 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking for a bit of advice, particularly from anyone who has been on these.
I am thinking of a new pair of skis this season, and for some reason have always felt a pull toward the whitedots.
A little about me, Im an intermediate, try to go off for at least 2/2.5 weeks per year. I have spent the last few years getting a couple of off piste lessons on every trip, and aside from that try to be on the 'side piste' whenever I can (and Im happy its safe!). Still very much looking to improve my technique, which is not great!
Im currently on a pair of 09/10 K2 Kung Fujas, which I really love. They have the Schizo binding, which seemed like a great idea at the time, but reality is that I will never be capable in the park, so they are wasted! Dont 'need' new skis, but... Im feeling the urge.
Has to be a one ski quiver. Happy to accept that piste performance will be compromised to an extent to give the off piste performance. Will not be hiring a set of carvers if I hit a dry week tho! I'd love to try out the Whitedots, and am trying to negotiate a trip to the braehead event, however Im not sure that will be feasible.
So my questions would be-
- is there anywhere in la Tania that has demo whitedots? (thats my first trip, seems unlikely tho!)
- has anyone been on both who could give me a bit of a comparison?
- another big problem for me is the carbonlites, seems that unless I get them I would feel like I am on 'lesser' skis. Is there much of a difference?
-expensive skis, are they worth it?? I now because they are a small manufacturer the idea of a bargain deal on them is fantasy, and certainly I can find nothing online. I guess I could sell off the K2s for a bit of money to offset the cost a little, but still....
Not sure I can justify the money, but so tempting.....!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have a pair of Preachers. Not skied the Kung Fujas. They are a great ski and worth the money, however for an intermediate I would hesitate to recommend them for a one ski quiver. It's a good idea to demo some, there are a couple of places in Chamonix I'm sure the lads at White Dot will point you in the right direction for elsewhere.
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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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SkiG, I am pretty sure there were was a hire shop over in Courchevel doing Whitedots can not remember the name of them but sure DOT will pop up soon and lets us know.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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SkiG, Hi, I'll check with our French Distributor to see if there are demo skis available in the area but if not we do have demo skis available to take from the UK.
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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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jbob, thanks for the info, just out of interest what makes you hesitant to recommend them to someone like myself?
Dot., Thats great, thanks, Ill look forward to hearing back from you
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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SkiG, If your any where near the Snowdomes then maybe I could met up for a slide and bring along a pair of Preacher Carbons for you to try 
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| SkiG wrote: |
| They have the Schizo binding, which seemed like a great idea at the time, but reality is that I will never be capable in the park, so they are wasted! |
You'll never need to worry that you're skis are mounted in the wrong place though. Silver linings 
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SkiG, Standard skis aren't 'lesser.' The carbonlite stuff saves weight for touring, but generally heavier skis are better in most conditions - get deflected less, plough through crud better, etc. If you're not touring, the standard constructions is the better option.
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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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I've got Preachers which admittedly are the longest stiffest make up and they are great for skiing hard but I'm not sure I'd recommend to a true intermediate as a one ski quiver as they take a fair bit of muscle and need attention e.g. in the bumps. I've also demoed a Fujas indoors and hated it - lifeless (may have been the mount) so if you love that you might be better served by different skis. The point is find skis that work for you not one's that you covet because other people say they are good.
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livetoski, Would love to, but sadly we are yet to be blessed with a dome in Northern Ireland!
fatbob, interesting point. Certainly I ski fairly aggressively, so in that sense I quite enjoy a ski that needs a bit of muscle.
I think like all have said Im going to have to get myself on a pair to make up my own mind
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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SkiG, it's not La Tania, but if you are around the Zillertal at any point drop me a line and I'll have some goodies you can try out
Same goes for everyone else out there of course!
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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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SkiG, we have a shop in Meribel (Altistore) who should offer demos. You should be able to reach them on +33 4 79 08 50 68
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Dot., great, many thanks
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You know it makes sense.
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SkiG, love my Preachers (not carbon), don't take my old piste skis anywhere anymore as the Preachers are so good on and in everything, except, for me, moguls. Can do them, but don't enjoy them as I would on a nippy piste ski! But the benefits WAY outweigh that little niggle! Will hopefully be trying the carbon version on the PSB in a couple of weeks, so it'll be interesting to see how they compare. Hope you get to try some - sure you'll love them!
