First a bit of background info.
Me:- 195cm and 95 – 100 kg, and I would guess about an 8.5 on the S & R ability scale.
Current other skis: - Stöckli Laser SC in 170cm and Stormrider XL in 184cm.

After SHMBO got a pair of Mantras last year, and was very impressed with them, I thought that perhaps it was about time to take the plunge and get a proper pair of “mid fat” skis for skiing in July. Initially I looked at Mantras, Prophet 100s and Stormrider VXLs. As I couldn’t demo anything, I trawled through Snowheads and Epic to see what people had to say about them. The Mantras and VXLs just seemed to be wider versions of my Stormriders, while the Prophets seemed to fit the bill nicely. However, as it was now the beginning of April, they were getting hard to find in the right length, and I was starting to think that I’d have to wait until next season. But then the thought of WDF Preachers sprung into my head, and after talking to both Kiwi1 and Spyderjon I took the plunge and ordered a pair in 189cm, and hoped for the best. Got them mounted with Vist 614 bindings by Spyderjon. My first impressions were wide, wide and wide. And also that they were very light and flexi compared with my other skis. And with the 2011 – 2012 topsheet, not the green with white dots design. What a result!

Back to the present.
Just got back from two weeks in Las Leñas in Argie. On the first day I went out on my Lasers for a few hours, just to get back into the swing of things. They always put a smile on my face. They are a brilliant carving ski (although don’t like snow more than 1mm deep), and are easy to ski on all day long.

Then I went and got the Preachers out. Going from 63mm to 112mm underfoot was a bit of a culture shock, but the first few runs on piste showed that all I had to do to carve tracks almost as well as before was to give myself and the skis a bit more time to go on edge, but I only talking about less than a second. They really do carve unbelievably well for such a wide ski.

With such a high level of confidence in the skis, the next day I went looking for something a lot more testing. A popular tracked out and chopped up 45° slope off the side of the main lift was dispatched with ease. The skis just smashed through anything in their path, and any remnants of power were handled well (even with my pisspoor technique). I was actually laughing when I got to the bottom at how much fun it had been. Short turns, long turns, straight lining, these skis did it all and made me look good. But the biggest revelation was just how easy they were to ski. Powder fields I had struggled on previously with my Stormriders were skied with ease.

Over the next week I only used these skis, and hardly did anything but ski around looking for powder to get into trouble in. The Preachers never let me down. They were simply doubly fcuking awesome in almost all conditions. The only place where they were not so good on was ice, where I found that they had almost no grip at all. But who cares. They were simply that amazing everywhere else. So good in fact, it was like cheating. I really can not praise these skis highly enough. They are a total blast. If there is anything out there in the same category that’s better, then it must be made in by little green men in Area 51 from Unobtainium and Kryptonite, using nanotechnology from the future.

One afternoon, for a change, I had a go on my Stormriders. What a difference. They punished the slightest mistake, were extremely hard work and nowhere near as versatile.
Back on the Preachers, with 30 – 50cm of new snow, was the most fun I’ve ever had on skis, and as I said before, truly had me laughing like an idiot at how easy it all was. The skis never put a foot wrong, even when I did, and simply skied through my mistakes as if on auto pilot until I got some semblance of control back over my skiing.

On the last morning of skiing I went out on the Lasers, with the wife. Looking down it appeared that I had two cocktail sticks under my boots. They were great on groomed runs, but as I found out during a very hard fall, don’t like changes in snow type and thickness. It was my fault, as I wasn’t paying enough attention. The preachers would have looked after me and just blasted through the same patch without me even noticing. I spent most of the time watching other people high up above the groomers, skiing down the untracked power runs off the side of the Marte lift, feeling jealous and thinking that I should have been up there with them on my last day.

