The Tigard 97: Subtle to-sheet graphics, notches for ski-mo style skin tips, and a tip shovel profile to handle more variable conditions.
Dynafit’s Tigard 97: a ski in the 100mm underfoot class that looks to provide some versatility in the alpine skiing environment.
A nice surprise arrived in the mail the other day, just in time for spring adventures in the Tetons and afield. Between the Tigard, Head Crux 105, and Heritage Lab BC100, my work is cut out for me in the 100mm-ish light ski category.
I have developed a taste for some specific attributes in a 100mm ski geared toward adventurous and perhaps steep skiing.The epitome of these attributes remains the Black Crows Solis—namely, its minimal camber, long turning radius, and subtle but significant tip rocker. The Heritage Lab BC100 and Blizzard Zero G 105 also check many of the same boxes and have stolen my heart as well. Given my preferences, let’s examine the Tigard 97. Profile-wise, they are sporting significant tip and tail rockers, among the most I’ve seen in a sub-100mm ski (Heritage Lab BC90 notwithstanding); the rocker lines are gradual, but the splay is a bit more than the aforementioned skis. There are more than a couple millimeters of camber here, not quite as much or as strong as the Fischer Transalp 92 or Atomic Backland 109, but a more “average” camber pocket. Looking at the Tigard head-on, a bit of tip taper and pin tail round out an 18.5m turn radius for a pretty middle-of-the-road radius and shape.
Tigard 97 on top, the classic Blizzard ZG 95 on the bottom.
A bit of camber under foot and ample tip splay.
A close up of the Tigard 97’s tip splay.
A close up of the Tigard 97’s tail splay.
I’ll be interested to see how these perform in steep, variable, and 3D snow. The rocker profile looks like it will be adept at handling variable snow while being low enough to maintain lots of edge contact. I hope the extra splay will alleviate a major issue with the Solis: the low-tip javelining into 3D obstacles. Meanwhile, the 18.5m radius and tapered tail give me some pause as far as hooky-ness and getting hung up in funky snow.
Carbon stringers on the Tigard 97 and what seems like a solid build throughout.
The stats and the Snow Leopard and a pin-tail shape.
Last but not least, the build quality of the Tigard looks and feels quite good. In my ski shop days, I saw quite a few broken and battered Dynafit skis from the Beast line–these look and feel like a significantly more polished and robust build. I’m looking forward to testing my theories about the Tigrad’s shape and adding another unique ski to the growing library here at THR.
Specs
Available lengths (cm): 158, 165, 172 [tested], 179, 186
Weight: 1349g [172]
Dimensions (mm): 124-96-114 [172]
Turn radius (m): 18.5m
Core: Paulownia/Poplar
Build Comments: full sidewall, metal mounting plate, Notched tip and tail for Speedskin system
Shape: Significant tip/tail rocker, tapered tail, 5mm or so of camber
Recommended Mount Point (cm from center): -8.5cm
Drill size: 4.1x9mm
Similar Models: Faction La Machine Mini, K2 Wayback 98
Price: $799.95
Dynafit’s Tigard 97 mounted up for some spring adventures.
