. If you want to cruise on the groomers, they truck like no others. They could be called a true GS ski. If you're a strong, expert skier I would highly recommend these skis. If you are just a weekend warrior I'd go with the Verdicts.

Demoed these thinking I might buy a pair to supplement my Havocs. Like Alex said, the Zealot doesn't like small turns. As a tele-skier this was the first and most noticeable issue I have. They respond well in varied conditions and snow-type, and I enjoy the stiffness, but jeez I couldn't get these things to turn quickly in trees or hitting bumps. If you are all about big lines and steeps without turns, these could be for you.

I picked up some 182cm Zealots last season and mounted them with BD O1 mid-stiff bindings for a backcountry oriented setup. I am 6'4" 200lbs and in retrospect I really should have gotten the 192cm Zealots and opted for rid-stiff cartrages.

Even in the smaller size these skis want to rip. As long as you ski them the way they want to be skied they are very forgiving and a lot of fun. They certainly require a different style of skiing than most skis but I have found that they handle very well in any conditions except icy moguls.

I bought a pair of the 2009 non rockered zealot on the intraweb. If I keep them I will mount them with hammerheads with a second ski kit (few mm riser) and pair em with BD custom boots. I weigh approx 180 pounds, about 5' 10". Everyone thinks these skis are too long, but every ski, every boot, and every binding I've skied has been too soft. I'm even going to put stiffy springs in my hammerheads. If I had new Zealots with tip rocker early rise tip I would not be concerned at all. But am I crazy? Are 192's way too long?

Lots of folks commenting on the inability to turn these babies. I ski Crested Butte & Monarch and I love these skis. Yes, you will become a better skier b/c you do have to work for that turn in tight trees, but you'll get it and once you do, there's no going back. They are are stiff and solid, and if you don't ski a lot, maybe these aren't for you. But through pow, jumping cornices and little cliffs, making myself do moguls and trees - for me these skis are rock solid. I actually do not remember falling down last season much at all because of the solid skis beneath my feet...not that there's anything wrong w/ falling (love too 'cuz I know I'm pushing it) but seriously, this is a freaking great ski for a ski bum. I have G-3 bindings and Garmont ladies boots...my setup is the best it's been ever...but I ski a lot, not just weekend warrioring it.

I've grown accustomed to making many short turns to keep my speed in check on my prior skinny skis, but this tactic is no longer necessary. Instead, you can just point these babies and go, they are relentless beasts in most backcountry conditions you will encounter- so be ready jet.

I picked up a pair of 182 Zealots to use as alpine skis cheap off Geartrade a little while ago. I mounted them with Look PX14 bindings. I ski in Vermont and take a couple trips out west a year, so these are my powder skis. I was a little concerned about how stiff I heard these were but after spending several days on them I'm really enjoying them. I've skied them in a lot of shin deep VT powder as well as a day at Kirkwood, CA. The skis are stiff, stable and love open powder and crud. I was amazed how stable these turned and plowed through snow like a freight train. Medium to large radius turns are where the Zealot rips. As long as you stay on these skis and don't get lazy, they're great in soft snow.

The only downsides to the Zealot it's too much for tight trees, moguls and groomers. You really have to stay on these skis and ski fast or you're not really doing them justice. It's also not a ski for lighter skiers; I'm 6'2' and about 200 lbs. These skis are demanding and stiff but great for their intended purpose.

These are extremely stiff skis and not at all made for tele mark skiing but they are good for a person who is very heavy set and needs a pair of skis that can take the weight and they are extremely light.

I'm 6'2", 165 lbs, rode these on Black Diamond 01s with RidStiff cartridges. Skied the 182's in 14 inches fresh at Alta on Saturday.
The first three runs on these were phenomenal, they CHARGE it in fresh snow, very stable, and really respond if you throw some weight into them. They definitely prefer longer radius turns, although you can force them into some medium-short radius if you really throw your body around (someone who weighs more than I do might have an easier time of it).
Once the snow got cut up, however, the performance of the skis started to slip. They just didn't seem to have the same energy and life that they did in the fresh. A real handful in the trees, not for tight spaces. I ended up switching back to my K2 Anti-Pistes at around 12:30 pm.
Just not versatile enough to be high on my list of favorites...

I am gonna have to go with everybody else that these are super stiff and like big lines. I feel like I didnt give these a fair chance as I took them out on a crappy day. But they were just way to straight and stiff to even consider on piste tele turns. I am no expert but do pride myself in being able to make a proficient tele turn. I found myself doing the tele-whirlibird down the hill a time or two from them hooking an edge.
Perhaps I should have had a little warm up run on them to get the feel but I will stick with my assumption that the are a BIG mountain ski and thats it!
Bottom line if you are looking for straight line skis that can blast through crud and flash a line check these out!

I'm sure these would rip as an alpine ski, and I would love to give them a shot. But I actually took these out and learned how to tele on them. Honestly I had a blast, but I can't compare them to other skis as I have never tele'd before. But what I did notice is that these things seemed to be really stable after I got the hang of it. They definitely wanted to go much faster then I could, so if you have been tele skiing for a while and like to charge, I would say these are for you.

These skis are burly. Sometimes it feels like you are skiing on oak doors. These are not for skiers who prefer quick technical turns. They are geared more towards super-G turns and choppy crud. Stay out of the trees with these, and stick to straight lines. The are awesome for holding an edge on ice and going straight...fast.