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Post em up - Oktobertest impressions

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
OK those who tested skis at Oktobertest post up your impressions of various skis.

Rules - no such thing as a wrong opinion if a ski didn't work for you then say so.

Usual caveats apply - snowdomes are not the best places for testing powder cruisers, full on performance carvers etc etc

admin wrote:
To remind yourself of the skis you tried, see the yellow tab: "The Skis you have tested..."
on this page: /ski-forum/skibase.php (Or via the snowBase menu, above)
Where you can also leave individual comments about skis
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
OK.

Nothing I tried wasn't at least a good, positive experience. The best was the Kastle 95HP which skiied like something with a way smaller footprint. The biggest surprise was with the K2 Ikonic 84ti which I thought stood up well to everything else in that section of the market, it's not a ski I've seen reviewed particularly positively.
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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?
Looking back at my list as a first-time snow dome skier and Oktobertester I think I'd go back and drop some of my scores with hindsight as I think my early ones were too high, biased too much to "It's my poor/rusty technique or the indoor snow" vs. "It's the ski". Now I was looking for a powder-friendly ski that would still carve (I'm too old/lazy for all that back-country walking to the power nonsense) and trying the Dynastar Legend X96's really reset the scale. What a nice ski! It felt at home in the sort of powdery section just down from the top on the right, didn't require any conscious effort either over or around the mogally section at the top left/middle, and on the flatter section towards the bottom seemed happy to just turn when I rolled my knees, rather than kill me, which is what the Faction Prodigy 2.0's seemed to want to do.

There's also the option of posting a comment against the skis you skied in the Ski-Base section - http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/skibase.php Also a useful reminder of what you DID ski Smile
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I really liked the Whitedot "ASBO" (Sorry can't remember what the real name is going to be). I would have liked to try them at the last EosB but someone seemed to have borrowed them for the whole week ... rolling eyes wink
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
adithorp wrote:
I really liked the Whitedot "ASBO" (Sorry can't remember what the real name is going to be). I would have liked to try them at the last EosB but someone seemed to have borrowed them for the whole week ... rolling eyes wink


Not me guv - I was just doing mount point testing.
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adithorp wrote:
I really liked the Whitedot "ASBO" (Sorry can't remember what the real name is going to be).......

That'd be the Altum 114 and there's a 94mm underfoot version as well which, unsurprisingly, is the Altum 94.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@adithorp, if you want to try the Whitedot ASBO 94 properly at any point, this is a list of places you can find that prototype pair throughout the season Wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@admin, did they accidentally end up in a grey van? ...is that where the BUTTONS are hiding as well?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Dynastar Legend X96 might be what I go for too. Heavy enough to smash through cr@p snow, but still manoeuvrable. Decent edge grip and enough stiffness to get some spring out of them. I would have preferred some slightly more exciting topsheets but I can't have everything I guess. They're blue and black for the unisex ones but at least that's better than the "women's" version which is white with swirly patterns on them. White skis! What kind of madness is that?

Honourable mention to the K2 Fulluvit 95s and the Volkl Secret (although I would have had to insist to the Volkl rep that, yes, I could indeed handle a 170, despite what he might have expected). Either of those would suit me fine, but all things being equal I have reasons to go for the Dynastar wink

Scott Slight was fun but very turny and therefore not really what I was looking for. Whitedot R98 is an excellent ski but I'm shallow and I want a change of brand (I've got some Directors already).

I didn't get on well with the Line Pandora - too soft. And the Faction Dictator wasn't my cup of tea at all; really didn't want to be edged. I guess it has a heritage as a park ski.

I'll give Spyderjon a ring during the week I suppose.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:

Line Pandora - too soft

JanetS found that as well - she decided that the K2 FulLUVit 95 is the ski for her, unfortunately they didn't have any K2 Pinnacle 95s for me to try. I did ski the Pinnacle 105, which was very good, but very much the same as my Cham 107s. The ski I was really most impressed by, as it seemed well nigh perfect to me was the Blizzard Bonafide.
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I was looking for skis between 88mm and about 92mm. The three I wanted to test weren't there. Of the five I tested the two really stand out skis were the Scott - "The Ski". I tried the 184cm, which is way to long for me, as I normally ski 160cm (I'm 5'6"); but surprisingly they were great to handle and went on edge easily. Thoroughly enjoyed them.

