2023 Line Chronic

There’s just something nice about a mid-90's twin tip that we all know and love. The 2023 Line Chronic is just one of those skis that has a freestyle application, but is so much more. Line does a great job in building their skis, and since they have that freestyle influence ingrained in their DNA, it makes sense that the Chronic would not only just exist, but also be one of their best and most well-rounded skis in the catalog. The Line Chronic has been around for a while now and continues to be a leader in the park skiing segment. When it comes to twin tip park skis, this is one of the most well-rounded models you’ll find. It has an excellent blend of feeling both playful and stable at speed. That means you can play around at slower speeds, slide rails, and do little jibby tricks, but it’s also right at home in a large jump line and can handle some aggressive all-mountain skiing too. Line uses their Maple Macroblock core in this ski, which provides a nice energetic flex pattern. We also get a lot of camber, greater in both length and rise compared to the Blend, which sits right next to the Chronic in Line’s offerings. That higher camber and a slightly stiffer flex pattern is a big reason why the Chronic can handle bigger jumps and faster speeds compared to softer flexing park skis, but Line also does a good job retaining playfulness thanks to subtle rocker in the tips and tails and some smooth early taper.

Jeff Neagle skied the 178 cm length and thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the Chronic. “This is the type of ski I generally like to ski on a daily basis. It’s stiff enough to ski fast on groomers and lay over some carves, it would do just fine in the trees, and of course it’s a blast in the terrain park. I personally love skis in this width range for the park. As a 36-year-old park skier, I’m far less concerned with how many switch ups I can do or whether I can whip around a switch 1080 on that medium sized jump, so in other words, I don’t really care about edge-to-edge quickness and am willing to sacrifice that for a wider platform for softer snow and increased stability.” Jeff might not be throwing crazy tricks on the Chronic, and his assessment of how it compares to narrower skis is spot on, although we’ve seen some Line athletes do some wild spins on the Chronic, so it’s certainly still capable of those technical maneuvers.

Jeff awarded the Chronic some impressive scores. 5 out of 5 for playfulness, versatility, and overall impression. Perhaps even more impressive were the 4 out of 5 scores for stability and quickness/maneuverability. Those are two characteristics that are tough to combine into a single ski’s performance. The shape and flex pattern of the Chronic, however, allows it to feel relatively solid at higher speeds when you’re ripping around the mountain as well as quick and agile if you’re in the park or maneuvering through tight terrain.

Hands down, the Chronic is an important ski in Line’s collection, and we’re happy to get it back year after year. It might even be the most well-rounded ski Line makes, which is evident in how many of them you see on the mountain. If you just want a solid, versatile twin tip that crosses over between the terrain park and the rest of the mountain, it’s hard to beat the Chronic. We suppose that’s not surprising either, as Line has been a leader and innovator in the twin tip category since the late 1990s. Despite advances from bigger box brands, Line is certainly still a big player in the park ski category and the Chronic continues to be one of the best out there.