Long Term Update: OK, please read the post above concerning the 179 with a grain of salt. I was able to take both the 179 and 187 up to Mt. Rose this morning. It was actually good conditions to test in. High wind, limited visibility at the top, and between 0 and 8-10" of fresh, depending on where the wind blew it. Essentially, you could go from boot deep rollers to scratched off frozen several times in one turn. Throw in soft piles for bumps, bumps hiding under soft snow, and really nice tree snow and it was truly a test of a ski's mettle.
I skied the 187s first. Blown. Away. They provide a soft yet controlled suspension over the varying snow. In the piles I could either GS turn or pivot on top. The ski just flowed over and around. On the blown off groomers with wind affected whale backs they just moved from hard to soft to hard with no problems or excitement. I took them into the trees, which had wonderful soft snow, and found I could turn them as quickly as necessary to avoid owees. Float, flow, pivot, carve.
After 3 or 4 runs I got on the 179s. I took them down the same run I just did on the 189s. Growing soft piles with crust in between. Once again, like the other day, I felt tossed about a bit. OK, what's up? I then took them down one of my favorite, very familiar runs. They were better in the chop but still not overly confidence inspiring. On the groomers I felt the same disconnect I felt a few days back.
I don't know why there is such a noticeable difference in the way these two skis feel to me with only an 8cm difference.
@Philpug loves the 179 and we're almost the same weight and height. Some thoughts are binding position, boot angle, and general skiing style. My BSL is about 15-20mm longer than Phil's. With the Salomon demo bindings only having adjustment on the heel piece, I'd be skiing them a bit further back. Does it make a difference? Perhaps. My boots also have a bit more forward lean than Phil's so I'm probably a little more forward over the tip of the ski. That extra few centimeters may come into play there. And then there's style. Phil has a very easy, flowing, efficient style of skiing while I tend to muscle my way around to compensate for shortfalls in technique. That extra length may just keep me from tipping over!
I got back on the 187s and finished the morning until the lifts got put on wind hold. Trees, glades, tighter trees, piles, groomers all felt good. Even in fresh, untracked powder, these Augments feel, um, different. Silky. Quiet (they even sound different when you drop them to the snow to click in). Sooo smooth transitioning from one snow type to another. I don't think I'd want the 98 for my DD but I could be talked into it. I see more groomers than fluff so the AM88 would likely be my choice from the Augment line. The 98 would be for the skier who really likes wider skis and may have the opportunity to put that extra bit of width to use more often than not.
Last day of winter goodness
The guy who has these went into the lodge just before me. I came out less than 5 minutes later. Yes, the wind was blowing.
Varying conditions
Proper top sheet coating
A bit foggy. It did get worse before it got better before it got worse again.