demoing Mantra, Mythic and ...?

Howdy all,

I’m new to the forum, but like many others, I’ve been reading it for a while, and spent a lot of time in it recently trying to decide on my next ski’s. After many hours, I realized that most “compare this with that” questions have already been asked/answered so I used all those threads to narrow my choices. Now I’m in the demo stage and thought I’d join and add some thoughts about a few different ski’s.

Me: 5’9”, 145lbs (summer) to 150lbs (winter). 51 yr old, high7 or 8, strong skier that started at the Big Mnt when I was 20 then moved to Flagstaff for a few years of the Snowbowl, then moved to Denver where I get 15++ days of downhill per season. I’m a bike racer in the "other season" and I also ski AT/randonee for hut trips or when I get tired of the I-70 traffic here in Colorado. I’d love to pick my days and only ski powder, but work doesn’t allow – so I take the conditions I get on weekends. My preference is back-side and trees but front side with forays into moguls for the fun of pushing myself is inevitable. I want something that SierraJim would call a tweener, and from all the reviews, I’m favoring the Mantra, the Mythic Rider, the Head IM 88 and Mojo 90 (older version) or 94.
If I have learned one thing from pouring over this forum and all the great product comparisons, it’s that I need to demo, so I am. This is my contribution (so far).

Current/recently owned quiver:
K2 Apache Outlaw 177cm 124-88-111. Real damp, not quick edge-to-edge, most excellent in crud, good in powder. Not torsionally rigid – put on edge and try a somewhat tight turn on groomers and it skips/hops real bad. Heavy. Very stable in crud, big sweet spot. Sold recently to look for something good at what this is good at but better than what it is bad at – a little less damp with a bit more “feedback”, a bit lighter, as good in crud, better in trees and casual bump runs, mostly better on the front side (I hate that chatter/skip when I put it on edge).
Volkl Karma 177cm 119-87-111. Softer and less ski than the Mantra (see below). Fun but a bit squirrely. Not enough ski there for my preference. Chatters on a hard edge. I bought these used/cheap on a whim and will probably keep them and convert them to AT when my Kehua’s need replacing as my randonee ski’s
Salomon XScream 187cm 106-68-96 Great slalom type ski, best for front side, OK in foot high powder. Good at tighter turns. Aggressive feedback, high speed rip stick on the front side of the mountain. Harder work in the trees, smaller sweet spot (no back seat laziness with this ski…). Will keep these for lousy condition or front-side only skiing (the occasional obligatory ski day with newbies that are scared to go off-piste).
Fischer Kehua 177cm 127-92-118 Set up for AT, light, squirrely in chowder or > 4” crud and broken snow. Soft, not a lot of feedback. Great for touring, real easy to maneuver on tight trails and in trees, float well enough in powder.


Demo’ed so far:
Mantra in 177, 07/08 version(white background, red graphics) – Demoed at Loveland on 1/1 – Wind blown hard pack, hard chunky crud, some coralhead surfaces, no recent new snow (not the best day for a demo, but there I was).
Ski did well in trees (softer snow) and OK in moguls with work – surprised me at how easy it was in the trees. They would quickly come around and go where I wanted them to go. On moguls and hard hard-packed steeps (western boilerplate), I needed to give the ski attention to drive quick turns, but once the edge engaged, it swung around nicely. Where I found it, the ski was wonderful on two to four inches of wind blown “powder” over hard-pack.
One negative - Put them up on edge on a hard and tight radius turn (avoiding a sudden obstacle like a 10 yr old that suddenly turns in front of you as my son did) and like the K2 Apache Outlaw, it chattered/skipped on me.
Overall, a bit more lively than the Outlaw, a little less tolerant of lazy skiing than the Outlaw with a smaller sweet spot. Better ski for me than the Outlaw, not as heavy, a bit quicker edge-to-edge, a bit more spunk and return for the effort. No real powder that day but I suspect the two skis will be similar there. The Outlaw is a bit more stable in chunky hard crud, but that isn’t to say the Mantra was bad. The Outlaw is like a big 4X4 truck plowing through (“outta my way, punk!) versus the Mantra was like an Infiniti FX35 (move! Or not and I’ll zip around you!)
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']I’m out on the Mythic Rider this Sunday and will add to this thread after that. There are a couple of good deals out there on last year’s Mythic, so if I really like them, I may jump on one of those deals (in 177cm). More later.[/font]

