The Magico.2s held their own during our late December powder days.
The Pacific Northwest is not known for its powder. Sure, we get some big storm cycles and a cold powder day here and there (hello, final two weeks of 2021!)—and we get plenty of great skiing throughout every winter. Yet while we may not be known for having the best powder on Earth, we do get a lot of all the varieties of snow (and precip), which leads to a deep snowpack that consistently serves up spring corn from April through June: Volcano Season.
I love a good powder day, but the spring volcanoes are my favorite: from technical ski mountaineering, to adventurous traverses, link-ups or circumnavigations, descending 6,000’ of soul turns, and of course, multi-sporting–combining running or biking with volcano-skiing. To be candid, I’ll take skinny, lightweight skis, a big bag of snacks, and gobs of sunscreen over the deepest powder day (but only if I absolutely have to choose).
I’ve been on the same spring setup for several years—Black Crows Orb Freebird (90 mm underfoot, 1300 g) with Dynafit Speed Radical bindings—and they’ve been great. They’ve held their own in all varieties of spring conditions from the Selkirk mountains of BC, to the PNW volcanoes. Yet, I’ve been curious to try something different. I’ve got a few Black Crows setups in my ski quiver now—the Ferox Freebird (110 mm underfoot, 1600 g) as my midwinter all-conditions setup and the heavy-hitter Anima Birdie (115 mm underfoot, 2250 g) for staying afloat on the deepest days and plowing through variable snow—and while I’m a big fan, I’ve begun wondering what else is out there. I jumped at the opportunity to test out Ski Trab’s Magico.2.
The Ski Trab Magico.2 ski is a lightweight ski (approx. 1000g) and 87mm underfoot in the tested length (164cm).
When I got my hands on these light-as-a-feather, 87-millimeter underfoot skis that just seemed to whisper let’s go ski volcanoes, I thought: “These are going to be fun”—but it was 9° F at the mountain and consistently dumping almost a foot per day. I knocked on my neighbor’s door to show them off to a fellow skier who’d appreciate a lightweight “volcano” ski, then put them in the garage and loaded my bulldozer 115-underfoot powder skis into the car. Sorry, magical new skis—spring volcano skiing was hard to imagine at the moment.
Fast forward to early January; winter dried up and disappeared for a few weeks. It was a time when everyone learned that the sun is still too low for a true corn cycle, but making the most of good coverage and a stretch of high pressure by finding some “spring-like” conditions up high was feasible. I reached for the Ski Trabs, and my powder skis took a turn on garage duty. In the past month, I’ve managed to get a handful of days on the Magico.2 skis, and we’re starting to become acquainted. Recently, I’ve discovered that these skis aren’t made just for perfect corn.
The Skis
This is my first time on Ski Trab skis, but among their website, product catalog, and reading what others have to say in online reviews, a few things are clear. First, the Magico.2 is an exceptionally lightweight ski designed for tours that are light and fast, long and technical, and everything in between. All things considered, that’s a big niche. Second, despite the low mass, they’re designed for the descent, promising powerful and precise turns in any conditions. Finally, the .2 version boasts an updated radius (increased from 17.8 to 21.1 for the 164 cm length) and improved float thanks to added rise, as well as a slightly longer and wider tip and tail than the original model (which, according to what I could dig up online, was very well received).
Tipping the scales at just 1032 grams (about 2.25 lbs per ski or 2.75 lbs when mounted with the Titan Vario.2 bindings), these are some of the lightest skis I’ve been on, with the exception of my skimo race skis, which of course have a specific application. Ski Trab describes the Magico.2’s design as using “14 layer control” technology constructed with a wood and aramid core. After studying the 14 layers in the manual that came with the skis, I understood that these skis are designed to be stable, torsionally stiff, and durable. Beyond that, I decided it doesn’t really matter what each layer means, as long as they are fun on the descent.
And that, they are.
Behold the magic. Photo: Ski Trab.
My first day on the magical skis was on a soft but chopped-up groomer. I was feeling them out, keeping it fairly conservative, and I think I was a little too tentative. They skied fine, but I couldn’t get a good feel for them. They felt a little stiff. During the next few outings–on soft corduroy–I started to jive with these skis and open up a bit more. Then, I took them onto some crusty, variable terrain. I didn’t have high expectations, considering how light the skis are–and here, they pleasantly surprised me. They skied well through the crud. Finally, I got them out in a little fresh powder. Not deep enough to say whether they truly “float,” but enough to get a feel for how they perform off-piste in soft, fresh snow. Again, I was pleased with how well they stayed on top and made fast, floaty turns as well as any all-mountain ski I’ve ridden.
I am looking forward to continuing to push these skis into a wider variety of terrain and seeing what they can do.
The Magico.2s are mounted with Ski Trab’s Titan Vario.2 binding. An approx. 250g binding.
