Line Pescado Review

This ski has unparalleled performance when it comes to floatation. While it falls short in other categories, we believe that the Pescado is highly-tuned to excel in untouched snow.

The Pescado is a specialist, not a generalist, but to call it a one-trick-pony is to spit in the face of four years dedicated to research and design. Eric Pollard set out to create a directional, snow-surfing powder tool that is capable of playing on everything. We think he nailed it with the Pescado.

Performance Comparison

Float

There is no denying that the Pescado has stellar floatation. Drawing inspiration from old-school surf tech and powder-hungry snowboards, the Pescado certainly stands out on the rack. But these design implements aren't simply for flashy marketing. The unorthodox shape of this ski goes far beyond the realm of gimmicky add-ons you are used to seeing manufacturers conjure up each season.

Tried-and-true by surfers and boarders alike, swallow-tail construction allows the rear of the ski to sink in deep snow while the wide-shoveled tip hovers gracefully above the surface. This combination allows it to plane effortlessly atop powder without having to adjust your stance. Couple that with an excellent swing weight, and you're looking at a full-blown float machine capable of slashing pow turns as quickly as you can pivot your feet.

Stability at Speed

The softness and dimensional length of the Pescado don't really afford high-speed maneuvers in variable snow, earning it an average score for this metric. When the conditions are right, you can let the Pescado run as fast as you'd like. But when you venture into tracked-out or frozen surfaces, it much prefers smaller turn shapes at lower speeds.

Speed considerations aside, the Pescado boasts a very broad construction that provides the skier with a large platform to stand on. Bumps, chunks, and contours are easily dampened at a moderate pace. But when driven at Mach speeds, you'd better hope that you're skiing freshies.

Playfulness

Despite its direction shape, the Pescado also earned respectable scores as a playful, bouncy ski. However, the type of play found in these boards is quite unlike your typical jibbing tool. Offering relentless float regardless of where you stand on it, the Pescado likes to bounce in and out of those bottomless turns with an aqueous rebound.

As its shape would suggest, this pair of planks feel much like a surfboard in how it manages to make turns in blower. One tester claimed that the Pescado redefined their comprehension of what it means to surf on powder. No matter how hard or deep you punch into a line, it will recoil back to the surface with spirited elasticity.

Crud

Despite its lightweight design and softer flex pattern, we were pleasantly surprised to see how well this pair of powder skis handled crud. Generous amounts of early-rise and a massive shovel at the tip allow the Pescado to boat over rough, choppy snow. The all-wood core gives the skier a very damp feel when riding through rough terrain with very minimal chatter in the tip. Super fat dimensions also provide greater surface area to plow through snow even in low-angle terrain.

The Pescado didn't rank as highly in this metric as stiffer, heavier models in the lineup. That's because big guns like the Nordica Enforcer Pro and Volkl Confession managed refrozen crud and broken crusts better than the Pescado did. All things considered, the Pescado held its own in choppy snow and landed itself in the middle of the pack for crud performance.

Carving

By looks alone, you might surmise that the Pescado isn't built for hardpack carving performance. The profile and dimensions of this ski are straight out of a surf shop, great for slurping juicy pow-turns, but not exactly what you'd look for in a carving ski. Not surprisingly, we found the Pescado difficult to ski on the hard stuff. While the swallowtail construction lengthens the effective edge more than a pintail would, the overall width of this ski takes considerable effort to roll over into a carve. Once there, the edge hold is reliable but not very lively.

If the conditions are right—think soft corduroy and packed powder—the Pescado is capable of putting together some decent arcs. But it doesn't drive across the fall line like the more aggressive Volkl Confession or Elan Ripstick 116. Destined for the deep, this ski has a butter knife edge that is great for shmearing but lacks the chops to rip a GS turn, earning an average score for its carving capabilities.

Versatility

If we haven't been clear already, let's set the record straight: the Pescado is built exclusively for soft, fresh snow. That doesn't mean it can't get you down a groomer in one piece, but there are notable compromises in all-mountain performance. If you're a few weeks past the last storm at your home mountain, you'd be better off leaving the Pescado at home and opting for a more piste-friendly ripper like the award-winning DPS Alchemist Lotus 124. This ski is not a daily driver. It is a die-hard powder slayer, through and through.

Best Applications

When the going gets deep, there may not be a better choice than the Pescado. With quick swing weight, massive dimensions, and otherworldly floatation, this ski is highly-tuned to perform in epic blower. Due to its limited versatility, this ski is best utilized on mechanically-assisted powder laps. Whether you're ripping a sled, riding a cat, or getting first chair to catch those gooey tracks in untouched snow, the Pescado will exceed your expectations for powder performance.

Value

Unveiled for the 16/17 season, the Pescado is the result of a purported four year R&D period. The cost may be insignificant for those looking to add a powder-hungry snow beast to their already deep quiver. But ounce for ounce, there are more economical powder skis out there.

Conclusion

We can safely say that no other ski in this review floated like the Pescado did. It is wholeheartedly dedicated to surfing and slarving its way through fluffy white gold. While there may be better options for all-mountain performance, we were floored by how well this ski flew over deep snow. Aptly named and performing like no other, the Pescado is capable of darting through powder with great liquidity.

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