Ubac 89 review

Overview

The Zag Ubac 89 is the narrow end of the French brand's Ubac touring line, built in Zag's Chamonix Lab for skiers who prioritise climbing efficiency and lift-off-the-snow weight over downhill float. With 89 mm underfoot, a paulownia wood core, and a fiberglass-plus-carbon lay-up, it sits in the "fast-and-light" frontside-touring slot — a tool for skin-track miles and firm-snow couloirs more than fresh-snow slashing.

On-snow performance

Radii range from 16 m at 155 cm to 20 m at 183 cm, giving the Ubac 89 a usable shape from short snappy turns up to longer end-of-tour cruisers. The 25% tip / 15% tail rocker plus moderate camber keeps enough effective edge to bite on hard transition snow at the start of a descent. In soft snow the 89 mm waist asks the skier to drive the tip a bit more than a wider touring ski would, but for spring-corn lines and steep firm couloirs that is exactly the trade-off the platform exists for. Weight per single ski ranges from 1150 g (155 cm) to 1400 g (183 cm) — genuinely light, particularly in the shorter lengths.

Construction & specs explained

The Ubac 89 uses Zag's paulownia wood core wrapped in a Semi-CAP sandwich with ABS sidewalls. The lay-up combines fiberglass and carbon fibres for torsional stiffness without titanal-level weight, and high-strength steel edges keep the ski usable on the harder snow that touring days often serve up. There is no metal laminate, which is the source of the very low weight — and the reason the ski's stability ceiling sits well below a resort-focused 88.

Who it's for & comparisons

The Ubac 89 fits advanced touring skiers focused on long days and firm-snow descents, who value uphill efficiency over soft-snow performance. Compared to the Black diamond Helio carbon 88 it has a touch more rocker but similar uphill DNA; against the Head Crux 87 pro it is similarly touring-oriented but a touch less stable underfoot; the Nordica Santa ana 88 unlimited is a heavier, more resort-leaning alternative.

Pros, cons and verdict

Pros

• Very low weight (from 1150 g at 155 cm).
• Efficient sidecut for skin-track maneuverability.
• French Chamonix-Lab build quality.
• Paulownia + carbon construction.

Cons

• Narrow waist limits powder float.
• No-metal lay-up caps downhill stability.
• Limited brand presence outside Europe.

Verdict: a focused fast-and-light touring ski for skiers whose days lean toward vertical metres climbed rather than fresh tracks dropped.