The Official Great Pacific Octopus Thread

[Jim S]

SupreChicken, Jim S, any chance you could a quick side by side with the concepts. from what I gather so far, the GPOs float better and are a bit stiffer for bigger lines, and Concepts get the nod on hardpack.

I haven't skied the GPO a lot and I think I want to move them back from the mount on the dimple. I think I'm brain dead but with the all mtn skis from Praxis it's different flavors of greatness. For what it's worth my inbound go-to-skis the past two months are the Concept and Protest for the rare pow day with the others falling in behind still getting some love. I'm probably taking the Protest over my old Powders to AK in a few weeks.

[hoarhey]

I haven't skied the GPO a lot and I think I want to move them back from the mount on the dimple. I think I'm brain dead but with the all mtn skis from Praxis it's different flavors of greatness. For what it's worth my inbound go-to-skis the past two months are the Concept and Protest for the rare pow day with the others falling in behind still getting some love. I'm probably taking the Protest over my old Powders to AK in a few weeks.

What other skis will you take to AK besides your Protests?

[Shu Shu]

I haven't skied the GPO a lot and I think I want to move them back from the mount on the dimple. I think I'm brain dead but with the all mtn skis from Praxis it's different flavors of greatness. For what it's worth my inbound go-to-skis the past two months are the Concept and Protest for the rare pow day with the others falling in behind still getting some love. I'm probably taking the Protest over my old Powders to AK in a few weeks.

Thanks Jim,

I think I'm going to go with some GPOs. Keith, basically agreed with your summation, in that the GPO and Concept are both meant to do a lot of the same things they just do them with different design characteristics (e.g. a different flavor of greatness). He also agreed with the consensus that the GPO gets the nod in pow/crud in bigger open spaces, and the concept in tighter terrain and trees. With both being totally capable (and mostly awesome) all over the mountain in pretty much any depth of snow.

All in all I'm really psyched to change directions in the quiver. Less of a 'how much snow fell' type of approach, and more of a 'how big is the terrain' type of approach. Hence the EC (Concept) WC (GPO) 2 ski quiver.

[sandflea]

I think the the Concepts and GPO's compliment each other... even though I do have massive overlap in that size... Rocker 2 108's, RP112's, AKJJ's, New Lifes. Something is going to have to go... probably the 108's.

[Jim S]

I skied the GPOs today on firm groomers and corned soft groomers (giving my knee a looong rest before i trash it again this Saturday morning at Squaw) and it carves really well. So the front side aspect of the ski is a thumbs up.

I did get some light pow days on it and it was great; off-piste cut up pow, chop and gnarly off piste bumps I have not skied the GPO and that's most of what we (TGR) tend to ski.

[nickwm21]

off-piste cut up pow, chop and gnarly off piste bumps I have not skied the GPO and that's most of what we (TGR) tend to ski.

I have and I give them a thumbs up in cut pow, chop, wind buff, and crud. This is where this ski shines....

To me, skiing bumps sucks no matter what ski I am on. There are skis that make bumps more fun but the gpo is not one of them. They are manageable and ski them better than my lhasas though...



sent from the future using my mind powers

[Dromond]

Keith just posted some flex comparisons which is helpful: http://praxisskis.com/company/pre-order-information/

I'm leaning towards the medium flex, 187, no carbon. If I'm being honest with myself: my home mountain (Alpental) is steep, tight, and has shitloads of trees and bumps.... With less sidecut, more tail and slightly lower tip rocker it should still handle crud better than my 112s without being too much.

[sandflea]

I have both 112's and carbon GPO's, the GPO's handle crud way better than the 112's.

Keith just posted some flex comparisons which is helpful: http://praxisskis.com/company/pre-order-information/

I'm leaning towards the medium flex, 187, no carbon. If I'm being honest with myself: my home mountain (Alpental) is steep, tight, and has shitloads of trees and bumps.... With less sidecut, more tail and slightly lower tip rocker it should still handle crud better than my 112s without being too much.

[SupreChicken]

For a stable charging ski, the 192 gpo is great in the bumps. Easier to throw around than the gambits, way easier than the billy goat...just a touch less nimble than the concepts/mtn jibs. If they are soft, shallow angle, just point it and rally. I've been having tons of fun hitting soft low angle bumps with speed and just motoring through.

When it's firm, the gambit acts like it has the longer radius. But both are happy at speed. Float edge to the GPO. Crud busting is similar. Both are better than the 112RP

[sandflea]

Don't have Gambits or Jibs... wish I did though, but I agree.