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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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Jude1, we haven't finalised the demo skis we'll bring to PSB yet but the choice will be pretty comprehensive and should include a 179 Preacher CL.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Dot.,
I'm thinking of coming to Breahead this weekend. Would there be any chance of demo on the Rangers?
SpyderJon is recommending them over Dynastar Cham97s for my needs, but if like to try the Rangers (and Preachers) before I commit. Mark P gave me an email for Ally, your Scottish Rep, but it seems to be wrong.
Thanks,
Renny
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hey Renny, can't promise anything re the Rangers but will see what we can do. Will PM you Ally's number.
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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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Cheers Dot.,
Quick response indeed. Happy to meet up some other time with Ally if he can't make it this weekend.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Late to the thread but I've got the Preachers and can absolutely recommend them. I've demoed the 179's but opted for the 189's myself - not sure what others here think but if you're a true intermedate it might be worth considering the slightly shorter, more flexible and ultimately more forgiving 179's. The 189's are unreal, but you have to work a lot harder on them. (Also depends on your height and weight I guess...)
I've had a go on Kung Fujas in the past and they don't come close.
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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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Another "Preacher Man" here. Previoulsy skied on K2 Public Enemies which were great on piste but not so great off piste. Initially went with 189s which are a fantastic ski but at 5'9" and 10.5 stone I found they really needed a lot of push as they're a rather stiff ski. I managed to pick up a reduced pair of 179 in the post season sale and have just sold the 189s to another Snowhead. Off up to see SpyderJon tomorrow to get them setup and maybe buy some skins as well 
I see the Preacher as being one of the best one quiver all round skis you can buy. I have skied them in tough on piste conditions, thevSwiss Wall in Avoriaz, knee deep powder and ripped reds up to 90kph. They generally have dealt with everything I could throw at them and would easily take more it's just that the 189s left me absolutely knackered by 15.00. I'm taking 179s to Japan next year so I'm hoping I won't miss the extra float too much but I know that they will hold on ice and do a great job in most powder conditions. My opinion is that if you're prepared to put the extra work into the skis and really drive your skiing then these are one of the best skis going.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Great to get a couple more opinions, and positive too. What would the two of you feel about the carbonlites? Have you had a go on them? Would you like the lower weight?
Im now between these and the Line bacons, a good friend is encouraging me to go for the Lines, reckons they would be a good compromise, and he loved a demo on them
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I've never tried them but I'm sure the reduced weight would be a bonus if you're out on the mountain all day. Having said that, at c. £800 + (RRP) I'd probably shy away from actually buying a pair. When you add the cost of bindings you're looking at the equivalent of two pairs of skis...and I'd rather have two pairs of skis!!!
No experience of SFB's either unfortunately.
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Line SFB: shoite cores.
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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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the_doc,
I am planning a solo trip to the Zillertal valley from next Friday. I am having trouble finding a sitable hostel/b&b. Do you know of anywhere? Would love to try out a pair of the preachers too.
Many thanks
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Dot., I have tried to phone them a couople of times, my French is not great, but they seem to be saying that they are not open the weekend of the 15th, are there any other rental places in the three valleys which might have the preacher carbonlites to demo?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ok let's do this... clarky999 may know which direction this is going!
Before I begin let me preface my comments by pointing out that I realise bad mouthing a whitedot ski on snowheads is a bit like trash talking the new Ipad to a forum of apple fan boys!! Just know that I love you all and please dont ban me for this, but this thread is effectively a review and should be represented by both sides!
I did not like the Preacher at all! I would go as far as to say I hated it... Whitedot have made some stunning skis and are on the forefront of modern ski design (i will most probably be bothering Jon for a pair of carbonlite ragnaroks next summer), which is why I was so utterly disappointed!
Let's start with the good! It's a whitedot ski so it is a solid, well made ski! Camber will give it a some bite on-piste and the modern construction gives a damp controlled ride...
my complaint is that it is, simply put, confused!
The tip is 155 wide but that is only because it is tapered, it skis like it is even wider, it has a huge swing weight slowing it down when things get bumpy and despite the obvious realisation that it would happen (hence the tapered tip) is is extremely catchy in crud and at speed in powder, but this is to be expected from a (i skied the 179 version) powder ski with a 16 meter radius! I'm sorry but outside of bouncy instructor turns you are going to have to stay ready to react!
