First Impressions
Storm releases another medium shiny defined ball, is it a surprise?

Tamer Elbaga (Lefty)
Style: Tweener
RPM: 330 rpm
PAP: 5 & 3/8 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: low
Axis rotation: medium/high
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 4.5 x 45

Bryan Hoffman (Righty)
Style: Stroker
RPM: 280 rpm
PAP: 4 1/2 & 1 1/2 up
Average Speed: 18.5 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: high
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5 x 45

Tyler Church (Righty)
Style: Power Player
RPM: 450 rpm
PAP: 5 1/2 & 1/2 up
Average Speed: 19 mph (at release)
Axis tilt: med
Axis rotation: medium
Test Equipment: 14 Pounds
Layout: 5.25 x 50

“Keep in mind that coverstock accounts for 70% of ball reaction, but the core creates the dynamic shape of the reaction. Your driller will alter the shape to suit your game.”

Pattern
THS: 42ft, 23ml
Sport: TBD

Specs
The Storm Summit Peak uses the Centripetal HD symmetric core inside the TX-23 pearl Reactive coverstock.

15 pound = RG of 2.46, diff of .056
14 pound = RG of 2.46, diff of .056
Coverstock finish: Reactagloss refinished to 1000 grit, Step 2 compound, 3000 light hand scuff

Overall
I hate to sound like a broken record but Storm makes a lot of these type of balls. The Clean and angular shape. Obviously it owes to SPI really having a good grasp on the chemistry of the resin pushing in the oil and responding fairly quickly to dry. It’s not always the best ball reaction for carry but it’s certainly one bowlers enjoy seeing. We resurfaced the Reactagloss as usual, you can check out the video on that process. I’ll start by saying the Summit Peak has a nice shape. The biggest thing is the matchup to this pattern and lanes made it just a touch sensitive so we did see some over/under. Great shots sometimes came in behind the headpin leaving corners and there’s a limit to squaring up due to the strong friction response. The bottom line is that the Summit Peak was pretty touchy for me on this. I tested on fresh just after the Absolute Power to take the edge off but honestly, it wasn’t enough, the pattern needed to break down further before this ball would be more usable. It say even with the low RG and high diff, the ball doesn’t quite feel strong enough to be square in the Mid Defined category like the recent Sublime we tested but it’s probably a touch stronger than Mid Late. The best place to play this pattern was way out to 5 or out at the breakpoint which helps blend the reaction with the friction. Quick look at the 900 Global Sublime for reference and you can see how defined of a move it makes with still a heavy roll. Just gets into a roll sooner than the Summit Peak which still makes a strong move but a little longer.

Power Player’s Perspective
For Tyler, as you would expect, his basic track on the house shot is about an arrow deeper than mine. So that puts him somewhere between the 3rd and 4th arrow. He really liked the shape. It had the length and rounded boom. The big thing was the Summit Peak was kind of 50/50 in terms of carry due to it just going a foot or two too long. To our eye, the shape did look very nice but it was a little frustrating to leave the corner pins. Squaring up wasn’t really the answer because it simply would respond to friction to hard. So it really just says the ball asks for a bit more breakdown or a slightly shorter pattern. So if this pattern is 42ft, 40ft would probably allow this ball to work out of the gate. As is, it needs a bit more friction. As I thought about it, and thinking about how to assess this ball, it kind of reminds me of the Soniq from several years ago. Same core shape but lower diff but also a weaker cover. In the end, the stronger cover plus the stronger core doesn’t change a whole lot. It does seem rounder and less sharp off the end of the friction but close enough to be honest. I have thought we could be looking at something closer to the Phaze III but I honestly feel the Sublime is closer. The Sublime is earlier and is more ball overall than the Summit Peak. But wait until we chat about Bryan’s look.

Stroker’s Stance
Alright let’s see how Bryan gets on with the Summit Peak. Bryan plays most direct between the 3 testers so he plays closer to the friction line on the house pattern that’s somewhere around 6-8. With that said, the Summit Peak looked pretty angular. I believe the new lanes are playing a role here. He tried to use it on the same line as the Absolute Power we just tested but the Peak over hooked off the dry. He needed to make a 2 and 1 to find the pocket. He had a nice sweet spot with and really enjoyed throwing it. When the ball can generate some angle and increase Bryan’s entry angle, his carry will increase. I’d say his carry was a touch better than mine or Tyler’s. The Phaze III was his mid defined stalwart but recently cracked so has been looking for the best replacement. In his eyes, the Summit Peak is a possibility. I know he kind of felt that way about the Sublime as well. So the question will be when we get to different patterns, which will be more versatile. You can see that on the same line, the Sublime is clearly earlier and more ball overall.

Final Thoughts
So hear we go again. Storm has the following shiny balls: Absolute, Journey, Virtual Energy Blackout, IQ Tour Ruby, Revenant, Hyroads, and now the Summit Peak. And that’s not to mention what’s available in the Roto Grip and 900 Global lineup. Of course they are all slightly varied but the Summit Peak slots itself below the Blackout, slightly about the Journey and maybe very close to the Revenant. At least you have lots of options with slight different ball motions and different colors.

Thanks for watching.