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PSA FYI - Liberty VMT skis on sale for $199 w/ free ship. Good sizes.

Big J

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For $199 the Liberry Evolve 90's are probably one of the best ski deals I have ever come across. My E100's will still be my daily driver, but the Evolves are definitely my new ice/hard/hard pack ski. They absolutely carve when you get them on edge. Not overly playful, but quick edge to edge and easy to throw around. Probably would be a good travel ski since I think they would play nice with up to 6" or so of fresh. Overall, I more than happy with these.

P.S. - They definitely ski short. If you are in between sizes, I highly recommend sizing up.
I bought them
 

TDCSPRINGS

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Last edited:

Slide of Hans

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jmeb

jmeb

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I saw one review that said they skied short. 5'9 185lb here.

When someone says "they ski short" they really need to describe -- in reference to what? A tip and tail rockered 110mm waist ski? An FIS GS ski?

My 179s have no speed limit on 2D snow that a reasonable person could find in a resort, and ski as long as my 188 Black Crows Corvus (which is basically a flat ski with a bit of tip rocker) (only ski I have directly A/B'd with them.) In 3D snow they do have some limit but that is probably more pilot than ski.

I think I could be reasonably happy on the 172 of this ski if I was skiing out East/Midwest. But I know I wouldn't find much benefit to the 186 which is more typical of my go-to length. I'm 6'2", 180#.
 

Drahtguy Kevin

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When someone says "they ski short" they really need to describe -- in reference to what? A tip and tail rockered 110mm waist ski? An FIS GS ski?

My 179s have no speed limit on 2D snow that a reasonable person could find in a resort, and ski as long as my 188 Black Crows Corvus (which is basically a flat ski with a bit of tip rocker) (only ski I have directly A/B'd with them.) In 3D snow they do have some limit but that is probably more pilot than ski.

I think I could be reasonably happy on the 172 of this ski if I was skiing out East/Midwest. But I know I wouldn't find much benefit to the 186 which is more typical of my go-to length. I'm 6'2", 180#.

I concur wholeheartedly. I’m 6’2” 215. I’ve been in the 179 and 186. I’d take the 179 every time for ripping groomers and bump skiing. When my Blossom White Out craps out they will be replaced with the Liberty VMT 76 in 179.

I opted for the 186 Evolv90 simply because I will ski it off piste more.
 
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jmeb

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I concur wholeheartedly. I’m 6’2” 215. I’ve been in the 179 and 186. I’d take the 179 every time for ripping groomers and bump skiing. When my Blossom White Out craps out they will be replaced with the Liberty VMT 76 in 179.

I opted for the 186 Evolv90 simply because I will ski it off piste more.

179 today....(and no, this isn’t an MA request and yes I need to work on angulation)

AB0E4F3A-0AD0-46E7-BE87-18FC4A6DAECA.jpeg
 

Noodler

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When someone says "they ski short" they really need to describe -- in reference to what? A tip and tail rockered 110mm waist ski? An FIS GS ski?

I'll bite...

I'm numbers guy (I think everyone on this forum kinda gets that about me), so I run a calculation of the effective edge length ratio to the base length. I also calculate the running length vs. the base length ratio. What I've found over time is that these numbers give me a pretty good idea of when a ski will ski "long" for its length vs. "short".

Some examples... I feel that the Fischer Pro MT series ski short. No surprise when you see that the Pro MT 86 Ti's effective edge is only 84% of the base length (BTW - base length is typically what manufacturers publish as the ski length). Compare this to the Fischer The Curv GT where the EE is 90% of the base length.

So basically I think what skiers are noticing is the impact of the rocker profile on how much length they feel from the ski. I also believe that more splay in the rocker line also tends to make a ski feel like it skis shorter; it's not just where the rocker begins, but also how its designed. Ski stiffness may also have some impact here as well.
 

Delicious

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I'll bite...

I'm numbers guy (I think everyone on this forum kinda gets that about me), so I run a calculation of the effective edge length ratio to the base length. I also calculate the running length vs. the base length ratio. What I've found over time is that these numbers give me a pretty good idea of when a ski will ski "long" for its length vs. "short".

Some examples... I feel that the Fischer Pro MT series ski short. No surprise when you see that the Pro MT 86 Ti's effective edge is only 84% of the base length (BTW - base length is typically what manufacturers publish as the ski length). Compare this to the Fischer The Curv GT where the EE is 90% of the base length.

