Brands send us the sticks and we spend a solid chunk of our own seasons shredding them.
Welcome to this one about the Tom Wallisch Skis.
There is not much the Newschoolers community wholeheartedly agrees on.
Style vs tech, soft skis vs stiff, even east vs west; everyone has an opinion.
One thing almost everyone can agree on though, Tom Wallisch is king.
Who would Tom be skiing for?
In the forums nearly every brand got thrown into the mix as the perfect fit for him.
A fairly bold claim, but one which to NS seemed fairly accurate.
Luckily for me I didnt have to wait long to get a pair on my feet.
While working at a dealer demo in February I got my first chance to try them out.
But before anything else, who better to ask about the new skis then Tom himself.
Tom W: Definitely part of the deal.
Ive always been inspired by what Pollard has done with Line and all the success hes had designing skis.
The process is so fascinating and exciting.
Tom P: Was the way Line skis ride a big part in your decision to move?
Tom W: Definitely I did a lot of ski testing before switching.
Theres a ski for every punch in of snow and any feature.
Tom P: How much time have you spent on Line skis over the years?
Tom W: Line Skis were actually my first twin tips.
It’s awesome to be back riding Line.
What about the Chronic, or other skis in the Line range did you like?
I love the Chronic as an overall do anything ski, it’s just easy and fun to ride.
It drastically reduces swing weight and makes it so fun and quick on rails.
Tom P: Did you have a firm plan for what you wanted from the new skis?
This ski can actually do everything and is so fun to shred on anything.
Tom P: Did ideas change as you tested various prototypes?
Tom W: Ideas for shape, flex, and side cut all changed a lot throughout the process.
I tested a ton of variety just to really feel each and every pop in of ski and shape.
It was a really fun experience.
I finally found something that I truly feel is perfect for everything.
Tom P: How would you describe the new Twall ski?
Tom W: The best park ski Ive ever ridden!
Tom P: Anyone you would like to say thanks to?
Tom W: Josh, Jed, Dan, Nate, Ryan, and everyone else at Line.
Thanks for letting me run free and design a sweet ski!
An added benefit is the capped upper portion can help reduce the amount of sidewall chipping.
Like most park skis today, the Twall has some early rise in the tip and tail.
It would be a stretch to call it rockered, but it’s certainly not full camber.
Line went with a tapered tip and tail, much like that found on the Tigersnake.
One area a few people may have concerns is in the sizing of the new ski.
The Tom Wallisch Pro is offered in three heights; 164, 171 and 178.
More on that later though.
At 90mm underfoot, the Twall falls pretty much in the middle of today’s park skis.
It not overly wide and it’s certainly not a narrow mogul ski.
Overall, the build quality looked as you would expect a high-end park ski.
Overall they were actually OK.
In the park I didnt suffer any pre-realeasing and out of the park I only had a few issues.
The flex is certainly on the stiffer side for a park ski.
The overall flex pattern is stiff underfoot, with a little more give in the tip and tail.
On the groomers they absolutely ripped.
The softer tip and tail, combined with the early rise, helped when things got a little rougher.
A large factor in how well they perform out of the park is Tom’s mount point choice.
In the deep stuff they performed much better than I expected.
Now was the time to get these skis where there really belonged.
I needn’t have worried.
The flex - although certainly on the stiffer side - is extremely poppy.
Getting onto rails was never a problem and even the slower stuff felt controlled.
One thing I did find a little unusual at first was the way the skis buttered.
Durability
Like any review, durability can only really be defined for the test period I had the skis.
I had around 20 days on them, which clearly does not constitute a seasons worth of abuse.
Having said that, I was impressed by how the skis held up.
I de-burred them after every ride and re-edged and then de-tuned every few rides.
Now for the one downside.
This may sound bad, but I believe it happened in the fall in the video above.
The ski was sticking straight up from the tail and must have come down with some real force.
However, I appreciate a few of you may be concerned about something like this happening so quickly.
I never thought they were bad, I was just never wowed by them.
This was not the case with the Twall, though; I love this ski.
I was about to scoff at him and say of course not, but then I had a think.
Shop For line tom wallisch
Skied the Line Tom Wallisch Pro?
