2013-2014 Surface One Time

Another completely mind-blowing experience for me was getting this ski into deep powder. In the Utah backcountry, I was deeply questioning how a ski of this width would float in the nearly two feet of fresh snow. I feared I’d be buried, that I’d be sunk way too deep with a ski nearly 20mm smaller underfoot than I was used to. But the beauty of this ski in deep snow is, again, the three-stage rocker and shovel-like tips and tails. There is no question at all about the tip diving—the kink in the rocker keeps the tips driving up and forward. And the girth of the wide tips and tails, I feel, compensates for the skinnier width underfoot. The One Time didn’t ski like fat pow boards in terms of keeping me up—I definitely got a little deeper—but were they enjoyable in deep snow? Definitely.

I’m just a wanna-be park skier, so I couldn’t put this ski to a proper test, but my limited time in the terrain park made me confident that the One Time would shine here, too. Switch skiing was automatic, easy, and hook-free. I also noticed that the stiff camber underfoot helped me pop off jumps and features. And the symmetrical dimensions made it a great ski to spin, with no awkward, uneven weight issues.

A few other things I liked about the One Time were the straight ends at the very tip and tail, which makes locking on skin clips much easier than most rounded tail, twin-tip skis. And, in general, this ski has been a great touring rig. It rocked most backcountry conditions, like settled powder, crusts, crud, and corn.

So, I liked quite a few things about the One Time. But were they perfect?

Sometimes I wish they were a little longer, even though I grew comfortable with them skiing a little short. For me, a 178cm would be ideal.

I also had a lot of trouble with the bases. The material, especially after putting on skins, tended to dry out and feel slow and sticky at times. (The bases aren’t made from standard sintered base material, but are a less expensive extruded base.) But I solved this problem by hot waxing the skis a few more times than I usually would and by keeping a rub-on wax on hand, especially if I knew the snow was going to be wet.

But an obvious bright side to cheap base material is that it doesn’t cost as much. By trying new construction methods, Surface has really dialed a way to make skis less expensive. With price points considerably low—ranging from $350-550 retail—they are making brand new skis accessible to a range of people who might not otherwise be able to afford them. And in an industry in which everything usually comes with hefty price tag, the idea of trying to keep costs down is pretty refreshing.

Ultimately, I give props to Surface for being creative and thinking differently about skis than most companies do. They took a risk with the One Time, creating dimensions and specs that you won’t find anywhere else. These skis took some time to get used to, but for those who have the drive to push themselves and their skiing to new places, the One Time can really shift your perspective.

NEXT: ADDITIONAL PICTURES OF THE SURFACE ONE TIME