We Totally Redesigned The Hotshot Ski
DROPPING NOVEMBER 13th
We love The Hotshot but it hasn't been updated in a few years and there's always opportunities to improve. So we asked ourselves, could we make it LIGHTER, QUICKER, and MORE PLAYFUL while maintaining all the POWER and FLOAT we love? There's only one answer around here... where there's a will there's a way!
J Lev, the dreamer and schemer he is, strongly believed it could be done. So we'll let him give you a little behind the scenes sneak peek of the inspiration and development process that lead to the creation of this new masterpiece!
For years customers have been telling me they are still skiing their original Line Prophet skis from decades ago because nothing else compares. The conversation always ends with them asking me... "When are you going to bring it back?!"
With that on my mind I needed some inspiration, so I went all the way back to my roots, waaaaay back in time. I took a trip down, down, down into my basement archives and grabbed the original ski that in the early 2000's kicked off the modern day all-mountain freeride ski movement!
Then I spent hours, days, weeks discussing with Pro-Skier and engineering Ninja Giray Dadali about my idea to merge the Prophet's original DNA with a modern construction and feel. The image above is notes we made about parameters of the CNC machine for cutting the outline shape of the metal, and discussed various ways the titanal laminate could improve performance while paying tribute to the OG.
Then our Graphic Design Wizard Fank let his creative juices flow, creating dozens of different potential shapes for the metal laminate. There's some crazy ideas in there ha! We went round after round for weeks showing random skiers for feedback and talking with the factory. Eventually we landed on a shape that's a very functional while looking fresh.
It was time for Giray to turn our crazy ideas into numbers using CAD. He narrowed the width of the ski from 106mm to 104mm to get us a bit more quickness. Then deepened the geometry of the sidecut and lowered the rocker vs the previous Hotshot to maximize edge length in contact with the snow. The goal is more grip and responsiveness carving slightly more like our customers had been praising from my Line skis back in the day.
Then it was time to built and test the prototypes. When we got the first pair in hand we were stoked on how sleek, powerful, and functional it looked. You can see the inspiration here side by side with the G.O.A.T. on the right.🤘
We test the skis in Vermont, and Giray tests the same skis out in Utah so we have a good comparison of firm ice coast vs bigger mountains with deeper snow. We compare notes after to see if we noticed the same characteristics like speed limit, edge hold, flex, weight, maneuverability, and more. It's amazing how similar our conclusions are per prototype variation.📝
We always invite customers like you to join our tests so we gain a broad variety of opinions. We're making these skis for YOU... not just the pros!
Every round of prototyping consists of 3 to 6 flex variations. We ski them all back to back on the exact same run to clearly feel the difference between the skis without knowing the technical differences so we have unbiased opinions on which version skied the best. It's tough to remember so we always make notes on our phones on the lift up to share after with the skis designer Giray. 📈
The first protoypes were good, but we knew we could do better so Giray went back to drawing board and we spent a ton of time discussing all of the possible geometry and construction improvements. Then handed the factory the next round of designs to build new molds for round two.
By summer we were on our fourth round with dozens of variations of protos behind us. We couldn't have been more stoked on where we landed with this final version! We're proud to have a new ski that will kick off the next generation of freeride skis for years to come.
It's Lightweight, playful, quick, agile, surfy, with a ton of grip to rip groomers on firm days while maintaining a ton of surfy pow feel in the pow and slush. We brought back the soul of a legend while enhancing everything that makes a modern freeride ski so damn versatile. Mission accomplished ✔️
SUMMARY OF THE NEW HOTSHOT SKI
This is the widest ski in our Charge Collection totally redesigned with some fresh technology, and lighter weight construction for more fun when charging the steep and deep!
We re-engineered this new Hotshot ski with a completely new geometry and construction. The waist is 2mm narrower, with deeper sidecut for a quicker feel that’s a ton of fun on groomers! The new Aspen wood core and Light Metal construction makes it one of the lightest skis in its class, a mind-blowing 240 grams lighter than our previous version! For added horsepower and stability, we pulled inspiration from J’s legendary "Prophet" ski (credited for launching modern freeride skis). You'll recognize the visible 3D Light Metal laminate on top of the core and the iconic "Dork Fork" tip shape. This proven formula delivers maximum energy transmission to the edges of your tips where you need it, while reducing weight where you don't. Just roll it over and watch the entire edge engage for rock-solid confidence on any terrain. Get into the powder and the wide rockered tips transform deep days into pow surfing heaven! The Hotshot doesn't just charge hard, its lightweight stability and power transforms how you ski, while keeping that signature J skis playfulness that makes every run feel better than the last!