 Poster: A snowHead
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I skied these for a day at the EOSB and ended up buying a pair. Here's why (with a tiny bit of delay  ):
I was looking for a light-ish all-around ski, mainly but not only for Europe, to be used for touring in all conditions. I was hoping for stability at speed and maneuverability in tight spots. I was initially aiming for something around 184 cm and 100mm waist, as an all-round compromise.
The list of candidates increased each year. The Wailer 99 Pure was still top of my list, and then there were models from Dynafit, Dynastar, Down Skis, Volkl, La Sportiva, Faction, etc, etc.
Then I skied admin's Ranger Carbonlites for a whole day.
Conditions: mix of fresh and spring snow, with about 20 cm fresh in certain areas.
My style: relatively fast and aggressive for a cube jockey, but slow and technique-limited compared to good instructors and guides. I'm 5'11 (at least in thick socks) and around 85kgs, or about 13.5 stones.
Skis I like: DPS Wailer 112 Hybrid (my go-to all-around offpiste ski), ON3P Wrenegade (burlier, great for stability and speed, they don't wake up until about 30 miles/hour but still work in the trees if you like your jump turns), Kneissl Tanker.
Skis I didn't quite enjoy: Praxis Freeride, High Society Freeride
Whitedot Ranger Carbonlite experience: these are what I wanted the Praxis Freeride to be (at broadly similar dimensions). They gave me a lot of confidence when I opened up my turns and went relatively fast, and I never felt that I would topple over when pressuring the tips. (I can ski centred but I prefer driving the ski tips). On the other hand, the skis were very quick to turn when I went for short turns, and I could scrub speed very fast when I wanted to, by slarving / throwing them sideways. I didn't ski trees (they're in short supply in Val Thorens) but easily snaked my way between some tight rocks (that's between, Graham, not over!).
The skis are light, not only relative to their size. They're not ultralight touring skis like Trabs, some Dynafits, the new La Sportiva, etc, but then again they are far burlier than those. For my intended use (day tours mainly) and ski style, the combination of skiability and light weight is excellent.
The one place where I didn't fall in love with them was the piste. They were quick to slide and turn but I didn't quite feel I could carve them like I do with my DPS 112s. But...they're touring skis. I'm not going to use them much for piste carving.
On the other hand, after skiing them for a day and then returning to my beloved Wailer 112s, I felt that the Wailers were a little too turny, and I missed the solid feeling at speed of the WD Carbonlites.
Other observations: I didn't feel that they were too rigid or chattery due to the carbon construction (an issue for some carbon skis). It's true that the snow was quite soft.
So...I ended up deciding that the slightly wider waist and longer length than I was looking for will add stability in most snow conditions and will not be an issue for versatility, as the skis remain light, playful and quick to turn. I took a while to change focus from desiring the Wailer 99s, but except for carve-ability, I think the Rangers will turn out to have more wide-ranging use.
The interesting test will come when I have to decide what skis to take on a given day (or a given trip). If there is touring on the horizon, I'll take the Ranger Carbonlites. If there's fresh lift-served deep snow, it will be the Wailers, or the ON3Ps if I want to go fast and there are few or no trees. If I go to the US or to Chile, I hope the Rangers will be versatile enough as a single pair.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 16-07-14 14:36; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Did you mean 75kg? Otherwise that's quite a bit more than 12 stone. 
I liked my Rangers so much that I'm trying to get rid of most of my similar skis this year.
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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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Thanks for catching this, meh. I actually meant 85 kgs (unfortunately), but I typed the wrong weight in the online conversion tool (I'm not good with stones). Now edited.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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horizon, thanks.
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