Lhasa Pow 186 vs 196 Review

[splat]

How about a 5'5 guy 130-135lbs? Decent but nothing special as a skier, though I'm working hard to improve. Would the 186 be too much?

As long as you don't turn on your tails, you'll be fine.
You need to be tip driving the Lhasas, not tail-gunning.

[eldereldo]

My wife is 135, 5'6" she skis 186 Carbons

[PearlJam09]

Can someone post a picture of the amount of tip/tail rise and camber of the 186 Lhasa's (or a link)? I've searched and can't seem to find one.

[plugboots]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...=rocker+thread

[sierraskier]

^^Yeah, dynadukes really are something to consider. If his system works well it would be ideal for what I am considering. I am just a bit hesitant to try em out in the 1st production run, and also not too keen on the xtra stack height:dukes are high enough as it is. Sick idea tho. Very glad to see somebody taking steps in this direction as it makes a ton of sense for serious skiers and isn't something that the mainstream ski industry will likely help us create

I have the dynafit titan with intuitions so I wont lose much power with my dynafit boots but still, like Squirrel said, your gunna want that cowbell baby (cowbell being alpine-binding connection). The ski is made to be skied aggressively, this much I can tell.

Hijack
I am off to France in a week and I think I may try to ship the unmounted Lhasa's and some dukes. Once I am there I may look for the fresh powder snow. have you all heard of this ? If so, any suggestions are welcome (seriously) also cheapest way to ship to Yurp if time is not a concern at all? I wont need the skis till late feb, so slow is fine, only want them to be safe. Apologies for the

Hijack

My 2 cents:
Given your size and the tip rocker on the Lhasa I think you would be fine on the 196. I'm 6'0" 175 and on the 186's and am wanting something longer on the bigger days. Was even thinking of going up to a 196 end of last season, but now that there is a 191 I would do that. I haven't toured a ton with them yet, but the couple times that I have the Lhasa/Duke combo toured SURPRISINGLY WELL. I wouldn't put dynafits on them solely for the reason that you wouldn't have the beefiness of an alpine boot driving them.

[shasti]

Now that the titan is here, you can have a stiff boot on dynafit. Titan + intuition = pretty much 1 boot quiver if your foot fits it.

If you look at the lhasa on paper, it says duke, but when you pick it up ( the carbon that is ) that screams dynafit to me. Only question is can the dynafit handle a 6'6" 200 lbs (with pack n gear) dude who skis hard, with titans, and a 196 carbon ski. I fear that I will break my FT12s in two. I skied em a ton last year, even inbounds, on 188 coombas, and it was fine, but that ski is so soft and forgiving. I feel like asking a dynafit to shoulder the load of what I would like to do to that ski may be a bit much. Thoughts from big dudes who ski hard on dynafits (inbounds too) are welcome. assuming your boot could handle the ski, do you think the binder would allow you to ski lines that you would normally avoid ( read: medium huck or variable condition straightline/runout ) ?

To me this is the most interesting question on this forum because it involves the ultimate, "one ski quiver" : a touring system that would allow you not to need anything else, even for a day of liftserv.

so again I ask you, can the 196 lhasa be dynafitted and skied aggressively inbounds and out all season long ?

[Loon]

Interesting idea, I think the only person that can answer your question is a 6'6" 200lbs man that skis as hard as you want to and has a Lhasa/FT12/Zzeus or Axon setup from last year.

Find that man! He can answer your question.

I'd say go for it, I'm going to put the FT12s on my 186s and ski the piss out of them.

[shasti]

^^^ha, I think you are right man

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find that guy. And because of it, I am leaning duke. I'd rather carry em on the uphill knowing for sure they wont break after a season of hard use than risk having my only touring rig bust a pin in february.

[ReadyToSki]

Juust skied the 186 carbons. What a sick ski the type of ski I have been looking for all my life.
What really amazes me is how stable yet nimble they are. You can go mach chicken through cut up snow and haave zero hooking. So smooth and predictable. Yet when you need it it supa easy to bust short poppy snappy turns. The skis are super easy and forgiving and at the very same type stable and confidence inspiring.
Now

[ReadyToSki]

one more word. The LP made some 5 cm on top of bulletproof feel like a foot of pow.
splat, it would be great if you make a wider version of the lhasa with slightly more rocker. Just add 1cm to every dimension and we'll have a perfect deep day ski. I oblige to buy the first pair.

[splat]

Heh. Good to hear guys. I am currently finishing out 30 pair of 186 and 191s that will all be shipped by Wednesday. I'm absolutely dying to hear the feedback on the 191s. Just me in the shop, trying to fashion an assistant out of old ski cores. Soon, the 188s, 192s, and splatulas....

[vailcat]

It was day numero uno for this guy today up at Big Sky and even though there are some rocks out I remember just how titties the 196 were so I took me and my dumb mohawked ass out on them and after a near death experience on my very first turn of the season I fell right back into the love I had for these guys last year. Such a sick fkn ski!!! Challenger was chalky and they slayed it. Groomers were fast and they railed it.