The Bindings
I’ve been a diehard Dynafit loyalist when it comes to bindings, but I’ve been becoming more open and curious toward other designs recently. So far, I’m enjoying the Titan Vario.2 bindings. They are super lightweight (less than 309g), intuitive to use, and have been performing well in my first handful of tours. Notably, the Vario’s titanium toe piece features independent jaws, which reduces the risk of an accidental pre-release (Though I’ve never pre-released in other tech bindings, I appreciate the added security). Like many lightweight tech bindings, the Vario can be set to flat for long approaches, which are common in Central Oregon, the high rise for steep terrain, or an in-between setting with a 8.7-degree angle. The rise angle ranges are: 0°, 8.7°, 10.5°.
A close up view of the Titan.2 toe piece. Unlike most tech bindings, the Titan.2s “jaws” are independent from one another. This is designed to increase retention.
The heel piece features three riser options, a flat mode, and 24mm of adjustment. The spring range options for both verticle/horizontal release are 5-7, 7-9, or 9-11. These are fixed release levels.
With the mid-rise setting, transitions from ascent to descent are quick and easy. With a flip of the u-shaped piece on the heel unit, the brakes come up and the binding goes from downhill mode to uphill, with the mid-rise setting in place—a nice feature when I’m cranking out fast laps before work. The other travel modes (flat or high-rise) are accessible by twisting the heel piece (which rotates 360 degrees). I will be interested to see how this seemingly simple and intuitive binding holds up in more varied PNW weather conditions–when many bindings tend to ice up and fail.
A clean and efficient pre-cut 100% mohair skin from Ski TraB.
The Skins
This setup came with Ski Trab branded 100% mohair skins pre-cut to fit the Magico.2 skis. They have a somewhat atypical attachment design, and I’m a fan. The skins attach with an “Attivo” (“active”) design that includes a hook with a pull tab around the tip, and a tab at the tail that inserts snugly into a notch at the end of the ski. The design allows the skier to rip skins from tail to tip or from tip to tail. Nice.
An secure tip attachment system flips over the tip and locks in place.
The tail securing system slots into the opening in the tail.
The mohair glides and grips well. The glue is pretty darn sticky at the moment–I’m hoping they’ll lose a little bit of that stick and become easier to rip as I break them in.
Conclusion
So far, so good with the Ski Trab Magico.2 skis, Titan Vario.2 bindings, and pre-cut mohair skins. I’m looking forward to putting some more days on these skis, getting to know them better, and taking them out onto our local volcanoes this spring. The question is, will they accompany me to Europe in late March? The coming weeks will help me decide.
The Basics
Price: $1100
Lengths (cm): 157, 164, 171, 178
Weight (gr): 1000, 1032, 1055, 1100
Dimensions: 118/88/104, 118/87/104, 118/85/104, 118/85/104
Turn Radius: 19.5, 20, 21, 23
Profile: slight tip and tail rocker, camber
Construction: 14 layer control with composite materials and stratification technology
Core: Aramid, ash wood, light wood
Skins
100% mohair with traditional hot melt adhesive system and Attivo tip and tail fasteners
Bindings
Weight (gr): 309
Material: Ergal, Titanium, Steel Technopolymer
Vertical release: Spring range options are 5-7, 7-9, or 9-11 (These are fixed release levels.)
Lateral release: Spring range options are 5-7, 7-9, or 9-11 (These are fixed release levels.)
Ski crampon compatible
Alli learned to ski as a wee grom in Central Pennsylvania before relocating to Oregon more than a decade ago, where she began venturing into the backcountry and up and down the Cascade volcanoes. Although she loves a good storm day, Alli lives for springtime volcano skiing. Alli is an AIARE Course Instructor and is currently an AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide. She lives and works in Bend, Oregon.
20 comments
The Vario 2 toepiece is a gamechanger compared to the usual pin bindings. Having actual elasticity, and not slamming into a fixed open position, means pre-release is a thing of the past. I’ve skied these on bulletproof ice until my legs went numb and the bindings would not release (unless I ate shit, but that’s the point, right?).
I agree, I’m so pleasantly surprised by these bindings that they’ll be replacing heavier burlier Fritschi Tectons in my 116mm do-it-all setup. I’ve been pounding on them in all conditions this season on 98 and 112mm width skis, hucking cliffs, bouncing around on ice and carving on corn. I haven’t had a single pre-release but I have had a number of tumbles where I was happy with how they released with no fuss!
I’m planning on installing threaded inserts and just swapping one pair of bindings around depending on what skis the conditions call for.
Who makes the skins?
Slim, I have read that contour makes the skins for ski trab. Based on my experience with contour and ski trab branded mohair skins, I believe it.
I’ve read Colltex, not Contour, for what it’s worth.
We – contour – make the skins ; )
Nice review!
Am I right in thinking that the binding toe piece lever needs to be held down for entry?
Correct Mike. We’ll go through this in detail with the full-blown review.
With QSI toes and dainty alignment it can be super quick and clean with just a slight tap on the lever.
Another great Trab ski is the slightly wider Mistico, hopefully the .2 version is coming out next year. They’re hard to find in the US but well worth the look.
