Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

I've scored a free pair of Evolution Uinta skis with drilled holes in them. By dimensions, they resemble Sbound 98 closely being fatter by 3--4 mm. Looks like this is a downhill ski with no scales underfoot.

Need help with two things:
- first, what kind of manufacturer is/was Evolution? evoski dot com does not seem to be active. All I found was the mention that Evolution Ski Co. was for sale around 2006.

- second, what kind of binding they used to have? Does it make sense to fill the holes and go with 3 pin Voile? I am guessing those were Black Diamond O2, but I am not sure. Should I try to find an original binding? I'd like to stick with the 75 mm boot compatibility.

Thanks and sorry if I wasn't digging deep enough in the search bar.

Evolutions were a small independent (tele) ski manufacturer back in the 90's, made in SLC I believe (the Uinta's are a mountain range just east of the Wasatch). They were highly regarded in their day. Don't think 02's existed in that skis era. Guess you could ski them with three pins, depending on how you want to use them, but a cable binding was probably more common on them. They made a few models, not sure where the Uinta's fell in that line.

That's probably a good ski to go with your s98's, similar yet with a smooth base it will be better for either the resort or kick waxing.

It is possible that with a 3 pin binding you may only have to drill one new hole per ski. The two lower holes of the four hole pattern should fit the two lower holes of a three hole pattern binding without significantly changing the pin line.

That 4 hole pattern could be for a Voile riser, at least print the template from the Voile site and see.
Just personal preference, but I would want at least the option of a cable with a 75mm binding

IIRC Evolution used the original Research Dynamics technology from when they were making RDs in Sun Valley- high tech foam cores and prepreg fiberglass. They were premium priced both tele and alpine.
I actually skied a pair of Unitas for a week.
The Unitas were in the first wave of wider tele skis that started with Tua. The Unitas were a really nice ski for the time. But they are kind of heavy even for back then. Solid edge hold and damp, floaty compared to the skinny skis of the time.

I think they came on hard financial times and the owner get into some delorean type scheme.

Wayback machine link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20021207222 ... emark.html

If link doesn’t work, here’s what the page says about the Uinta:

A classic, neo all-mountain design mixed with an ample sidecut make for one of the most versatile on and off-piste skis on the market. The most versatile ski in the Evolution line.

Tip/waist/tail: 103/73/93mm
sidecut: 13mm.
Lengths: 153, 163, 183, 193, 198, 203cm.
For Intermediate to Advanced Skiers
High Density Foam Core with torsion box construction
Double Sintered P-tex 6000 base
Reinforced Binding Sheet
Two-year warranty

I never skied on Uintas, but have definitely skied in the Uintas. Lived in lovely (?) Vernal UT for a while working in the "earl bidnez". The Uinta range is due north, and not a very long drive. We did some nice tours, but had to really do some research to find good places to ski.
Evolution skis were a flash in the pan. Long gone. "Devolution".

"They were premium priced both tele and alpine."

I remember skiing with a guy who said something like "I never thought I'd spend $600 on a pair of skis, but I will now!" He was pretty psyched with them. This was in the 90's.

I'm still skiing my Evolution Mountain Quests from 1991. I indeed remember the msrp for them at $600! They're damp, heavy (relative to the time period), split edged, and speckled based. They're very round flexing but supportive under foot. A fantastic bump ski! Not so good out of bounds. My Kazama Outbacks had that duty. I'm skiing them with Riva I's and Supercomps. I'll admit that this is all on occasion, and I'm mostly rocking NTN otherwise these days.