Info/Q+A: DOWN SKIS (Euroland for 11/12)

[geo039]

So the word is getting out a little more about the venture we call DOWN so I just wanted to post up here to extend a Q+A thread so everyone knows that you can contact SiSt or myself about the company, the skis, the tech, whatever comes to mind...we are here to help. We are not as pimp as this guy (plug) so we will keep this in Tech Talk. Demo skis are mostly around Euroland for now (IBK/AT, IT, NO, SE) and we will sell a limited run in 11/12.

Peep the site for more details about who we are?, why are we doing this?, do we have nekkid sisters?, etc....That being said I will start it off:

Q: Are you a dentist?
A: No, but making toothbrushes has funded DOWN (change your toothbrush every 3 months so we can make interesting skis..100% truth there)


-G

[Huck_Schmuck]

Q: I'm super rad. Ex-racer type. Are you looking to spancer any new athletes this year?

Good work Down skis! Maybe you could keep this shit in the Snow for Euros thread until your 'pond brothers get to share in the stoke ;-)

[Onward]

Liking the look of the #5 ski. A narrow R/R shape should work well in funky euro snow. I'm sure you need a norway based telly skier to test this shape for you

[SiSt]

Liking the look of the #5 ski. A narrow R/R shape should work well in funky euro snow. I'm sure you need a norway based telly skier to test this shape for you

They will be available to demo in Norway, at least in Hemsedal and Oppdal during the demo days. Not sure about tele, though. Any chance you have a pair of alpine or AT boots lying around?

[ClarkleberryFinn]

Where in Innsbruck have the demos?

[Meathelmet]

Any chance you have a pair of alpine or AT boots lying around?

Hehhehheh....


Btw,
Geo, do you have some hotspots where you can find the skis for some turns? Interesting shapes there. Pity that I dont have the balls to blindly purchase the Cuntdown4s, and the 180cm only length dont make that any easier. Have the money in hand to get some 185-189cm chargers ( looking for the LP105s) and skis in the 100-105 dims have been thoroughly browsed through.

And,where/who has the skis been made of and what construction? Certain skis looked amplidish, same fab?

[geo039]

A: If you have a 40 year old fart-bag, are good at pushing in lines, and love cheese You're in!

On a serious note there are a few proto pairs in Revy now. If you get this way (GVA, IBK, or NO) there are skis to demo. We will try to get more skis into the US/CA this year but are focusing on Euroland for 11/12.

We will post up in the SFTE thread to share the stoke. We are working a SFTE Mag giveaway too in the near future....so keep checking the thread.

Q: I'm super rad. Ex-racer type. Are you looking to spancer any new athletes this year?

Good work Down skis! Maybe you could keep this shit in the Snow for Euros thread until your 'pond brothers get to share in the stoke ;-)

[geo039]

A: There are some pairs floating around with Klar, Marius, and Freak. We will get some more over there in early December to including the new carbon layup Countdown 1.

Where in Innsbruck have the demos?

[iscariot]

Where can I test drive the Countdown 3 in the Canadian Rockies?

If its got the right flex and the right tail upturn, this might be the dreamski I've been looking for..any TGR/maggot deals (a la PMGear, ON3P, etc...)?

[geo039]

The first multiple part question:
A: Meat we are getting skis across the Euro-Mag network as quickly as possible. Demos are in GVA, IBK, IT, and NO. We are trying to set up some demo days in the upcoming months and will post up.

A: I would reco the Countdown 3 actually. (SiSt chime in with your shaping concept here) The 4 is really a freeride touring skis. Marius just returned from SA and will post up on the 4 very soon. The 3 is our real directional charger and I personally love the ski. I would not be afraid of either the 190 length or +110 girth.

A: Skis are made here It is the same OEM that makes many brands including some well know freeski brands. We made the sourcing decision based on a variety of factors but most importantly was relationship and quality. We have been working with them for about 2+ years now and are really impressed. Our sourcing is actually built into our Core Values that we will keep our sourcing local in Europe.

As for construction it is here Straight forward, strong, and I will say it.....simple. We will not create multiple marketing names for the carbon we use or the cores but what we will do is keep our construction high quality and clean. This is also built into our Core Values. If you need any additional information we are more than happy to help.

Btw,
Geo, do you have some hotspots where you can find the skis for some turns? Interesting shapes there. Pity that I dont have the balls to blindly purchase the Cuntdown4s, and the 180cm only length dont make that any easier. Have the money in hand to get some 185-189cm chargers ( looking for the LP105s) and skis in the 100-105 dims have been thoroughly browsed through.

And,where/who has the skis been made of and what construction? Certain skis looked amplidish, same fab?

[geo039]

A: Only the 1 and 2 in Revy right now. As noted to Huck we will try and get some that direction ASAP.

Where can I test drive the Countdown 3 in the Canadian Rockies?

[iscariot]

A: Only the 1 and 2 in Revy right now. As noted to Huck we will try and get some that direction ASAP.

I'll pm you my address...

The CD3 sound exactly like what I'm looking for in this thread: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...akes-this-ski?

[workinforturns]

I have some Countdown 2s and 3s in Seattle if anyone wants to try them.

[Schnappi]

Countdown 2 in a girls length (170+ish)? That's what I need right now.* Otherwise she's getting some Line Pandoras.



*I can't believe that I'm complaining that I can't get a ski short enough.

[SiSt]

A: I would reco the Countdown 3 actually. (SiSt chime in with your shaping concept here) The 4 is really a freeride touring skis. Marius just returned from SA and will post up on the 4 very soon. The 3 is our real directional charger and I personally love the ski. I would not be afraid of either the 190 length or +110 girth.