If your Outlaws are skipping and chattering in a turn I would have them re-tuned. The Apache Outlaw is hardly soft torsionally since it has two sheets of titanal and is super stable. Sounds to me like the skis are way too sharp. Tune them 1 & 1 and keep sharp to the contact points. Also you just lost me telling us the XScream 187 is a great SL ski. The ski was and is a fricking tank.

That's fair about the Xscream - (it's a tank...). I haven't been on them for a while, but memory holds that I could drive them into fairly tight turns and they would hold well. I was not and am not a racer, so that wasn't a qualified statement saying they are good in the gates. It was more of a comparison to the Outlaw.

Regarding the Outlaws, could have been the tune, could have been my technique - they skipped when I really cranked on them so maybe I was asking the ski to do what it isn't really designed to do. My interpretation of "not torsionally stiff" was what came to mind.

I too tried the Outlaw and found nothing but rock solid carves in medium to large radius turns. I could see them skittering if you're trying to psh them into anything resembling a shorter radius turn, but otherwise . The Outlaw is one freight-train stiff ski.

Same with the Karmas.....I've never had mine do anything but solid carves at eye watering speeds. At 177, they're certainly not squirrelly or chattery even though I outweigh you by, OK, lets just say a bunch . Definitely check your tune (and consider a 1/3 bevel if you ski them on hardpack regularly).

Here is my next post in my search for my next skis. I feel a caveat is in order. I don’t make a living on skis and I don’t make a living selling skis, so I’m NOT any type of expert. I'll refrain from tech talk (like torsional rigidity) and focus on how the skis feel, what I think, etc. If you have a lot of experience, this will be light reading and may prompt a chuckle. If you are like me (15+ days per year, type 7 or 8, etc.) and looking at any of these, maybe there is some value. My specs are in the first post above (wordy tho I was!).

1/17 & 1/18. A-Basin on 1/17 on the Mythic Rider in 172 and my Volkl Karma in 177. Copper Mnt on 1/18 was on the Volkl Tiger Shark 10 in 175 and Volkl AC30 in 177. Warm days, no new snow for a week or so. North sides and trees were really nice. At A-Basin, Montezuma Bowl was not good, while Pallavicini was very good (no real freeze/thaw cycles). At Copper, Bradleys Plunge and Matchless off the Mountain Chief were not good (freeze/thaw cycles) while Union Peak/Kaboom had some real nice cut-up but soft crud. There was some boot-top high cut up snow, but south facing had set up and was really crunchy chunky crud that was real work to ski.

Dynastar MR was a bit heavy and beefy/burly when compared to the Karma and the Mantra. Less damp than the Outlaw but still a beefy feeling stable platform. A bit stiff for my 147lbs, more work than I’d like. Also, I realized that my natural stance on a ski (through too many years of self-teaching and bad habit) is a mid-foot stance as opposed to a forward-pressure, ball of the foot stance. When I get lazy on a stiff ski, I find myself back a bit, putting pressure on my poles as I come around 'em and they start trailing - sort of like a rudder. On these, I had to keep telling myself to pressure my toes to get the ski to follow my lead. I don’t sit back, per se, and it could just be the MR forced me to be more aggressive and forward. OK in trees but the Mantra’s and Karma’s were a lot more fun. The MR held a much better edge on hard skied-off stuff and held well in the boot-top high, cut-up and sun-baked crud. Also was more work in bumps than the Mantra’s and Karma’s.

On Sunday, odd circumstances led to my buddy and I (same boot size) taking out the Volkl TS and AC30 and swapping back and forth. Both were a blast on the front side. We did some top-to-bottom non-stop runs chasing a local on long tele’s who didn’t like to turn and both these ski’s were a blast in that “more groomed” stuff in tight or long turns. Lively and easy to ski in hard or soft snow. I’m not considering the Tigershark (I want more width for the occasional powder day), but it was sure fun to pop air here and there and generally “jam about”.

