Model: Mothership
Size(cm) / Radius(m): 172/21 182/21 192/21
Sidecut: 120/90/110 127/97/117 127/97/117
Manufacturer’s Description:
“The Mothership is the original fat twin responsible since 2000 for abducting jibbers from the park and dropping them into the backcountry. Its special, all-terrain weaponry includes a full-length Titanium Powerband and Birch Macroblock wood core for rock-solid stability, and unsurpassed floatation and handling in the most extreme terrain and conditions. There is no powder too deep, no straight line too steep, no cliff too big and no tree run too vast. The Mothership is the ultimate, go-anywhere, all-terrain explorer SUV of skis.”
Ski-Review’s Verdict:
A soft flex means the Mothership will lead you through the powder and save your legs from feeling like they are on fire. A huge surface area means you may as well be skiing with a couple of snowboards strapped to your feet. It’s not a bad thing. Not only that but symmetric tip and tail widths paired with the super light weight means you can ski the deepest powder and wonder why you ever used powder traces. With the Mothership being so light it gives you the added benefit of being a little more forgiving, whether its balance when catching an edge, or perfecting their position in the air.
The Mothership could still do with being a little stiffer torsionally if it does not decrease floatation. It is billed as being so to give it that all mountain tick box on spec sheets, but it will still annoy you if you spend too much time out of the bowls, chutes and trees. It has a nice cut but nothing drastic. The Mothership’s are fat so you need to only take it out when there is powder, and actively look for the stuff
Carving on the piste. Yep they do that. Nothing worth saying about it because you are not going to spend a week on the groomers with the Mothership, are you?
Conclusion?
A worthy contender to challenge the ‘household name’ which is the Pocket Rocket. The Mothership is flexible and stiff without being overly so and causing drag. With more and more offerings of this type across the board of manufacturers, top visuals and attractive price point means you cannot really fail if you need a powder ski.
Real time prices for the Line Mothership 2004, or similar ski products:
Written by Ski Review Guest on 03/24
These skis are amazing they are my second pair of Lines and I am very proud of their response and stability.
Written by Ski Review Guest on 04/01
I got a like new pair of 192cm motherships and immidiately took them out on two feet of freshies. They worked perfectly. I weigh 250lbs and still felt like I was carving surfing turns rather than ski turns. They’ve got alot of snap for how light they are. A true classic ride.
Written by Chad on 09/09
I’m not sure what this reviewer was talking about, this ski is amazing on any terrain I could find. I just picked up a pair of these used near the end of the ‘10 season and they were a revelation whether I was skiing the soft fluffy stuff or simply BOMBING down a groomer. If you can pick a pair of these up used for cheap like I did you will not regret it. The only downside is that I can’t talk myself into getting a new pair of skis this year because these already do everything I need them to do. Best ski purchase I have ever made.
Written by Josh on 09/10
Chad, this Mothership review was along time ago maybe 7 years so things change. 97mm underfoot is probably not fat and a powder only ski any more.
Ski reviews are subjective, so it’s understandable this guy had slightly different experiences to you, but on the whole it’s a very positive review so not sure why you disagree so much.
Written by Chad on 09/10
Hi Josh,
Thanks for commenting on my comment. I love a good deal on used skis, because as we know new skis can be quite spendy. However, as skis get older it gets increasingly hard to find information on them (especially when you don’t even know what year the skis are made. I don’t know, the gray ones with a train on them! lol). Maybe I should have quoted the exact phrase that I took issue with:
“The Mothership is not a ski you want to ski on every day”
My experience has been the exact opposite. I DO want to ski on my ‘04 Motherships every day. Coming from some extremely skinny under foot, wide at the tip and back Rossignol Cut 10.4, I couldn’t help but giggle with glee the first time I took the Motherships out. Hills that I timidly skied down edge to edge on the Rossi’s I can shoot straight down on the Line’s. I had no idea that a ski could be so stable.
So, while this review was overall favorable, as you noted a ski this size is no longer considered a powder only ski like it was when the review was originally written. I will be gladly taking my Motherships out everyday, in every condition, on all of the terrain that is available at Big Sky, Moonlight Basin, and good ol’ Bridger Bowl.
Written by Josh on 09/13
You are of course correct, but I bet back then to anyone who skied straight or the new breed of carving skis, a day on these would be hard work, so the review in context was probably fairly accurate.
To the here and now, Line have always had a good following for this particular line of skis, so it’s great you got a pair presumably in fairly good condition. Enjoy!
Written by Ski Review Guest on 12/21
I just got a set this summer and they are the best thing I have got NO COMPLAINTS