But the real eye opener was the Whitedot Director 107mm x 171cm. Most fun I've had with my clothes on. In fact they were scarily fast. Being a relative beginner, I never thought I'd be able to handle skis that are 107mm wide. They felt like no other ski I have skied. After reading a review of them last night, I found out why; they are flat, no camber. It was like having two elongated tea trays on your feet. Rode over the chopped up snow on the side and light crud really well. Not sure how they would handle a hard packed piste or ice. And as I'm looking for an all mountain ski but with a definite on piste bias, but with enough under foot to be able to play in the snow on the sides; the Directors are probably not the ski for me. But oh boy, were they fun. Toofy Grin Twisted Evil I'm considering the new Rossignol Experience 88ti or the K2 Pinnacle 88 ti; but leaning towards the Rossignol, because of it's greater on piste bias.

Also had to have a go on the Head Supershape Titans, just to see what all the fuss is about. Again great fun, but a little too stiff for me.
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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.
@Awdbugga, "Not sure how they [Whitedot Directors] would handle a hard packed piste or ice. "

The answer to that is "not very well". Fabulous in soft snow, but it's not an all mountain ski.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Awdbugga wrote:
Not sure how they would handle a hard packed piste or ice.

You tried the best ice ski at the test as well, the Dynastar Speed WC SL.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
rjs wrote:
Awdbugga wrote:
Not sure how they would handle a hard packed piste or ice.

You tried the best ice ski at the test as well, the Dynastar Speed WC SL.


I didn't try any Dynastar's. I tried five. The Director, Scott-The Ski, Titans, Line - Sick Day and the Scott -Slight 93
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Awdbugga, My mistake, different Awd person.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@rjs, Very Happy wink
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Just tried to update the snowbase thing. Gremlins in the scanners on the day & again in the system today, shame they didn't all save. Puzzled
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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?
Brand - Model (Length) FUN! From / To / Dur Date / Location Tester Comment
Nordica - Enforcer 100 (177) 8 Used these at SOPiB18 so skied them as a control. Very good piece of kit in a longer length.
PFD skis - All mountain charger (182) 8 Quite like these and would be interested to find out how they perform in their natural environment.
PFD skis - Big mountain charger (186) 6 I prefer a turnier, livelier ski but this was not their natural habitat!
DPS - Wailer Alchemist 99 (185) 9 Felt pretty good but are they really worth £1100?
Dynastar - Legend X96 (171) 9 Really good skis - would probably push to 10/10 in longer length.
Whitedot - Preacher (179) 7 Better than the R98 but not all that... this was not their natural habitat
Whitedot - R.98 (185) 5 These felt pretty dull but apparently they hadn't been returned in time for a service and tuning might make a difference.

I also tested some Blizzards I liked - not sure if Bonafide or Brahma - but the scanner didn't record them and something else that had lost its bar code label and I can't remember what it was
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I know it is caveated at the top but I don't see how you get any sense of some of these skis in a snowdome.
Bit like testing a ferrari in a multistory car park. With speed bumps.
At best all you'll learn is will they be annoyingly horrible on cat tracks. You won't experience their good points.
Am I wrong?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Awdbugga, if you’re after an all mountain charger then I don’t think you can go far wrong with the Slights. Tried them a couple of times at the EoSB and they’re just a nice ski.

