Eastern Skis: your powder weapon of choice...

[Nhski]

Riv,

Exclusivley as a Pow/tree ski, i would highly recommend the mantras. Float well and the sidecut i think helps turning in those trees you and i like to ski at Jay. Definitely a ski you need to put input into to get the output if you know what i mean. You can't just sit back, you need to ski em.

 

[BigSpencer]

I can't say enough about the 07' Legend 8000s for a NewEngland powder/junk board 8) For me @170, the previous 8000 seemed slightly burlier..which meant going one way or the other for active vs slower-passive modes. Not so with this season's ski. IMO(4me;-)...it's the nicest tweak-job of a ski that's ever been done.
My Sweet Daddys are fun as well....will be interesting which ski will serve to float best over blowdowns during the final days of this season...Hopefully that'll be later than usual for the NE.

Steve

 

[BigSpencer]

One thing that no one has had much mentioned here is length...
This brings me to my point, with the advent of the shaped ski everyone has been going incredibly short. I know there are quite a few reasons, turn radius, skiing tight trees, yada yada yada. However, when you're skiing a ski meant for powder, that doesn't have tons of sidecut, why do people still feel the need to downsize. I understand many of the posters in this thread are not "large" people. However, I find that a ski under 175-178 does not provide the stability needed, even in very tight situations, IE mittersill, MRG, sleuthing through the woods and such.

Regarding ono getting a 168 Gotoma... it seems counter intuitive, to be getting a ski that fat but getting it in such a short length...
Thought I'd throw all of this out there......Porter

May be very true...IF you ski the areas that've been clearcut exclusively...
There's a lot of NewEngland terrain that has yet to be cut down...for trail development....and not just the areas that are official glades.

Steve

 

[riverc0il]

I can't say enough about the 07' Legend 8000s for a NewEngland powder/junk board 8) For me @170, the previous 8000 seemed slightly burlier..which meant going one way or the other for active vs slower-passive modes. Not so with this season's ski. IMO(4me;-)...it's the nicest tweak-job of a ski that's ever been done.
My Sweet Daddys are fun as well....will be interesting which ski will serve to float best over blowdowns during the final days of this season...Hopefully that'll be later than usual for the NE.

Steve

from what i understand, there has been no change at all other than the top sheet (and mounting point changed during the second half of the first season) of the 8000s. the dimensions definitely have not changed. i skied the original and have just received a warranty replacement with the latest version, i noticed not a single performance change in the ski. BigSpencer, did anything else change between your two 8000s? binding mount position? bindings? technique changes?

 

[salida]

Steve...

Before you buy something try a long fat skis. Like 190ish and 100 waisted. I didn't think I'd have as much fun maneuvering skis like this, but holy cow they are the best ski I have ever been on...

porter

 

[awf170]

Bump...

After skiing Wildcat yesterday my perceptions of what I want for a powder/glade ski have completely changed. Basically this whole season I have been skiing on a pair of Inbigs (88mm waist, 168 length, mounted fairly far forward, 28m turn radius) which seemed like a pretty good woods ski to me. This ski is very easy to skid out so I figured it would be good in the woods. So yesterday I decided to take out my Scott Aztecs( 78mm waist, 175 length, mounted pretty far back, 14m turn radius) just to ski crud and groomers. Well obviously I didn't and end up ducking into the woods. Wow, these things destroy everything in the woods! So much quicker in deep untracked powder. Just better in every aspect possible, even in tight stuff. I was really surprised how my scrawny 130 pound body could handle these in the woods.

BTW, steve: What is the stiffness of the 8000s like? These skis seem very close to the 8000's.
8000s 116, 79, 102
Aztecs 118, 78, 108

The Aztec's go from soft in the tip to stiff in the tail.

I would really like to try some 177 Mantras, even though they would probably kick my scrawny butt.

 

[skierbiker91]

Hmm, I'm in the market for new skis for next season. I'm 5'3" and 120 pounds, and currently ski 155 trouble makers. I love the ski, but it could be wider and longer for stable, big mountain turns in open bowls at high speed. However, I also enjoy sniffing out powder stashes in tight trees and am limited to a quiver of 1. REcently, I tried some movement kamasutras in 169 and a 88mm waist and 20 meter turn radius. I loved them in open terrain, but in tight chutes the tais hooked up. Why is that. Anyways, that scared me away from large and stiff skis, and am currently considering the Rossi Scratch BC Pro in a 160, a k2 seth in a 169, and a volkl gotama in 168. Oh, and the legend 8800 in a 158. The legend seems to get good opinions here, and suggestions or experiences?

