ProView – Hagan Ski Core Carbon 89 Lite

I tested the Core Carbon 89 Lite Skis at the end of the 2024 ski season in the Sawtooth Mountains of Central Idaho. Backcountry travel is currently my only mode of skiing these days, living over an hour from the closest town and resort so I can confidently say that these backcountry skis are a great combination of lightness and stability. I was able to navigate the variable snow conditions of spring skiing relying on their carbon tip and tail, along with their Karuba wood and carbon core. These high-quality materials make for skis that are easy to walk uphill all day long in or throw on your pack for booting to the top of an objective. Paired with the Pin Up 8 Evo bindings from ATK, I can count on these skis to be a good fit for volcano season and beyond!

After receiving these skis with a handwritten note from the owner himself, I practically ran to my local ski shop to get them mounted ASAP as the snow was beginning to dwindle. I started testing these skis at the very end of the 2024 season, so the mission was plain and simple: corn hunting. This meant my testing was mostly done in variable snow conditions consisting of crust, mush, ice, and a little bit of corn. I got to know these skis in some tougher conditions and have a much greater appreciation for their stability now. While not as epic as booting to the top of a couloir, I did end up throwing these skis on my pack and hiking with them once the snow ran out and we had a two mile trek back to our car. They are just as light underfoot as on the back and it made me excited to take them on future missions! The Core Carbon 89 Lite skis are specifically created for lighter skiers (up to approx 155lbs or 70kg). As someone who falls in this category and often struggles to find the right ski for my height and weight, I was impressed with this option and found it to be an extremely considerate offering. I know that there are quite a few  other women skiers who also fall into this category. The skis didn’t lack any of the performance and for once I felt like they were actually made for my body type instead of having to maneuver my body differently to fit a pair of skis.

Weight

With a weight of only 2.4 lbs (1120 g) for the 162 cm length, it makes this particular model ideal for longer ski touring days, which is music to my endurance-loving ears. As I mentioned earlier, these particular skis are made with a profile consisting of lightweight Karuba wood with carbon on the tip and tail to keep them light and predictable. With these high quality, premium core components it saves ski weight while also providing a stable, predictable ride in a variety of conditions.  

Sizing

The Core Carbon 89 Lite skis come in four different lengths (154cm, 162cm, 170cm & 178cm). They all have the same 89cm waist underfoot which is definitely the skinniest ski I’ve ever taken into the backcountry, but is perfect for skiing both creamy corn and in variable snow conditions. As a shorter girlie (5’4” on a good day) and a more intermediate skier, I really appreciate the shorter ski length options. 

Look & Style

The overall look and style of the skis is certainly subjective, but for me I loved the simplicity and elegance visually of the skis. I tend to stay away from bold colors or loud graphics, so these checked my overall aesthetic boxes.

Performance 

What makes these skis so versatile is a rocker in the tip, camber in the middle and a small rise in the tail. This unique combination makes for an easy to turn yet hyper stable ski. There is binding reinforcement  in the form of a Titanal plate that provides reinforcement and durability. The camber under the foot is known to give skis a grip on harder snow, which honestly I wasn’t able to decipher in my testing but can certainly believe. 

My longest ski tour with these skinny sticks was about a four hour round trip loop on Copper Mountain, the northernmost peak in the Sawtooth range. We started with a two hour climb to our ridgeline objective hoping against hope that the cloud coverage would lift and finally allow our north facing run to corn up. While it wasn’t the dreamy corn run I was hoping for, the skis were easy to maneuver and got me down my objective safely with confidence. 

Given how light these skis are, I would highly recommend them for long days or long objective days. I honestly think they would make the perfect volcano ski for spring missions. To complete this backcountry set up I would recommend going with lightweight touring binding. The Pin Up 8 EVO is specifically made for Hagan in partnership with ATK in Italy. After coming back from a hut trip in Canada this winter I had already heard so many good things about ATK bindings that I couldn’t wait to test them for myself. They are smooth and easy to use during transitions with one hand and have dual heel lifters. As a previous Dynafit loyalist I can officially say I’ve converted to ATK bindings without looking back. This is one of the major benefits of Hagan skis, being able to confidently outfit them with high quality bindings. 

To complete the set up, Hagan has their Hybrid skins with an adhesive technology that consists of two layers. The first layer holds the skin to the ski base, while the second layer holds the back of the skin and the first adhesive layer together. This ensures the skins can be removed effortlessly without leaving any residue. I was skeptical upon opening them but they worked well throughout the day after multiple transitions. 

What sets the brand apart

Hagan is an Austrian family-owned business who have been making skis and touring equipment in the Austrian Alps since 1924. Unlike other companies who may cast a wide net to include a plethora of mountain product offerings, Hagan focuses entirely on backcountry ski touring/ski mountaineering. Initially I was surprised I hadn’t heard of them before but upon doing more research, and as much as it breaks my marketers heart to admit this, the quality of their products and word of mouth approach that has been earned by over 100 years of innovation has clearly been successful. Hagan is a well-known and well-respected brand in Europe and I have no doubt they will continue to steadily rise through the ranks in North America as well as a reputable, premium, and reliable ski brand. 

Friendliness to the Earth

When it comes to sustainability, Hagan takes a multi-prong approach. From their partnership with Protect Our Winters (POW) to making changes in their manufacturing practices like converting oil heating to bio-wood chip heating that saves 1 million liters of light oil every year and contributes to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, they are doing their part. Perhaps one of the most important and most overlooked is making products that last and backing those products with an industry first, 5 year warranty. By sourcing materials and components that use recycled and recyclable materials from suppliers who share ethical and environmentally responsible practices, the overall product lifespan increases and environmental impact decreases. Overall, I was impressed with their sustainability efforts both in their products themselves and overall business practices. 

The Final Word

Whether you have spent your whole life in the backcountry or are newer to the sport, you will be impressed with Hagan Skis. As someone who wouldn’t consider themselves an advanced skier, I often worry or wonder that I won’t find skis that suit my smaller build and lesser skill set. I appreciate that as a lighter backcountry traveler, there is finally a ski designed with that body type in mind. The Core Carbon 89 Lite makes long backcountry missions a dream with their ultralight construction and easy-to-turn maneuverability. Their lightweight woodcore and underfoot camber makes it a reliable and fun backcountry companion for any conditions, especially long objectives. Hagan is a tried and true, time tested, quality ski brand that is made for fast and light mountain pursuits. You won’t regret adding this to your quiver! 

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