The idea behind the CD3 is to make a "fun-shape" that is more of a charger. This is done by avoiding a short radius (29 in the front, long and elliptical in the tail), a reasonably stiff flex (tip and tail that won´t deflect much), having a moderately high rocker and giving it a directional shape and flex pattern. In both the tip and tail there are sections that are completely straight (parallel to the ski centerline). The idea behind this is to balance some of the benefits of taper (avoid hookiness, lighter weight), while increasing float in deep snow.

The resulting ski is in my opinion an everyday ski with a bias towards high speeds and deep snow. At higher speeds, it behaves almost like a rev/rev, in that it just let´s you do whatever you want without locking you into a single turn shape or radius. The same is true for tree-skiing in deep snow, where you have a tail that you can slarve easily, while the tip keeps you floating on top of everything. I can honestly say that it´s the best tree ski I´ve ever been on. It has the common limitations of pintails though, in that you need to stay forward (or mount forward) in order to properly engage a turn on harder snow, also, it´s not much fun at low-medium speeds on groomers due to the long turning radius.

[SiSt]

Countdown 2 in a girls length (170+ish)? That's what I need right now.* Otherwise she's getting some Line Pandoras.



*I can't believe that I'm complaining that I can't get a ski short enough.

Future project...

[merlinmassoud]

cool to see people having good feeling on shape making balanced toy!
just one question: the camber profile on technical specifications are trhue? no camber or reverse camber?

[iscariot]

The idea behind the CD3 is to make a "fun-shape" that is more of a charger. This is done by avoiding a short radius (29 in the front, long and elliptical in the tail), a reasonably stiff flex (tip and tail that won´t deflect much), having a moderately high rocker and giving it a directional shape and flex pattern. In both the tip and tail there are sections that are completely straight (parallel to the ski centerline). The idea behind this is to balance some of the benefits of taper (avoid hookiness, lighter weight), while increasing float in deep snow.

The resulting ski is in my opinion an everyday ski with a bias towards high speeds and deep snow. At higher speeds, it behaves almost like a rev/rev, in that it just let´s you do whatever you want without locking you into a single turn shape or radius. The same is true for tree-skiing in deep snow, where you have a tail that you can slarve easily, while the tip keeps you floating on top of everything. I can honestly say that it´s the best tree ski I´ve ever been on. It has the common limitations of pintails though, in that you need to stay forward (or mount forward) in order to properly engage a turn on harder snow, also, it´s not much fun at low-medium speeds on groomers due to the long turning radius.

[SiSt]

cool to see people having good feeling on shape making balanced toy!
just one question: the camber profile on technical specifications are trhue? no camber or reverse camber?

Flat camber on the Countdown 1 and V, very low (~1mm) on the others. The main point of the camber being to become a long-lasting flat camber after some use.

[Marius]

*I can't believe that I'm complaining that I can't get a ski short enough.

as you are skiing like a pussy, 170 should fit your lame skiing perfectly. no need to get your sister/gf as excuse.

Review for CD 3 and 4 are coming. just need to figure this d-english out and sort out my 7000pics from southamerica as we normally do have no powder in tirol, the 1 is still untouched.

if someone wants to test them in Autria, we ("klar", "freak" and myself) live in innsbruck and host those models with dynas, plum's and hopefully soon some dukes for normal sized feet. just drop us a pm

[Schnappi]

as you are skiing like a pussy, 170 should fit your lame skiing perfectly. no need to get your sister/gf as excuse.

Review for CD 3 and 4 are coming. just need to figure this d-english out and sort out my 7000pics from southamerica as we normally do have no powder in tirol, the 1 is still untouched.

if someone wants to test them in Autria, we ("klar", "freak" and myself) live in innsbruck and host those models with dynas, plum's and hopefully soon some dukes for normal sized feet. just drop us a pm

That's it... I challenge you to a ski off.

[MnO_____]

I tried the Countdown 2 late last winter. Really nice skis. I wrote a rather long review about it in swedish a while ago (http://www.freeride.se/forum/thread.php?t=81400). I can translate it to a english version if I have the time.

The CD2 is a nice shape with, in my eyes, a perfect rocker profile. Great on groomers, excellent float and rather quick in the turns when you need it, but still a kind of a "waiting for input" kind of stable platform. Slightly big for my taste as it comes in 190cm (true length) only, but I still really like it. To my surprise it´s actually one of my favorite fat skis on groomers, while still beeing really good in pow. Only downside for me was that I found it a bit to big when things got really tight and tough. Then I prefer skis that are in the 183-186cm range. I´ll get back with a more detailed review, if I find the time to do it.

[geo039]

Thanks MnO for the write up. Here is a little more from our friends in another country..DE.

I tried the Countdown 2 late last winter. Really nice skis. I wrote a rather long review about it in swedish a while ago (http://www.freeride.se/forum/thread.php?t=81400). I can translate it to a english version if I have the time.

The CD2 is a nice shape with, in my eyes, a perfect rocker profile. Great on groomers, excellent float and rather quick in the turns when you need it, but still a kind of a "waiting for input" kind of stable platform. Slightly big for my taste as it comes in 190cm (true length) only, but I still really like it. To my surprise it´s actually one of my favorite fat skis on groomers, while still beeing really good in pow. Only downside for me was that I found it a bit to big when things got really tight and tough. Then I prefer skis that are in the 183-186cm range. I´ll get back with a more detailed review, if I find the time to do it.

[merlinmassoud]

hello,
@ sist: I know your interest on reverse camber, like renegade by example, and I didn't see any of that on CD1 or picture's protos on flickr.
is it because you think this type of design is less versatile, or just too much work to try all things you like these last 2 years?

by the way, did one of you try/was involved/ test hendrix skis?

[merlinmassoud]

@ geo39
also, at what temperature and time these babies are "pressed" ?