2016 PRAXIS info, mounting and resource guide

**adrenalated** · 04-13-2015, 09:53 PM

And that is exactly why I wanted Keith to build a narrower version of the Freeride.

I used to think that the Freeride would 100% fill that role for me, all of the time. But then I got older, started spending my weekdays sitting at a desk, and began to set my sights on larger objectives with longer approaches. All of a sudden I wanted a lighter, shorter, narrower ski to complement (not replace) my Freerides. Note - mine are from 12/13 and are a carbon hybrid layup with an all-maple core (heavier than the current core) and weigh 9lb even per pair in a 184 med/stiff.

We'll see if I'm happy enough with the Zenoxides. At 6.5lb for the pair in 177, they're sure as hell lighter. Even if I end up liking them, I'd rather ski a Praxis though.

**grinch** · 04-14-2015, 01:09 AM

I can't comment on freerides as I haven't skied them. Probably be a great daily driver for lake Louise . I do, however miss my bc's though. Like my yetis I just like the versatility of that sidecut combined with the rocker profile. I think the rocker in particular really helps in funky conditions with a narrower ski(general touring conditions). I would like to have them a bit stiffer though. Bc's anyway. Yetis are fine in medium for billy goating around on steeps. I think I'd prefer the med/stiff flex of my gpo on a pair of bc's. Also liked carving around the hill in my bc's when they didn't get deflected. If the difference between a glass BC and the ul carbon glass BC is the same as the difference of my gpo's I think a glass BC in med/stiff would be awesome all over the ski hill. Unless I'm strictly on groomers I prefer a similar rocker of the bc's most everywhere especially touring and definitely for the mixed bag that is spring touring/mountaineering. Even considering getting a ul carbon glass piste jib built to try for a spring mountaineering ski. Longer sidecut than most jib skis so good edge pressure on steeps and pivots in funk. I've never needed a flat tail to set an anchor. 99 is about the limit is consider for a waist for atleast some spring objectives

**çayzi** · 04-14-2015, 01:57 AM

This is comment from Keith desc each ski.

- 9D8: resort, carving, forward direction driving ski, off piste, not for deep powder. Touring option. Best groomer ski of the skis you selected.

- Freeride: Off piste, resort or touring, skied out snow, forward direction driving ski. Carves well on groomer but designed for off piste.

**grinch** · 04-14-2015, 05:52 AM

That makes sense. B cool to have them all

**neck beard** · 04-14-2015, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by adrenalated

We'll see if I'm happy enough with the Zenoxides. At 6.5lb for the pair in 177, they're sure as hell lighter. Even if I end up liking them, I'd rather ski a Praxis though.

I badly need a similar ski. 90-95mm, cambered, light. 170 for fast late spring mountain moves and throwing on my pack, hopping [hoping] down steep things, and generally being fast and easy in the mountains in sunny April and May for more than just the thrill of skiing. I have a on Voile Vector BC, but the scales are getting worn out and don't grip so well, yet still piss me off on icy steep terrain. Plus that shape is powder biased.

I saw a nice narrow BD ski recently, Carbon, white, light, no twin tip. Looked good.

Elan, Blizzard... ?

**adrenalated** · 04-14-2015, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by neck beard

I badly need a similar ski. 90-95mm, cambered, light. 170 for fast late spring mountain moves and throwing on my pack, hopping [hoping] down steep things, and generally being fast and easy in the mountains in sunny April and May for more than just the thrill of skiing. I have a on Voile Vector BC, but the scales are getting worn out and don't grip so well, yet still piss me off on icy steep terrain. Plus that shape is powder biased.

I saw a nice narrow BD ski recently, Carbon, white, light, no twin tip. Looked good.

Elan, Blizzard... ?

The BD ski you saw was probably a carbon Aspect. Very light, but too much sidecut for my tastes. There are really a lot of choices out there in the lightweight, 90-95mm class, it's just really hard to find much with a turn radius larger than 20m.

**neck beard** · 04-14-2015, 12:15 PM

along with a small side cut, I think the Praxis BC has too much camber for funky snow (and possibly pow). It is part of the ski's lively character which I enjoy, but it really bummed me out yesterday on a long steep-ish run on deep dense snow with a stiff wind skin on top. [Another topic, but to be honest, I think the biggest gear weakness in difficult snow is poorly performing AT boots. No matter how tight on the descent, they just never become part of the foot, and torque like a mofo. Any closer fit and I couldn't tour in them]

**çayzi** · 04-14-2015, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by grinch

That makes sense. B cool to have them all

Exactly!

I am picking one of this but still not sure which.

**booner** · 04-14-2015, 09:11 PM

Just put my first couple days on a pair of med/stiff 193 MVPs that I picked up from S-chacken. What a great ski.

I'm at +.75 and I'd say the money spot is anywhere from -1 to +1 depending on personal style/preference. I like to be a tad fwd and that spot is absolutely perfect for me.

