 Poster: A snowHead
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2014-2015 Amplid Syntax 178cm
119-86-111 r = 20.64m @ 178cm
Manufacturer Info:
Amplid GmbH und Co. KG
Hammerer Hof
83730 Fischbachau
Deutschland
Telefon: +49 8028 1713
Telefax: +49 321 2125213
http://www.amplid.com
Suggested Retail Price (MSRP):
$729 usd
Usage Class:
Park-Freestyle/All-Mountain
Background:
Amplid was founded in 2005 by Peter Bauer and Anian Thrainer to buildbetter snowboards and skis. They are comitted to selling fewer, butbetter products that make skiers and riders happy, and their suppliersare all within 400km of their headquarters. Their designs aremanufactured in Elan's high-tech facility in Slovenia, as are manyhigh-quality smaller brands concerned with quality and consistency.
Rating (with comments):
(1="get me off these things"->10="I have to own a pair")
9 for bumps & park terrain
8+ for packed powder groomers
6+ for variable snow conditions
7-8 for boilerplate hardpack (speed limit above GS velocities)
5 for powder
Manufacturer's Description:
"Riding the lightest park ski on the planet isn’t just aboutstealing an advantage against the competition. Eliminating swing-weightwith HEXO2 Technology means Cartel team rider McRae Williams hascomplete control through every trick in his precision slopestyle runs.And, such a light and lively ski inspires creativity too; Noah and Lukaswear-by the Syntax when filming edits and video parts.Full lengthtraditional camber, a poppy flex and responsive 86mm waists give theSyntax a reactive and precise, slopestyle focused feel; but it has aplayful side too. The Cartel team loves the well-defined butter point inthe Syntax’s flex, a dream for below-the-lip halfpipe butters, railtrick combinations or getting airborne from snappy hand-drags.The Syntaxis completed with a practically frictionless, race grade 7.2K sinteredbase; a must-have for reliable glide on all snow conditions. "
- Amplid website 2014
Summary:
The description of the Syntax, like the Rockwell we reviewed earlierfrom Amplid,is right on. There is a cult following for the Amplidpark / freestyle skis, and based on our few days on a pair of Syntaxes we can see why so many people really crave this ski. The requiredelements of quick agility, lightweight feel, energetic pop, smearableprecision and balance are immediately apparent when you get on theSytnax. What really surprised a bunch of testers was the all-mountainfrontside capabilities of this supposedly specialized freestyle ski. Some freestyle and park skis get a bit skittery, drifty or somewhatless-than-inspriing when pressed into service as an all-mountain skiwhere speeds go up, surfaces get more inconsistent and mounting positionbecomes overly "cab-forward". "Balanced and versatile" is the bestdecriptive phrase that comes to mind when thinking about spending timeon the Amplid Syntax.
The Syntax was surprisingly excellent as an all-mountain ski in theunder-90mm waist category, more so than many other brands of freestyleskis. The impressive ability of the Syntax to rip securely andenergetically all over the mountain means Amplid has created a greatfreestyle ski you can use nearly anywhere on the frontside withouthaving to sacrifice performance or fun-factor, and that's impressive. Everyone was impressed with how tight the grip was in carving situationswith the Syntax, even as the speeds approached GS-levels. Normally apark/freestyle ski doesn't deliver the impressive full-carve abilitiesof the Syntax, preferring instead to provide some "bite-and-go" turnbehaviors. The Amplid Syntax can not only float, pop and fly throughfreestyle terrain, but lay down serious carving tracks on the hardpackwith surprising stability. As you might expect, the Syntax is not theideal tool for surfing through fresh powder or crud-busting windpackedchop in the trees or in open terrain because of its forward mount andrelatively low floatation factor front and rear with minimal shaping,but then again, it's billed as a park and freestyle ride.
Technical Ski Data: (from mfr specs)
Overall Length 1780
Running Length 1462
Sidecut Depth 14.50
Size 178
Sidecut Radius 20.64
Tail Height 55
Tip Height 55
Tip Length 166
Tip Radius 240
Tip Width 119
Tail Length 152
Tail Radius 200
Tail Width 111
Waist Width 86
Fully cambered profile
Helio P.15 lightweight wood laminate core
Hexo2 honeycomb inserts in tip and tail to reduce swing weight
Sintered 7200 base
Tapered fly tips
Pre-stretched fiber matting
Designed in Germany, Manufactured in Slovenia
Weight: 1740 grams per ski (178cm) 1630 grams per ski (172cm)
Bindings and Boots Used:
Tyrolia Attack 13 Bindings
Salomon S-Max 120 boots.
