1/25 Demo Day

[guitar73]

we're headed up to c-back for buckman's demo day tomorrow. not sure which reps will be there...but based upon pictures of previous demo days, it looks like it will be atomic, salomon, k2, rossi, line, and volkl. i'm hoping to try out something in the mid to high 80's, and possibly a fatty if they have 'em. my current set-up includes atomic blackeye 164cm (78mm) and dynastar legend 94 172cm (94mm). looking for something to fill that gap.

 

any suggestions?

[vinnyv11]

we're headed up to c-back for buckman's demo day tomorrow. not sure which reps will be there...but based upon pictures of previous demo days, it looks like it will be atomic, salomon, k2, rossi, line, and volkl. i'm hoping to try out something in the mid to high 80's, and possibly a fatty if they have 'em. my current set-up includes atomic blackeye 164cm (78mm) and dynastar legend 94 172cm (94mm). looking for something to fill that gap.

 

any suggestions?

 

I've been wanting to try the bacons. Try the theory, kendo and mantra.

[toast21602]

I've been wanting to try the bacons. Try the theory, kendo and mantra.

 

worth a try. i'm not just saying this because i have them, but they are one of the best "fat" skis out there that can ski the east every day and still hold their own out west in a good dump.

[Johnny Law]

I said this in another post but go the other way, people yelling out random skis ain't going to get you were you want to be.

 

1. What is it that your current skis aren't doing ?

2. Where are you going to ski these potential new boards ?

3. What kind of skiing do you like/want to do ?

 

You have two skis that are pretty similar a 15.5m and 19m radius carvers that are pretty much conventional construction. They are not soft but not super stiff.

 

So if it was me and I was going to the demo, I would one identify the manufactures I like, basically who makes good shit and who makes crap. I don't like most solly's, K2's or nordica's so I wouldn't ride them unless I had extra time. I would ride rossi, line and some volkls (sorry AJ but the bottom part of their lineup is Chinese shit).

 

Then I would identify what skis in their lineup run with a mid 20's radius and upper 20's and those that have aggressive camber designs.

 

This does a couple of things, one I can figure out what I like about skis and what I don't like about skis based on their design rather than well Johnny on PASR said they are hot shit. Two I can better figure out what it is I want out of a pair of boards, all your shit is kinda tight radius so maybe you want to make big fuck you turns and these boards make coaxing big turns difficult but you don't want to blow 900$ on ski that only does big fucking turns.

 

So then you get maybe something like a super 7 which is 22.5 but is also essentially a powder board, it can rip bigger turns at Blue and handle pow when you travel.

 

Again I'm not saying go buy the super 7, I'm saying identify what you want and learn how to get that based on how the ski is put together. Then when you test them out you have some kind of metric, rather than just these are cool or these suck which alot of times isn't based on anything.

 

The biggest lie in the ski industry is that ski X is awesome for 70% of people, skiing is like fucking, we may all end up at the same place but how we get there is 90% of the game.

 

EDIT: I have lots of ski's across the radius and design spectrum, they all turn, they all can make tight turns and they can all make big super g, design only makes certain things easier. A 39 radius ski can still be skied very nimbly its just alot of work compared to a sl 15m. The one exception to this is deep pow, design in deep pow makes a ton of difference, though a full rev rev ski has almost no use in PA.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Johnny Law

[guitar73]

I said this in another post but go the other way, people yelling out random skis ain't going to get you were you want to be.

 

1. What is it that your current skis aren't doing ?

2. Where are you going to ski these potential new boards ?

3. What kind of skiing do you like/want to do ?

 

well, i suppose i'm looking for something that is more of a blend of the two i already have. I find my blackeyes are a bit short in length for handling longer turns in typical conditions....but they hold the edge well and have good rebound. the legend 94's handle just about anything i've thrown at them this year, except for ice....they don't like ice at all.

 

i tried the nordica steadfast....really like that, but it didn't like the ice either. i was really hoping to try the blizzard bushwacker....but i don't think blizzard will show up.

 

thx for the input guys!

[AngryHugo]

The Rossi Experience 88's have been getting really good reviews everywhere.

[vinnyv11]

The Rossi Experience 88's have been getting really good reviews everywhere.