So basically I think what skiers are noticing is the impact of the rocker profile on how much length they feel from the ski. I also believe that more splay in the rocker line also tends to make a ski feel like it skis shorter; it's not just where the rocker begins, but also how its designed. Ski stiffness may also have some impact here as well.
I do the same thing. I also establish a mount point "ratio" to describe to myself where the mount point is within the effective edge. Helps me to determine(guess) how a particular ski is going to want to be driven.
 

johnnyvw

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So I bought a pair of the V76's about a month or so ago. Tried them out as-is, didn't really like them all that much (the "locked on edge, planky feel" that some others have mentioned). Had them ground at 1/3, they were a little better but still mostly had that feeling. Wasn't feeling the love for these skis. So I took a closer look at the edge bevels (to make sure they were indeed 1°) and what I found was the tips and tails were dead flat (i.e. no bevel). I got my file tool out and made sure the bottom bevel went all the way to the very ends front and back. This totally changed the feel of the skis; I was able to feather turns easily when I wanted to and carved turns nicely when on edge but with no hint of feeling they were hard to release. I recommend anyone else who felt the same way about these skis (or any other Liberty model) take a close look at this.
 

itcomestoosoon

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What do you guys think of the DPS Alchemist Uschi A82 and Cassiar A82s available in 165 at $300. I'm a 5'7, 145 lb (small guy lol) skier intermediate skier looking to progress. I'm in the Midwest, but take one or two trips out west a season. I don't have much experience with Sierra, so I don't know if I should pounce on the deal or wait till summer time.
 

Noodler

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So I bought a pair of the V76's about a month or so ago. Tried them out as-is, didn't really like them all that much (the "locked on edge, planky feel" that some others have mentioned). Had them ground at 1/3, they were a little better but still mostly had that feeling. Wasn't feeling the love for these skis. So I took a closer look at the edge bevels (to make sure they were indeed 1°) and what I found was the tips and tails were dead flat (i.e. no bevel). I got my file tool out and made sure the bottom bevel went all the way to the very ends front and back. This totally changed the feel of the skis; I was able to feather turns easily when I wanted to and carved turns nicely when on edge but with no hint of feeling they were hard to release. I recommend anyone else who felt the same way about these skis (or any other Liberty model) take a close look at this.

I don't know if there is an automated finishing machine/system that handles the upturn at the tips and the tails. Every ski that has crossed my bench has had under-beveled sections in the tips and tails. I think that this really requires hand-tuning to get it right, so it's great that you figured that out, but don't assume that it's just this pair of Liberty skis that has this problem. Any ski that hasn't yet been hand-tuned probably has this problem. And to add insult to injury, this area on the tips and tails is incredibly critical for how the ski handles. You would have thunk that by this point, the ski manufacturers would have figured out a way to make sure that this part of the edge geometry isn't missed in the ski prep.
 

johnnyvw

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Thanks for confirming my findings. I don't buy new skis very often, so this situation had me a bit perplexed.
 

Delicious

Glass Cranks
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So I bought a pair of the V76's about a month or so ago. Tried them out as-is, didn't really like them all that much (the "locked on edge, planky feel" that some others have mentioned). Had them ground at 1/3, they were a little better but still mostly had that feeling. Wasn't feeling the love for these skis. So I took a closer look at the edge bevels (to make sure they were indeed 1°) and what I found was the tips and tails were dead flat (i.e. no bevel). I got my file tool out and made sure the bottom bevel went all the way to the very ends front and back. This totally changed the feel of the skis; I was able to feather turns easily when I wanted to and carved turns nicely when on edge but with no hint of feeling they were hard to release. I recommend anyone else who felt the same way about these skis (or any other Liberty model) take a close look at this.
Read this post yesterday. Checked our STP V76 pair. They looked slightly under beveled in the tails, maybe.? My 1* BaseBeast lines up nicely with what's going on in the rest of the ski, so took a few passes in the tips and tails and did get some material. Thanks for the heads-up.
It has FINALLY stopped snowing everyday here, and we will actually have a chance to get these skis out in their native conditions on Friday. I haven't even SEEN corduroy in weeks. I've skied them a couple of times in deep, soft snow, and they're very light and playful. If they're any good on the firm stuff, this is going to be one versatile ski! I don't have my hopes up though.
 

Jerez

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WTB Liberty EvolveW 90 (or perhaps 84) in a 165 for my cousin. (I think 165. She is slim and just shy of 5'6".) She is a smooth technically proficient skier who goes all over. (She taught at Crested Butte back in college days.) She hasn't had a new pair of skis in at least a decade. This is a 1SQ for Colorado.

Any leads on a deal would be much appreciated.
 

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