Have Dumont, want Big Trouble?

Hey,

cant really say I know much about the Dumonts, but I also was inquiring about picking up some of the Big trouble or Huge trouble. I was talking shop with one guy and he told me that they were a good ski (the huges) but they are one of the heaviest powder skis he has ever tried and that he thinks that Big troubles are also really heavy.

Now... if thats true, not sure. But im guessing it would make it pretty hard to keep tight in the glades, but that you should be able to punch through crud and Choppy stuff fairly easy.

thats the only comment I can make, hopefully this gets the ball rolling (fair enough if im totally wrong, im not gonna take it personally).

-Dreas

I had a pair of 08 Dumonts.  The mount point on those skis is for park usage, well forward of where you should mount them for all-mountain usage.  I mounted mine 5 CM back for all-mountain use and they worked well even in moderate powder.  My son now owns them and uses them in all conditions except big dumps.   The Dumont doesn't have the girth for deep powder. Something like the Big Trouble would be better.

I can only give a partial account of the Dynastar Big Troubles, as I haven't had the opportunity to take them out in various conditions.

Yes, they are kind of heavy.  They have a layer of metal, although the coverage of which is uncertain (full length?  binding area?).  They're pretty stiff in the central 50% (underfoot) of the ski, and are slightly softer at the front, and significantly softer in the back.  In this respect, this flex profile resembles my groomer carver Dynastar Contact 10 more than my Volkl Gotama (even-flexing all-around).  Overall, they are the stiffest skis I currently own.

As groomer carvers, these things are surprising.  They're very stable and feature a bite that I did not expect from a ski of this girth and design.  With an aggressive edge-set I can rip GS turns in full edge-lock.  However, the key here is aggressive.  Whereas I can get away with half-assed lean-and-use-the-sidecut minimal technique with my Legend 8000 and Contact 10's, the Big Troubles need to be driven to shine.  (Yes, I need to drive my Gotamas too, but the quality and conviction of the edge-set here is a whole other world.)  Whereas all my other skis seem best driven from a slightly forward balance, the Big Troubles seem to do better in a centered balance, as it seems to grip from the center (perhaps unsurprisingly).

What I've read is that the Big Troubles are good crud-busters but aren't great for float in pow, as they're too stiff in the front and overall.

I have my '09 model (176cm, for a 5'8" 160#, 35yo) mounted at the "all-around" mark (6cm? behind the center mark and 2cm? in front of the freeride mark) with bindings with a delta of 2-3mm.

I haven't had the opportunity to test them in more conditions, but I am playing around with the idea that they could take over the all-mountain niche in my quiver that that my Legend 8000's currently occupy.

I've owned the big troubles for 2 or 3 years. I love them! they do everything well. Not the best powder ski but not bad, very good crud ski and jumps and bumps super good for its size. If you get the Big Trouble in a 186 and don't like them there is a good chance I will buy them from you. They are possibly the best "do everything" ski I've ever skied. If you want more info you can PM me. Did I mention I love this ski?
Recent skis I've owned and liked:
Gotama
K2 PE
Trouble Maker
Mantra
Wall