You may recall that I interviewed Jeff Thompson from Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis a few months back. If not, check out the article here. After my interview with Jeff, I knew I had to get my hands on a pair of Shaggy’s flagship model: The Ahmeek 105. Here is my Unofficial review of the best skis my feet have ever been strapped on to.
Here are the specs for my pair of Ahmeek 105s:
Ski Length: 186cm
Sidecut: 139/105/124mm
Bindings: Tyrolia Attack 13
Model Year: 2018/2019
First off, The Ahmeek 105 shouldn’t exist. It’s a hybrid-powder ski that is designed, manufactured, and sold from Michigan… of all places. Who in their right mind would sell a ski so wide from a midwest operation? Fortunately, the folks over at Shaggy’s have the balls to do it.
The Ahmeek 105 is an extremely nimble ski for its width underfoot. My first experience riding it was on boiler-plate crud at a mountain in central Wisconsin. Let me assure you that nobody was skiing well that day, but The Ahmeeks genuinely held their own. I was able to dig in my outside edge and hold some fairly quick carves on the awful conditions. There was some noticeable chatter radiating from the front tip, but I attributed this mostly to conditions that day.
My next experience with The Ahmeek 105 was at Mount Bohemia, MI. I put four days on the skis in varying conditions. From packed-powder to fresh snow, The Ahmeeks handled it all.
I was increasingly impressed with how well the ski adapted to the changing conditions at Bohemia. I could transfer from a fast and tight tree run, directly to one of Bohemia’s cut trails with ease. The Ahmeeks’ noticeable rocker in the front tips provides excellent versatility amongst these conditions. The skis floated over the crud and allowed me to dig into the soft snow underneath.
I also found that the skis were light, yet durable in the trees of Mount Bohemia. We hits numerous stumps and bumps, but the Ahmeeks were virtually unfazed.
I really got to let the Ahmeeks rip at Smugglers’ Notch, VT. Smuggs is filled with difficult tree runs that really pushed the skis to perform. I found an incredible amount of success front-pressing the ends of the skis around, and over moguls, for blistering-fast tree runs. The extra-width underfoot was an added bonus on a 7″ inch powder day. I was gliding with ease on groomers that had been covered with fresh snow before the lifts started spinning.
The Ahmeeks continued to impress on Smuggs’ groomers later on in the week when the snow had been compacted by groomers. I was able to lay down hard-charging carves that I honestly didn’t think were possible with a 105mm ski. I noticed very little, if any, chatter in these conditions. Of course a ski with a 90mm width would perform better than the Ahmeek 105s on a groomer day, but for its size, The Ahmeek 105 was an absolute joy.
Every ski brand in the world is trying to ride the wave of wide, yet not too wide skis to meet all conditions. I’m here to tell you that this ski company based in Michigan has figured it out. The Ahmeek 105 is an extremely versatile ski that is suited for almost all conditions.
I could see this ski being a daily driver for western skiers, and a quiver-killer for those in the midwest and the east. If you have a pair of Shaggy’s, let us know in the comments on the Unofficial Networks Facebook page. We’d love to hear what you think about your pair(s)!