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Recomendation for bump/tree ski, mostly eastern?

sankaty

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Something in those dimensions yes. At least that's what I'm looking for. I've heard great reviews of the Nordica Firearrow 80, though they maybe the most ugly skis I've ever seen. :lol:

If you haven't visited already, epicski.com is a great web forum for gear review. Not that I don't trust the opinions of many of the great skiers I know through this forum. Epic's gear review section is just a bit more organized and standardized.

I have been using the epicski reviews extensively. They've been very helpful.

That Nordica Firearrow 80 is really, really, very ugly. IMO, the 2012 Blizzard freeride skis give them a run for their money (though the Firearrow is worse):

http://cdn.epicski.com/c/c8/c8db0ba7_2012blizzard.jpg

A lot of recent skis seem to have graphics lifted directly from an airbrushed mural on a 1974 conversion van. It's not a revival I'm excited about.

It's a good thing I pretend not to care about ski graphics.
 

deadheadskier

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While graphics don't matter tremendously to me, they do at least a little. I prefer something more simple. I think Kastle have the best looking graphics out there.
 

gmcunni

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While graphics don't matter tremendously to me, they do at least a little. I prefer something more simple. I think Kastle have the best looking graphics out there.

+1 on both accounts. i've grown disgusted by the graphics on my Noridas and when i demo'd Kastle their beauty was one of the many compliments i passed along to the rep.



cute kid, ugly skis
IMG_33981.JPG
 

mondeo

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how many do you have?
3. Hart F17s, Fischer Addict Pros, Fischer Watea 94s.
Part of me thinks the same thing. However, I'm still considering it for these reasons:

1) As already noted, I'm cheap, err, frugal. The P90 can already be gotten for $350 flat. The Prophet series is changed for the first time in a long time in 2012 (some tip rocker added), so the new old stock may go down in price even more. There are some skis that would probably be better options (the Motive 84, for example), but they typically go for significantly more. I would consider the Sultan 85, though, if I could find a comparable price on it.

2) Even my firm snow ski needs to be pretty good in bumps, or it will never get any use. This eliminates a lot of skis that would out perform the P90 on ice, including the Magnum series.

3) The One and the P90 are more different than just the width suggests. The early rise tip and tail plus the softer flex make the One more of a softer, ungroomed snow specialist. Also, I've been finding that the difference between a 90mm and 98mm ski is much more significant than the difference between something like a 85mm ski and a 90mm ski. The S3 felt much wider than the P90 to me. However, the P90 did not feel much different than the Sultan 85 underfoot to me. There's something about a wide ski in general that compliments my skiing style.

4) I've already skied the P90 on just about as firm a day as I'm likely to ski (the day after a refreeze at Sugarbush), and I loved it, so I know it will do the job, even if there might be something even better out there.

5) I'm confident that a combo of the P90 and the One would be competent in all the conditions I'm likely to ski. The significant overlap between the One and the P90 is medium-soft snow, bumps, and trees, which describes my average day. The idea that I could grab the P90 on a day that I thought would be pretty firm, but not really wish I had my other skis if I found some softer snow, is pretty attractive to me.

Convinced? Me neither. I'm not 100% sold that it's the best plan yet. I intend to ski the One for a few days first, get a sense of its limitations, and go from there.
You want a 80-85 underfoot park ski. Cheap as dirt, and wide range of options. My Addict Pros were $210 - great hard pack ski, and functional in bumps. Stiff as hell, though, there are better mid-fats for 6" of new snow days. I know a decent number of people with Head park skis, I know they were about the same price.
 

BenedictGomez

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My general observation is people in the east tend to go wider than they really need to or should for the types of conditions we often encounter unless they're tremendously picky about the days they go out.

Now you're speaking to my dilema.

My XScreams are 185, which I feel is a touch too long given I'm 5.10, but these were bought just before the "get short" revolution. On piste, they're generally awesome. In the bumps or trees I feel the length is cumbersome. But the 68mm waist goes absolutely submarine in powder. They're completely useless on powder days.

That's the reson I'm looking for another ski, but as you very well said, for the "conditions we often encounter", a ski that's good in powder with a bit wider waist isnt commonly necessary. But given those rare days are my favorite, I feel I need to invest to properly enjoy them. Problems, problems, problems. lol
 

RISkier

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gmcunni, which Kastle's did you demo and what were your impressions? They generally get rave reviews on Epic. The FX84 got the 5s (highest score) in every category Realskiers rate numerically. They are pricey.
 

RootDKJ

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Bump.

Yesterday at Blue, I skied on AtomicSkier's Volkl Mantra's in a 184. Wow, what a difference over the Hot Rod Jet Fuel. I also played around on his 190ish Gotama's.

I've been thinking about adding a powder/spring ski to the lineup. I mostly ski groomers at high speeds (40-55 mph). One thing I liked about the Mantra is once it got going, it was insanely stable on edge (blasting through the spring slop) but really seemed to prefer long gs turns, and while I enjoy that (a lot), I tend to use a variety of turn shapes. Railing on hardpack is a higher priority over bump performance.

I've been reading some reviews of the P 90 and a lot of people say that it's a little bit nicer through the end of the turn. I really liked the stiffness of the Mantra and with the 96mm waist, it would add some more variety to my ski options. I'm kinda thinking that the 84mm Jet Fuels and 90mm P90's are kinda pretty close in size/style?

Jet Fuel 126-84-112 (18m)
P90 125-90-113 (17.5m)
Mantra 133-96-116 (21m)

I'm open to other suggestions.
 

sankaty

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Bump.

Yesterday at Blue, I skied on AtomicSkier's Volkl Mantra's in a 184. Wow, what a difference over the Hot Rod Jet Fuel. I also played around on his 190ish Gotama's.