For a stable charging ski, the 192 gpo is great in the bumps. Easier to throw around than the gambits, way easier than the billy goat...just a touch less nimble than the concepts/mtn jibs. If they are soft, shallow angle, just point it and rally. I've been having tons of fun hitting soft low angle bumps with speed and just motoring through.

When it's firm, the gambit acts like it has the longer radius. But both are happy at speed. Float edge to the GPO. Crud busting is similar. Both are better than the 112RP

[whyturn]

Mounting tomorrow at -2. Seems right lookin at it. So excited to ski it soon

[Shu Shu]

187, Medium+, hybrid layup on the way. sooooo psyched.

[Bird Blaster]

whyturn -2 from the dimple I take it?

I am curious to see what you think. Reading, it seems like the dimple is rather forward.

[Bird Blaster]

187, Medium+, hybrid layup on the way. sooooo psyched.

congrats buddy! we should be receiving them around the same time!!!!

[Shu Shu]

yup. Excited to read a midsummer SA review from you. keep the stoke going through the non-winter up here.

[whyturn]

I compared it to my squads which are similar in a lot of ways. Discussed with ski guy. Seems right. Hopefully will ski it in the next few days. Will report back

[changodeoro]

lookin forward to my first pair of Praxis skis!! 187 octopus ink black GPOs coming. thanks liv2ski for the code.

[Dromond]

Do you guys prefer the carbon for low weight and pop? My DPS (hybrids) are the most lively skis I have had and I feel like something more damp would be easier on rough snow.

[Bird Blaster]

Do you guys prefer the carbon for low weight and pop? My DPS (hybrids) are the most lively skis I have had and I feel like something more damp would be easier on rough snow.

I too bought they carbon hybrids from Praxis. I have some rp112' hybrids which I find pretty damp. Not NEARLY as damp as something stiff and burly like my renegades. But the dps hybrids aren't nearly as poppy as the DPS pure's....

[adrenalated]

I compared it to my squads which are similar in a lot of ways. Discussed with ski guy. Seems right. Hopefully will ski it in the next few days. Will report back

Interested in a comparison between the Squad and GPO once you've been out on them. I find my Squads to be just a touch hooky in the tip at very high speeds, long radius turns in slightly wind affected/sun affected snow. I attribute this to a too-abrupt transition between sidecut and tip taper. Since the GPO is loosely based off the Protest (a ski that nobody has ever described as hooky that I can remember), I'm wondering if the GPO would suit me better. I'm a bit concerned about the relatively tight turn radius.

[RiderX]

Think I am going to throw down for a pair. Does anyone still have a spare code?

[roQer]

Was on RPCs until they completely delaminated. Great ski in constant conditions (like blisterreview says) but hard to ski in variable snow and steep tight places. In the last days I skied my old El Dictators again. Wow, what a difference in stability! Makes me rethink the concept of a playful charger under the following aspect:

• - playful charger (e.g. RPC): easy to ski, but requires more power to control in variable terrain and snow conditions. Does not provide the confidence to go down the fall line regardless unpredictable snow/terrain like a…
• - real charger (e.g. El Dictator): terrible to ski at low speed and in bumps, otherwise no limits in reasonably open terrain. Stomps landings even to hardpack. Wrecks usually the legs and demands a good work out.

Right now I rather tend to stick to the real charger concept. Though, as I’m getting older, I’m looking for a charger which requires less effort so I can reinvest the spare power to charge even harder respective save my knees for some years of skiing more.

So where is the GPO in this setting?

[auvgeek]

^^Seems like the 12.13 191 Billy Goat to me. Haven't skied the El Dictator, but the 191 BG is a great charging ski with a playful side.

But you could try the GPO in a stiff flex without carbon and mount a few cm behind the line if you're set on that ski.

[Lindahl]

Been on the Dictators and 186 BGs as well as spent a lot of time on old Head m103s (NASTY chargers). I def think the new BG fits the bill. The old one does too, but a bit more tail width (new one) will make it hook less in wide open dense uncut snow. Personally, I'd like a bit less shape overall on the BG, though, but then the groomer zoomers won't be as happy I guess.

[auvgeek]

Personally, I'd like a bit less shape overall on the BG, though

I think this can be said about almost every ski I own. But I think the BG skis like it has a longer turn radius than stated (29.X). It certainly feels longer than the Renegade's 35 m turn radius.

Out of curiosity, have you skied the new 12.13 BG with the RES? I haven't skied the old versions, so I can't offer a valid comparison, but I can say that this one is shaped much differently than the previous versions without RES. Much less taper.