 Poster: A snowHead
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Gidday all.
I need a small favor from those who tested the skis in VT on the EoSB.
We would like to include some reviews on our website so I would be really thankfull if those who tested the skis could take the time to do a small reveiw, especially the skis that really brought grins to peeps faces ie the Icelantic Pilgrims and Nomads (possibly the best all mountain ski in the world?), the High Society FRs (that'd be Graham then) and the Titicaca Embrum 3000s.
Thanks
Andrew
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My 169 Pilgrim's were great at Castleford but haven't seen a pucka mountain yet. They're soft enough in the tip & tail for a non demanding ride but pretty stiff torsionally for good edge hold. They'd certainly perform well on piste for me, being easy to initiate either a skidded or carved turn - the VIST plate/binding set-up certainly helps getting them up on edge & adds a bit to their stiffness underfoot. My 175cm/95kg frame would want a longer ski to aid fore/aft balance when off-piste as my skill level isn't high enough to stay centred on a ski this short in deep stuff. The nearest ski I could compare them to is the Volkl Karma.
Unfortunately for me Deb liked the Pilgrim's so much that she's now pinched them for herself as an 'all mountain' ski so it's looks like her Burnin' Luv's will be up for sale in the Autumn. She's 176cm/62kg so this length & the 90mm underfoot will give her loads of float off-piste but still be very useable on-piste. For comparison the 169cm Pilgrim twin tip has the exact same running length measurment as her conventionally designed 160cm Burnin' Luv's.
It's also worth mentioning the superb paint job on the Pilgrim's (as with all the Icelantic skis) which looks great with the green 'Python skin' effect VIST bindings.
Pilgrim buyers need to note that the factory edge set-up is a fairly aggressive with a 3 degree side edge angle (& 1 degree base edge) which will also help their edge holding ability on hard snow - so when tuning you'll need a 3 degree side guide ( ) or specify 3 degrees to the shop tech.
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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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I found the 169 Pilgrims to be fastastic at carving through the piles of soft slush in the early afternoon sun. On or off the piste, you banged them over, let the edges catch and then rode the rails.
A little heavy for the moguls though hehehe
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Spent an afternoon on the High Society FRs
The skis needed to be 'worked' in that they felt a little dead without the effort but they coped with ease the crud/slush of a hot afternoon when powered up. These were easily the biggest ski I have ever tried being 187cm in length and 100mm + under foot yet they turned surprisingly well for the size and were a joy to use both on and off piste in the soft conditions that we had. Not a ski to use slowly or cruise around on as I had the impression they would happily spit you off if you allowed your mind to wander but that may just of been me and lack of experience with a ski of this nature.
Would I buy some? Possibly as I did enjoy the experience but would like to try a few others of a similar size to have something to compare against.
Thanks again kiwi1, for bringing them along, definately something to consider for the future
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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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Thanks guys.
I'm going to add one to the mix. The Icelantic Nomads in 168. A number of snowheads came back with massive grins on their faces stating that that ski had converted them to wider skis and could not believe the edge holding ability, carving ability for a 105mm wasited ski and how stable they were. One snowhead even stated that the Icelantic Nomads were possibly the best ski in the world (ok he was just over excited, maybe the 2nd best)
A member of the winning team of the Derby de la Meije tried them and stated "they are a serius ski and one of the top skis he'd tried" and was able to carve of piste almost getting his ear to the snow (oh to be as good a skier as Sebastien)
So come on, you know who you are. Chuck a review in here Nomad riders.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The 173 Titi Caca Embruns 3000 are the nicest ski’s I have ever tried.
I’d been having a great week on some 165 Dynastar Legend 8000’s, which I’d sought out as THE ski for me, until I slapped on the Embruns.
In driving terms: I thought I’d been driving a Straight 6 4.2ltr EType Jag then I put the Embruns 3000’s on and discovered that now I was in a Ferrari 308 GTB and in fact what I’d been driving earlier was an Alfa Sud. (I immediately put the Legends in for a glide and wax!)
Being only 5’3 I was a little concerned that the length would spoil the fun but the Embruns are so stable you really can’t go wrong on them. For me they’re a great all mountain ski. I played with them in spring conditions and while, like the Legends, they were unbelievably uncomfortable on hard-packed icy frozen corduroy first thing, after morning tea and for the rest of the day .... TheY JusT WenT !!!
Thoroughbreds.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 17-05-07 14:05; edited 4 times in total
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Juliette, ..... er ....how .... how did they perform in the muddy conditions ...... ? 
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Fortunately, I had the Legends on for that escapade!
Returning to the hotel with ElHen from the Pluviometre (after a grande stein at the Plein Sud) I noticed a tiny patch of snow ever so slightly closer than where she'd stopped. Not being the keenest walker, I made for the gap........ Upon exiting the snow…. and hitting the gravel/rocks - which brought me to an immediate HALT! - I was launched into the air at a 30-degree angel. Through shear skill, I aimed at the ground with my right knee to enable me to then roll and flip onto my back kicking the skis straight up and out of the way of further damage. Sadly, this meant lying in the mud (pastoral!) for a minute while I grappled with my bindings. (to the casual observer this might have looked like your average tumble and fall)
Sodden, embarrassed and bruised I leapt to my feet and laughed my head off with ElHen and Eyore who’d witnessed the whole thing.
Hysterical.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Thu 17-05-07 14:06; edited 1 time in total
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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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...... just for the record, at least one French citizen also witnessed this, ..... 'Ski Damage Limitation' incident.
