 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
I'm looking for some new skis and the Francis Bacons have got really good reviews but I'm wondering how their piste performance stacks up - I try to ski as much off piste as possible - however I'm in europe and there quite often isn't deep powder around so are these skis still going to be fun on piste?
I've never skied skis 100mm + before so am a bit unsure. I'm not concerned about slalom, or icy conditions - as long as they carve on groomers I'm happy.
p.s. I'm 6' 1, 80kg, and an advanced/expert skier.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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What have you skied, how do you ski (new/oldschool style), what do you want to do when you are skiing on piste and have you demoed anything similar?
For me the answers were: 90mm, newschool, messing around and looking for fun lines and fast crusing more than mach 5 pretending-to-be-Ted Liggety and yes - the bacons felt better edge to edge and on edge than some skis which were narrower and less rockered.
They are lively, they won't have the killer edge grip some might want, but you can stamp on the edges to get them in if it gets sketchy and they do respond. They're emphatically NOT Pocket Rockets in this way. If you like to get over the front of your skis more and simply must dig big trenches down the fall line, and really need something without a speed limit, you probably want something more like the Influence (from Line).
They are astonishingly forward mounted - seriously - something like 20mm back from core center, but they are also great and don't feel anything like as iffy as similarly placed park/am skis would. Really nice.
As someone who mostly isn't too fussed about demoing I'd nonetheless suggest demoing if you can. I thinks loads of the things I love about them some people might hate, particularly the very newschool stance needed.
For what it's worth I learnt as a kid in the 80s on Atomic ARC Jrs and Dynastar Omesofts, so that maybe gives old/new some context.
EDIT: Also I demoed in a snowdome, so didn't get chance to really let 'em rip. No idea what the speed limit for carving is, but whatves - if I ski a bit slower on them I'll just get more time on the hill than on a lift. So much fun just to chuck about it's a compromise I'm willing to accept. I suspect, though, that in my case the limitations will be mostly down to user error.
Also, they're not that big really. S7s are big, Bentchetlers are big.
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Since when do you need deep pow to ski offpiste?
If you spend a significant amount of time on piste, and regularly use as pistes as more than a way to get to offpiste, then there isn't really any point getting anything much fatter than 90/100mm, especially if it's your only pair.
If you spend most of your time offpiste, get all your enjoyment from offpiste and don't care too much about high performance piste skiing, then they'd likely be great.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'm hoping the Bacons will be a lot of fun on piste and have just bought a pair for this season - untested. but I've been skiing on Line Prophet 100s for the last 3 seasons (probably racked up around 90 days on them) and they have been great fun both on and off piste. But I've only ever used them in interior BC where the snow is nearly always on the soft side. On-piste they carve trenches like a GS ski as long as the snow is reasonably soft. But the odd day I've encountered Euro style hardpack (not ice) they haven't been so great to be honest, particularly on steep pitches.
You've got to be realistic with a ski like this and I'm expecting the Bacons to be a bit softer and less piste oriented than my current Prophets. If I was skiing in Europe and spending a reasonable amount of time on piste, I'd probably go for the Prophet 90 (or possibly the new 9 as a do-it-all ski. I chose the Bacons mainly for their powder performance and as a general allrounder for BC soft snow conditions. Be interesting to see how the rocker performs on-piste.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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agree with clarky999, get something between 90/100. every day is not a powder day. rocker rocks though... get rocker.
If you like Line, the Prophet 98 might be you bag. They are mine, but shame i'm not shopping right now.
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| Quote: |
If you like Line, the Prophet 98 might be you bag. They are mine, but shame i'm not shopping right now.
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+1
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| Cunners wrote: |
They are astonishingly forward mounted - seriously - something like 20mm back from core center, but they are also great and don't feel anything like as iffy as similarly placed park/am skis would. Really nice.
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Yeah I noticed that when my new Bacons arrived last week. Scared the crap out of me to be honest and wondered if I should have had them mounted -2 or -3 cm as I don't ski switch at all - maybe I should learn? Anyway, the 184s look fecking short mounted on the line, but I'm sure they'll be great fun regardless.
