The Never-Ending Peak By Bode Miller Skis Discussion Thread

[KingGrump]

If you give cooks the same ingredients, do you think all the dishes would turn out the same?

If the cooks were Mamie and her sisters, I am sure all the dishes would be different. But they all would still be crappy. .

This thread has 28 pages, which is 28 pages more than Peak has on their Instagram and Facebook sites.

Guerilla marketing.

 

[Tricia]

The only Peak that shares a mold with Elan is the 88. Also, constructions are different and there is no Amphibio.

If you give cooks the same ingredients, do you think all the dishes would turn out the same?

If the cooks were Mamie and her sisters, I am sure all the dishes would be different. But they all would still be crappy. .


Guerilla marketing.

Good point.
If you were to give me and Phil both a basket of pasta, tomatoes, seasonings and cheese, mine would come out goulash and Phil's would come out as a gourmet Italian masterpiece. Both would be tasty, but very different results.

 

[David Chaus]

This thread has 28 pages, which is 28 pages more than Peak has on their Instagram and Facebook sites.

That says more about us than it does about Peak.

 

[James]

I think it’s hilarious that people imply they’ll ski any old thing, there’s no difference. Talk about bs!

 

[Quandary]

I think it’s hilarious that people imply they’ll ski any old thing, there’s no difference. Talk about bs!

Exactly! Absolutely hilarious posts from people who argue/comment/complain/obsess about a change in rise of a give ski, a minute change in tail rocker, how that .25* bevel change on a skis side bevel turns it into one of the worlds great ski. But I guess that was then, now pffft there really is no difference in a pair of skis....... One more thing every pair of skis coming out of the same factory is the same, don't be fooled by the marketing mumbo jumbo. Yadda, yadda, yadda. There are apparently a lot Bode haters. As the Allman Brothers said he is just trying to make living, doing the best he can. To each their own.

 

[DanoT]

There are apparently a lot Bode haters.

One can be a skeptic without being a hater...just sayin'.

 

[Quandary]

One can be a skeptic without being a hater...just sayin'.

How is this any different than the Stockli "turtle shell", the Fischer Air Carbon Core, Renouns "anti-vibe" plastic etc, etc, etc. It's all just a different take on the same objectives. Every ski manufacturer touts their product and its construction. What do you want Peak to do? "Hey we are building skis, buy them please". That would be an awesome marketing campaign.

 

[Johnny V.]

If the cooks were Mamie and her sisters, I am sure all the dishes would be different. But they all would still be crappy. .

You're either brave or stupid for posting this KG!

 

[KingGrump]

You're either brave or stupid for posting this KG!

Those two qualities generally go hand in hand.

In my experience, stupidity generally proceeded bravery.

 

[jimtransition]

I think it’s hilarious that people imply they’ll ski any old thing, there’s no difference. Talk about bs!

That's your prerogative, I think it's hilarious that people get attached to brands.

I ski mainly atomic because I get a good deal, and they make something for all the styles of skiing I like. But in the last 5 years I've owned Fischer, Salomon, Elan, volkl, armada, rossignol and blizzard, could not pick any as particularly better, all of them ski alright for whatever they were designed for, most broke eventually. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.

 

[Philpug]

Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.

Thats because they are all mostly really good, and you are getting into nuances. There are better ones for different things and different personalities and mostly get one one that fits 8 out of the 10 things you are looking for, fake the other two and make the ski your bitch.

 

[Philpug]

What scares me the most is not the traditional marketing but the viral marketing though "influencers" and even more so the zeolots that try to validate their own purchase by projecting it on others.

 

[ski otter 2]

What scares me the most is not the traditional marketing but the viral marketing though "influencers" and even more so the zeolots that try to validate their own purchase by projecting it on others.

Yeah, annoying.

I'm afraid I've been guilty of that last one some, though for different reasons, seems like; especially due to hard to avoid limitations on what I can own or demo extensively, in order to figure out comparable skis. I was a real fan boy of the Atomic Ritual, for example, until I got on some really good fatter skis. And there's always a chance that my latest favorite in some category has other skis that are way better that I'm still ignorant of, or that happened to have a horrible tune (or damaged tune) the day I was on them.

