Review: Black Diamond Impulse 112

I have the Black Diamond Impulse 112 under my feet this winter. Black Diamond skis have always been a bit more focused on mountaineering and touring. It meant they were automatically a bit more suited to that specific target audience: a bit lighter and perhaps a bit more geared towards ease of climbing and less on the descent. That is very different with the Impulse 112. And to start right off with the conclusion: this is the best ski Black Diamond has ever made.

The ski

Okay, let's start with the most important things. Touring and ski mountaineering is still possible with the Impulse 112, but it is clear that the ski is much more allround than that. It's just a pure freeride ski. With a beautiful core of fiberglass and poplar wood, the ski is lively and stable. Add to that a titanium plate and some rocker in the tip and tail and you have a ski that will make a lot of freeriders happy. With a width under the foot of 112 millimeters, it is a ski that is very allround.

In the terrain

In the last two months I have skied this ski for more than 20 days. And actually in all kinds of conditions. Untracked powder in beautiful bowls, tracked terrain on steep slopes, in the trees, but also on the slopes. On good corduroy to icy valley runs. More than enough to have an opinion about the Impulse 112.

When you have to describe the Impulse 112 in one word it would be 'allround'. When skiing bigger lines, the ski is stable enough underfoot to give you a lot of confidence. Due to the tip and tail that have quite a bit of rocker, the ski also feels a bit shorter than the 186 cm I skied. This can of course be a disadvantage on somewhat harder and steeper descents in the terrain, because you want to have as much grip as possible there. In the trees, the ski is very manoeuvrable due to its geometry and the rocker. And most importantly: the float is simply great.

The Impulse 112 smashes through everything in tracked terrain. Then you notice that the stability under the foot is just more than fine. It is also not a ski for the novice rider. Not that the ski cannot be skied well without a lot of power or with a somewhat more limited technique, but you just won't get the best out of it. More advanced riders and experts therefore simply have more fun on the Impulse.

On the groomers

When you ski the Impulse 112 on the slopes, its performance is just fine. There is one condition: you have to ski it hard, with long turns and on the side. Then you make optimal use of its long radius. Short turns are possible, but due to its width under the foot, it is not the strongest point of this ski. Yet, I also skied it on icy slopes in the first week of January.

Conclusion

The Impulse 112 is simply the best freeride ski Black Diamond has ever made and it definitely can compete with the bigger brands. Super all-round and really suitable for all elements of freeriding. You can undoubtedly also tour with it (at the tail the attachment of your skins is already prepared), but I have not done that with it yet. If you tie the skins you will have a ski that feels more at home in the descent than any other ski from Black Diamond.

Specs

• Lengths: 181 and 186 cm (tested)
• Radius: 20 meters @ 121 and 21 meters @ 186
• Geometry: 139-112-126
• Construction: Pre-preg fiberglass, poplar, ABS sidewall

Price: from € 700

More info about the Black Diamond Impulse 112 can be found here