Zag Ubac 95 — Review

The Zag Ubac 95 is the all-rounder of the French brand's Ubac touring line, built in Zag's Chamonix Lab for skiers who want a single ski for skin-track days that span hard transition snow, spring corn and the occasional 15 cm of fresh. At 95 mm underfoot with a paulownia wood core and fiberglass-plus-carbon lay-up, it sits in the modern "do-it-all" touring slot — wide enough for soft snow, narrow and light enough to climb efficiently.

Sidecut radii of 16 m at 158 cm to 20 m at 185 cm give the Ubac 95 a usable shape from short trees to long open faces. The 30% tip / 20% tail rocker is more aggressive than the Ubac 89's, which is what lets the wider waist still pivot easily in soft snow. Weight per single ski runs from 1240 g (158 cm) to 1490 g (185 cm) — light by modern touring standards and the reason the ski rewards the kind of long days that justify a single-quiver tour ski. On the descent it asks the skier to drive actively, but the energy return is there for skiers who give input.

The Ubac 95 uses Zag's paulownia wood core inside a Semi-CAP sandwich with ABS sidewalls. A combination of fiberglass and carbon fibres handles torsional stiffness and energy return — no titanal laminate, which is what keeps the weight in the 1.2–1.5 kg range per ski. High-strength steel edges keep the ski viable on the harder snow that skin-track exits and morning skin-up traverses serve up. The shape is a multi-radius design with the longer marketed radius applying at the reference 173 cm length.

The Ubac 95 fits advanced touring skiers who want versatility over specialisation — a single ski for mixed-snow tour days. Compared to the Head Crux 93 pro it is similar in weight and shape; against the Black diamond Helio carbon 95 it has slightly less aggressive rocker but a similar uphill profile; the Armada Locator 96 is a touch heavier and more all-mountain-leaning.

Pros

• Light weight (from 1240 g at 158 cm).
• Useful 95 mm waist for mixed touring snow.
• More rocker than the Ubac 89 for soft-snow capability.
• French Chamonix-Lab build.

Cons

• No metal limits descent stability vs resort 95s.
• Not as light or specialised as a race-touring stick.
• Limited brand presence outside Europe.

Verdict: the strongest "single tour ski" of the Ubac line — light enough for long days, wide enough for the soft-snow surprise on the descent.