The new Liberty V76 resists easy classification. It certainly has the shape to qualify as a pure carver, but lacks the my-way-or-the-highway attitude. It’s also missing its own plate and binding system, passing on the opportunity to add damping and standheight. Its baseline, on the other hand, is pure Frontside, almost fully cambered and made to stay connected with snow. Its average score of 8.63 for the principal Power properties attests to its technical capabilities.

At only 76mm underfoot, it can’t pretend to ride high in powder, but powder isn’t the only ungroomed condition. Bumps are what’s left when the powder is kaput, and the V76 has the sharp reflexes needed to negotiate today’s mogul mine fields. If you toss out the V76’s hideous score for Off-Piste Performance, it would rank among the elite in its genre.

The behavior that earned the V76 a succulent 9.0 for Forgiveness/Ease is its large performance envelope and therefore suitability for a considerable slice of the skiing public. It transitions from short, sinuous tracks to medium to long without the slightest indication it prefers one over another. It responds up and down the speed range, whether pressured at a low edge angle or leaned into on a high one. Who does that leave out? Maybe someone expecting a different snow feel, as the V76 doesn’t have the lift or heft of more traditionally made Frontside models.

Part of the V76’s virtuosity is attributable to Liberty’s Vertical Metal Technology (VMT) that laminates two end-to-end aluminum alloy strips between vertical bands of bamboo. Pre-cured carbon also plays a pivotal role in smoothing out the ride, and the V76 has plenty of it: a longitudinal stringer in the core midsection and top and bottom mats around the lot of it.

“Forgiving, with a nice balance of damp and snappy,” is how Jan’s Steph Humes pegs the V76’s performance. It seems to give back exactly what the pilot puts in, giving it a natural feel that anyone can relate to. For its open-minded attitude we award the V76 a Silver Skier Selection.