I think a pair of either 191's or 186's would be great for tighter skiing conditions at say the ridge at BB or then again maybe the 196's would be fine too. They do ski sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
EZ!! Even me and my weak and feeble 155 lb 5'10" frame finds them simple.

BTW there is now a titty club between big sky and bozeman(this may be old news but its new to me!! I am in love in more ways than one.

[Horu]

After reading marshal's duke thread and seeing that the duke ramp is theoretically greater than the px ramp, I changed my stance a little today. I came into a very neutral stance and really fell back into the groove of this ski. I'm about the same size as most of the people on these skis 6' 215, and I found that a very centered stance is ideal. As the snow got deeper and more chopped today, I pressed through the tips and carved outrageous turns in chopped crust pow over ice. Consistency in variable snow is really the most impressive thing about these skis imo.

[vailcat]

I second horu. Consistent in inconsistent. BOOM

[splat]

That was one of the first things I said about the 186 a couple eyears ago after we went heliskiing in Pemberton. Went from four or five feet of pow to an ice layer on the rollovers. I was hauling ass in a big arc the first time I transitioned out of the pow onto the ice. There was an entire freakout occurring behind my goggles but I decided to just hold the line. They transitioned onto that ice, held an edge and then transitioned back into the pow without a bump. Late the next day, StuntCok and I both slammed a drift in flat light at a pretty good clip and I was just waiting to go over the bars when I saw that tip plow up to the surface and the feeling that I had been saved went through me. While skiing the trees at Solitude I got so wrapped up watching the tip slice an ice crust while skiing that I almost hit some trees. The variables performance has been incredible on all the Lhasas.

[StuntCok]

I just spent a day skiing DEEP blower in Hakuba and due to my new 186s not being mounted I went back to an old pair of prophet 130s, which sound great in theory, right? The Prophets sure do float but I forgot how much a traditional ski looses speed when trying to slarve turns and in snow that deep they were kinda slow. Pulled out my old busted up 186 prototypes today and it was soooo much better. Sure the snow had settled (although there still was about 10cm of new) so it was faster but their shape is so much better for maching through crud and then when we hit the untouched their better comfort at speed, plus the rocker meant they floated almost as well as the prophets. Splat, I may be putting in another oder for a PN topsheet 186 or maybe even 191. Can you oblige a 191 with the PN graphic without too much trouble?

[TheDon]

Yesterday riding at the bird I ran into one of Splat's guys Ian. He was literally freaking out about the 196. He was so stoked, he had that amped little kid vibe going on!

[ReadyToSki]

splat, is there some chance you press the fatter lhasa?

[splat]

I just spent a day skiing DEEP blower in Hakuba and due to my new 186s not being mounted I went back to an old pair of prophet 130s, which sound great in theory, right? The Prophets sure do float but I forgot how much a traditional ski looses speed when trying to slarve turns and in snow that deep they were kinda slow. Pulled out my old busted up 186 prototypes today and it was soooo much better. Sure the snow had settled (although there still was about 10cm of new) so it was faster but their shape is so much better for maching through crud and then when we hit the untouched their better comfort at speed, plus the rocker meant they floated almost as well as the prophets. Splat, I may be putting in another oder for a PN topsheet 186 or maybe even 191. Can you oblige a 191 with the PN graphic without too much trouble?

Stunts - we should talk. And you should find a few other peeps who might want the PN graphic to make that more feasible. I have a load of tops for both 186 and 191, but I have something very special in mind for that. skype???

Yesterday riding at the bird I ran into one of Splat's guys Ian. He was literally freaking out about the 196. He was so stoked, he had that amped little kid vibe going on!

Yeah, he called me all giddy that day.....

splat, is there some chance you press the fatter lhasa?

If it looks good, maybe in a year or two. Order now.

[TheDon]

Yeah, he called me all giddy that day.....

It was funny how stoked he was, really made me want a pair.

[flip]

My as well add my review to this thread...

Skier: flip
Age: 30
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 165 lbs
Style: Not aggressive, but sometimes stupid. Like shorter turns and billygoat lines over high speed arcs. After repeatedly trying stiffer skis recommended by TGR, I've realized I like softer more playful skis (exception being explosivs).
Skis I like(d): Explosiv 180 (still my touring ski), XXL 186 (love em for 4 runs, and then lose motivation to drive them as hard as needed), Praxis Pow 186, Seth Pistols 179, BD Verdict 180 (my go-to resort ski before the Lhasas)
Skis I didn't like (that others did): Rossi Axiom 180, Nordica Blower 186
Setup: Lhasa 186 Glass with 997 Equipes mounted maybe .5cm back because of interference with previous holes. Tune? Probably factory 1/1, needs sharpening.

I got tired of switching from my Praxis to the BDs when conditions got beat up and I wanted to arc through chop. My Praxis ended up not getting any time last winter from a dearth of powder and glut of variable conditions, so I decided to trade them in for something more versatile. Considered Billy Goats, CRJs, Czars, Praxis BCs, and BD Justice. Found a deal on Lhasas first so that's what I got. Didn't test any of them.

