There are a few differences between the stock and upgraded ski. A short comparison:

  • Stock Conniption Styx: Best for beginners; great all-resort ski we offer; both skis are the same length; regular side cut (not a continuous side cut); narrowest ski we offer; can be ridden out of the box without being tuned.
  • Upgraded Riff Raff:  May not be suitable for beginners; best all-mountain ski we offer; front ski is longer; continuous side cut; wider than the Conniption Styx; must be tuned prior to being ridden
  • Zig Zag:  May not be suitable for beginners; true powder ski; front ski is longer; continuous side cut; widest ski we offer; must be tuned prior to being ridden

The main upgraded ski, the Riff Raff, is a wider ski and the Conniption Styx with a continuous side cut.  The rear ski is also shorter than the front which can help with ease, quickness and responsiveness in turning.  This also allows the rear ski to slide around corners like a dream.

The Zig Zag is our dedicated powder board and is meant to be ridden in deep powder only.  It is wider than the Riff Raff (even wider than the Conniption Styx yet) and also is a continuous side cut.  Unless you are in powder that is at least 6″ deep, the Riff Raff is the better choice.

With that said, we do need to state that due to the aggressive upsweep of the tip on the front ski on the Riff Raff and Zig Zag, they may not be suitable for some people to learn on.  They are not as forgiving if your body weight is not where it should be. If you don’t have enough weight over the front ski they will either turn when you don’t want to, or not turn when you do want to.  Even experienced riders can ‘feel the wrath’ of the Riff Raff and Zig Zag if they get lazy with their body positioning, resulting in loosing an edge and sliding out.  We strongly recommend that you flip the knucklehead…more info can be found on our “How To” videos for Lenz Skibikes under the “how to flip the knucklehead” section.

Another worthy note is that the Conniption Styx can be ridden straight out of the box without being tuned (even though we do highly recommend you have them tuned anyway); the Riff Raff and Zig Zag MUST BE TUNED prior to being ridden.