 

[Tony Crocker]

My son Adam insisted upon competence at "big mountain turns in open bowls at high speed" when he was looking for a powder/soft snow ski in 2004. He is 6'0" 150lb, and his Dynastar 8800's are 178cm.

 

[riverc0il]

BTW, steve: What is the stiffness of the 8000s like? These skis seem very close to the 8000's.
8000s 116, 79, 102
Aztecs 118, 78, 108

i never understood your appreciation for the intuitiv big in the woods the 8000s are nimble in my opinion, but still a good weighted ski with a wood core. what may be nimble for me at 210 lbs at 6'1" might not be for you, so your millage may vary. i am pretty quick on my feet on the 8000s and feel in total control in the trees, after three seasons it is still a love affair. i particularly like the tail action on the 8000s in the trees, but if you get in the back seat, you are a goner. i have no knowledge of the aztecs, but after a quick research i find it is a scott ski and sounds like it would be the lighter option.

 

[riverc0il]

Hmm, I'm in the market for new skis for next season. I'm 5'3" and 120 pounds, and currently ski 155 trouble makers. I love the ski, but it could be wider and longer for stable, big mountain turns in open bowls at high speed. However, I also enjoy sniffing out powder stashes in tight trees and am limited to a quiver of 1. REcently, I tried some movement kamasutras in 169 and a 88mm waist and 20 meter turn radius. I loved them in open terrain, but in tight chutes the tais hooked up. Why is that. Anyways, that scared me away from large and stiff skis, and am currently considering the Rossi Scratch BC Pro in a 160, a k2 seth in a 169, and a volkl gotama in 168. Oh, and the legend 8800 in a 158. The legend seems to get good opinions here, and suggestions or experiences?

if you are considering the 8800s but are also into tight trees (while still wanting big mountain, open bowl, high speed skiing.... the 8800s rule on this stuff as Tony's comment about Adam atests), you may want to hold out and try the 8800 replacement next season, the mythic rider. same ski but more side cut, bigger tip and slightly narrower waist. this is a big improvement upon this ski, imo. if you just want to figure 11 at high speeds, you are going for the pro so the addition of more sidecut and a bigger tip makes the ski a bit more versitile and the tip increase separates the 8800 from the 8000 which have almost the same tip :!: gah, that has annoyed me lately which is why i am in the market for a new powder board in the first place. any ways, you have to decide how much compromise you want to make regarding tighter turns in the trees vs. open bowl and high speed performance. the two are not complimentary, unfortunately.

 

[awf170]

i am pretty quick on my feet on the 8000s and feel in total control in the trees

So you would have hit 10 trees this year instead of 5 if you weren't on the 8000's. :lol:


Sorry I had to.


BTW: the REI near me has 183 mantras for like $450... you're interested in those right?

 

[riverc0il]

i only impacted two trees so far this season, the first was on my p50s not my 8000s and the second was due to poor judgment.

i still haven't demoed the mantras. nhski was really persistent this week that i should just pull the trigger and i will love them :lol: i was thinking the 177 instead of the 184 if i go that route, but that is a really nice price.

 

[awf170]

i only impacted two trees so far this season, the first was on my p50s not my 8000s and the second was due to poor judgment.

Not too bad than... how many close calls have you had? I love this picture. :lol:

i still haven't demoed the mantras. nhski was really persistent this week that i should just pull the trigger and i will love them :lol: i was thinking the 177 instead of the 184 if i go that route, but that is a really nice price.

Also, I was just reading over at TGR that an REI had all Mantra sizes for $400. :shock:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/show ... hp?t=79060

"Also it looks like you can find Volkl Mantras in all sizes for 399... but you may have to have them shipped to you or your store. They had them as of yesterday at Alboquerque, Alderwood, Conshohocken, framingham, santa anna. "

 

[riverc0il]

Appreciate the heads up, but no dice on REI. No 177s left at any stores. Santa Ana had 184s but they were priced at $539, not $399 as reported on TGR. Not surprisingly, they mentioned already having received a call this mornng :lol: $399 sounded way too good to be true, sure enough it was.

 

[awf170]

Appreciate the heads up, but no dice on REI. No 177s left at any stores. Santa Ana had 184s but they were priced at $539, not $399 as reported on TGR. Not surprisingly, they mentioned already having received a call this mornng :lol: $399 sounded way too good to be true, sure enough it was.