Conclusion.
Initially, when I first got on the skis I was very worried that I had made a huge mistake buying such a wide ski without any sort of demo, just using other people’s experiences off the internet. And I know there’s been a lot of threads on here about the pros and cons fat skis, and I for one was very sceptical. But now I’m a convert and these skis are the reason. They have been an absolute eye-opener to me. They are just so good, so easy to ski, and have opened up so much new terrain to me. I have been totally blown away by these skis, and cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone who is looking for a truly all mountain ski. Congratulations to WDF for making such a remarkable ski and whoever designed them deserves a medal.
Searching Snowheads I have found two other reviews of the Preachers, and both just how good, multitalented and tolerant these skis really are.
And you get some really amazed looks from other skiers in the lift queues when they spot these strapped to your feet. And they produce 4 – 5 ft high rooster tails when carving on the groomers.

[A snowHead]

First a bit of background info.
Me:- 195cm and 95 – 100 kg, and I would guess about an 8.5 on the S & R ability scale.
Current other skis: - Stöckli Laser SC in 170cm and Stormrider XL in 184cm.

After SHMBO got a pair of Mantras last year, and was very impressed with them, I thought that perhaps it was about time to take the plunge and get a proper pair of “mid fat” skis for skiing in July. Initially I looked at Mantras, Prophet 100s and Stormrider VXLs. As I couldn’t demo anything, I trawled through Snowheads and Epic to see what people had to say about them. The Mantras and VXLs just seemed to be wider versions of my Stormriders, while the Prophets seemed to fit the bill nicely. However, as it was now the beginning of April, they were getting hard to find in the right length, and I was starting to think that I’d have to wait until next season. But then the thought of WDF Preachers sprung into my head, and after talking to both Kiwi1 and Spyderjon I took the plunge and ordered a pair in 189cm, and hoped for the best. Got them mounted with Vist 614 bindings by Spyderjon. My first impressions were wide, wide and wide. And also that they were very light and flexi compared with my other skis. And with the 2011 – 2012 topsheet, not the green with white dots design. What a result!

Back to the present.
Just got back from two weeks in Las Leñas in Argie. On the first day I went out on my Lasers for a few hours, just to get back into the swing of things. They always put a smile on my face. They are a brilliant carving ski (although don’t like snow more than 1mm deep), and are easy to ski on all day long.

Then I went and got the Preachers out. Going from 63mm to 112mm underfoot was a bit of a culture shock, but the first few runs on piste showed that all I had to do to carve tracks almost as well as before was to give myself and the skis a bit more time to go on edge, but I only talking about less than a second. They really do carve unbelievably well for such a wide ski.

With such a high level of confidence in the skis, the next day I went looking for something a lot more testing. A popular tracked out and chopped up 45° slope off the side of the main lift was dispatched with ease. The skis just smashed through anything in their path, and any remnants of power were handled well (even with my pisspoor technique). I was actually laughing when I got to the bottom at how much fun it had been. Short turns, long turns, straight lining, these skis did it all and made me look good. But the biggest revelation was just how easy they were to ski. Powder fields I had struggled on previously with my Stormriders were skied with ease.

Over the next week I only used these skis, and hardly did anything but ski around looking for powder to get into trouble in. The Preachers never let me down. They were simply doubly fcuking awesome in almost all conditions. The only place where they were not so good on was ice, where I found that they had almost no grip at all. But who cares. They were simply that amazing everywhere else. So good in fact, it was like cheating. I really can not praise these skis highly enough. They are a total blast. If there is anything out there in the same category that’s better, then it must be made in by little green men in Area 51 from Unobtainium and Kryptonite, using nanotechnology from the future.

One afternoon, for a change, I had a go on my Stormriders. What a difference. They punished the slightest mistake, were extremely hard work and nowhere near as versatile.
Back on the Preachers, with 30 – 50cm of new snow, was the most fun I’ve ever had on skis, and as I said before, truly had me laughing like an idiot at how easy it all was. The skis never put a foot wrong, even when I did, and simply skied through my mistakes as if on auto pilot until I got some semblance of control back over my skiing.