I have a half a dozen days on them now, in a mix of light pow, heavy sierra wind-affected pow, cream cheese, chopped up tracked out pow over icy bumps, soft bumps, and groomed.

They are not the pow ski that the Praxis Pow was, but I don't think anything is. The Lhasas, will hold onto a turn especially in heavier powder... not quite hooky but a little work to release compared to the Praxis. They are not as quick as the Praxis either. That said, they blow away every other ski I've ever had in powder and are nearly the equal to the XXLs in tracked out powder. Supremely easy to ski, they just don't quite make it a beginner sport like a true reverse reverse does.

In tracked out powder and crud, they do really well. They are not quite the XXLs equal though. Those skis just made the terrain, even pretty firm bumps, disappear. The Lhasa will bounce around over things a bit more. However, it's totally manageable and still a lot of fun. If I was hitting big fast lines, especially with rough runouts, I would much rather be on the XXLs, but for my usual billygoat style, the Lhasa is better.

We haven't had much crust, but on wind-packed powder, the Lhasa's absolutely rule. I actually find them a bit more fun than the Praxis because they give more of a carving (versus surfing) feeling, which I like. Far more control in thse conditions than either the XXL or Verdict.

On firm and groomed, the Verdicts are (not surprisingly) more playful and carvy, and in the right kind of chop will carve a more predictable line, but the Lhasas do well enough to still be fun. Something I never would have said of the Praxis. The Lhasa will carve nice smooth long-radius turns very naturally. The more forward-old-school you get the more fun they are.

Summary: They are not as amazing as some of my other skis in each of their respective sweet spots, but they are more than good enough in everything. I can just bring one ski to the mountain and have a blast in almost any conditions, which was exactly my goal when I bought them. Great ski that will get by far more resort days than anything else I own, and I plan to have for a long time (which hasn't been true of any other ski I've had besides the xplosiv).

[SouthCentralShralper]

Now that the titan is here, you can have a stiff boot on dynafit. Titan + intuition = pretty much 1 boot quiver if your foot fits it.

If you look at the lhasa on paper, it says duke, but when you pick it up ( the carbon that is ) that screams dynafit to me. Only question is can the dynafit handle a 6'6" 200 lbs (with pack n gear) dude who skis hard, with titans, and a 196 carbon ski. I fear that I will break my FT12s in two. I skied em a ton last year, even inbounds, on 188 coombas, and it was fine, but that ski is so soft and forgiving. I feel like asking a dynafit to shoulder the load of what I would like to do to that ski may be a bit much. Thoughts from big dudes who ski hard on dynafits (inbounds too) are welcome. assuming your boot could handle the ski, do you think the binder would allow you to ski lines that you would normally avoid ( read: medium huck or variable condition straightline/runout ) ?

To me this is the most interesting question on this forum because it involves the ultimate, "one ski quiver" : a touring system that would allow you not to need anything else, even for a day of liftserv.

so again I ask you, can the 196 lhasa be dynafitted and skied aggressively inbounds and out all season long ?

I'm not sure, but I would bet there are more broken Dukes out there (AFD plates) then there are broken Dynafits...

I would say mount them up with Dynafits if you will tour more than lift access. Mount them up with Dukes if the opposite is true.

[splat]

As for whether a 196 can be dynafiddled for in and out skiing - why not?

People do it on the 186 all the time.
The only issue has been toepiece ripouts in super gnarly crashes. I suggest dropping epoxy down the holes when mounting.

[bobbuilds]

I’d like to go ahead and bump a 7 year old thread to thank a man for building a ski.

Splat, and team. Thank you.

I am lucky enough to add to the quiver a 196cm Lhasa pow prototype that I purchased at random while in search of bindings. Seller was upfront, told me they were beat and that they were protos. I didn’t expect much.

Today I skied in 3” over set up skied out crud from the last storm of 4” not ideal conditions for trees or glades. Groomers would have been preferred as I am old and shit.

I started out in open areas crud busting and trying to get a feel for the ski, waiting to catch a tip or hook an edge. Never did.

Went to the trees and started busting up tracks across, through, tighter trees, no problem.

Figured I’d catch a few laps with the wife under the chair and and ski chopped up powder over groomer before lunch. Found myself skiing fast and acting young. I’m not confident of the dimensions 145-112-120 I remember reading pin tail. But I had fun, never did the tails wash out. This ski is flat under foot slight tip rocker and a mild tail. I liked it a lot.

After lunch I felt old and wanted to take it easy, the ski did that too. I’ve been reading about ski design stepping back it’s dimentions with 108-112 filling a huge void for most days.

I just found my BC ski for the remainder of this season, and probably its life. I’m a monster at 6’4 280 and this thing is 2-3cm longer that any of my 195’s so I’m stoked there as well.

I would resurrect PM gear if I could. Has anyone thought about it?

[splat]

Thanks, Bob. Nice to see the skis still going ten years later. The designs will prove timeless.