Just sold my Enforcer 100s (still my favorite ski I’ve ever ridden) and bought a pair of Origin 96s to try without ever riding a them. Does anyone have any experience with this ski? I pretty much bought them based on Blister Gear Reviews impression of the ski. Not worried about getting stuck with the ski because I can get another pair of Enforcers for fairly cheap, just curious what I should expect compared to what I am used to. Ski mostly Midwest and love being in the trees.
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Liberty Origin 96
- Thread starter Doeschna
- Start date
I have not had experience any Liberty Skis. They just don't seem to be available when its time to demo/test skis.
Maybe this bump will get someone who has more Liberty knowledge to see your quest.
I think so too but not sure what the results were.
I don't think you made a bad decision here. I have never owned, skied, or even remember seeing Liberty skis before so that's where my concern would lay. I demo maybe half the skis I buy and that has worked out well for me but, the only thing is, usually if I don't Demo I go for a more reputable brand like Technica or Kastle. Don't freak out too much though, generally the reviews tell most of the story. If a ski seems like it's for you and the reviewers say it would be great for you, you'll probably at-least like the skis, if not love them.
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2017
- Posts
- 126
I demoed the Origin 106 and Enforcer 100 last Feb. I know the O96 has little tail rocker compared to the O106 but the construction is the same. I found them to be more forgiving but with good energy return and a little lighter than the Enforcers. They didn't have quite the bite on hard snow but the conditions were a mixture of bomb holes from people face planting, rain soaked powder and/or compressed rain soaked snow but it never felt like the ski was out of control or I was out of control given the tuff conditions.
I've spent some time doing laps on the Origin 96 at several demo day events and for Midwest tree sking, the Origin 96 will give you a fun, spunky ride with very little effort. They add gradually more tip and tail rise to their Origin lineup (90, 96, 106, 116) as they go up in width, and the proportions work really well. The 96 would be a great choice for tree skiing in fresh snow in midwest terrain, yet give a nice grip on the groomers when you want it. I found if the Origin 96 was tuned at less than 1 degree base, 2 degree sides and relatively sharp tip to tail , it came alive on hardpack and gave nothing up off-piste. I think you will have a great time with them, and don't be afraid to have your local tuning shop give them a hardpack tune. The rise proportions in the tip and tail will provide a quick and surfy ride in tight situations even if the ski's running surface is sharp tip to tail...you can always detune the tip or tail a little if you want more smeary feel.
The Origins will feel more fun than the Enforcers...less business-like. You will probably find you burn fewer calories riding the Origin 96 around than the Enforcers...giving up some hardpack carving intensity for less-demanding handling, but picking up a quicker, lighter-feeling ski in the Origins. I would pick the Origins over the Enforcers in the trees...no question.
I like the Origin series, and the pricing is a good value!
I already ground the bases flat and put my preferred tune on them. They come detuned in the tip and slightly in the tail, right out of the wrapper. I’m assuming because Blister said that was the one thing they would do on every ski before skiing them. Taking them out on Tuesday if it doesn’t rain and will report back.
I can give you some feedback on the Liberty Origin 96 ski. Between my family and friends we own about 5 pairs. We love the ski as a soft snow ski on the East Coast that can also handle hard pack really well. I bought it as a tree ski and it does well there. The binding mount point can be a bit tricky on the 177 and 187 lengths. The factory standard line works well for the 182 length. Let me know what you would like to know about the ski. As Blister says, its got an amazing combo of soft snow and hard snow capability.
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2016
- Posts
- 145
I purchased a pair of these this year in the 176 length mounted at the standard position with the factory tune. I like the ski, but I am trying to get used to it. The one issue that I am having is that the tail feels kind of grabby. If I am trying to check speed the tails will grab, release, grab, release. Not consistent or confidence inspiring. I am getting ready to detune the tails a bit to see if that helps. The ski it is replacing is a Stockli XXL.
Ashamed to say it has taken me this long to get these out. It was very crusty today but the edgehold they exhibited was pretty remarkable. They are very different from my Enforcers. Where the Enforcer was smooth and somewhat damp, this thing was pretty poppy and and had absolute teeth that slashed through the ice. Seriously some of the best edgehold of anything I have ridden in this waistwidth. Can’t wait to try them in soft snow and some trees. I wouldn’t be surprised if I need to detune the tails just slightly to loosen them up a little, even though I may not want to compromise the edgehold that they have.