The AC30 felt better in the manky snow, easier to stay on top of. Couple of times the snow would grab the TS outside edge and force a concerted effort to rebalance myself and bring it back on track. I tried a time or two to get into the trees and chickened out after a couple of near misses on the TS's. On the Mantra’s or the Karma’s, tree skiing is pure fun. I think “go there, quick, over there, try that gap” and they just take me there. On the TS, I had a couple of “bug-eyed, oh crap” moments and decided to go back to jamming on the more open spaces. I didn't get into the trees on the AC30's.

One question for the veterans: I think my experience with skipping/hopping when I put a ski on a hard edge may be because I’m trying to crank a tighter radius than the ski is designed for and my weight won't hold 'em down. Make sense? And if so, would the same ski in a shorter length with a tighter advertised radius be able to handle those tighter turns? Specifically I’m thinking about the Mantra. In a 177 it has a 20.3 while the 170 has a 18.2. I plan to demo the 170 because I enjoyed it in the 177 length except for that skip/hop.

Still to go: Head Mojo 94, Head IM 88, Watea 84, Line Prophet 90 (all with < than 20M radius). I’m off to the Froelicher Hut next weekend (took the boy out for a dry run touring on his tele’s this past weekend) so it will be a couple of weekends before my next demo experience.

Interesting thread. I'm in the market for a smilar ski and am similar weight and ability. Currently looking at:

Line Prophet 90
Volkl Mantra
Dynastar Mythic Rider

(Only skied the MR so far)

Waiting for Line Prophet review...

What did you think of the MR?
Why the Prophet 90 and not 94?

I'll post my thoughts on the Prophets in a couple of weeks.

I had planned to have already purchased by now but as I demo then reread some of the other reviews, I keep shifting my targets - or adding to my list of demo choices. Things start to make sense, and my true preferences and capabilities are starting to crystallize - versus an "influenced" image of myself and what I think I want. I suspect it will be a season-end sale that finally puts my next ski's in my basement.

Ahhh, never mind on my first question - I just saw your post to SierraJim's "88's" thread...

I can only speak to the chattering issue. IMO, unless the ski has a truly bad tune, chattering is usually a technique issue. I've owned several 177 Mantras, weigh 165. They're not ice skates - or meant to be - and will wash out at high edge angles on very hard surfaces, specially if you lose your attention for a moment. But I found overall they carve noticeably better than most of that width. If they have a fault, it's the opposite: A bit stiff in the behind for soft snow. Agree about the tree/bump thing; weirdly easy to swivel/smear through trees, too rigid to be great in bumps. And yes, they are livelier than the Outlaws, which I found (08 models) to be like cadavers. But hey, some folks are into necrophilia.

Nordica Enforcer

You might want to add the Nordica Enforcer to your demo list, I had a chance to demo it back-to-back against the Mantra today at Kirkwood. The skis have very similar dimensions and profiles especially since the new Enforcer lost its twin tip so I thought it made sense to demo them together. I skied both in a 177 (5' 8" 165 lbs.).

I can see why the Mantra is popular, it carves like crazy. Seriously you could charge some gates at your local club races on this thing and probably do quite well. It's almost too slalom carvy if you prefer making fast long turns down the hill. The downside is its also quite grabby in the tail and on edge when off piste in crud and in moguls so its almost a better frontside ski than anything else.

The Enforcer on the other hand won't wow you in any single area but does everything quite well. It'll carve hardpack nicely (with a longer turn radius compared to the Mantra) but is also quite forgiving once you're off trail in the gnar. You can slide it around through the trees and moguls and unlike the Mantra it won't be constantly grabbing its edge trying to carve you into the nearest rock or tree.

Off course a lot of this is dependent on state-of-tune and snow conditions. The tune on both seemed very good and snow was carveable firm on trail and variable cruddy off. No fresh powder today . You could use either as your everyday ride depending on personal preference. Overall I preferred the Enforcer but the Mantra would probably make a fine east coast powder ski or frontside western ski.

