Review: Scott SEA 98

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The narrowest in Scott’s new SEA (Ski Everything Anytime) lineup, the SEA 98 is aimed at the all-mountain resort ski market. It’s on the narrower side with a 98mm waist, but it has a soft snow-friendly profile and a directional flex pattern that sets it apart from many other skis in the market. It also has a damper flex profile than many skis in this bracket, making for an interesting change from much of what we skied at the test.

Groomers & Resort Skiing:

The Sea 98 is definitely the more directional/resort-focused ski in the SEA line. The narrower waist width bites pretty well on hardback snow and skied centrally—the ski has good carving performance. The front third of the ski is quite soft, so it isn’t particularly a ski you want to drive hard through the tip, but it does the job on piste in most conditions.

The soft tip and stiffer tail combo worked well in bumps and makes the ski quite compelling in moguls, where it’s on the wider side but still definitely enjoyable. It’s very easy to maneuver in tight, gladed terrain and between skis with a fairly tight radius and plenty of tip rocker.

"This morning, I got to ski the Scott Sea 98 on groomers and in fresh snow. They were easy to put in and edge and fun going over rollers. Off the groomer, they were playful in the snow and floated well. The top sheet color is also sick!" - Alex Stange, ski tester.

Powder & Mixed Conditions:

The whole SEA line skis very well in powder for its respective waist widths, and the 98mm version is no exception. While the ski isn’t the stiffest, it is very damp, which means when the snow gets a bit heavier or choppier, the ski still tracks true and is quite enjoyable to ride. In lighter pow, the fairly aggressive shaping can occasionally feel hooky, but overall, these are a good soft snow and out-of-bounds ski for the width category.

"For a 98mm ski, these had a really loose, surfy feel. They were super easy to turn in tight situations and managed to feel stable on landings. The tail is pretty solid and with much less rocker than the tip, which definitely contributed to that stomp factor." - Adam 'Twig' Spensley, ski tester.

Park & Jibbing:

The SEA series, as a whole, feels fairly unique when it comes to jibbing. The typical format for ‘playful’ skis is stiffer underfoot with softer tips and tails. The SEA line has fairly stiff tails and underfoot, with the softness all in the front third of the ski. They are really fun for nosebutters as a result, but loading the tail takes a lot more work. That does make them fantastic for landing jumps/drops because the tail is very supportive.

The weight of the ski is pretty average, but the tail is definitely significantly narrower than the tip, so it doesn't naturally have the lightest swing weight unless you bump the bindings closer to the center. These are a fun ski for playful all-mountain skiing, but not, first and foremost, a park-specific ski.

Conclusion:

The SEA 98 would be a great East Coast all-mountain ski or potentially something for a West Coast skier’s narrow option. They will handle mid-depths of powder pretty well and still feel quite predictable and engaging on hardpack. They will do a bit of everything, as the name suggests, but they aren’t the most exciting skis out there. What they are is ridiculously easy to ski and get along with in most conditions.