Curated Ski Expert Brandon Westburg tested the 2023 Line Chronic skis this spring at Powder Mountain in Utah. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every skier is different. If you have any questions about the Line Chronic or need recommendations on which ski would be best for you, reach out to a Ski Expert here on Curated.

One final point before we dive in: It's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this ski? So my overall impression of this ski is that it is a really fun, playful, and flexible ski. It did hold an edge quite well on the groomers, which I was impressed with.

It has 95 millimeters underfoot. There's a touch of rocker in the tip and tail, giving it a lot of pop. So it is playful, flexible, and really fun to ride on. It can definitely hold its own. Overall, it’s a really fun ski to be on.

Carving

How does it turn? How is the edge? So the Line Chronic does carve pretty well. It does hold an edge extremely well. It was a little bit harder pack out there this morning when I tested it, so I was surprised by how well of an edge this ski actually held out there.

How is it at speed? There was a little bit of chatter at speed, but when at a nice controlled speed, this had a really nice edge hold.

Freestyle

How playful is the ski? The Line Chronic is a pretty flexible and fun ski. I would say the flex is about a seven out of 10 on this ski. There is a symmetric flex in this ski, which means it flexes exactly the same from tip to tail. So it does create a pretty fun and playful feel. When I was out there testing this today, it was quite firm, but it was really playful and flexible as well. It was awesome.

How is it riding switch? As a bomber freestyle ski, it did feel really nice skiing switch. I did get out there and do plenty of switch turns, some slower turns, and some bigger radius turns as well. It felt really clean riding switch. It was nice and smooth, and there was a ton of pop as well. I was surprised.

How stable is it on landings? This is a super fun ski to take off of any side hits or to catch air with. It is super fun, and it did feel pretty stable. I did get to spin on it a couple times today, both switch and forward, and I did feel fairly stable on my landings. Because of its playful nature, it could be a bit more stable on some landings, but I felt it was stable enough. I was under control when landing and catching any sort of air, big or small.

Freeride

How would it perform in powder? If you are in powder or any sort of fresh snow, I think the Line Chronic would do just fine. Maybe you would look for something a little bit wider underfoot, but there is enough flotation and a few inches to go have plenty of fun out there freeriding.

What terrain are these skis ideal for? The Line Chronic does really well in the park primarily. It's also built to have fun around the mountain, as well. With groomers, anywhere from chop or plowing through that choppy snow, it does pretty well there, too.

What terrain are these skis not ideal for? I would avoid skiing deeper powder in this ski as there's not quite enough underfoot, and it is a little bit too playful and flexible. So stay away from deep powder when you're skiing the Line Chronic, but aim towards the park and have plenty of fun skiing all-mountain.

Recommendations

Would this be a good first ski for someone progressing from rentals? If you're looking to progress from rentals to something like the Line Chronic, this would be a great first ski because of its flexible and forgiving nature. So, I wouldn't imagine it would take too much adjusting from rental skis. It should be flexible, fun, and pretty easy to turn. I would expect a pretty easy transition with the Line Chronic if you're coming off rentals.

Who would you recommend this ski to? I would really recommend the Line Chronic to anyone getting in the park or wanting to ride some groomers and all-mountain as well. This is a pretty forgiving and playful ski in the park, and it would be great for those people just starting to improve their abilities.

Who should avoid this ski? I think if you're looking for a really stiff and demanding ski, you should not buy the Line Chronic. It is pretty playful and fun, but as soon as you start to get into some deeper snow or want to really drive the ski on groomers, you might have a bit of trouble because of how playful this thing is.

So to sum it up, I think the Line Chronic is not directed at anyone looking for a stiff, hard-charging, all-mountain, or powder ski. It's a bit too floppy and a little bit too narrow to be stiff and hard-charging in the all-mountain or powder categories. I would avoid any sort of deep powder on this.

Skis work differently for different types of skiers. If you want help finding the best skis for your needs, reach out to Brandon or any other Ski Expert here on Curated. They’ll help you find the right skis for you.