Just buy these:

http://www.o2gearshop.com/catalog/pr...LAID=213958250

Beside the Mantra which also would be on my list I would add either a Scott Punisher or Mission.

Cheers Christoph

Hey, all.  I spent a really fun day today on the Watea 84.  What a great fun ski! I was up at Loveland, no new snow for a while (week or two?) so the conditions were: soft snow in the tree's on north facing slopes, lot's of coral-head ice from thaw/freeze cycles everywhere else, and up high, real crunchy/crusty wind-blown hard snow.

 

With that description, I was pleasantly surprised at how the Watea's did.  The tree's on the north-facing slopes (around chair 1) were a total blast.  Like only a couple others I've skied, these ski's seemed to be an extension of my thoughts. I kept pushing the envelope, shooting for tighter lines, going faster, hesitating less.  Just felt good.  Then out onto the bumps and they also did real well there. Tight lines or a good "pop" and I'm over to another line and keep on going.  Jamming around the cruisers was also lot's of fun. The ski has good pop that had me looking for lips and risers to air off of. High speeds, tight or long turns, all done very well by this ski.

 

I then headed over to the other side of the mountain to chairs 4 and 8.  All south facing, lots of big open slopes up high but not too steep.  Hard snow, chunky and crusty, leading down into glades, trees and narrow runs with icy bumps.  Still, the ski's did well, and kept asking for more speed. This is where I started seeing some limits, however, when I would find long sections of broken (ungroomed) 4" crud with lumpy hard snow.  The ski held up OK and I was able to push it, but I was bucked around a bit and the ski's were occasionally deflected by the snow. Not alarming, still fun to drive hard turns, but a rough ride.  For comparison, my old K2 Outlaws would have been unperturbed by the snow and skied through that stuff with calm and muscle.  

 

Finally, I did several runs up off the high ridge off chair 9 and the rough and "bucking" ride I describe above made the steep chunky snow slopes much more of a challenge.  I found myself holding the turns longer and therefore cutting more across the slope in big exaggerated arcs rather than tighter and more aggressive turns - because the ski was bucking around and getting deflected by the hard chunky snow. Not scary, but I like to spend some of the day skiing those type runs (in a tighter line) so the ski's got a low score in those conditions.

 

So where am I at?  I still have the Mojo 94 to try and maybe the Prophet 90, I liked the Watea 84 a lot but it has some limits and I have good memories of my day on the Mantra's (maybe try a 170 given it's 18.2  turning radius). And Christoph, if I don't run out of winter, or I don't fall in love with one of these and buy them, I'll add the Scotts to the demo list.  Problem is, I haven't seen the Scotts in the shops (maybe just didn't recognize them).

 

I've eliminated both the AC30 - not fun in the tighter tree's and the Mythic Rider - a bit burlier than my 147lbs can seem to make the most of (although I bet it would be a great all-around ski for more aggressive and heavier folks). I might try the Monster IM88 and the Nordica Enforcer, but I'm thinking from all I've read and from talking to numerous sales folks, they may be stiffer - more than I want.

 

What has become obvious about me?  I prefer a tighter turning smaller radius ski, I don't do well on the stiffer boards, I like some pop and excitement and I like a lighter ski. I like trees, busting crud (i.e., not skiing what "the hordes" are skiing), steep open bowls and I want to be able to jump in the bumps now and then. And like everyone else, I want a ski that can acquit itself when the powder falls (all too rare these days!). 

 

This has been fun - reading, learning and offering my thoughts. Sorry to be a bore with these "average Joe skier" posts, but it's really helping me pick my next skis.

This is going to sound weird, but if you liked the Mantra but found it too stiff, you may want to try the Aura. I own the 177 (no longer made) and chose it after demoing the Mantra in the 170 and finding it too stiff. Yes, I know it's a women's ski. However, at your weight, it may well be the answer for you. You can always spray paint it .

Good thought, but I didn't think it was "too stiff".  What I meant by "trying it in a shorter length" than 177 was based on the turning radius. I tend to crank tighter turns and I think that when I crank some of the longer radius turn ski's too hard, they chatter - partly due to my weight (or lack of) and because I'm asking the ski to do something it isn't really wanting to do.

