Poster: A snowHead
|
I spent a bit of time at the MK dome yesterday trying out some skis and have to say I was mightily impressed by the Whitedots I tried, particularly The Preacher. Given limited time to test I only managed to try The One and The Preacher from Whitedot and it has to be said a dome isn't the ideal place to try out Freeride skis like this but I reckon if they can impress on that surface they'll blow me over on the real stuff!
The lengths I tried were (IIRC) The One at 173cm and The Preacher at 179cm. I'm small (some say short) at 5'5"/6" and pretty light at 68kilos so I'm used to slightly shorter skis on the whole, my Line Prophets are 169cm which is as long as I tend to go at the moment.
The One is a good solid ski that's a lot of fun but took me a couple of runs to get used to, it's versatile and good in the turn but unsurprisingly certainly not as turney as the skis I'm used to using at the moment (Fischer race skis for piste and Line Prophets for everything else). It's perhaps unfair to go from very stiff race skis (which I've been using exclusively since May) and compare but I guess it's inevitable and makes my experience of The Preacher all the more amazing!
I was actually a little nervous when I first got the Preachers on my feet, they were way wider than I'm used to and longer too but every run they amazed me with their ability to turn and respond (surely too easy) and ability to deal with areas of icy hard pack as well as chopped up bumps to the side of the runs. The skis felt light and although not as turney as a full on slalom ski they certainly surprised me with their ability to turn quickly and the amount of feedback they gave. If I was to highlight one slight negative (and source of frustration) it's that these skis felt constrained by the dimensions of the dome, they wanted to breathe and be in bigger surroundings but hey that's not really a negative, that's a positive!
As a sometimes instructor I'm not sure I'd want to demo snowploughs on these skis but they'd certainly be up to demoing carving and big turns and I reckon they'd cope with anything the conditions in Scotland (or anywhere else) could throw at them.
To sum up then: The One, very good; The Preacher, amazing, quite a revelation and skis I definitely want to ski again!
This was actually the first time I've been able to spend some quality time with Whitedot skis, of course I've heard and seen all the comments and positive hype surrounding the company and knew these were skis I wanted to test at some point but the great thing is the hype isn't just hype for once, it actually seems to be true!
I can't wait to try them on a 'real' mountain ... Glencoe anyone
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I've just picked up a pair of Directors and very much looking forward to getting them out on Snow and it's going to be interesting to see how they perform on Piste. It will be good if they are versatile enough to work as an everyday ski - we'll see.
I tried a pair of the The One's for a day in the Alps and they worked very well - a good all rounder as the name suggests.
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
I've got a pair of One's and use them all everywhere and have been very very happy with them. Would love a try on a pair of Preachers tho have considered getting some at the end of the year to use as a small touring ski but might not be able to afford it
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Quote: |
The lengths I tried were (IIRC) The One at 173cm and The Preacher at 179cm. I'm small (some say short) at 5'5"/6" and pretty light at 68kilos so I'm used to slightly shorter skis on the whole, my Line Prophets are 169cm which is as long as I tend to go at the moment.
|
Thanks a lot for the positive review roga, really stoked you enjoyed the skis! Just as an asside, the Preachers you tried were the 189!!!
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
the_doc, LOL well that just goes to show how damned manoeuvrable and responsive they are - all the more kudos to the Preachers and you guys!
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
roga, great catching up with you again. Looking forward to seeing you at the Coe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
roga, didn't see you there! Various sHeads on the slope between 12 and 3, see here - also for my own review of the Preachers, not dissimilar to yours, even though you're a much stronger skier than I am. Mind you, you probably managed to get them on their edges on short turns, unlike me. I too would love to try them in the mountains, with the space to do some big turns.
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=81937&start=40#1901196
|
|
|
|
|
|
roga, I just did my review of the skis I tried on 'The Big Ski Test at MK' thread. Given your superior skiing ability and technical knowledge it's interesting how similar our personal responses were (also Pedantica, ) to the Preachers
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Dot., forgot to say - lovely to meet you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pedantica, you too
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
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.
|
PS When I got home from MK (after an hour and a half in the car) my knees had seized up. Although I wasn't aware of this at the time, I think that trying to get the Preachers on to their edges put undue strain on my knees. Operator error*, perhaps, but an unexpected and unwanted side effect. My legs are still rather hurty.
*Edit: and, in truth, trying to punch above my weight. I'm not big enough, or a good enough skier for them.
|
|
|
|
|
|