They ski at a perfect length with the rocker. I was worried that they might ski short with all the tip and tail rocker, but it's so perfectly subtle. It's just enough to make a difference, but not so much to make them ski short at all. ZERO tip chatter

No speed limit found (in skied out spring snow) and they're poppy at the same time...just as described. I launched some BIG ollies on them that had me grinning. I was mobbing on them in conditions I might normally be speed checking in.

A tad much for park....did a few laps in the afternoon and didn't feel that comfortable. It was closing day and I was gassing beers the later part of the day...soooo

Very happy with them...perfect for my style

**hoarhey** · 04-15-2015, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by neck beard

I badly need a similar ski. 90-95mm, cambered, light. 170 for fast late spring mountain moves and throwing on my pack, hopping [hoping] down steep things, and generally being fast and easy in the mountains in sunny April and May for more than just the thrill of skiing. I have a on Voile Vector BC, but the scales are getting worn out and don't grip so well, yet still piss me off on icy steep terrain. Plus that shape is powder biased.

I saw a nice narrow BD ski recently, Carbon, white, light, no twin tip. Looked good.

Elan, Blizzard... ?

how about dynafit manaslu 2.0.
they have a low 170's cm size
guide friend has said they can be a bit grabby, so detune

**undertow2** · 04-15-2015, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by booner

Just put my first couple days on a pair of med/stiff 193 MVPs that I picked up from S-chacken. What a great ski.

I'm at +.75 and I'd say the money spot is anywhere from -1 to +1 depending on personal style/preference. I like to be a tad fwd and that spot is absolutely perfect for me.

They ski at a perfect length with the rocker. I was worried that they might ski short with all the tip and tail rocker, but it's so perfectly subtle. It's just enough to make a difference, but not so much to make them ski short at all. ZERO tip chatter

No speed limit found (in skied out spring snow) and they're poppy at the same time...just as described. I launched some BIG ollies on them that had me grinning. I was mobbing on them in conditions I might normally be speed checking in.

A tad much for park....did a few laps in the afternoon and didn't feel that comfortable. It was closing day and I was gassing beers the later part of the day...soooo

Very happy with them...perfect for my style

Booner, you def got a killer ski and no doubt SC hooked up a Mag (smoking deal for the MVP)... I have been on my 193s for 2 years now and absolutely agree with everything you said... I have a load of skis, but if I was forced to only keep one it would by my MVPs... Best 1 ski quiver I have been on and owned... I am not sure what it is, but this ski def has not received a lot of love from the crew on TGR... There have been several put up on Gear Swap and most of the comments is that the ski was not what most expected... My only gripe with the ski and something I posted earlier is when in Snowbird this year we skied some steep, tight sketchy chutes and tree runs and the 193 was a ton of work in these conditions.. Most with me were on 185 something and 95 to 105 underfoot... After going back and forth with Keith I did a 190 BC standard layup in med/stiff flex to fill in this gap...

Congrats on the ski and no doubt as you ski it more you will like it even more... I have become a huge Praxis fan boy - probably to a fault...

**SupreChicken** · 04-15-2015, 09:36 AM

Hell yes. I'm glad that purchase worked out.

Going soft (playful?) in my later years...

**hoarhey** · 04-15-2015, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by hoarhey

how about dynafit manaslu 2.0.
they have a low 170's cm size
guide friend has said they can be a bit grabby, so detune

1350 g per ski (6.0 lbs per pair)

dostie reviewed two versions of the blizzard zero g on earnyourturns dot com

as mentioned above, maybe a g3 zenoxide c93?

**booner** · 04-15-2015, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by SupreChicken

Hell yes. I'm glad that purchase worked out.

Going soft (playful?) in my later years...

Only had to redrill toe too... Bonus!

**dschane** · 04-15-2015, 04:09 PM

Anyone have experience on the same ski but with UL and MAP (carbon) cores? Other than weight, any perceivable differences?

**Breomonkey** · 04-15-2015, 04:29 PM

Grinch, I keep flip flopping on the yeti vs. bc for a touring ski. I've seen a good bit of BC love, but not to many comments on the Yeti. Can you give us a bit more on your thoughts for the yeti?

**SupreChicken** · 04-15-2015, 07:17 PM

Booner - they ARE a bit long for the park. Given that all of my firm days this year had multiple park laps...needed to sell them. That's the only reason.

For me, I think a med + 187 on the dimple would be a great do everything for firm days ski...super nice in bumps and a tad more of that playful sense in the park...still stable and silly fun at speed.

It's on my radar. As for my old pair, keep riding them. It'll be a go to for 50-75% of your days, I think.

**grinch** · 04-15-2015, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Breomonkey

Grinch, I keep flip flopping on the yeti vs. bc for a touring ski. I've seen a good bit of BC love, but not to many comments on the Yeti. Can you give us a bit more on your thoughts for the yeti?

