Part of the skis appeal is a good balance of flotation and flex so that even when fully submerged in deep snow it isn’t prone to diving, but cruises sweetly below the surface. It’s a perfect ski for spring tours, holding a good edge on refrozen corn and plenty of float in overdone corn snow, but not rotten mush. You’ll need some old fashioned technique in a cold, 3-foot deep Tahoe dump, but will have plenty of float for a 20cm refresh in the Rocky Mountains. It isn’t dramatic, but helps lift the tip when breaking trail or cutting fresh tracks. The tip of the ski sports an early rise tip. Howie rips pow with the Helio 88 and a very full, 5-day pack. When it matters though, like when I was descending a 40°+ field of refrozen corn with a 50 pound pack the Helio 88 had plenty of muscle to keep a grip and not wash out. Some of that also depends on whether you’re turning with a locked or free heel. It is, afterall, a lightweight, carbon infused ski so it won’t perform as well as a sturdier plank would in frozen crud, but that tends to be an in-bounds condition, not backcountry where the Helio prefers to slide. With a sub 90mm waist the Helio 88 is narrow enough that it holds a solid edge on hard pack although not so much at speed. Of course, a lot depends on your weight, boot, skill level, and how far you want push the boundaries. It’s a solid ski that lets you minimize weight without sacrificing good performance.

Howie rips mush with BD’s Helio 88 and a full pack.Now that the pendulum is swinging back from the fringes of phat skis to moderately wide skis, what used to called fat but is now even skinny, Black Diamond’s Helio 88 should perk your interest.

Black diamond helio 105