This ain’t your grandpa’s Black Diamond. The new Impulse Ti 104 core has been completely redesigned, breathing new life into this all-mountain powerhouse. The revamped core is a full poplar layup with a sheet of Titanal that extends from tip to tail. Poplar is an exceptionally stiff wood, providing solid torsional rigidity and power for enhanced edge hold. Traditionally, a stiff wood core tends to chatter at higher speeds, especially in unfavorable snow conditions. But the Titanal combats this, acting as a dampener that reduces high-frequency vibrations and gives the ski a smooth and predictable feeling. Elevating the experience, elastomeric materials have been integrated, reducing the dreaded, high-frequency vibrations.
When it comes to shape, the cornerstones of the Impulse Ti 104 are its ample tip and tail rocker, and camber underfoot. These features combine to create a supercharged ski that remains approachable thanks to its intuitive turn engagement and supreme energy retention.
“If you do the ski-math equation, the answer is a strong, playful ski that you can enjoy everywhere on the mountain,” noted one of our testers. “We started skiing steep headwalls and roller-filled groomers. The shape of the Impulse Ti 104 allowed me to lay a deep carve into the groomer and then launch off a roller without any thought of losing my balance. From there, I navigated and pivoted through bumps while also smashing my tips into the backside of them, and through it all, I stayed upright and confident.”
The Impulse Ti 104 is an exceptional daily driver on the West Coast or fresh-snow ski in the East. In addition to greatly improved downhill performance and swift tail release, Black Diamond has created a hard-charging ski that doesn’t demand high levels of precision and energy.