RAMP Peacepipe | Ski Review

Kyler Roush | | Post Tag for Gear ReviewGear Review
Ramp Peacepipe
Ramp Peacepipe

Last season I almost exclusively skied on RAMP Skis.  With the majority of that skiing being on the RAMP Peacepipe, one of their “Hard Charging Powder Skis”.  For myself I skied on the 179cm model mounted with Look Pivots on the recommended mounting point.

Dimensions:

  • 169cm 146-110-134 with a 14.5m radius
  • 179cm 146-112-134 with a 17.5m radius
  • 189cm 146-115-134 with a 22m radius
RAMP Peacepipes
RAMP Peacepipes

In total during the 2012/2013 snow sliding season I put over 120 days on my skis.  Working with the Snowbird Ski Patrol meant a vast majority of those days were 8-10 hour days of “work”.  When on the clock I don’t always have the choice to ski where I want.  This means skiing in unfavorable conditions such as frozen chicken-heads and sheets of ice that many people would avoid like the plague.  With that being said, getting first tracks everyday also enabled me to ski an ample amount of the best conditions from perfect corduroy to sunrise blower pow.  In addition to skiing most of my days off and putting the skis through torture testing.

RAMP took an innovative approach with the Peacepipe and did their best to combine features from modern day innovations to old-school tried and proven aspects.  Go to any ski shop and count the number of skis that aren’t completely rockered out.  Well RAMP worked their magic and threw a hefty amount of rise to the tip providing forgiveness in harsh conditions and superior float in the deep.  Moving down the ski to the waist is a mere 12mm of camber and on down to the tail which is nearly flat providing you with ultimate control.  Sorry jibbers, you can’t just butter these skis all day as they like to go fast and turn on edge.

While most of you were still sleeping, I was ensuring quality powder before the public arrived.
While most of you were still sleeping, I was ensuring quality powder before the public arrived.

The construction of the Peacepipes, along with all of RAMPs skis and snowboards is top notch and industry leading.  All RAMP skis and boards are made using Solid Bamboo.  Many companies tout that they also use bamboo, however they only layer in bamboo veneer or strips along with their typical poplar construction which is cheap.  Bamboo is 3 times as hard as poplar and cuts the need for metal to be layered in the ski.  In addition RAMP sources its Bamboo from a FSC certified grower in California that shares RAMPs beliefs in sustainability and reliability.

RAMP’s use of superior raw materials, superb attention to detail and hand making each ski ensures only the most durable long lasting skis and snowboards..  Last spring, after 120+ days of abuse I took my skis back to the factory in Park City, Utah so they could inspect the skis to see if any changes could be made to increase durability.  RAMP’s quality control was blown away by how well their skis held up after over 1000 hours of skiing, far surpassing their already stringently high expectations.  At the time my skis were the most used skis they had ever gotten to inspect.

Have you ever had pine sap on your hands?  It smells nice but sure is sticky.  Ever smelled epoxy based resins?  They smell horrible and are bad for you and the environment.  That’s why RAMP uses a pine based resin to cement all the layers together.  I have toured their factory in Park City, Utah and the workers don’t have to wear special respirators and the smell throughout is pleasant.

RAMP usa

RAMP in addition to their use of natural sustainable products in their skis use some composites when necessary to maintain certain characteristics.

“RAMP is using more expensive, higher quality U.S.-made composites compared to skis made in Eastern Europe or Asia. When a ski flexes, the bottom layers are being stretched and the top layers compressed. We invested in a full layer of Kevlar in the bottom laminations of the ski, which has a dramatic effect on rebound, energy, durability and vibration absorption. Kevlar is used in bulletproof vests as it is so resistant to stretching-distortion and is incredibly strong. It is 7 times more expensive than fiberglass, but the effect it has on ski behavior is amazing. Imagine a smoother more solid ride. There is a very precise orientation of 45-degree triax fiberglass in the top and bottom outer layer to improve torsional characteristics. There also is a layer against the core on both sides of 90-degree fiberglass to provide strength and durability.” -RAMP

Ramp store
RAMPs Store in Park City, Utah

This is just the beginning of the technology used in RAMP skis and boards.  Not only are the materials in all RAMP planks sourced from the USA all the machinery is sourced from the USA as well!

Bottom Line:

It’s safe to say that I have skied the Peacepipes in nearly every condition possible and would give the Peacepipe extremely high ratings across the board and look forward to skiing and testing more RAMP skis this season.

If you want a hard charging, stable, extremely versatile, expert level, environmentally friendly ski check out all of RAMPs Skis and Boards on their newly revamped website:  RAMP Sports

RAMP is a factory direct ski company and you will only find RAMP skis on their website.  Check out the RAMP Peacepipe – Factory Direct for $719


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