Feeler: WTB Voile Vector BC 181

[daviski]

This is a feeler because having recently bought bindings it's hard to justify the expense yet (best to keep these purchases spread out on the ledger book) but this is a ski I want to buy for next season to put my first tech bindings on.

Previous mount should be ok if the bases are in great shape

[jmedslc]

Great ski. I spent probably a dozen days on them last season and they handle shallow pow really nice. A great meadow skipping ski...

[daviski]

thanks for the input -- these will be a slackcountry yo-yo ski-- how did you find the base pattern affected low angle run-outs and groomers?


-----edit--- oh yeah, so i don't get politely asked to move my ass to tech talk--- you selling those?

[jmedslc]

Haha, not for sale, as they're on loaner swap from a friend, while he skis my praxis backcountry.

The fish scale bases do slow me down on runouts and are a little funky but not intolerable on groomed. I don't mind going slow on them and If I wanna go fast ill break out the bro fats. The wife tried the ski out at the voile demo day and strongly disliked them, but my neighbor bought a pair of charger BC after demoing.

I used them primarily for backyard meadow skipping which consisted of mellow climbing angles, in the low/mid 20s. They can climb all sorts of terrain in decent fashion but are very subject to conditions and slope angle, so I carry skins. In the spring, I had difficulty with firm snow as they lacked grip. Then when the snow got extremely wet, I had buildup under foot. Waxing helped but did not completely remedy the situation...as the wax caused a decrease in uphill grip.

A decent quiver ski but not without its limitations.

[dschane]

I generally agree. On most descents, including groomers, I do not notice the scales. On low angle runouts, you go noticeably slower and at a resort, it can be annoying. They do not perform well when side slipping down icy crap, but there are work-arounds for that.

For long approaches and long exists, they excel as you don't need skins and can go comparatively faster. They do very well climbing low angle stuff, but skins are needed for nearly anything steeper than meadow skipping. I've seen folks use them without skins on steeper slopes by making tons of switchbacks, but as a result, they were moving slower than those with skins.

[GeezerSteve]

You mean 180? Charger BCs come in 181.

Good luck finding them used. People who give fat waxless a try keep 'em.

how did you find the base pattern affected low angle run-outs and groomers?

Depends on the snow conditions. You will not notice the fishscales in powder, but may notice them quite a bit in firm conditions. They do not materially affect skiing in powder, wet pow or corn. IME, fishscales are a big advantage for some tours (e.g., with long low angle approaches and/or long lake crossings), a small advantage for some tours and a slight disadvantage for some tours, but never a big disadvantage. If I had to stick to one touring ski in my quiver, it'd be the Vector BC or Charger BC.

[daviski]

thanks for all the info -- and yes I did mean the 180's

They can be had for under $400 new so I may just wait for any discount deals from the usual sites, but I do want them for transition free low angle climbs.

[Cocximus]

I read a bunch about the chargers. They are viewed as stiff skis. Are the vectors the same? Where do they sit in relation to bonafides and scouts? Scouts are my sweet shot.

[dschane]

I have the Vector BCs in 180 cm and the Chargers in 181 cm. IMO, the Chargers are noticeably stiffer than the Vectors. The Vectors are not noodles, however. Just not as stiff as the Chargers. Both skis strike an excellent balance between weight and performance.

[Climber Joe]

I have a pair I would be willing to sell. I haven't used them near enough to justify keeping them. They are basically new. PM me for deets if you want them.

[rangerjake]

I know my shop has a pair for something like $350, drilled once for 6 hole tele, never skied. Last seasons. PM if interested.