Re: wide skis. I remember on my first bash thinking that adithorp’s WD Rangers were ridiculously sized planks that I’d never be able to ski. That I was 3 years ago, my ‘daily ski’ is now 106 underfoot and is a doddle on everything (although has the benefit of being considerably softer than the Whitedots.
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@jedster, you can get an idea depending on the ski. The skis I’ve got are something I tested a couple years back and put an instant smile on my face, which now happens everywhere i go with them. The big piste chargers are a bit limited, but you should be able to get a flavour of how it’s going to work on piste. And, most importantly, I think you can work out if you simply hate a ski or if it’s something you’d like to try on the mountain.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@jedster, this is where I thought the the few icy patches and the moguls which had built up gave a bit of variety to testing the skis. Yes I agree I am also left with rhe question... I wonder how that translates into the mountain but I also found it good to keep switching back to my skis to see how the feel compared to my known quantity. Though if you don’t have your own skis you won’t have that luxury.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

And, most importantly, I think you can work out if you simply hate a ski or if it’s something you’d like to try on the mountain.

Yes I see that. Although I do have some skis that I would hate in a snow dome but adore under the right conditions.
Anything that you could call a "charger" is really going to need to be skied faster than a snowdome allows to feel the point of it, I'd have thought.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
jedster wrote:
Quote:

And, most importantly, I think you can work out if you simply hate a ski or if it’s something you’d like to try on the mountain.

Yes I see that. Although I do have some skis that I would hate in a snow dome but adore under the right conditions.
Anything that you could call a "charger" is really going to need to be skied faster than a snowdome allows to feel the point of it, I'd have thought.


That's where you test if the charger is actually livable with in non charging conditions e.g. will it pivot in trees or on bumps or not be a bitch negotiating a lift line.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@jedster, last year I skied something that was horrible in the dome but it was easy to see that it would be pretty enjoyable if you could really let it rip. I think it’s possible to still assess if something is a decent charger that deserves more time or a bit of a noodle that should stay on the rack.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
SnoodlesMcFlude wrote:

Re: wide skis. I remember on my first bash thinking that [b]adithorp
’s WD Rangers were ridiculously sized planks that I’d never be able to ski. That I was 3 years ago, my ‘daily ski’ is now 106 underfoot and is a doddle on everything (although has the benefit of being considerably softer than the Whitedots.


Three years later and I still can't ski them wink
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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.
@adithorp, ssh, you can pass it off as "I prefer the Brahmas"
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Maireadoconnor, If you let Jon know you are an IOS Pro client you will get a better discount on the Dynastars Wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Penry wrote:
OK.

Nothing I tried wasn't at least a good, positive experience. The best was the Kastle 95HP which skiied like something with a way smaller footprint.


I've got these in 181 and they are nimble. I'm 176
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
skimottaret wrote:
@Maireadoconnor, If you let Jon know you are an IOS Pro client you will get a better discount on the Dynastars Wink


I did say there were ‘reasons’ for choosing the Dynastars! wink
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
SnoodlesMcFlude wrote:
@Awdbugga, if you’re after an all mountain charger then I don’t think you can go far wrong with the Slights. Tried them a couple of times at the EoSB and they’re just a nice ski.

Re: wide skis. I remember on my first bash thinking that adithorp’s WD Rangers were ridiculously sized planks that I’d never be able to ski. That I was 3 years ago, my ‘daily ski’ is now 106 underfoot and is a doddle on everything (although has the benefit of being considerably softer than the Whitedots.


I tried the Slight 93s. I just couldn't get on with them. It was weird, they felt kinda lifeless. Probably my technique. Puzzled The Directors on the other hand were a real hoot Toofy Grin .
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Awdbugga wrote:
I tried the Slight 93s. I just couldn't get on with them. It was weird, they felt kinda lifeless. Probably my technique.

Or you didn't try the correct size for you. I liked the 175s.
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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?
GlasgowCyclops wrote:
Penry wrote:
OK.

Nothing I tried wasn't at least a good, positive experience. The best was the Kastle 95HP which skiied like something with a way smaller footprint.


I've got these in 181 and they are nimble. I'm 176


What are they like off piste?
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@Awdbugga, not tried the Directors (too worried that I'll like them and have to buy them) but you're not the first person to rave about them. The Slight just seemed a really capable ski to me, can certainly see why it was Fall Line ski of the year. I liked how it cruised but also how it reacted when you started pushing it a bit more (and I'm by no means a decent skier).
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