 

In a different post, there was a description where the tester did a hard hockey stop and he said the ski's skipped so much it was teeth chattering, about knocked him down.  That is what I really didn't like about my Outlaws, and I've found, I also don't like on some of the ski's I've tested and described here.  Folks keep telling me it's tune, but I'm not sure.  Neither the Tigershark, the AC30 or todays Watea 84 did that when I crank them around. 

Dang... I'm getting impatient and the money is ready to be spent.  Dawg has the Mojo 94 at a sweet deal that may not last, Cold Smoke says try the Enforcer and Vapor Trail says buy the Watea 94. All logical choices that feel "right", but I haven't been on any of these yet.

 

Given where I'm at (see my Loveland/Watea 84 post above), what are the votes? By the way, given I have some older Karma's sitting in the garage, I'm leaning toward these wider ski's for what they can offer, but I want versatility - the ski I "go to" most often here in Colorado. As reminder, I'm 5'9" and 147lbs.

 

You have to ask yourself what conditions will you be mainly using these skis on?  Hard ice and chunks, or mainly softer conditions?  If soft, then go with Watea 94s (178 cm) especially if you liked the 84s (ask skier219 he has reviews on both).  I don't even ski when it's icy, unless I have.  If it's remotely soft then the Wateas rip it-that's all I know!  The 84's will be better in the bumps, but the 94s will probably be better in  just about everything else except maybe ice.

Yeah, I'm a lighter guy like you and I think the reason you liked the wateas so much is because they're a softer snow ski - so you can flex them well at human speeds.  Watea 94s or 84s seem like a good do it all colorado resort ski for folks our size.  Rossi b83s would probably flex just as well for you, and their dampness inspires confidence in that stuff you skied off of chairs 4,8 and 9 at loveland.  But you lose that pop you liked in the wateas...  aren't the mojo 90s pretty stiff too?

Vaportrail - I understand exactly what you mean by hard/ice versus soft, but it isn't that easy.  This year in Colorado is a good example.  I go when I can make it happen (family, work, etc.) and can't choose based on conditions.  There have been great soft snow weekends and like last, some hard, chunky, wind-blown crud weekends.  We don't get the ice seen out east, so I don't need "ice skate" capable ski's, just looking for that sweet spot with the fewest compromises.  It was based on your suggestion (and the tighter turning radius of 19m on the 177) that I added the Nordica Enforcer to my list - and it made for a good suggestion. The local ski shop sales guy, however said 'not good' based on my comments about the Mythic Rider (liked it but it was a bit "more" of a ski than I wanted in some areas like trees).

 

ChemSki - Don't know how stiff the Mojo 94 is, but from what I've read, it sounds like it falls between the Monster IM's (more stiff) and the Watea's, with the Enforcer maybe being closer to the IM's?

Whoops, too early this morning... It was Cold Smoke that recommended the Enforcer.  You have been a solid Watea 94 fan all along (reading the other post going on re: Watea vs Mantra).  All else still holds, though.

Overall, I'd say the Wateas can handle just about everything, but there are probably better options for chunky ice like a very damp heavy metal tanker.  I had my 94s in windblown crust and they tracked amazingly well,  crud - with very solid and smooth but lighter feeling, ice -yes some chatter & skidding, but where there was a little soft I could carve and boy what fun!  If you ski what you normally get there in CO you should do well with the 84, but for more float and stability in pow, tracked, and crud get the 94.  If you keep waiting you'll start seeing price drop - maybe down close to $300-400.  Beat that price for a great ski.

I'm from Denver and even lighter than you (130lbs) but perhaps a bit more technically proficient (or with a bigger ego and/or a Napoleon complex).  I ski the Watea 84's and would have to concur with your analysis above (and will add that they do very well in deep, i.e., 12"+, snow as long as it fairly consistent and light, otherwise I get out my Gotamas).  