But, naw, the original, ubiquitous, big money, buy everyone, traditional marketing is much more Big Brother, and much worse/ more scary, to me: we're all conditioned to it, and yet it's the living stuff of science fiction, that's warped/conditioned most people to lies and the power of jammed false talk, and that's apparently created generations, now, seemingly filled with folk who can't tell truth from fiction, seems like - even when it matters most, warped way beyond consumerism.




Having fun re-reading some of this thread, apologies. (Heck, it's off season now!)
Next a fun line - thanks, Phil:

FIFY. Stocklis like to be ridden, the Kastle and Augments like to be driven.

To me, in my more limited experience, all three brands have skis (different models, different lengths, and in the case of the Augments, different flexes) that like to be ridden, or driven, depending. And some of them, to me, are more like Ferraris, way more than BMWs. The Stockli WRT models, including the WRT STs, and the Laser GS in 180 or longer like to be driven - mostly have to be, actually. Ferraris. The AX in 183 or longer likes to be driven (whereas the 175 and maybe shorter have limits that way). I'm sure there are other models and lengths also that like being driven.

To go by just my limited demo experience of them, the very soft flex Augment AM 77s I demoed, to me, were too soft, easily overpowered, and would not respond well to being driven, for my profile: though I'm sure a stiffer version probably would, from what others have written. And their race skis and near race skis, FIS and non-FIS, including Masters skis, just rock - souped up sports cars.

Many of the past Kastle FX models liked to be either driven or ridden, depending on the terrain and the skier profile, for off piste emphasis. They were not tops when pushed hard, in terms of responding to being driven (though some year models maybe were, dunno.) Ditto the LX models: for a light skier like me, they were money at being driven, but for a heavier skier, they were easily overpowered.

Unfortunately, other than a few BMX 105 and FX 96 & 106 models, both Stockli and Kastle, to me, have been laggards when it comes to soft snow skis. Great carvers just don't cut it there.

Maybe they've improved lately and I just haven't been on those skis (for me, because of a sharp drop in demoing due to Covid). And maybe Augment has solved the soft snow, powder, crud needs and I just don't know about it yet for the same reasons. But I'd sure like it if they could duplicate their appropriateness and magic in those areas/ways too, what for me is roughly a third of my skiing every year, and probably the most demanding and varied part of the fun equation also.

And that brings up these anticipated 98, 104 and 110 Peak skis. From what little I could gather on those, I'm hoping that Bode can come up with some good soft snow combinations, to go with his slam dunk with the 185 Crosson 78s I popped for - and skied a bunch, thank you.

 

[ski otter 2]

... but. Are these sold flat top or with a binding?

If the latter and it's DTC you're confronted with visiting your favorite ski shop and asking for an adjustment/check etc and I can't imagine many retailers taking that route without presenting a heart-warming bill at the end of it.

Actually, I expect the same response I got when I walked in my favorite ski shop with Crossons: folks were very curious about the ski, glad to hear about it and see it, and then get feedback about it. I even brought in the demo bindings I wanted on the ski. Result?

The install was expedited, and the charge was zero.

I expect curiosity about a new Bode ski, and the latest news around that, to be super interesting to a lot of techs and people in ski shops. And if they ain't so pleased with such novel Bode stuff - and are thus sort of indifferent to having fun in this ski business, maybe one should take the business elsewhere, to folks who like what they're doing more.

What Bode brings to the table for me (I'm not the typical skiing fan boy for any brand or celebrity), is credibility as a skier who knows how to ski and skis fast. If he tells me the ski works well, I will be more likely to trust him than to trust the myriad of reviewers who told me not to worry and that the then (circa 2019-2020) new Bones was still a good ski at high speeds despite it's short turn radius. It wasn't , and still isn't, and anyone who says it is clearly hasn't skied it at high speed.

Man, I got so much flack on this website for saying this same thing about the new change to the Bones. That didn't change that the ski for now had lost its mojo, at least for me - and you.

You can say a lot of people who post here don't look like skiers either, but I digress. No, it looks like an office complex ... maybe until they get their facilty set up?

I remember when I worked at Start Haus, it was not uncommon for someone from out of town stop by and say "With your online presence, I thought the place would be bigger..." I felt the same way when I visited California Ski Company for the first time, I thought it would have been much bigger. When I visited @SkiEssentials, it is was not what you would expect either. The world wide head quarters for SKiTalk.com is pretty darn humble also.

