 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm aware that there have been many posts asking fellow Snowheads for advice on which skis to buy but I've never seen a post regarding ski choice and the skiers weight. How does this effect things?
I'm going to buy one of three skis in the next week, Volkl Mantras, K2 Extreme or Saloman Lords. After over six weeks of trying to decide which ones to buy I am still not sure and was hoping that by stating the perceived pros and cons and get the collective feedback that I might be able to make a more informed choice.
I'm 29, 85Kgs and 5'10" I'm an experienced skier and would say that I can ski pretty much anything although technique can falter when it gets pretty steep. ( I suppose this is true with everyone)
Mantra:
These would be the number one choice but I'm concerned about the Cons below.
Pros
- supposed go anywhere, do anything ski
- a relative fat ski that will perform on piste
- will give me a generous amount of float for my size and 50%-50% split on-off piste. (I don't think you can do much more than that in Europe unless you're doing a season and have the luxury of choosing the best days to ski)
Cons
- Need to be ridden quite hard to get the most out of it. (Will this mean tired legs everyday)
HERE IS WHERE THE WEIGHT COMES IN. If you're heavier does that mean you don't have to ride them as hard to get the most out of them? Will they flex more under a heavier load?
K2 Extreme:
I loved the Public Enemies and thought this would be a a good all use ski. If it puked it down then I could rent some powder planks and enjoy the off piste but the rest of the time this would be a fun ski to own.
Pros
- twin tip
- have a smaller turn radius than the Mantra
- may save my legs and therefore fun had
- have a little pop for those impromptu mini kicker sessions.
Cons
- Not quite as A-level as the Mantras
- Not as fat as the Mantras
- Can you put a Marker Jester on them?
Lords
After reading numerous posts and seeing marketing for the Lords everywhere it became a little too difficult to ignore them. They seem to be wider than the Extremes but have a better side cut than the Mantras. The only problem I have is they are a complete unknown entity to me and I don't know how they fit in with the
I would be grateful for any input you may have.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes, weight makes a difference. For one thing, weight KILLS float, so you have to get fatter skis.
Get the Mantras.
(On Saturday I skied with a 55-year old man who used them with 3 buckle teleboots, on hardpack. Does that deflate the A-level halo, heroic mythology, at least a little bit?)
And a great heavy lock 'coz everyone else will want them, saving the marketing-driven lemmings.
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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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Having skiied on the 177 mantras for the last 3 weeks, i think they are only ok.
Kinda hooky in deep snow but great for bombing it down the mountain if thats your thing. There are other skis worth looking at. Im heavier than you and mantras are still hard work.
Armada arv is 92 underfoot
Line prophet 90 (90  )
4FRNT MSP (92?)
All great skis.
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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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As sps89 mentioned them, Line Prophets are very good. I've got the wider Prophet 100s, but more for powder/soft conditions in Canada. The 90s could be a strong contender in Europe. I'm the same weight as you and a fairly strong skier, but no pro.
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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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| Quote: |
Having skiied on the 177 mantras for the last 3 weeks, i think they are only ok.
Kinda hooky in deep snow but great for bombing it down the mountain if thats your thing. There are other skis worth looking at. Im heavier than you and mantras are still hard work.
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I think a lot of people use the term "quite hard work" a lot but we might not all mean the same thing. Can you describe further what you mean and how it effects 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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PowderHunter, I am 65kg and loved the Mantras. The 'hard work' is worth it.
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| PowderHunter wrote: |
| Quote: |
Having skiied on the 177 mantras for the last 3 weeks, i think they are only ok.
Kinda hooky in deep snow but great for bombing it down the mountain if thats your thing. There are other skis worth looking at. Im heavier than you and mantras are still hard work.
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I think a lot of people use the term "quite hard work" a lot but we might not all mean the same thing. Can you describe further what you mean and how it effects you? |
Because of their weight (with dukes) and stiffness, on moguls i didnt find them to be "easy skiing", the stiff tail can get caught in heavy snow, you will alyways know where it is whether you like it or not.
I like the ski, but im not convinced its the best.
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if you cant decide between a mantra and the extremes, why not something like the volkl bridge. solid and fat, designed to bridge park and pow it does both well and is great on piste as well.
also as you asked whether you can mount jesters on an extreme, you can.
better be quick if you want lords or mantras though, theyre selling out quite quickly.
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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 just hated Mantra's.. yet loved the Black Crow Navis ski. For some reason they just didn't work with me. Just goes to show how important it is to demo before buying. I'm 75kg but went for the Norica Enforcer twin as it was much more fun for every condition.
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how are the black crows? ive only ever seen the viator.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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littlematt, My thoughts...
Black Crow Navis – 175.7cm, 20m radius, sidecut 133-103-124
This ski simply blew me away. For a fairly fat ski it handled moguls well and didn’t seem to require any extra effort to get it over onto the edge. Actually, it could turn on a sixpence and rapid changes of direction off piste were a doddle. At speed on the groomed piste it held it’s line well, yet it cut though frozen crud and boiler plate as if it wasn’t there. The ski does require commitment and you need to keep the aggression levels up a touch to get the best from it. The only downside to me was it’s weight (just over 5kg a pair). This meant that by the end of the day when I was feeling tired I had to concentrate on my lines quite a bit… this ski likes some forceful input. A more accomplished skier than myself who likes gnarly couloirs would find this ski perfect.
Nordica Enforcer - 177cm, 19m radius, sidecut 135-98-125
What can I say? To sum it up… delightful!!! I hadn’t put this one down on my list to try but this was the one ski which seemed to cope with every condition and then leave you with a wide ear to ear grin at the bottom of a run. I managed to get in a whole series of moguls in a nice straight line, then carve at speed down hard groomers, then take on bumpy tight steeps through trees and with every turn the ski seemed to be lending a helping hand. The twin tip tail brought the ski around a turn with minimal effort and absorbed jump landings perfectly. It was a little more forgiving than the Navis which meant that when you were tired you could relax a touch and it wouldn’t catch you out. I actually managed to make several consecutive turns skiing backwards on this model… it also flicks round with minimal effort when you want to change back.
Volkl Mantra - 177cm, 20.3m radius, sidecut 133-96-116
I can’t really say anything bad about this ski but I just didn’t enjoy skiing it at all. OK… fast carved turns were fantastic but the stiffer flex didn’t work for me in tight spaces, and on the moguls and steeps the semi straight tail seemed to catch and hold the turn for too long thus preventing me from making sudden direction changes. Not having a proper twin tipped configuration also caused a slight problem in a steep section of bumps and trees. I had attempted to reverse a bit to make room for a turn after taking a look at a possible line, and one tail jammed into a mound of soft snow and neatly tipped me over. Probably it needed a heavier or more aggressive skier than myself to get the most out of it... for me though it just didn’t work.
So what did I choose? The Enforcer twin. It just hits every nail I have right on the head. Some may prefer a longer radius for stability in powder, but in my opinion that would limit the ski for use in bumps and for messing about in the park. How a 98mm waisted ski can be so quick and playful on the groomed piste is simply beyond me. A true one quiver ski.
A very close second (such a difficult choice it was too) was the Navis. Maybe in a few years when I can get the most out of them I may get a pair. I’d be happy to ski on these any day though.
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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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If I was concentrating a little more on off-piste or I was heavier then I would have gone for the Navis.
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