Review: Line Chronic 101

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Last year saw the introduction of two new Chronics the 101 & 94. Both skis have Line’s new Thin Tip 2.0 construction which bonds the topsheet in the tip and tail directly to the base, resulting in a stronger bond to reduce de-laminations. The skis are virtually identical, different only in width specs. The Chronics are characterized by generous tip and tail rocker combined with tight sidecuts, making them ultra responsive and playful.

Groomers & Resort:

The Chronic 101 isn’t the softest ski out but it’s certainly not stiff. However, the wider profile does lend a little more stability to the Chronic 101 than its narrower sibling. Both skis have tight turn radii and both have that very Line characteristic of turning way better than they possibly should. Skied from the center, the Chronic 101 is a ton of fun to carve on. The radius and soft flex combine into a ski that you can bend into some very aggressive turn shapes.

Of course, the soft, rockered tip does not favor being driven, so that comes with the disclaimer that you have to to ski with a centered stance not to overpower the ski. If you give it too much force, eventually it will flex out on you but we think many skiers would be surprised how hard you can push these and how much FUN they are to turn on.

“One of the most surprising skis to turn on out there. Looks like a park noodle but these things crank as long as you ski centered” - Adam "Twig" Spensley, Content Director at Newschoolers

Powder & Mixed Conditions:

The Chronic 101 is many things, but it isn’t a particularly strong powder ski. You can make it work on jumps into pow because the rocker does pop you back out, but it doesn’t like to travel sideways with those blocky tips and tails, and the short turn radius can definitely feel hooky. It lacks much power for crud skiing or blasting through chopped-up snow. This is a ski with a focus on fun, playful skiing, not charging.

Park & Jibbing:

The park is where the Chronic 101 shines, it’s a very good modern day park ski. It has lots of rocker and a poppy feel from the camber and medium flexing central portion of the ski. The tips and tails soften off making for easy buttering, which doesn’t require much force to initiate yet the ski has enough backbone not to wash out. There are more energetic skis out and there are much softer ones too, but the Chronic series do a great job of balancing things, making them a very versatile park ski.

They are playful enough at slow speed to be fun for playing around on yet have support to ski all but the biggest jumps. The only downside is they aren’t the lightest as far as park skis go. Line deliberately beefed these up to improve durability, which they did, but it has come with a small weight penalty, though with the thin tips, the effect on swing weight has been minimized.

"A very playful ski and still so stable on big jumps. All-around amazing ski for any park rider. One of my favorites of the test." - Lukas Duckworth, ski tester

Conclusion:

Our testers really enjoyed the skiing both skis in the Chronic series, and the 101 was usually the preference (though the 94 also had fans). Ultimately, the two Chronic skis have very similar properties just in different widths and therefore when it comes to choosing between them, it’s simply a question of how much ice do you have to ski (if lots, lean towards the narrower) and how tech do you want to get on rails (again, go narrower if you like lots of switch ups).

We were testing at Sunshine Village where the snow is almost always great, so the preference for the wider makes sense. Out East, it would likely have been the other way around.