First Look: Moonlight Cruiser Carbon Superlight

In another time’s forgotten space, I was overly concerned with weight. The heaviness of it all slowed me down. There could have been many reasons for this dynamic: I may have been out of shape; The gear could have been legitimately (and burdensomely) heavy—it was. And so, at the cost of many things, like my savings account, I bought carbon things. There was a mountain bike. Fancy Swix Triac nordic poles (I’d buy those again) and a carbon-glass kayak paddle (an original AT paddle) that still sees some occasional action. But my mostly carbon skis never saw much action, aside from a few-year-old pair of Pagoda Tour RP 112s that honestly don’t feel too carbon-y. Translate that as pingy, too stiff, with a very narrow range for awesome sensations. But, about the uphill, you might ask. It was sweet and lithe—or so I tell myself. And once upon a time in that forgotten space, I used a pair of Movement Alp Tracks 100 for a season or two. In my home portion of the Cascades, I found them not damp enough in variable snow (to be expected) and too chattery on firm spring snow. When I made that purchase, I should have opted for the 106mm underfoot Alp Tracks and reserved them for light and deep days. 

Last winter, I was passing through Wilson, Wyoming, and I took a gander into Gavin’s gear shed. There was a lonely pair of Moonlight Cruiser Carbon Superlight skis sitting in the corner. These two data points set the tone for what I saw: 114mm underfoot and a claimed weight of 1160g/ski (177cm length). (The Cruiser Carbon Superlight comes in a second length, 186mm, with a proportionally wider width at 1120mm.) Although the skis weren’t levitating, the thought of me seemingly levitating up the skintrack had me curious. I won’t go into all the details, but the skis needed a home. My intent was to review them last year.