Trab and ATK; miles ahead of the rest of the binding MFRs for the better part of the last decade.
Gara Titan is basically everything but the brakes, on a serious diet. Half the weight. Toe pieces are identical sans plate.
Ben,
With the Gara titan, you also miss out on the return to center elasticity in the heel. Best illustrated by rotating a gara titan (or any other tech binding heel) a few degrees off center – it will stay put. Try the same test with a Vario.2 (or Titan Vario/release) and it will return to the center position from 13? degrees either way.
I love my Gara titans and use them on most of the skis, but just bit the bullet on a pair of the older titan varios ( and swapped to the lighter adjustment plate, no toe shim, etc) for a 130g binding that I am feeling confident skiing more variable snow on my 122mm 4FRNT Renegades..
That sounds like a much more appropriate heelpiece for /the/ classic hard charging heavy ski. Super cool binding and ski combo, but I rarely get on anything fatter than 105. The gara is a no-fuss dream on my voile objective BCs (2nd heel risers are overrated) but maybe I’ll hunt down a pair of these vario turrets to keep mounted on my drifters for super deep days… they’ve always felt a bit under-driven.
I can’t say enough good things about the Magico.2(also the original Magico). It’s incredibly performant while also being relatively approachable, not the lightest out there for the size, but I believe it truly hits the sweet spot. For touring it’s my everyday ski
I would also recommend taking a look at the Gara Titan binding, coming in at less than half the weight of the Titan Vario.2. I’ve got it mounted on my Blacklight Pro, which is a comparable ski to the Magico.2, so I would think it would be equally as impressive mounted on the Magico.2! I was skeptical of the toe lever step-in mechanism, but I’ve grown to love it, especially since the Gara Titan doesn’t have breaks. One curious point that I would love to hear you review is the Titan Vario.2’s risers. The “first” riser comes down on top of the heel pins, making for a super fast transition, but the “second” riser requires turning the heel piece all the way around. I cannot imagine ever being in a scenario where I’m skinning with the first riser down, then seeing it gets steeper ahead, bending over and reaching down to turn the heel piece 180º. That seems incredibly cumbersome, especially if you have to change it multiple times per ascent. With the standard two riser approach (e.g., Atomic Backland Pure), you can typically engage the second riser with the flick of a pole basket. Would love to hear your thoughts on this as I’m interested in putting the Titan Vario.2 on a powder ski in the future, but the second riser seems impractical. Ski Trab is seriously trail blazing in the world of lightweight backcountry gear. I love the Maestro Poles and I swear by the Gara Overglove as well.
If you often use the tall riser then it is a bit cumbersome, but not more than other bindings that you would rotate. On the other hand, the low riser is great, it is low enough that it can be used on many skin-tracks. That way I end up using the binding like a race binding, using the low riser and then having quick transitions. Also I have the Varios without brakes, so that is one less thing to drag up the hill and deal with in transitions.
I find that these bindings really do make a difference with how the skis work, I develop and test skis and in that context try out different bindings as well to see how the skis work with different set-ups. On hardpack, these really make a difference in reducing chatter!
Re: reducing chatter, I’ve found the same with Dynafit Rotation bindings that I use on big fat skis. It gives a smooth feeling and I’ve never pre-released. But they are so darn heavy! Looking to replace with some Trab or similar in the future. Simple tech binding + heel elasticity is my minimum for a pow binding now, and the elastic toe looks like another very useful feature.
I’ve been on a batch of Dynafit bindings, a couple generations of the Salomon/Atomic Backland, multiple Plums, and now Trab Vario Titan bindings. All of the bindings are good. I have little complaints about the first generation Backland toe piece, or think one versus a specific other is better, but they all stack up pretty much the same performance-wise, it’s really more about weight and power. Except for the Trab Vario. It makes a ski feel different to me. In terms of performance to weight, it is the best that I have used.
The elasticity in the binding, and the feeling of connectedness is fantastic. I’ve probably got 20 days on piste bindings in my life, and years ago I tried the Marker Kingpin and Fritschi Vipec bindings each for a day. Charging on hard snow, I don’t feel like I’m really losing anything notable on the Trabs versus anything else I’ve skied (except for maybe the Look bindings, which are exceptional).
Yes, the toe is a bit odd at first, but I find that in a lot of conditions I like it better – putting on skis at the top of a steep chute or in deep powder, you can hold your ski in your hand, fit the binding to your toe, and never have your ski on the ground (where it can slide until your leash catches it or get buried in the snow) – and in any conditions, once I was used to it, I didn’t find it any worse than a step-in toe. I’ll take the security of the Trab toe any day…
I also skip the breaks on my skis and just use a leash. If they made a 105 brake for it, I might be interested to try the brakes with a pair of skis that I have been lusting after, but short of that, I’m fine with the leashes.
If you’re looking for outstanding performance in a low-weight certainly consider the Trab Titans.
The ease of putting the toe on in steep terrain is a huge selling point for me. I own a Gara Titan and a Vario.2.
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