......sadly, as the individual was unable to speak, or communicate coherently, for several days thereafter, he was Sectioned under the appropriate Mental Health Act and taken away ....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Juliette wrote: |
Sodden, embarrassed and bruised I leapt to my feet and laughed my head off with ElHen and Eyore who’d witnessed the whole thing.
Hysterical. |
Valiant! Shame I missed it. Was only there for the first fall of the week....
Juliette, thanks for your appreciation on your 'thanks' email earlier. You were a truly brilliant facillitator. x
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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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The Titicaca 173s were astonishingly good skis. As soon as I clicked them on they seem to say "have fun". And I did. Very quick, very agile. Great in the soft-ish snow I was in, but I though they'd be good on firm snow, too. Really, really easy to get used to. Loved them. Struck me as a possible second pair of skis to have to go with my Missions.
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I liked the Titicaca embrun 3000s too. They were a bit longer than I would normally ski (173), but didn't feel as long as that. Very easy to ski, turned well, held well , and seemed quite happy either to skid or to run on their edges. the only shortcoming they had as far as I was concerned was that their turning radius was too large for my liking! (I prefer not more than 14m). 
I also tried the Pilgrims, pretty short (151?). I found them easy enough to ski, held an edge surprisingly well, but very heavy, and diabolical on that long flat bit. skating required body builder legs!
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You know it makes sense.
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kiwi1, a bit late in on this but you did me the favour of letting me try a pair of your skis so it is only reasonable that I repay the favour, after a fashion.
Embarrassingly, I do not know what skis I tried. It was the day I did the off-piste and Philipe, the guide, wanted to try a pair of you skis. I think he fancied the High Society ones or whatever they were called. The ones G had on permanent loan. Any way, he took the longer version of the ones I tried. The ones with the eels graphic (sorry to sound like a complete girl). I took the same ski in 161 cm.
My own skis are Pocket Rockets and I suppose I have got very used to them. They are a bit flappy at speed so I do not go too fast on piste but apart from that, they will take me pretty much everywhere I want to go. In VT in particular I was very circumspect on the piste, as I have had some bad falls on the PKs and before that X-Screams.
In the conditions in VT, at the end of the season, your skis (Pilgrims ?) were surprisingly good. They were very intuative and you could absolutely beast the piste on them. The reason for that is they are built like a bloody tank. They are absolutely solid, after trying them the PKs felt like something somebody had put together with left over baked bean cans, however, that solidity comes at a price (weight). Off-piste they were also very intuitive, in fact I was far more confident on them than I was on the PKs, despite the length they were giving away and the fact I know the PKs. They turned off-piste in to something that resembled the piste, the only problem was their weight. At the end of the season and I suppose at other times, I rely on the occassional get of jail free card with the PKs, when I can jump out of the snow, or at least enough to get me over stuff that you see at the last second. No chance of that with your skis. I am not sure which would give way first, Icelantics skis or a rock in VT but frankly it would be a pretty close call. If I lived in the mtns and had the luxury of a ski for a given condition, I would be queueing up for a pair but as I do not, I will have to stick with a one ski does all. It just will not be PKs for much longer
Philipe btw absolutely turned off-piste in to on-piste with the Pilgrims (?). I though I was going a lot quicker but there was smoke coming off the snow after Philipe. He said he had been skiing on the same skis for 56 days of the season (I think). Thank God for that, because if he had had those skis all day, the rest of us would have been begging for mercy.
Great skis, built like a tank but bloody heavy.
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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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Nickski, Thanks for that. The speed lock plates are a bit of a trade of on the Icelantic skis. It's great to give you that extra 15mm of height to help you get edge to edge faster but unfortunatly the plates add a fair bit of weight.
Interestingly I took the plates of a pair of the 169 pilgrims on the last day and the guys at Ski Tecnic were amazed how light the skis are. Very light!!!! I'm intending to use a pair of 169 nomads myself next season but will mout them with the VIST X-free bindings to keep the weight down.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hi kiwi1, another late entry. I tried the Pilgrims. Initially, they felt too short at 169 and I thought they be a bit unstable and flappy because of it but surprisingly they weren't. My initial impressions of skiing with them on-piste in soft afternoon snow was that they were very solid and held a good edge. There wasn't as much feedback through the ski as with my Aztec Pros but they were more efficient at literally battering through bad snow. They were easy to turn and carve on-piste despite their width. Off-piste they were again easy to manoeuvre despite their width and could be skidded as well as carved. I'd like a bit more length and would definitely try more Icelandic skis as I liked the feel: very different to the Scotts.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sharkymark, Thanks for that. Yup it takes a while to get used to the shorter length. The whole concept behind Icelantic skis is that surface area is more important than length.
I'll be at the Snowheads tests so you can try the nomads.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I will see if I can get anything out of Jon as to how he got on with the High Societies, though conditions could not have been less suitable for them, he had no problems. I do remember being "flat out" on one red while he was casually rotating alongside me.
As he is 18 he is currently sleeping most hours except those between midnight and 4.
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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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Weren't they, High Societies, outrageously long? I seem to recall a lot of enourmous smiles following the tests though
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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flowa, Indeed so. And wide! Jon reported a conversation with an Aussie on a lift that went "Jeez mate, You can have skis or a snowboard but two snowboards is cheating!"
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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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Contact Seb at Titicaca. He'll have some.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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kiwi1, mmmwah!
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FAQ
I'm gutted! Got an email from them this morning saying that they sold the last pair on the weekend but hadn't updated the website!!!
- can you pm them to me?