Comparison Review 2017 gear demos @ Stratton

[Brian Finch]

A full day of suprises & hits on swanky new gear.

 

[Brian Finch]

Slim is in, yet not all skis are created equal- Head brought their A game:

and had their stud athletes tearing about:

Head Athlete, ripping skier & PSIA D teamer Eric Lipton & I "speed tested" the terra firmma with the Rally, Magnum, Titan & smoking iRace.

 

[Brian Finch]

Kastle was also not to be left out & the MX 89 (skinny version here) was phenomenal!!!

 

[Brian Finch]

 

[Brian Finch]

K2 dropped 2 of the best performers of the day with the Super & Speed Charger:

 

[Brian Finch]

100ish was looking to be a top end.

 

[Brian Finch]

Even DPS was looking svelte!

 

[Brian Finch]

While not available yet, Dynastar confirmed that the "new" Legend Pro is in fact the brown 105mm ski that was discontinued a few years ago. Proving that wider skis are not over!

 

[Brian Finch]

Salomon too brings a QST 99 above and larger models out to play for 2017.

 

[Philpug]

Thanks @Brian Finch, looking forward to compering notes.

 

[Ron]

Hey @Brian Finch great job! Please tell Eric hello for me. Great guy.

 

[Brian Finch]

So here's what I came up with as a revelation this morning. This was in large part to testing a bunch of the new slim and midfat offerings & then getting tossed on a pair of Brahmas-

( The Brahmas were better than many of them!!!)

Manufacturers are hitting the 75 to 85 mm market hard, yet there are really three factors a skier should be considering when looking at these models:

A) top sheet paraphernalia / external plumbing- One of the features that was highly evident is that ridges, topsheet steps, rods, waves... are one manner of increasing rack appeal. The issue is is that the more you add to the top sheet and the construction, the lesser round and progressive the flex becomes. Heads, Kastles (& K2!!!!) nailed it with smooth top sheets and flex patterns that were not hingy/wonky.

B) reference length- the further you deviate from the reference length the more the manufacturer has to scale the external plumbing/topsheet features to the model. A model that skis very well on the reference length, may be downright binary flexing in a size or two up or down. This leads to lack of snow contact and difficulty maintaining an edge.

C) turn shape variability- if you intend to ski on a size that is not the reference model & you like to vary the turn shape from the prescribed radius, you would be very well served to seek a ski like the flat construction Head Rally, Kastle MX89 or the K2 Speed Charger are all on point here!!!

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Wait a sec? Did you ski at Stratton this morning? When I got there everything was on windhold and very few manufacturers were letting skis out. I puttered around inside a little bit before leaving. The coolest thing I saw was Nordica's infrared vaccum punch thing. I want one.

 

[cantunamunch]

The coolest thing I saw was Nordica's infrared vaccum punch thing. I want one.

Who what where how how much?

 

[Josh Matta]

^^^^^ I have a pair of those coming. My top sheets are cooler though.

 

[Read Blinn]

So, like, the Western thread wants to know more about the MXs. So do I. ?

 

[Brian Finch]

Wait a sec? Did you ski at Stratton this morning? When I got there everything was on windhold and very few manufacturers were letting skis out. I puttered around inside a little bit before leaving. The coolest thing I saw was Nordica's infrared vaccum punch thing. I want one.

I was on the hill yesterday and just woke up this morning with the above revelation.

 

[Brian Finch]

^^^^^ I have a pair of those coming. My top sheets are cooler though.

Pair of what?

 

[Brian Finch]

So, like, the Western thread wants to know more about the MXs. So do I. ?

I will be writing up some thumbnail reviews but what I will tell you is that I was surprised by the two models. I generally like narrow or skis, however I found the 84 got deflected a lot. The 89 was one of the smoothest skis I've ever ridden and also one of the easiest skis to manage + the legit 180cm length is absolute perfection in a world of 177/186 models.

 

[Josh Matta]

next year's brahmas