TMS Blog

Kings Beach based outdoor retailer Tahoe Mountain Sports is expanding operations in anticipation of a busy holiday season and the continued growth of their online retail operation. The Lake Tahoe based retailer launched a new website in mid September that features a store blog, learning search, live chat, and other state of the art features. They are also doubling the size of their retail location on North Lake Boulevard in Kings Beach in response to growth in both the online and local sales channels.

Founded in 2003, Tahoe Mountain Sports has continued to grow through the recession and is poised to make an impact in the competitive retail outdoor gear industry. “People are being smarter with their money and shopping around more. This really benefits us because we have a unique combination of knowledgeable staff, great customer service, and competitive prices and we can now serve our customer even better” said Tahoe Mountain Sports’ owner David Polivy.  “The new website has some really great customer service tools, like live chat and The new retail space will give us room to expand both online and here locally in North Lake Tahoe.” he continued.  The new website, www.tahoemounainsports.com has been live since mid September, and the new expanded retail location is scheduled to open mid November.

During winter months, Tahoe Mountain Sports specializes in backcountry ski and snowboard gear, high quality clothing and outerwear, along with accessories for any winter activity you can imagine. Including the Black Diamond Megawatt, what some say is the best of the new breed of rockered powder skis and the hot new VholdR ContourHD 1080p helmet camera that can capture and help you share all your adventures in full 1080p HD video.  During summer, TMS offers everything from tents, sleeping bags, stoves, and backpacks, to rash guards, flip flops, and board shorts. High quality, niche brands are their specialty, with representation from Cloudveil, Black Diamond, Patagonia, Mammut, Icebreaker, Keen, Vasque, Gregory, Deuter and more. Come stop by the store or check us out online for the best selection of gear, clothing, and local knowledge in Tahoe.

Back in February I was lucky enough to get to demo the entire 2010 Black Diamond Power Series Ski line. Now that we have all of these skis in the shop for a side by side comparison I thought it would be a good time to update my reveiws a bit and answer a few common questions about how the skis compare. I’m going to focus on the three newest (and biggest) models in the line the Megawatt, Justice, and Zealot. I have skied the Verdict and Kilowatt as well so if you have any questions about how they compare feel free to ask. Overall the entire Power Series lineup is awesome, and compares well to the offerings from any major ski manufacturer.  If you haven’t tried BD skis or still see them as only suitable for tele skiing or superlight long distance touring; do yourself a favor and demo a pair, they will change your mind in a hurry.

Black Diamond 2010 Power Series Skis

The Megawatt was new for the 08/09 season and aside from spiffy new blue graphics, is largely unchanged for the 09/10 season. BD says that the tip is stiffer and that they have optimized the fiberglass layup but I don’t think either of these changes will significantly effect the way they ski. There is no reason to change what was already one of the most versatile powder skis on the market. Although its waist dimensions (125mm@188 and 120mm@178) are squarely in the ultra-fat ski range and the huge rockered tip provides as much float as anyone would need, these are surprisingly usable all over the mountain. They may not be the most fun ski on hardpack, but they won’t have you heading to the car to switch skis when your local resort is tracked out by lunch. They have minimal camber underfoot and a large 42m turning radius which makes them very comfortable making big turns through variable snow and the big rockered tip makes them easy to maneuver in tight spaces in deep snow. That big rockered tip gives it the surfy/smeary feel in powder that makes people fall in love with powder specific designs.  These are also great for touring in soft snow, the tip makes it easy to break trail in deep snow and the regular camber underfoot provides good grip when skinning. Also the 188 weighs only 10lb 4oz per pair, surprisingly light for such a big ski. I reccomend the new BD Ascension split skins for these because regular skins get very  heavy when they have this much surface to cover.

2010 Black Diamond Megawatt, Justice, and Zealot Rocker and Camber Profile Shot

The Justice is an all new ski for 2010 and has been getting quite a bit of attention from the ski community. It is a hybrid of the powder specific geometry and shape of the Megawatt in a lighter and more all mountian package. At 115mm under foot it fits nicely in the line in between the 120-125mm Megawatt and the 110mm Zealot. It has more camber, a little more sidecut and much more subtle rocker than the Megawatt. They kept most of the characteristics that make the Megawatt a great ski and put them a package that is more usable for people that want something they can ski everyday. It will be great for people that want a ski that is great in powder and usable all over the mountain, but don’t need an ultra-fat like the Megawatt. Like the Megawatt, the shorter length is perfect for most ladies and smaller guys. Don’t be afraid if 175 is longer than you are used to skiing, the tip rocker makes them feel short and they are very light and easy to ski. The Justice also will be the ski of choice for backcountry skiers that love the shape of the Megawatt but want a lighter ski to take on longer tours. The 185 Justice weighs only 9lbs 7oz per pair and has only a slight kick tail not a full twin tip, making it ideal for touring.

2010 Black Diamond Skis, Profile Shot of Megawatt, Justice, and Zealot

The Zealot has been in the BD line for a while, but the 2010 version gets a significant makeover. Still available in 182cm or 192cm and 110mm at the waist, for 2010 they softened the ski up a bit and added some subtle rocker to the tip. The result is probably the most versatile ski I’ve ever ridden. It will rule the resort in all conditions and be light enough to take anywhere. It’s got a much more traditional camber profile than either the Megawatt or Justice through the body of the ski which makes it feel very lively. You can definitely feel the camber in the tail compared to the other two skis, these want to snap from turn to turn and carve on hard snow compared to the Megawatt and Justice which are content to slide and smear around. I didn’t notice the tip rocker at all on hardpack but it was very noticeable in soft and variable snow. They just charged through crud and didn’t feel hooky at all in variable snow. They don’t quite have that powder specific floaty/smeary feeling that the Megawatt and Justice do in pow, but this is a different type of ski. It’s much more of an all around big mountain ski versus the other two which are more on the powder specific end of the spectrum. Incidentally the 182cm Zealot weighs 10lb 4oz per pair, exactly the same as the 188cm Megawatt. Light enough to tour on but by no means an ultralight ski, these feel solid and powerful in any snow conditions.

Megawatt, Zealot, and Justice with ski straps around the waist to show weighted rocker profile

This is a beautiful thing.

Its been an amazing week for skiing and riding here in Lake Tahoe. Sunday night’s forecast of 4-8″ turned into 20″ of light blower pow in my driveway, and much more at higher elevations.  Since then, mother nature has been nice enough to drop new snow every night and let the weather clear up for a bit during the day to let the skiers play. These last three systems have all been cold, dropping all snow here in the Lake Tahoe Basin and the forecast has a series of systems bringing more snow to the area through the next week! This is the time to hop on a pair of Black Diamond Megawatts and see why the powder hounds love this ski. All this new snow has increased the avalanche danger, so be sure to check out the avy report from the Sierra Avalanche Center before heading out into the backcountry. Also, you can keep up on the weather here in Kings Beach with our live web cam.

Tahoe Mountain Sports has teamed up with Black Diamond to offer a full week of Free Demos of the entire line of Black Diamond Telemark and AT Boots, Skis, Poles and everything else you could want. If you have been on the fence about new boots or skis, this is your chance to check out the fatty Black Diamond Megawatt skis or the BD Method AT boots.

Free Black Diamond Demos