About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the skis, which I purchased with my own money in February of 2022.

My take

The Line Outline is a twin-tip powder ski built for playful skiers. The Outline is no charger, but freestyle-minded skiers will have no problem having a good time in any condition with these under their feet.

About the gear

• Model: 2021 Line Outline
• Size: 186

About me

• Height: 6’ 3”
• Weight: 180 lbs
• Experience: 16 years skiing

Test conditions

• When I bought these: February 2022
• Days tested: 10
• Mount position: Recommended (-4 cm from true center)
• Boots: 2021 Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 120
• Boot Size: 26.5
• Bindings: 2022 Salomon Shift
• Where I’ve used it: Wasatch Front backcountry, Snowbasin, Brighton
• Terrain: Powder, chop, groomers

How they perform

What I was looking for

I was looking for a freestyle powder ski that was light enough to tour on, but heavy enough to provide stability for resort skiing. I also considered the Atomic Benchetler 120, but I felt like the 184 was too short, and the 192 was too long.

Why I chose this gear

I chose the Line Outline largely from seeing how skiers like Eric Pollard and Wing Tai-Berrymore rode on them. I was looking for a ski that would allow me not just to go big, but also to ski beautifully (or at least attempt to). This coupled with the 186 cm length, and 2000 g weight made it the perfect option as a 50/50 pow ski.

As I mentioned above the Atomic Benchetler 120 was another great option, but I personally felt like the 184 wasn’t long enough, and I didn’t want to have to drag a 192 around on the skin track.

What I love about them

• Edge hold: The Outline is a heavily rockered pow ski, but compared to other pow skis it has remarkable edge hold. The firmer the snow gets, the more nervous I would be to lay these on edge, but if it has snowed in the last week these provide plenty of grip on softer groomers.
• Turns: The Outline’s massive shovels and tight sidecut make turning a dream. They comfortably make small to medium-sized turns at slow to moderately high speeds. Even though the Outline isn’t great for huge fast turns, I love that you don’t have to be going Mach 5 to have an enjoyable time turning.
• Groomers: You shouldn’t buy the Outline if you want to ski groomers, but they are stupid fun to carve on soft pow days groomers.
• Powder: As a 117 mm ski these performed in powder exactly how I had hoped they would. These are not unsinkable directional powder skis, but if you are used to piloting your skis from a more neutral stance you won't have any trouble getting them to plane in soft snow. The shape of the ski and convex tips and tails make it easy to be on edge while simultaneously being easy to break free and drift.
• Trees: The Outline is probably my all-time favorite tree ski. They turn beautifully, but they are also loose and surfy. This combo makes skiing powder in trees a ridiculously good time.
• Backcountry: I used the Outline in the backcountry and resort equally. At 2000 g they are light enough to drag uphill and make for a very fun ride down if the snow is soft.
• Weight: For a 50/50 ski I think 2000 g is a pretty ideal weight. If you were only skiing backcountry I would recommend a lighter ski and if you want a resort-only pow ski adding 100-200 g would increase the dampness and stability.
• Switch riding: The Outline is not fully symmetrical, but they were 100% designed with switch skiing in mind. Their fairly center mount point, twin tip shape, and ample tail rocker will give anybody the tools they need to ski and land switch in pow.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Speed: The Outline is a pretty soft ski that comes in a fairly lightweight for a pow ski. For these two reasons, they are not ideal for riders who prioritize speed above all else. The firmer and/or the choppier the conditions become, the more you have to dial back your speed on the Outline.
• Park: While the freestyle shape and soft flex would make for a fun park lap on a powder day; I think they are just too wide to be practical to ride in the park most of the time.
• Durability: I put a pretty substantial core shot into the ski and messed up one edge going over a small rock I missed. When it happened I figured I had put a decent scratch in the ski, but I was surprised to see how much damage there was. I got it repaired and haven’t had any other issues, but I have had significantly less damage on other skis with similar rock encounters.
• Stability: As I alluded to above, these are not skis made to charge. They do get knocked around in choppy snow and require a more deliberate approach in these conditions. However, they are some of the easiest skis to butter and press that I have ever ridden. With the Outline, you do give up some high-speed stability, but you get bucketloads of playfulness in return.

Favorite moment with this gear

I toured up with a buddy on a spring pow day this year and goofed around in soft snow all day. We didn’t ski anything gnarly, but with the Outline letting me press and butter every natural feature in sight it was impossible to have a good time.

Value for the money vs. other options

Compared to similar skis like the Atomic Bentchetler 120 or the Line Vision 118 the Line Outline comes in at a very similar price point. For what it’s worth, the Atomic Benchetler 120 does have a better track record of durability.

Final verdict

The Line Outline is one of the most, if not the most, playful powder skis on the market. While it does sacrifice top-end speed and stability it gives back oodles of playfulness that allow creative skiers to make any terrain fun.