Pre-Skiing Impression:
The understated, somewhat industrial-looking graphics underwhelmed somepeople, while others latched right-on to the relatively colorlesstech-lettering look and loved it. The skis are indeed light, light,light feeling, with soft tips and tails (tail slightly stiffer) andmoderately stout mid-body. The hand flex is best described as "poppy"but not "snappy", with vibrations dampened well with no resonating feelto them. Torsionally soft up front, the ski's midbody and tailstrenghten themselves up to resist torsional forces nicely as you godown from the forebody. Fit and finish were very, very good, with anexcellent consistency to the base and edge finishing. Overall, theimpression is one of high-quality. Mounting option points are plainlymarked and easy to understand (thank you....).
Test Conditions:
Eastern corduroy, packed powder and hardpack groomers, boilerplate,ungroomed packedpowder with small bumps, shin-deep to knee-deeppowder conditions,both smooth and bumpy. Windpack, crust, chalkywind buff, freshandold powder.. Park obstacles,half-pipes, bumps.
Freestyle Terrain / Obstacles
The Amplid Syntax is one of the most balanced, energetic and stablefreestyle-oriented skis we have tried in recent memory. It's not aone-trick-pony, but has an impressively wide performance envelope ofagility, stabilty and pop-on-demand in nearly every kind of freestyleterrain. Testers especially liked the light spin-weight and secure gripunderfoot. Transitions between terrain (horizontal, vertical) areeasy, with no hang-ups, and lots of energy on-tap when flexed. Predictable and strong, with excellent precision.
Hardpack and Boilerplate
The Syntax surprised everyone with its ability to lay down seriouscarving behavior on hardpack conditions. Lots of freestyle-oriented skidesigns can bite and change direction quickly, but fail to deliver asustainable carve at speed without getting unhinged somewhere along thetrajectory. The Syntax behaved like a frontside all-mountain ski wthexcellent carves on-tap at a variety of speeds...right up to near-GSlike velocities. At GS speeds and above, the Syntax showed its lightweight and quick-turning behavior by becoming a bit nervous andover-eager, but never unstable. Adjusting the mounting positionbackward from its relatively cab-forward default position back a fewcentimeters tamed this eager behavior at higher speeds. Overall, theSyntax delivered an unexpected prowess at carving up hardpack, whichbroadens its appeal to skiers who don't spend all their time in thepark.
Mixed Conditions:
Mixed conditions showed the Syntax to be a bit narrow fore and aft (119mm tip, 111mm tail) to generate much float and lift in cruddy conditionscompared to the general popiulation of 98mm-waisted "all mountain skis"with wider tips and tails, but then again, the Syntax is not designedfor those conditions. The slicy nature of the Syntax shaping provided asolid knife to cut through crud with essentialy no deflection, evenwith the lightweight chassis. What you don;t get is the ability tofloat up and over the windpack,chop and crusty materials in your path. The highly-responsive nature of the Syntax can make it a bit "darty" inthe mixed crud, but it is tempered by the 20 meter radius shaping, soit's a good compromise. The Syntax is happiest on consistent surfaceconditions.
Bumps:
The Syntax was a blast in the bumps because the tips and tails wereessentially absorbant, lightweight extentions of the poppy, energeticmidbody where all the action happens. We found you could go straight atthe bumps and soak them up, or cut across them, launching over severalto land in the next collection a few bumps over to the left or right. "Fun" was the first word that came to mind after going into the bumpswith the Amplid Syntax. The light weight and low-resistance swingweight allowed people to go through bumpy terrain longer without gettingfatigued, yet gave a high-octane ride with as much pop and launch asyou wanted. That's fun. The midbody of the Syntax seemed to be thehotspot for bump activity, allowing pivots and bounding with precisionand pop that seemed to keep everyone thrilled and happy.
Powder:.
While the Syntax is not a powder ski, we had the chance to ride it insome boot-top-to-knee-deep powder in New England. We expected minimalfloating behavior because of the narrow tip and tail, but what surprisedus was the ability to adjust depth in 3D snow conditions. The Syntaxcould porpoise up and down with relative ease because of the soft tipsand tails, meaning there was little effort to ride on top temporarily orsink down low, and back again (important feature). The Syntax is aknifing-shape, not a floating shape, but won't leave you sunk at thebottom of the fluff if you have to travel in deep snow without yourpowder skis.
Analogies: ("This ski is like...")
A thoroughbred freestyle ski with an all-mountain add-on package.
Things I Would Change About This Ski:
Nothing...other than jazz up the graphics a little (some people like the graphic the way they are..others want more spice)
Short Answer When Someone Asks "What Do You Think About This Ski?":
I can see why Amplid has a devoted cult following for its freestyleskis. This one handles lickety-split with lightweight feel, yet can laydown carving tracks when asked. That's a hard combination to find. Difficult to find in North America.
Advice To People Considering This Ski:
The Amplid Syntax is as good a freestyle ski as you can find, with theadded bonus of being above-average all over the frontside for itsintended category. A few demo runs will probably convince you this is agreat ski.
Pics: (click images for larger versions)  Camber Profile: Amplid Syntax Base view: Amplid Syntax Mounting Point Layout: Amplid Syntax Topsheets: Amplid Syntax
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