PS. Also had a pair of 200 cm Dynastar Omesofts in the 80s and so started off skiing very much in the old style, although I was a fairly early convert to the wider more centred stance after an instructor I knew spent a few seasons in Banff and came back touting this new fangled concept.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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To add my 0.02c to Clarky and Shoogly's points, I am most emphatically NOT going to be getting rid of my old Prophet 90s yet. If I book a trip and the forecast is looking decidedly poor they'll be going with me. Unless the Bacon turns out to be really remarkable (which it might, see comments in review 1).
If I was replacing the Prophets right now for ONE other pair (and sticking with Line, for the sake of argument) I'd have a Prophet 98 or an Influence 105. As I have the luxury of 2 pairs, going for the Bacon makes more sense to me. It's all about soft snow fun.
If I lived in the mountains, the Opus/an S7 or something equally specific would make more sense still. But I don't, and I only want to haul 1 pair around per trip.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If this elastic band represents your level of agressiveness, how far do I have to stretch it before it breaks?
Here?
Here?
We need some sort of scale for this. Angry egret? Livid mongoose? Ordinary honey badger?
Going on your last post you'll probably get on with the Bacons. Bridges are also picking up some good reviews.
UKtrailmonster: someone I was staying with a year or two back developed the idea of 'switch Tuesdays'. It works, but quieter resorts tend to help with that particular learning curve.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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agd, Sounds like the P98s would be a more versatile all-rounder and based on my experience with the non-rockered P100s they will still float pretty effortlessly in the powder, plus the added stiffness will be better for cutting through the crud and mash. Off-piste doesn't always mean light fluffy powder. Sounds like the new 98 has more torsional stiffness than the old P100 (new capwall construction and extended metal matrix) so should be better on hardpack too.
But the Bacon graphics are much cooler 
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agd, based on that usage, I reckon you should take a look at the Moment PB&J, or the P98s. Not that the Bacons aren't neccessarily too fat, 108 is probably spot on for an offpiste one ski quiver for Europe, but realistically if you're skiing pistes a lot ~100mm would be better IMO.
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You know it makes sense.
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Will have a look at the prophet 98s. I can't seem to find a uk retailer for moment skis though which is a shame as the pb&j look quite good...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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There isn't one (although ellis Brigham used to stock a couple of models) - I had no issues getting my Bibby Pros from them online though. Review here, and plenty more on TGR.
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Poster: A snowHead
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agd, if you "like" (the look of) them, buy them. I used to ski the P130 as my everyday ski in Europe.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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agd, was just thinking a wee bit more about this...
sods law would have it that if your bought the narrower ski, then it'll puke snow all winter and every day will be a powder day and you'll be wishing you had went for the wider ski.
if you buy wider, we'll probably only get a few really deep days all season and the side/back country will be firm compacted snow 90% of the time and you'll wish you had bought the narrower ski.
For what it's worth, my skiing was 30/70 powder to compacted snow last season and my 98mm skis coped just fine.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Line Blends as another option..fat and playable enough for fun, but still pretty good for slumming it on piste..
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Agree with pretty much everything everyone else's said (I'm so controversial).
At 98mm Rossi S3s were the narrowest ski I skied all last Winter. Bit soft for some but did everything pretty darn well and the rocker made the deeper days that caught me without my fatties a breeze.
If you only rock one ski I'd say just be honest with yourself about what you actually ski the most. Seems daft to make a compromise to that for the handful of days it's absolutely banging.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| shoogly wrote: |
agd, was just thinking a wee bit more about this...
sods law would have it that if your bought the narrower ski, then it'll puke snow all winter and every day will be a powder day and you'll be wishing you had went for the wider ski.
if you buy wider, we'll probably only get a few really deep days all season and the side/back country will be firm compacted snow 90% of the time and you'll wish you had bought the narrower ski.
For what it's worth, my skiing was 30/70 powder to compacted snow last season and my 98mm skis coped just fine. |
SO GET SOME SKINNY LITTLE SLALOM SKIS YOU SELFISH ****!!!
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FAQ
. My last skis were almost centre-mounted (maybe 2cm back) and I've skied near centre-mounted twins for the last 6 years so I'm used to that. My style is relaxed and smooth, always looking for jumps. I can ski fast and aggressively but normally I have more fun making turns and hitting bumps than charging.