 

Anyway, I think you may be asking for too much from one ski.  If you:

1. Want a lively, fun ski for short turns in bumps, trees and with moderate fresh snow look no further than the W84's.
2. Want something that will better handle death cookies then you need to look elsewhere; i.e., something more damp and with metal like Head Monsters, Mythic Riders, etc. (but...wait you already tried and disliked the MR's...). 
3. Want something that will be better in deeper/cruddier snow then perhaps the Mantra W94's, Mojo 92's are the ticket (haven't skied 'em, so I can't really say).  However, be prepared to step up your technique to get them to handle bumps and harder snow as well as a narrower ski.  (Also - while the chattering/skipping you are talking about is a technique thing, it is probably magnified for you by a wider ski).

 

Hopefully you get my point.  My recommendation is to pick a ski that will work best in the conditions you prefer to use them in (I don't know about you, but I avoid death cookies like the plague - heck this is Colorado, and, if I can't, I grin and bear it knowing that even a Sherman tank wouldn't help me much).  Otherwise, I would say keep demo'ing (or not), don't listen to the big boys (what works for bigger folks often doesn't work well for lighter folks, i.e., careful with those Nordica Enforcers until you try 'em), and think more about what characteristics are most important to you in a ski and where you will be willing to step up your game to make up for the ski.  

 

Another thing to consider: with all the skis you have that don't work quite will, maybe you should think of "cleaning house" and getting two ski's (the W84's and something wider and/or burlier) - that's how I ended up with my W84's and Gotamas over the past summer.  OTOH - based on the praise that the W94's get (dunno since the shortest length is too long for me) maybe that will be your ticket to paradise

 

Good Luck and keep us posted

 

Ski-ra,

 

Thanks for the thoughful response. It's the age-old dilemma about a single-quiver ski, so I know I'm looking at compromises.  Just trying to settle on where. 

 

I actually tried to clean house before Christmas and Craigslist was so full of junk that I didn't get a single call.  And I wasn't being proud ($) with my offers.  I'm going to try again and may just keep the Karma's for the stuff they are fun in and trend towards a wider ski in a new one. As I was skiing on the W84 last weekend, a voice kept whispering to me that they felt similar to the Karma's. The W94, the Mojo 94 OR MAYBE follow the lead of many like you and get a truly wide ski.  Of course, then the demo fun starts all over - once it starts snowing again!

 

I'm headed up this weekend to Copper and plan to take the Karma's and maybe finally get on the W94 or the Mojo 94 just to close the loop. Oh, and about Napoleon??? Nah, I'm pretty good but from what I've read, I'm guessing your technique is clearly more "proficient" than mine...

You might want to try the 173 Blizzard Argos, 101mm waist and rather straight, but if you can put it in a high angle it will make small turns .....

Sierra Jim's everydad ski at Tahoe....

 

 

Cool - report back with your findings and note:

• "Napoleon Complex" - per an online dictionary "the condition of being small in stature but aggressively ambitious and seeking absolute control"  I'm 5'5" and sometimes act like I'm trying to get even with those bullys from high school (if I could only get them on the slopes or an MTB).
• If you ski during the week perhaps a meet and ski at Copper or WP (my season pass locations) could be good therapy (for both of us).
• As to the above post re: the Blizzard Argos (no offense to nfp158 intended) - revisit my recommedation re: not listening to the big boys (I believe that SierraJim is about 190lbs and, I'd assume, an amazing skier to-boot).

Well, we work weekdays, but if we get an occasional day off, we will let you know. And we are active with a bunch of strong MTBers in the summer, so maybe join us for that, including an occasional race up at WP?

 

Where did you get to today - WP or Copper? Any new snow?

Hmm..., you must've seen my post about skiing today.  It was based on the expectation that a few more than 1" of new snow would fall, so I bagged it (I'm a soft snow skier - that's why I like the Wateas, even though they work just fine in CO hardpack).  Fortunately I can go any day this week so there's always tomorrow.... 

Used to race in the WP MTB series too, but once I moved to Sport and started to finish mid-pack I began to lose interest - more of that Napolean complex thing (though come to think of it there were a few near-death experiences that also contributed...).  I still ride with some racers, so as riding season approaches we'll have to explore the possible degrees of separation (or just ride)....