The brick and mortar site tells you almost nothing about the business success these days, with online everything.

Some really huge sales volume businesses are out of Bungalows and holes-in-the-wall, almost hidden. You would never guess how big they are: with guitars, drums, ski equipment. Those are just ones I know about.


.

 

[DanoT]

when I walked in my favorite ski shop with Crossons: folks were very curious about the ski, glad to hear about it and see it, and then get feedback about it.

^^^This kinda reminds me of the time a few seasons ago, the shop where I was working became a Black Crows dealer. Not a well known brand in this area and they were premium priced, but they were part of the demo fleet. Not a single pair got sold...except to staff (including me) who bought several pairs.

All Black Crows models are great skis and as I said, greatly appreciated by staff, but a tough sell. IMO, marketing matters especially when it comes to skiers.

 

[fatbob]

What scares me the most is not the traditional marketing but the viral marketing though "influencers"

Now I'm really confused - are you saying you don't have a commercial marketing relationship with any of the brands covered on this site?

On the Black Crows thing I've watched the capital injection and them go from a local Chamonix brand to a presence in Euro freeridey hotspots and then suddenly be in a lot of places in the US. Most of the people there I've seen skiing them seemed to be on some sort of hook up though.

 

[Philpug]

Now I'm really confused - are you saying you don't have a commercial marketing relationship with any of the brands covered on this site?

I am talking about individuals that are brand influences that go on to social media platforms and promote products but not disclose that they are compensated in some way or form by that brand.

We absolutely have paid advertisers and they are clearly shown in the ads on our site.

 

[ski otter 2]

^^^This kinda reminds me of the time a few seasons ago, the shop where I was working became a Black Crows dealer. Not a well known brand in this area and they were premium priced, but they were part of the demo fleet. Not a single pair got sold...except to staff (including me) who bought several pairs.

All Black Crows models are great skis and as I said, greatly appreciated by staff, but a tough sell. IMO, marketing matters especially when it comes to skiers.

Here in Colorado Black Crows has become much more successful than where you are, evidently. I see them constantly on the slopes, a mainstream brand here, and routinely carried and sold by many of the ski shops. The clientele seem to be largely young adult standard consumers, not just insiders or folks in the industry. To me they are, in most models I've tried or been told about, just a bit too soft for me, relatively speaking, but very good for a lot of young skiers, intermediate to expert.

They are a European brand (French?), and I'm told they are even more popular over there than here. A real success story, so far.

I think Bode would be happy with the kind of success they are apparently having.

 

[ski otter 2]

I have to say, my favorite thing on this thread is the video James posted of Deb Armstrong skiing with Bode and then Franz Klammer, he of the Head i/eSpeeds and those quick, short turns that ski is especially good at. (Years ago I got a pair of the 180/30 iSpeed RD Rebel World Cups that I heard from the Head rep that Klammer uses, and it's very good for me at those same short turns, or at least my version of them.)

Now and then in that video I could see his tips rattle or flutter, just as Bode had mentioned with most skis.

The Bode sequence in particular showed me something about his Peak skis. I watched very closely for the tip deflection - or lack of it - he was talking about. To me, it was evident - no flutter, and it sort of reminded me of the Crosson 78 also, with its quiet tip in sync with its more bombproof edge, and the way Bode was laying the 98 Peak over onto his knuckles without even seeming to do anything but ski laid back. Man, just stupendous. Very quiet and relaxed. Again, it reminded me of the common quality in the Crosson skis I have been enjoying the last two months of the season, maybe a dozen times or so.

By the way, the reservations for those 98 skis, at least, are not yet full, not yet fully reserved.

 

[Wasatchman]

What scares me the most is not the traditional marketing but the viral marketing though "influencers" and even more so the zeolots that try to validate their own purchase by projecting it on others.

But wouldn't you agree skis in general are good these days. So if someone chooses a ski because some brand influencer likes it, is that ultimately going to be all that different to their result from simply choosing Ski Mag's best in test ski? In both cases they are likely to have bought a fine ski, but not necessarily the ski that fits them best.

I suppose you could argue Ski Mag's rankings are not completely tainted. I'm sure advertising influences it but even I'm not jaded enough to believe it's based purely on advertising dollars as in whoever gives the most ad dollars wins.