I've been thinking about adding a powder/spring ski to the lineup. I mostly ski groomers at high speeds (40-55 mph). One thing I liked about the Mantra is once it got going, it was insanely stable on edge (blasting through the spring slop) but really seemed to prefer long gs turns, and while I enjoy that (a lot), I tend to use a variety of turn shapes. Railing on hardpack is a higher priority over bump performance.

I've been reading some reviews of the P 90 and a lot of people say that it's a little bit nicer through the end of the turn. I really liked the stiffness of the Mantra and with the 96mm waist, it would add some more variety to my ski options. I'm kinda thinking that the 84mm Jet Fuels and 90mm P90's are kinda pretty close in size/style?

Jet Fuel 126-84-112 (18m)
P90 125-90-113 (17.5m)
Mantra 133-96-116 (21m)

I'm open to other suggestions.

The Mantra is very stable, but I've found that it's stiffness makes it not ideal for a powder ski, if that's what your looking for. I skied the Mantra in about 16" of fresh powder, and it was fun, but it was prone to tip dive if I wasn't careful. I've not found a ski that both excels in powder and railing on hardpack. The Mantra can be great for spring snow, though, if bumps are not a priority (it can be managed in bumps, but takes a fair amount of proactive piloting).

I'm really enjoying my Blizzard the One in spring snow and powder. Any of the tip/tail rocker hybrid skis (Rossi S3, Watea 98, Dynastar 6th Sense Slicer, Blizzard One) will be super agile even in wet corn snow. I don't expect that they would be as stable as the Mantra at high speed, though.

I've found the P90 to be much better than the Mantra in bumps and still good on hardpack. I expect the P90 would be better than the Mantra in powder, but haven't tried it there. I don't know much about the Jet Fuel, so I can't comment there.
 
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sankaty

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I've skied two days on my Blizzard Ones and here are my impressions so far:

Day one: 4" of fresh but dense snow at Killington (a fair amount of sleet mixed in) over a firm base.

They performed very well in these conditions. I didn't really appreciate how good they were until I switched back to my full camber skis and found that the thick snow was very demanding. Switching back to the rockered skis was pure joy. I spent lots of time in the woods to skiers right of Superstar, and they really shined. On the steepest slopes, they could be overpowered a bit if I was too aggressive, but this was minor. Overall, they were very agile and predictable in what could have been demanding conditions.

Day two: Spring corn at Stratton

These are fantastic Spring skis. Turn initiation even in wet, lumpy, mashed potatoes was incredibly easy. I finally had a chance to try them in sustained bumps, and they were great.

I've been trying to compare them to the S3, but it's been hard because the conditions have been so different (I skied the S3s in 7" of perfect dry powder over a soft base). The Ones are definitely better on soft groomed snow (haven't tried either on hardpack), where they are quicker from edge to edge. Unlike the S3, I didn't really even notice the rocker on flat snow with the Ones. Both are good (and similar) in bumps. They also seemed similar, and very good, in trees. The S3s may have seemed a touch more effortless and nimble in trees, but so far I'm thinking that has more to do with snow conditions than the skis.

I have decided against supplementing the Ones with the P90. The Ones do well enough on groomed snow that there is just too much overlap. I'm thinking that one of next year's skis in the 84-88 range, slightly stiffer with a slight tip rocker, would be a really good supplement.
 
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riverc0il

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The Mantra is very stable, but I've found that it's stiffness makes it not ideal for a powder ski, if that's what your looking for. I skied the Mantra in about 16" of fresh powder, and it was fun, but it was prone to tip dive if I wasn't careful. I've not found a ski that both excels in powder and railing on hardpack. The Mantra can be great for spring snow, though, if bumps are not a priority (it can be managed in bumps, but takes a fair amount of proactive piloting).
I will echo all of that. But a lot of skiers really like the Mantra and it has been around for a while, fairly unchanged. It has more weaknesses than strengths from my perspective. I am surprised so many people like this ski.
 

sankaty

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I will echo all of that. But a lot of skiers really like the Mantra and it has been around for a while, fairly unchanged. It has more weaknesses than strengths from my perspective. I am surprised so many people like this ski.

Yeah. I did like the Mantra for the things it's good at (and its very good at those things), but I wonder if it could be 10mm narrower and be just as good while being more versatile. I'm not sure why I would choose the Mantra over something like the Blizzard Magnum 8.7, for example.

FWIW, the Rossi S3 basically skied the way I had hoped the Mantra would ski in powder. Lots of float and easy to turn with just a bit of tilt.
 

BenedictGomez

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Several people in here mentioned they enjoyed the Line Prophet 90.

I'm wondering if any of you that are heavier could comment?

I go 195 lbs, and I'm referring to the following from Skinet. I sure dont base all my decisions on Ski mag/web reviews, but I do find the below concerning enough to want to ask around..... Thanks.

Testers under 170 pounds found the Prophet 90 to be damp and stable, with easy but determined turn initiation. The tails provide power and end-of-turn support, but their round, upturned shape disengages easily. It seemed not to have a radius preference. “Very easy to turn,” said one tester. PLUS: An uncomplicated, unhurried, and playful jib board. MINUS: Heavy testers noticed stability crumble at high speeds.
 
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RISkier

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Several people in here mentioned they enjoyed the Line Prophet 90.

I'm wondering if any of you that are heavier could comment?

I go 195 lbs, and I'm referring to the following from Skinet. I sure dont base all my decisions on Ski mag/web reviews, but I do find the below concerning enough to want to ask around..... Thanks.

I've never been on the ski. I did check the realskiers review and they didn't mention anything about skier weight.
 
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