 

I demoed and liked them. But like Johnny said personal preference. If they are there I would demo them.

[guitar73]

The Rossi Experience 88's have been getting really good reviews everywhere.

ya, that's on my list as well. it was at the jf demo day, but somebody had it out when I got to the table.

[Johnny Law]

The Rossi Experience 88's have been getting really good reviews everywhere.

 

The 88 is the jr ripper, the 98 is a fucking caddy. Excellent edge hold, big radius ripper. Like a more modern LP.

[poconovfr]

How was the mountain?

[guitar73]

so.....

 

we packed up the skiburu and headed north about 6:40-ish and got to the mtn about 8:40am. stood in line at the ticket window for ever, only to find out that we could have taken our lift ticket voucher to costumer services and not wasted that time (or stand in the cold for that matter). oh well. we booted up in the lodge, locked the skis up, and headed over to the demo tents. the tents were set up by the outdoor deck, which was kind of a pain the butt since it was an uphill trek to the sullivan express lift. skied for a good while, when in a litte early to grab a bite to eat (and to beat the lunch crowds), and then headed back out to finish up the day on our own skis. snow conditions varied between hard pack, freshly blown man-made, and courd. the usual choppy crud developed later in the day. very little ice...and i wasn't complaining on that. cliffhanger and pharoh were closed b/c of all the beached whales on them. we wrapped it up with a brew and perogies at the thirsty camel.

 

anyhow, these are the skis that i tried out:

 

k2 aftershock (174cm): this was an OK ski. held a good edge, very turny, stable at speed, and a very soft in the shovel. this is a heavy ski....not that this affected how i skiied this ski, but i did notice it while i was carrying it and while on the lift. this was a fun ski, more fun than i thought it would be. i have never skied a k2 ski before and i was pleasantly suprised.

 

salomon rocker 2 90 (177cm): this was a MEH ski. held an OK edge, but i didn't feel as stable on it as i would like to feel.

 

volkl mantra (177cm): this was the winner, hands down, the best ski of the day. at 98mm under foot, i could get this ski on edge and it would hold like nobody's business. super smooth on the hard and the cruddy stuff. i could open it up and let the ski roll and pick up speed....all good. this was the first volkl ski that i actually liked. good times.

 

rossi experience 88 (164cm): this was a good ski, i just wish that they had the longer ski available when i was at the tent. good bit of rebound out of this ski, but the length really hampered it on the steeper stuff. on moderate to flat is where this length skied the best. edge hold, stability, and some energy. overall, an OK ski.

 

rossi s3 (178 cm): first run on this ski was kinda weird; i had to get used to their tip and tail rocker design. once i figured it out, this was a fun ski to ride. def liked the softer conditions best, but you could get by on the hard pack. almost as stable at speed as the mantras.

 

line prophet 85 (179cm): this was a MEH ski. felt best to let it roll and pick up speed. the skis felt too lightweight and i just couldn't get comfortable on them at lower speeds. edge hold was kinda ok, not the best though.

 

line sir francis bacon (178cm): at 108mm under foot, this was the big daddy of the day. i was not used to the extra width and this ski took me for a ride on the first run. def took some effort to get this bad boy on edge, but once you got it there, it was very turny and had good edge grip. i was able to find some soft cruddy snow on the bacons, and wow...that's where it really shined. this ski loves to soft stuff; stable, smooth, nice.

[vinnyv11]

so.....

 

rossi experience 88 (164cm): this was a good ski, i just wish that they had the longer ski available when i was at the tent. good bit of rebound out of this ski, but the length really hampered it on the steeper stuff. on moderate to flat is where this length skied the best. edge hold, stability, and some energy. overall, an OK ski.

 

line sir francis bacon (178cm): at 108mm under foot, this was the big daddy of the day. i was not used to the extra width and this ski took me for a ride on the first run. def took some effort to get this bad boy on edge, but once you got it there, it was very turny and had good edge grip. i was able to find some soft cruddy snow on the bacons, and wow...that's where it really shined. this ski loves to soft stuff; stable, smooth, nice.

 

I think I had the 170's when I demoed the 88's so that probably definitely makes a difference. Glad you demoed the bacon's I really want to hit those.