WJenness
Active member
Took a ride up to Bretton Woods on Sunday with mishka and a quiver of skis.
Conditions were pretty frozen in the morning, but some decently soft corn in the afternoon.
He brought 4 pairs of skis for us to put through the paces on the hill.
We started with the two narrower offerings he brought where the snow was pretty stiff in the morning. We skied the MR87 and the MR95 for a few hours in the morning.
The MR95 was probably my favorite ski of the day. Super stiff, held an edge on anything, super responsive. The Porsche of the MR collection (They like to go FAST). Interested to try it out again on a day with some softer snow. It is very interesting, because the profile doesn't have any camber, it is rocker - flat - rocker (I believe)... But it carves like any cambered ski I have ever been on. One of those skis that you push, and then say 'I can push it some more'... and you do... and that feeling doesn't go away. There is no metal in the ski, but lots of carbon fiber strips laid out at 45 degrees across the skis in both directions, giving incredible torsional rigidity while still being super light.
The MR87 was the second ski I tried. Not quite as stiff as the 95, took me a few runs to get my confidence on it. Still railed pretty well, but did get it to skid on ice a few times, but I think anything short of a pair of hockey skates would have slid out on that surface. Not quite as edge happy as the 95.
As the snow began to soften, I went back to the car and swapped out the two narrower skis for the wider ones.
The MR110 was the first of the wider skis I got to try out. The first thing I noticed was the distinctive sound they made... Unlike any other ski I have ever skied not a bad sound, but you notice it from the first time you pick up some speed. MR110 was probably the softest of the four skis. Very playful, fun ski that I would like to try in some soft snow next year. The crazy thing about this ski is that I found myself aiming for anything that I could get some air off of. I normally do everything I can to keep both feet firmly planted on the snow.
The MR102 was the last one of the day. This ski is Mishka's go to pow day ski. I chased him around while we were skiing some pow at Pico back in February. This ski is pretty amazing. Mishka built it with some serious rise in the tip to help float over anything you might run into in the woods... This is one of the most easy turning skis I've ever been on. I found myself seeking out anything that resembled a bump line to try to find how quickly I could turn them. There weren't a ton of bumps around, but everything I found, they could easily handle. I can't wait to see what these feel like in the trees in some fresh snow. With the huge early rise, there were a couple times that I was wishing for a little more running length, thanks to me being 6'4" and 240lbs... I'm sure if you aren't as big as I am, it wouldn't be an issue at all.
The best part of all of these skis is that they are all constructed pretty much bomb proof. The way he builds skis gives a super durable, long lasting piece of equipment that you can throw at anything, and it will come back for more.
The MR87 and the MR110 had graphics top sheets, whereas the MR95 and MR102 have a wood look that would be my preference when it comes time to design my own MR skis...
The brand they most remind me of in comparison to other skis I've tried is ON3P. Very similar construction philosophy and sturdiness... But for me, the MR skis were much better as actual skis.
I demoed the ON3P Wrenegade and the Magnus last year, and they just didn't suit my skiing at all. They are the only skis I've ever ridden that felt too stiff... The MRs actually had some flex when I wanted them to flex.
I'm already thinking about what I would want in a pair of MR skis... I think next season I'll be working to spend some time on fresh snow on the MR lineup to figure out what I want.
In short, if you have a chance to ski with Mishka and try out his skis, DO IT. DO NOT HESITATE.
-w
Conditions were pretty frozen in the morning, but some decently soft corn in the afternoon.
He brought 4 pairs of skis for us to put through the paces on the hill.
We started with the two narrower offerings he brought where the snow was pretty stiff in the morning. We skied the MR87 and the MR95 for a few hours in the morning.
The MR95 was probably my favorite ski of the day. Super stiff, held an edge on anything, super responsive. The Porsche of the MR collection (They like to go FAST). Interested to try it out again on a day with some softer snow. It is very interesting, because the profile doesn't have any camber, it is rocker - flat - rocker (I believe)... But it carves like any cambered ski I have ever been on. One of those skis that you push, and then say 'I can push it some more'... and you do... and that feeling doesn't go away. There is no metal in the ski, but lots of carbon fiber strips laid out at 45 degrees across the skis in both directions, giving incredible torsional rigidity while still being super light.
The MR87 was the second ski I tried. Not quite as stiff as the 95, took me a few runs to get my confidence on it. Still railed pretty well, but did get it to skid on ice a few times, but I think anything short of a pair of hockey skates would have slid out on that surface. Not quite as edge happy as the 95.
As the snow began to soften, I went back to the car and swapped out the two narrower skis for the wider ones.
The MR110 was the first of the wider skis I got to try out. The first thing I noticed was the distinctive sound they made... Unlike any other ski I have ever skied not a bad sound, but you notice it from the first time you pick up some speed. MR110 was probably the softest of the four skis. Very playful, fun ski that I would like to try in some soft snow next year. The crazy thing about this ski is that I found myself aiming for anything that I could get some air off of. I normally do everything I can to keep both feet firmly planted on the snow.
The MR102 was the last one of the day. This ski is Mishka's go to pow day ski. I chased him around while we were skiing some pow at Pico back in February. This ski is pretty amazing. Mishka built it with some serious rise in the tip to help float over anything you might run into in the woods... This is one of the most easy turning skis I've ever been on. I found myself seeking out anything that resembled a bump line to try to find how quickly I could turn them. There weren't a ton of bumps around, but everything I found, they could easily handle. I can't wait to see what these feel like in the trees in some fresh snow. With the huge early rise, there were a couple times that I was wishing for a little more running length, thanks to me being 6'4" and 240lbs... I'm sure if you aren't as big as I am, it wouldn't be an issue at all.
The best part of all of these skis is that they are all constructed pretty much bomb proof. The way he builds skis gives a super durable, long lasting piece of equipment that you can throw at anything, and it will come back for more.
The MR87 and the MR110 had graphics top sheets, whereas the MR95 and MR102 have a wood look that would be my preference when it comes time to design my own MR skis...
The brand they most remind me of in comparison to other skis I've tried is ON3P. Very similar construction philosophy and sturdiness... But for me, the MR skis were much better as actual skis.
I demoed the ON3P Wrenegade and the Magnus last year, and they just didn't suit my skiing at all. They are the only skis I've ever ridden that felt too stiff... The MRs actually had some flex when I wanted them to flex.
I'm already thinking about what I would want in a pair of MR skis... I think next season I'll be working to spend some time on fresh snow on the MR lineup to figure out what I want.
In short, if you have a chance to ski with Mishka and try out his skis, DO IT. DO NOT HESITATE.
-w