 

I have your Prophet review right here...  I own the Prophet 100 (18.5 r) and it is a fantastic ski.  It really does everything well-- a true all mtn ski.  The 90 is a little stiffer than the the 100, but not by much.  The 100 is way better in soft snow, and it really doesn't give up much to its smaller brother on the hardpack.  The 100 feels, to me, like a narrow ski on the hardpack.  This is most likely due to its large sidecut.  It's super quick for a 100 waist ski and is very turny.  Easy to throw around in the trees.  I'm 6-1 220 and ski the 186 and I don't have any issues at speed.  Super fun ski, and pretty light.  I've got mine mounted with the salomon sth 16 bindings.  Never been a solly binding guy, but I got them for 175 in the backcountry.com outlet. My only complaint about them is they get a little squirrely when you run them flat, due to their sidecut.  The crave the edge. 

Hokiesnow - Interesting.  Thanks for the feedback. Anyone lighter than 150lbs skiing these on a regular basis that has comments? Same as above?

Now the last peice of my "review" puzzle is feedback on the Head Mojo 94.  Either the search function doesn't work as well as it did B.C. (before site change) or there just aren't many folks skiing this ski and reporting on it. Anybody have comments on the Mojo 94?

 

Ski-ra - yep, I saw your post looking for carpool and ski opportunities. We NEED some new snow!

MTB? - Like you, I cat'ed up (to Expert) and suddenly was pack-fill, so motivation is waning. But it keeps me in shape so I have a ton more fun skiing in the other season! And jamming down a tight single track reminds me SO much of skiing trees.

 

• The W84's wide and torsionally rigid tips, along with the lack of dampness magnified the consequences of not picking the perfect line (i.e., the tip readily deflected off of the troughs and bucked me off my game).  
• My standard mogul skiing techniques would not work at all, which is either mid-speed bump-to-bump (even mid-speed was too fast to deal with these troughs of death) or GS turns (there was no way the ski could absorb crossing those troughs).
• I beat myself up for much of the day (I probably did 16 bump runs) and finally found a technique that seemed to work well-enough, though it was out of my comfort zone and still was still a lot of work.  I skied as slowly as possible, using the ski's good  low speed turn initiation and willingness to hold a carve of varying radii.  This way I was able to carefully navigate the skis' route to avoid anything that would perturb them (ah...me).
• FWIW - there weren't many others out there that were skiing these moguls well.  I saw only one person skiing them like a bumper at speed (nothing like 20 year old knees) and one other doing GS turns (I couldn't believe my eyes - why wasn't he getting thrown around).  The handful of others were skiing with this same slow-speed technique (which interestingly enough were mostly women) and while they looked better than I felt, I imagine they were struggling too (isn't that usually the case).  So, these moguls were probably 90% technique and 10% skis.

 

I kept thinking about what other skis I'd rather have for these moguls and I concluded that something damper and with less sidecut might have been better.  For me this would be the Dyna 8K's (for heavier-weights perhaps Head iM82's). When I demo'd the W84's last year (along with the 8K's and a few others) I did notice this same ill-mannered behavior in the hard bump with soft snow trough combination (the bumps weren't as bad as yesterday's and I expected that I'd figure it out).  The 8K's were definitely better in those bumps, but I liked them less everywhere else (including exclusively hard or soft bumps) - as usual there ain't no perfect ski.

 

If this whole mogul discussion is an issue to you you might consider trying the Blizzard Chronus (the 8K's are probably too narrow).  While I haven't skied them, they are supposedly good for lighter-weights, a bit damper than W84's, and definitely have a bit less sidecut.  Also consider the iM82's which are widely praised on this forum.

 

I've now tried my W84's in just about every condition I expect to use them in (including some that I don't - like 12"+ windpacked stuff that my Gotama's handled only marginally better).  I've concluded that they are probably as close as is possible to a one-ski quiver for lightweight skier in softer snow conditions.  Nevertheless I ain't giving up my Gotama's (...from these cold, dead hands).

 

I hope that this epistle is of value you (it was definitely therapeutic to me given the mental and physical challenges of yesterday's conditions).