On the last morning of skiing I went out on the Lasers, with the wife. Looking down it appeared that I had two cocktail sticks under my boots. They were great on groomed runs, but as I found out during a very hard fall, don’t like changes in snow type and thickness. It was my fault, as I wasn’t paying enough attention. The preachers would have looked after me and just blasted through the same patch without me even noticing. I spent most of the time watching other people high up above the groomers, skiing down the untracked power runs off the side of the Marte lift, feeling jealous and thinking that I should have been up there with them on my last day.

Conclusion.
Initially, when I first got on the skis I was very worried that I had made a huge mistake buying such a wide ski without any sort of demo, just using other people’s experiences off the internet. And I know there’s been a lot of threads on here about the pros and cons fat skis, and I for one was very sceptical. But now I’m a convert and these skis are the reason. They have been an absolute eye-opener to me. They are just so good, so easy to ski, and have opened up so much new terrain to me. I have been totally blown away by these skis, and cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone who is looking for a truly all mountain ski. Congratulations to WDF for making such a remarkable ski and whoever designed them deserves a medal.
Searching Snowheads I have found two other reviews of the Preachers, and both just how good, multitalented and tolerant these skis really are.
And you get some really amazed looks from other skiers in the lift queues when they spot these strapped to your feet. And they produce 4 – 5 ft high rooster tails when carving on the groomers.

[A snowHead]

[Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?]

Sorry, forgot to say - nicely written review.

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thats why i do it.

Skier from Argentina, thanks

[Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.]

Glad to hear you liked the Preachers...buying a ski without trying it first can produce some buyer's anxiety...but sometimes it works out OK after doing some homework first.... As far as the performance on the icy hardpack goes, I have skied two different pairs of Preachers in different states of tune, and simply making sure you don't have excessive base-high or base-bevel conditions on this ski makes a world of difference.

My personal opinion is the Preacher can perform remarkably well on hardpack and icy surfaces if you make sure the base is flat, with less than 1 degree bevel and some tip and tail detuning...even with its 112mm waist. Even a slightly high base or a bevel greater than 1 degree can make a wide ski feel unhooked and drifty on firm surfaces. Having it ground flat with 0.5 degree (+-) bevel (or less) can produce a nicely grippy ski without making it "hooky" or "grabby"if you pay attention to tip and tail detuning. (I may have started a tuning philosophy war here...not my intent...not everyone likes the way I like my skis tuned...caveat emptor...)

Some people find it fashionable to bevel fat skis so much they slide and slarve on hardpack, but I much prefer err on the side of a grippy ski underfoot and have control. Wide skis tend to really reveal the state of their tune on hard snow (somewhat more than a very narrow ski sometimes!), and the exact same ski can behave with night and day difference on the same surface with just a minor tuning adjustment. It's not unusual to see a fat ski's base swell and change its flatness after a waxing or two and a couple days under pressure on snow, going from cold mountain to warm lodge and back a few times. See what the state of your base flatness and edge bevel are...I bet you can get the Preacher to grip very nicely on hard surfaces by making sure the base isn't high or the bevel isn't excessive. Nice design and good execution by the guys at White Dot.

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Skier from Argentina, damn, I should have charged you more

exoticskis, edges were fine on the skis after two hot box treatments - he just needs to MTFU

[Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...]

[After all it is free]

Absolutely right sypderjon...tapering the base bevel fore and aft is the progressive method to retain full-length contact sharpness and reduce hooky feel. The "detuning" (read: dull the edges) is typically my last resort when I'm up on the mountain the first time after a tuning by an inexperienced shop and the ski is handling like a freight train on straight rails and there is no chance to get a re-bevel without the proper tools in my pocket or no chance to get the job re-done properly.... Thanks for the clarification.

I still think the Preacher does a remarkably good job gripping a hard surface when it is tuned nearly flat...in any case...a very friendly ski from very friendly people at WhiteDot.

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OK, I'm now confused. Can someone (probably Jon) define edge bevel for me. Please

[Ski the Net with snowHeads]

midgetbiker, here's the basic intro: http://www.jonsskituning.co.uk/content/section/9/47/

You need to visit & it will all become obvious

[snowHeads are a friendly bunch.]

Skier from Argentina, great review... any chance of some pics of the skis and you skiing on them