Liberty Genesis 96 - Women's Review

While beautiful to look at, the Liberty Genesis was inconsistent in nearly every metric. There seems to be something about its flex pattern which makes it bend in funny ways, and at unexpected times. This makes it unpredictable, and we didn't feel confident trusting the them in most conditions.

Performance Comparison

They sure are a pretty accessory!

Stability at Speed

None of our testers felt confident going fast, in any terrain, on these skis. They did not hold their edges on firm snow, and would shudder and shake when we tried to put on the brakes. If we could manage to make a perfectly rounded, smoothly arced turn, they would be OK, but when we wavered for a moment they got freaky. The flex pattern across the length of the ski is unusual; they seem to bend and release frantically in the middle of a turn, without the skier's consent. While they are able to make a tighter, quicker turn in steep terrain, they felt unstable underneath us, making them an unreliable companion.

We didn't feel our most confident at higher speeds on the Liberty's, but they would be fine for the speeds commonly accessed by beginner and intermediate skiers.

Carving

This ski is definitely more adept at buttering a turn rather than carving one. It prefers to skid (and sometimes skitter) rather than rail a smooth edge. Because of the strange flex we mentioned, we felt we couldn't rely on the edges maintaining their course in a carved turn. One tester called them, "Bendy in a bad way".

Their odd flex pattern makes them feel a little wobbly while carving, unless the snow is very soft and forgiving.

Powder

We made a few good turns in a few inches of powder on the Genesis, but anything deeper and we were all over the shop. They feel noodley both at speed and under the fresh snow; even the flex and rebound we felt against the packed powder platform under the surface was unpredictable.

Crud

The Liberty's just can't hang here. They bounced us around like kids in a blow-up castle, but with less giggling. They're light, so they try to skim across the surface, but get bucked into separate (from one another) trajectories along the way. Not confidence-inspiring.

The Genesis gave us a jarring ride in the crud

Playfulness

One tester told us this ski was "playful like an angry puppy". You know, the one that would be really cute if they'd just stop tearing at your socks and fingers? It is lighter-weight and easy to get airborne - it's just what happens when you land that's concerning. We didn't have very much fun on these beautiful skis, sadly.

Bumps

In soft slush bumps, they are fairly flexible and maneuverable. They like to make a shorter turn, so they performed the best in this metric of any. If you're getting into firmer, bigger bumps though, the Genesis is better traded for something more reliable.

Their flexibility and quickness made them fairly adept in moguls

Value

They sit in the middle of the pack in terms of cost, but one tester told us that she wouldn't ski these every day even if they were free.

Conclusion