Again it is a solid ski so there is some good stiffness in it but that is not what makes it "an aggressive ski" it is a whole heap of normal camber which in my opinion nowadays has no place in a ski over 100mm wide and designed for powder. The raised tail helps a little but this camber is the reason why you feel you have to ski it hard! Full cambered skis are harder to turn in soft stuff... end of!
I'm not going delve into minute details, I will sum up (if anyone is still reading) Off-piste, some people like a straighter radius ski, normally cambered for charging death lines! Good for them but most of us have a sense of self-preservation! Others like a bit of rocker thrown in to make their ski more maneuverable this is in my opinion the way forward (and looking at the majority of new skis out there including whitedot, most others agree)! Finally some like a nice bouncy, turny ski, lots of rocker, little softer and generally friendly, and this is ok too!
What the Preacher does in my opinion is take the wrong aspects of these and mix them together to make a ski that has a normal camber and is stiff and heavy so it wants/needs to be pushed! But at the same has a short turning radius and big shovel and tail meaning it doesnt like the speed and would rather do little turns..... kind of the catch 22 of skis!
Guys, i love your skis but unless i meet an 18 stone guy looking for a turny allround ski, i simply wouldn't recommend this one to anyone....
I know, I'll get letters!
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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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Wow that is a lot longer than it looked when i wrote it!
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dulcamara, Thanks for the feed back. all feedback is good feed back and like all skis, you can't please everyone. I would add that the ski is not designed for powder. It's an all mountain ski with a back country bias. This sums it up OK.
http://freeskier.com/gear/products/whitedot-preacher-ski-2014
Last edited by 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  on Thu 5-12-13 17:17; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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dulcamara, Don't really disagree with anything substantive you've said but I'd say it's less "confused" than a specific bag of tricks and I guess I wouldn't call it a specific powder ski - the camber is celarly designed to do other things.. I find the big nose is helpful in pushing through a lot of crunk but I quite like turny skis. I would agree you've got to be on it to feel and adjust when turns are getting too hooky. This is why I don't think it's an ideal ski for intermediates to grow into - if they are skiing it while developing offpiste interest, sooner or later they'll find they are a passenger on something the ski has locked in to do. These days there are many interesting options for "my first off piste ski" and build quality aside, many people may find there are more mainstream "user friendly"options out there. Someone aggressive or heavy might say those options are a bit meh by comparison to whatever more specialist implement they choose. Horses for course as always
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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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dulcamara, Agree about the 'confused design' and 'mix of the wrong design elements.' Again IMO.
OTOH, I think the Director (and Redeemer) is a fantastic ski, and I also would really like to try the Ragnaroks!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I agreed with the hooky comments when I tried a pair in Chamonix for the day. Salomon BBR I'd skiied with ages before had the same problem.
A few swipes with a file at lunchtime de-tuning the tip and tail for about 2 inches at their widest points sorted this out nicely. And in fact, the instructions that came stuck to my new pair tell you to do exactly this...
I shall report properly after a season with them - be interesting to see if on powder days I end up preferring to leave them at home and find a proper reverse camber powder ski. I was rather hoping that the Preachers would be fun for boating around in warm slush, though...
I hope that for what I do, they will be OK, which is 50-50 piste off-piste, with most of the off-piste being off to the sides of pistes or a short walk to bowls, rather than properly gnarly touring, scary couloir skiing and bonkers cliff/rock jumping. And while I aim to get better in moguls, I'll be avoiding bumps as much as possible on these - far better suited to some old K2 Apaches Recons I have knocking about in a nice short length. But I am definitely curious to see if the Preacher really can be a good all-rounder for everything except extreme powder, ice and moguls. I bought them because in last year's heavy Alpine powder, my 89mm chaps just were not floating enough to stay with my snowboarding friends (admittedly there was some lack of skill present too - from me, not them).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Update - I really did not get on with the Preachers (179cm) for the first couple of days, but on day 3 something just clicked, and I am now completely in love with them. They demand to be driven properly and punish lazy backseat skiing pretty harshly, but once you sort these out these skis really charge, with plenty of pop and really benign handling characteristics. A bit rubbish in bumps, but really good at everything else. I do reserve them for powder days, though, as they are a bit heavy for pottering on piste, but they will carve if you want them too. They are fast, too. Those wide tips have caught me out with crossed skis - have to widen my stance when on them.
Great skis.
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FAQ