That sucks...

Check this out if you are confident in your masculinity.
http://www.evogear.com/Volkl/item_10098_0.aspx

Same exact ski as the mantra except it is 20% lighter and 20% softer.

 

[Admin]

One thing that no one has had much mentioned here is length...

Greg, the feature of many of our video segments was in a K-ton shop yesterday looking to pick up a cheap pair of PE's. Looking around the shop he could only find 174's (they were out of the 179, the longest PE that K2 makes). Asking the shop hand if they had any 179's out back, the guy says, you sure you want a 179, that 174 is a pretty big ski. In utter disgust Greg up and left... This brings me to my point, with the advent of the shaped ski everyone has been going incredibly short. I know there are quite a few reasons, turn radius, skiing tight trees, yada yada yada. However, when you're skiing a ski meant for powder, that doesn't have tons of sidecut, why do people still feel the need to downsize. I understand many of the posters in this thread are not "large" people. However, I find that a ski under 175-178 does not provide the stability needed, even in very tight situations, IE mittersill, MRG, sleuthing through the woods and such.

Regarding ono getting a 168 Gotoma... it seems counter intuitive, to be getting a ski that fat but getting it in such a short length...

Thought I'd throw all of this out there.

Porter

Porter, I for one am hoping that you're right. I've been in the market for a dedicated phat big mountain powder ski, and I think that I found it today when I bought these:

http://www.movementskis.com/en/specs/spec_gol.html

They're sure not Eastern powder skis, not with a 32m turning radius. :roll: Lift House was having a half-price sale on all skis this weekend only, so I stopped in after skiing Alta today. There were two pair of the Movement Goliaths left, and Liftlines lurker Acidchrist (Greek Peak Ski Patrol) was there buying the other pair. This is one big honkin' ski that, quite frankly, scares me just a little: 135/108/124, in a 191 length (the only length they come in).

I suspect that skiing these things will mean pointing 'em downhill and hanging on for the ride, but the reviews I've read all say that they're surprisingly easy to ski, but I guess that everything is relative. At 140 lbs, I'm just not sure that I can drive them. We'll see the next powder day -- here's hoping that it's not next season for us.

 

[salida]

Porter, I for one am hoping that you're right. I've been in the market for a dedicated phat big mountain powder ski, and I think that I found it today when I bought these:

http://www.movementskis.com/en/specs/spec_gol.html

They're sure not Eastern powder skis, not with a 32m turning radius. :roll: Lift House was having a half-price sale on all skis this weekend only, so I stopped in after skiing Alta today. There were two pair of the Movement Goliaths left, and Liftlines lurker Acidchrist (Greek Peak Ski Patrol) was there buying the other pair. This is one big honkin' ski that, quite frankly, scares me just a little: 135/108/124, in a 191 length (the only length they come in).

I suspect that skiing these things will mean pointing 'em downhill and hanging on for the ride, but the reviews I've read all say that they're surprisingly easy to ski, but I guess that everything is relative. At 140 lbs, I'm just not sure that I can drive them. We'll see the next powder day -- here's hoping that it's not next season for us.

RIGHT ON!

Those look like a damn good time. Out of curiosity, how would you rate the stiffness? They look pretty sweet, I would love to get on those bad boys. I'm sure it might take some getting used to, but you should be able to ski them (granted I say that from a 50lbs heavier perspective).

I skied some of Volkl's new Katana's last weekend at Kton. A report will be forth coming...
porter

 

[Admin]

They're reportedly sufficiently stiff torsionally, but they're moderately soft longitudinally. Most notably, though, they seem to have an incredibly even and consistent flex throughout the length of the ski.

 

[Sharon]

Dudes...check the thread title...you are in the wrong place.

Discuss the Goliath in the Western forum.

Marc, what I wanna know is...how's a little dude like you going to turn those badboys????

You bought the same ski as AcidChrist and he's gotta have 50lbs on you!!

BTW, AC in driving through WY right now, on his way home.

I will laugh hard if he breaks out the Goliaths at Greek Peak this weekend. I have a feeling that is going to happen.

 

[Admin]

I guarantee he'll break them out this weekend, only for the shock factor.

Doglotion wrote of one of their Goliath testers, "If a 148-lb office geek can turn 'em, so can you." Sounds like my twin.