Portland-based ON3P is a start-up ski manufacturer founded last year by Scott Angus. Though still in their infant period they boast an interesting array of skis geared to freeriding and freeskiing.
Ski: ON3P Billy Goats model 2009/2010
Shape: tip rocker: 23cm x 2cm, tail Rocker: 13cm x 1.5cm , full twin, 140-115-120 mm, 20,3 m radius
Weight: about 4.5 kg
Available lenghts: 176 cm – 186 (tested in 176cm)
Mounting point: Right at the mark (white mark at the sidewalls) as recommended by ON3P
Bindings: Dynastar ST
Boots: Dynafit Zzeus
ON3P Billy Goats
My very first run with the Billy Goats was back in February this winter (in the French resort Puy de St. Vincent). Snow conditions were ridiculous bad with some new, extremely wet snow. The run started with a narrow, bumpy slope. Despite the challenging snow conditions I immediately felt the great agility of the Billy Goats. They are really just as advertised. With their ability to make fast and easy turns they are a really playful tool. Soon the bumpy run led to mellow meadows with only just a few tracks. It seemed that no one was eager to leave the groomed pistes in these almost surreal snow conditions. First, I could not imagine that it would be possible to have fun in this slushy snow. Not so with the Billy Goats! They floated perfectly on top of the slush. Just this one run was enough for me to fell in love with the Billy Goats as skis and not only as perfectly designed art-work.
A few days later I had the chance to test the Billy Goats in more winter-like conditions. A very welcomed storm system has deposited about 20-30 cm new snow and temperatures have fallen significantly. Though the fairly strong winds resulted in wind-packed snow higher up we expected to experience fine powder in the abundant larch woods of the Haute Queyras. Just as advertised the Billy Goats excel in soft snow. They are extremely easygoing. Changing the rhythm of the turns needs almost no efforts. The larch woods happened to be the perfect playground. The easy turn-ability of these skis makes them perfect for tree skiing. Though I did enjoy the Billy Goats in windpacked I did not feel that secure as it was with Pmgears Lhasa Pows (see my Lhasa Pow review).
At least in soft snow skinning is really easy with kickturns posing no problems. However I would hesitate using the Billy Goats over steep traverses in very hardpacked or even icy conditions.
Cruising wind-packed snow with the Billy Goats (Haute Queyras)
Performance on (hard) groomed runs was o.k. but carving the groomers is certainly not what is intended with these skis. I felt the BGs were a little bit ‘fickle’ and giving no assurance at higher speeds.
Later on this winter I used the Billy Goats everytime when I expected to encounter the typical dense woods (with the associated bushwacking) of the local Vienna hills.
The Billy Goats are a perfect choice for having fun in the dense woods of the Viennese hills
To sum up: A playful and very agile ski with a strong focus on powder snow. The design and graphic layout is truly eye-catching. The quality of the handicraft seems to be top. Given the relative low price (especially for a handmade, boutique-like ski) a widespread success of ON3P’s Billy Goats seems to be guaranteed. Note that the shape of the 2010/11 model has been slightly changed due to feedback of the freeride community (especially over at TGR) with the aim to improve their performance on hardpacked snow. The design has been changed as well and it is again an example of wonderful art-work.
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