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2021 Augment All Mountain 88 Ti

scb

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Thanks. I was considering either a Laser AR or another SR 95 for next year. I think I may try this instead in either the 179 or 187
 

Philpug

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Thanks. I was considering either a Laser AR or another SR 95 for next year. I think I may try this instead in either the 179 or 187
These ski their full length, if you would normally ski an 88 in a 178-184, I would not size up, if anything err to the medium flex.
 
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scb

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These ski their full length, if you would normally ski an 88 in a 178-184, I would not size up, if anything err to the medium flex.

thanks. my 2013/14 SR95 are 183 and I just demoed the Laser AR in a 175 but wished it was longer. So maybe 179 it is.
 

Tricia

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Unfortunately for me, not so much. Mine was highly railed and is in the shop being ground flat.
That's a bummer and not at all what we've experienced.
Have you skied on them yet?
 

DocGKR

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As I arrived at Squaw this morning to ski with ScotsSkier, he had a twinkle in his eye and asked if I wanted to try Philpug's 179cm Augment AM88 (in a soft flex). It turns out I am not as dumb as I look, as I immediately exclaimed "heck yeah"! So up the Funitel we went and then over to Siberia. Squaw got 6" of snow or so the last couple of days and temps remained cold today, so the hill offered beautiful snow conditions--just a GREAT day!

The AM88 took no time to get used to--it was utterly intuitive to ski and required no warm-up. The 179cm AM88 in many ways is similar to my Head 177cm Monster 88's, but even more powerful--about as "race like" as any 80-90mm All Mountain ski I have ever been on. This is the stiffest "soft flex" ski I have ever seen! No other 80-90mm ski I've ever been on has been as powerful and capable on groomers as the AM88--not the AR, V82, Evolv, Deacon, Brahma, Kendo, Enforcer, or Mindbender (although I have not been on the M-Pro 90 or SR88 yet). As with every Augment I have now tried, this AM88 had a beautiful tune. As we whipped down the hill, arcing turns, the AM88 proved to be utterly unflappable--the faster it was skied and the more edge angle applied, the better it felt; no tip flap, no tail slip, no speed limit at sane levels of skiing irrespective of snow surface.

Folks from the US Ski Team trained at Squaw this week over on the Shirley 5th tree run (yes--including Ms. Shiffrin, although we did not see her, as she had a private training day earlier in the week) and we had a chance to take runs down the race prepped, salted course after the gates were pulled. The AM88 offered amazing edge grip ripping down the hard race surface--edge grip superior to many groomer oriented carving skis and equaling that of many non-FIS "race" skis. The AM88 crushes crud, chop, crust, mank, and all the detritus at the edge of trails and in trees. I did not have the opportunity to ski it in deep snow or big moguls (like those on KT22 West Face), but did run it in some smaller/shallower conditions. Compared to the Monster 88, the AM88 has an even higher speed limit, better edge grip, but smaller sweet spot, and definitely feels less comfortable in bumps and perhaps in deeper soft snow. It also was not as fun to ski at slower speed compared to the 177cm Monster 88, nor was turn initiation quite as easy. You have to know how to tip a ski and bend it to fully enjoy the AM88, particularly if you want to vary it's stated 21m turn radius; but if you can do that, you will be rewarded with a stunning ski experience. This ski left a huge grin on my face and I did not want to give them back!

One codicil: I am not sure why Augment gave the 179cm AM88 a 21m turn radius and the 187cm AM98 at 19m turn radius; I agree with Alexzn comments on this subject and would probably swap those numbers if I had that option, but that is an extremely minor and trivial detail for such amazing skis...
 

Philpug

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One codicil: I am not sure why Augment gave the 179cm AM88 a 21m turn radius and the 187cm AM98 at 19m turn radius; I agree with Alexzn comments on this subject and would probably swap those numbers if I had that option, but that is an extremely minor and trivial detail for such amazing skis...
I still would like to see an AM88 in the shape of the AM98 (but with less rise at the extremities).
 

scb

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anyone know of changes for 2022? Wondering if I should wait to pick a pair up or just grab the current if there's no change
 

ScotsSkier

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anyone know of changes for 2022? Wondering if I should wait to pick a pair up or just grab the current if there's no change

I have spent a few days lately on the current ski (the same one as DocGKR reported on above). I have been snowed under at work so not had time yet to post a review. However here is the quick Cliff notes version to add to DocGkr comments

Best 88mm ski i have been on bar none ! (and I tested a bunch of the 21/22 skis in recent weeks for another site). Can ski it hard like a GS ski but it also charges through crud, crap, soft, what have you, without issue and doesn't have the nervous/ floppy tip feel that I found with almost every other similar ski in this sector. Personally I had no concerns the 21m radius, didn't find it constraining or limiting (but I probably spend more time than most on a 30m ski). Doc and I discussed and we had different views on the comparison with the Monster 88. For me the Monster was way too one-dimensional and had no benefit (but downsides) over a GS ski. Why I sold mine!. To be fair I was on the 184 rather than the 177. We also have differing views on the Evolv 90. (I am also probably 35# lighter and 5 inches shorter than Doc)

Over the past couple of years i have bought/tested/sold a bunch of 85-100 waist skis looking for the elusive perfect work ski for Squaw where I may be coaching in gates or free-skiing with athletes. Been severely disappointed with a lot of supposedly acclaimed skis. The AM88 however for me provides as near to perfect as I have found for my purpose and stands head and shoulders (or tip to tail!) above the comparators. I would also be happy with it as a OSQ if I was traveling to ski.

I haven't heard of any changes planned in it for next year but if I were you I would just grab this years version!
 

DocGKR

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Concur. My original 184 Monster 88 was a one dimensional beast (like a less capable GS cruiser) which I got rid of, while my last generation 177 Monster 88's have proven much more versatile and lots of fun in bumps. Likewise, my 179 Evolv90 is more of a fun ski--nice in bumps and fresh snow, but much less serious and lower speed limit than the AM88.

If I could only have one 80-90mm ski, the AM88 would probably be it!
 
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scb

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can someone post an actual real world picture? i've only seen the graphic from the website. what do these things really look like?
 

Andy Mink

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can someone post an actual real world picture? i've only seen the graphic from the website. what do these things really look like?
I thought I had some photos but can't locate them. Honestly, they look like the photo at the top of this thread. Very understated graphics. Some might call them boring, others perhaps uninspired. I think they look good. @Philpug may have a few photos handy.
 

ScotsSkier

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can someone post an actual real world picture? i've only seen the graphic from the website. what do these things really look like?

sorry, like Andy I dont have any photos handy. In Augments consistent style they are understated. At first I thought they were too understood and would not really stand out on display. However on the snow the graphics really pop, not just the performance. Interestingly one of the people I was skiing with on them is a graphic designer and she was very complimentary about the design and the effectiveness of it
 

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