Review: Scott SEA 116

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The SEA 116 is, perhaps ironically given the width, the most freestyle feeling of the new SEA (Ski Everything Anytime) lineup from Scott. It has a little more tail rocker than the other skis and the flex feels a smidge less directional, and the resulting ski is a lot of fun.

Groomers & Resort Skiing:

The 116 is essentially too wide to be much more than a ‘get back to the lift’ kind of groomer ski. You’d only take it out in the resort on a proper powder day to really take advantage of it, otherwise it's best left for backcountry use. However, it can hold an edge well enough, it will carve with some heavy leg input, and it’s fairly damp so it doesn’t get bounced around in the cruddy snow you typically deal with on groomers on pow days. Any ski over 110 is really overkill for resort daily driving and these are no exception.

Powder & Mixed Conditions:

At 116 underfoot with a ton of tip rocker, plenty of taper and even some horizontal tip and tail rocker, the SEA 116 is a dream in powder. It’s softer tips and tails allow it to go sideways even better than its smaller stablemate the SEA 108, which is already a very fun soft-snow ski. We only had a 190 length which some of our testers found a bit tricky in tight spots but the bigger skiers loved it. The ski features a solid backbone and the trademark SEA dampness, meaning they won't have a speed limit.

“The perfect powder ski for someone who wants to charge around the mountain but also likes playing on fun features, and not always at high speed.” - Ethan Harrison, ski tester

Park & Jibbing:

The SEA 116 has more tail rocker than the other SEA skis and so it feels much better landing switch in powder and mixed snow than the other skis. It’s a little softer in the tail too, so it feels a bit more natural popping, pressing and generally using the flex of the ski. It’s the most ‘jibby’ ski in the SEA line, which we really liked. It’s too wide to be a park ski but it’s a fun ski for messing around off natural hits.

“For me it was hard work in a 190 but I really liked the shape of the SEA for backcountry jib skiing. It has enough power to it to be skied directionally and fast, but I could land switch and spin naturally too.” - Adam "Twig" Spensley

Conclusion:

The SEA 116 is just as accessible as other skis in the SEA line, perhaps even more so. The whole family just feels easy to ski from the first moment you get on them. But at the same time, they can all be pushed hard, and these are no exception. The widest option, these really are a big day board, so don’t expect to rock these as a daily driver but they would be a great first powder ski. They will take you as far as you want to go, handle powder with the best of them but it’s that ease of use that makes them stand out.