The WNDR Alpine Reason 120 in its natural habitat. | Lily Krass photo.
For most of us, 2022 hasn’t really been the best year for testing powder skis. But then again, just about any ski will ride well in soft snow – so I would argue that it’s worth seeing how a 120mm-underfoot ski like the new WNDR Alpine Reason rides in all kinds of conditions. WNDR’s newest creation is designed to be the ski for the days we all hope for, a 120-mm underfoot, reverse camber ski with a damp and stable core for floating, slashing, and stomping in dreamy conditions. For the last few years, WNDR has been designing skis using innovative materials derived from algae like an Algal Core and Algal sidewalls as well as bio-based resins to minimize carbon footprint. I’ll dive more into that technology, but the most important thing about it is that it’s not noticeable at all in the ski’s performance – and that’s a good thing.
While primarily designed as a backcountry ski, I mounted up a 184cm reverse camber Reason with a CAST Touring binding with the intention of mostly riding it inbounds or in mechanized backcountry scenarios - though the ski impressed me enough to take it on plenty of longer tours throughout the season. Like the rest of their lineup, WNDR sells the Reason as either a full reverse-camber option or with a rocker-camber-rocker profile.
With a directional shape that features lots of taper in the tips mixed with an aggressive rocker profile and a medium-long sidecut radius, it somehow blends stability at speed with quick and snappy maneuverability. To me, that’s of utmost importance for a ski designed to ski big terrain in deep snow. You’ll be going fast most of the time, but you need the ability to shut it down or switch direction on a dime. The 184 measures at 147mm, 120mm, 138mm with a stated 20.5m turning radius. The shape reminds me a lot of one of my favorite big-mountain skis I’ve ever ridden: the 4FRNT Renegade (the fat Hoji). That’s no surprise given that WNDR’s founder Matt Sterbenz founded 4FRNT before selling it in 2017.
The Reason’s flex pattern is medium stiff throughout the ski, with a little more oompf right behind the binding for added stability. Despite the damp character, there is no metal in the ski’s core. WNDR layers rubber inserts between the algal sidewalls and edges to add dampening and durability. For those of you who want to get really nerdy, WNDR actually publishes some of its data on materials, strength and stiffness in all its skis right here. The ski’s advertised weight is 2070 grams.
The algal materials in the ski are designed to both wean the ski industry off petroleum-based plastics and provide materials that simply work better than what’s currently being used. WNDR’s parent company Checkerspot is a materials engineering company that specializes in using algae to create plastics and other building blocks for all kinds of products and is the source of most of the ski’s materials. In practice, the algae-derived plastics present in the ski are better at absorbing energy from an impact than tradition ABS or PU plastics, translating to a much smoother and more stable chatter-free ride.
Given the lackluster winter we’ve had in the Tetons, I actually tested the WNDR Reason 120 mostly away from home, bringing it along on trips to Alaska and BC. I am frequently guilty of bringing skis that most would consider WAY too big for the occasion on mediocre snow days, but hey, that’s just my style. Luckily, there was plenty of fresh snow to be had in the Chugach, and I was able to test the skis both on an inbounds pow day at Alyeska and touring to bigger terrain on Turnagain Pass. There isn’t really much nuance to how well a ski “tours” – I will say that even with the heavy-duty CAST system, the Reasons are light enough to be worth bringing on big tours, especially if the ski objective is something rowdy or if it involves steep and playful powder skiing. Sure, I wouldn’t bring them ski mountaineering, but for days where you don’t want to stop lapping a zone, you’ll forget they’re on your feet.
The most impressive part of the Reason’s downhill performance is its maneuverability – WNDR figured out how to take an absolute tank and make it as nimble as a pair of park skis. The shape, combined with the relatively centered mount point and balanced swing weight really get you over the middle the ski, allowing you to release the tails and slash, surf, and butter your way down literally any fall line. The reverse camber version is not very "carvy" and definitely prefers a more playful style of skiing. However, if the conditions and objective call for speed, point ‘em and they will comply, eating up any chatter and unevenness in their path. The reverse camber makes turn initiation effortless and allows you sideslip at speed and vary turn shape at will, especially on harder snow. The ski prefers to go fast, and kind of begs you to make fewer turns and just trust it.
While the ski is billed as a tool for dream days, I would say it’s certainly worth bringing when it’s sloppy leftovers on the menu. Again, the dampness simply eats up choppy snow, allowing you to mob through powdery moguls, confidently stomp airs, and get playful all over the mountain. It is, however, not the tool to bring on hardpack days. Sadly, no matter what the construction, 120mm underfoot is simply too much waist for extended ripping on hard snow. I can’t say it’s a one-ski quiver, but it’s definitely the kind of ski to keep around when there’s a few inches in the forecast and you’re feeling the early onset of powder flu.
Get the WNDR Alpine Reason 120 here.
About The Author
stash member Max Ritter
I manage digital content here at TGR, run our gear testing program, and am stoked to be living the dream in the Tetons.