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The Nirvana Plus is the mid-range slalom ski from Reflex. The Nirvana Plus is a wider version of the Nirvana. Besides being aesthetically beautiful, the most noteworthy attribute of the Nirvana Plus is its speed. This ski makes a surprising amount of speed with very little effort from the skier.
The speed of the Nirvana Plus becomes evident at the gates. For this review, I had to pull out earlier and lighter than normal. Once in the course, the ski’s inherent speed means the skier can work less and still be very early at every buoy.
The additional width of the Nirvana Plus provides stability from the second wake to the buoy. This stability allows the skier to adjust and stand where they need as they approach the turn.
The Nirvana Plus turns best when the skier is less aggressive, rolls the ski in, and lets the ski do the work. Turns on both on side and off side are fast and sharp.
As with all mid-range skis the Nirvana Plus is designed to work best for skiers at longer rope lengths and slower boat speeds. The Nirvana Plus is best through 32 off / 34mph ( 13m / 55k). For this review, the ski was ridden into 38 off (11.25m) but a standard width ski from Reflex would be a better choice for this level of skiing.
The new KD Titanium is a refinement of the KD Platinum. A review of the 2017 Platinum can be seen here.
The dimensional difference between the Platinium tested in 2017 and the Titanium is subtle but the improvements are clear. The bevels, rocker, and flex have all been refined to make a very good ski even better.
General feel
The Titanium feels more like an extension of the skier than a piece of sporting equipment that must be adjusted to. The titanium is fast into the wakes and delivers automatic turns. The Titanium also provides an unexpected level of forgiveness when the skier does something unwise.
Turns ( both sides )
Most skis turn with a bias toward tailslide or a bias toward the front of the ski pulling to the inside. The Titanium is distinctly neutral and delivers a turn that can be described as a “hockey stop” turn. The turns are quick and feel like the ski is rotating around the skiers' feet. The more the skier can stand tall on the ski approaching apex and delay the ski rolling to the inside, the more distinctive the hockey stop turn will be.
If the skier forgoes the hockey stop style turn and moves their mass to the inside / rolls the ski in early the Titanium will provide a fast caving turn.
The ski works best with a neutral to forward weight bias approaching apex ( as with most skis).
Ball to wakes
The Titanium makes ample speed into the first wake with a moderate amount of load and effort from the skier.
Remarkably, the ski will allow the skier to recover from a major mistake at the ball and still make enough speed by the first wake to stay in the pass.
Wakes to ball
The ski casts out off the second wake naturally and carries ample speed to apex. It rides moderately deep in the water providing stability approaching the ball.
Conclusion
This ski is a personal favorite of mine because it just works. During this review period, I did not think about how I needed to adjust my skiing to work with this ski. I spent most of the rides just refining my craft and or trying to ski up to my PB.
Settings: 2.465 - 6.890 - .779 - 29 1/8 - 9
General
The Reflex Zen Origin is the latest ski from the historic French ski company. The ski design incorporates very round bevels, firm flex, and a deep tunnel. The result is a ski that makes a lot of speed into the wakes, slows down approaching the ball, and turns hard.
Ball to wakes
Leaving the ball and heading for the first wake the tip of the ski stays down and pulls away from the pylon. The ski creates angle and load automatically.
The ski is noticeably stable through centerline. Skiers who overload at the wakes will find an unexpected level of forgiveness. The wake crossings are my favorite thing about the Zen Origin.
Wakes to ball
The Zen Origin flows out off the second wake and rolls out freely. The ski does not feel loose in terms of roll but it flows away from the centerline enough to initiate the turn early.
Because the ski rides deep in the water it feels stable and sheds speed quickly approaching the ball.
On Side
Riding deep in the water and arcing in early results in flowing fast on side turns. The ski carries plenty of speed through apex and back toward the wakes. If needed the ski will turn very aggressively at on side.
The tail rides deep in the water and the overall flex of the ski is relatively stiff. This means that if the skier tries to force the tail of the ski to slide it will overpressure and the tip will come up.
Off Side
Off Side turns on the Zen Origin are dependable and consistent. The ski can be turned with the skier's weight centered or turned more aggressively with additional front foot pressure.
As with on side it is recommended that the skier refrains from pushing the tail of the ski at apex.
Quirks
The Zen Origin does not make extra speed at gate pull out. Skiers will need to pull out a little later and with more intensity than normal.
The ski can be set up to be ridden with a neutral or back foot bias but these settings do not work past 32 off. The settings used for the bulk of this review required a front foot bias on both sides.
My settings are below. The DFT of .665 seems unusual until you take into account how round the trailing edge of the ski is. In other words, the shape of the back of the ski changes the reference point.
29 7/8 - 2.505 - 6.855 - .665 - 7 Degrees
Click here to demo the Zen Origin https://reflexwaterskiusa.com/demo