I'd say similar. just depends on your usage. I wanted something narrower for possible spring missions, so sold the bc's and a moment Tahoe I was using for spring steeps. bought ul gpo's to replace the bc's(w new ul core basically same weight as old bc's w/out ul core)and the picked up the yetis to replace the Tahoe. originally bought the Tahoe because of the sidecut or lack of and as wide as I thought I could go ,because of lack of sidecut, for the usage I wanted the Tahoe for(possible spring steeps that might or might not have pow). the yeti has same sidecut just 2mm narrower tip/waist/tail but much lighter and the rocker profile that I liked on the bc(versatile and usable over a wide variety of conditions ie:spring). so I'd say just depends on your usage. that being said I occasionally take the yeti out mid winter because they still float well and slarve even with the narrower width and the shorter length that I got them in, for spring(most of my skis are 180's , yetis are 172's). they're fun. I got them on the blowout sale. I'd like to have a ul core pair. that'd be incredibly light for a very capable ski

**Island Bay** · 04-16-2015, 03:02 PM

Made the mistake of having a look at Praxis' website...

A pair of 190 3-D Powderboards with Crystal topsheet, oooh oooh. Cash in my loyalty points, 15% code, etc. But no, must resist. (I also have strong urges towards a pair of Wootests, or a second pair of Protests to hoard. It's a good thing I don't get to ski more than I do - it would have been futile to resist)

Just as a hypothetical question: What would you do skin wise on a pair a convex base skis like the new Powderboards? If you go full carpet, surely snow would quickly make its way in and screw up the glue. Straight strip down the (flat) middle?

**galibier_numero_un** · 04-16-2015, 09:14 PM

OK all you keyboard jockeys, who needs to send me a coupon? If you can PM me, I'll honor the earliest timestamp. I'll be headed to A-basin in the morning, so I won't be at my computer during the day on Friday.

I'll be ordering a pair of 182 GPO's in the next 24 hours. Keith was extremely helpful (big surprise) and I'm going to publish the relevant parts of our e-mail dialog for the benefit of those having the same questions I had. Since it's mostly GPO specific, I think that thread is a better home for it.

[edit - 9:32 MST - 16-Apr] Thanks for the coupon link Mikey1299! Now ... to pick out a top sheet and order!

[edit - 12:18am MST - 17-Apr] I added my conversation to page 38 of the GPO thread (post #935): http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-Thread/page38

[edit - 11:39am MST - 17-Apr] The order is in! Snowfall topsheet (I won't be touring in these, so I don't need white):

Cheers,
Thom

**jmars** · 04-17-2015, 05:36 AM

Guys...SnD user here and I love it on the east 185...but this question is for the wifey. She is currently on Nordica Nemesis 168/9 and a Nordica Vagabond 169....she love them both. Looking to pick up a "travel" ski as we are done with alpine trekker (no issues just weight). She will only go up hill on days we are out in UT visiting family and spring days (like now) here in the east. She is a strong skier, an excellent skier to be honest....yes Im a proud husband.

The 2 models I am torn on is the MVP and the Backcountry.....either ski will have a guardian/duke on it. Figure she'll be heading up hill 8-10x per season, nothing super long or technical.....just a change of pace to catch sun and fun.

Any thoughts here? I'm looking at the 170 on either model. I orginally went in thinking the MVP as its closer to the skis she likes but the Backcountry's weight as well as shape catches my eye, reading about it too makes it sounds even better. I'd like the ski to be good in variable conditions both on and off piste. It has to be decent on groomers too as this ski will be all over the hill on our trips and here back hone....resort time, short jaunt, more resort....rinse repeat. She has a Kastle Rx and a Nordy Wilde Belle as well so we are building the quiver nicely.

After writing this, is the ski I am looking for the MVP? Thanks for the advise

**hoarhey** · 04-17-2015, 09:27 AM

175 carbon gpo - 111 waist width - stock flex is medium

**hoarhey** · 04-17-2015, 09:52 AM

Hmmm. Pondering new models
Thinking about a CCR wootest for some reason
180 length in addition to 187

**hoarhey** · 04-17-2015, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by jmars

Guys...SnD user here and I love it on the east 185...but this question is for the wifey. She is currently on Nordica Nemesis 168/9 and a Nordica Vagabond 169....she love them both. Looking to pick up a "travel" ski as we are done with alpine trekker (no issues just weight). She will only go up hill on days we are out in UT visiting family and spring days (like now) here in the east. She is a strong skier, an excellent skier to be honest....yes Im a proud husband.

The 2 models I am torn on is the MVP and the Backcountry.....either ski will have a guardian/duke on it. Figure she'll be heading up hill 8-10x per season, nothing super long or technical.....just a change of pace to catch sun and fun.

Any thoughts here? I'm looking at the 170 on either model. I orginally went in thinking the MVP as its closer to the skis she likes but the Backcountry's weight as well as shape catches my eye, reading about it too makes it sounds even better. I'd like the ski to be good in variable conditions both on and off piste. It has to be decent on groomers too as this ski will be all over the hill on our trips and here back hone....resort time, short jaunt, more resort....rinse repeat. She has a Kastle Rx and a Nordy Wilde Belle as well so we are building the quiver nicely.

After writing this, is the ski I am looking for the MVP? Thanks for the advise

165 GPO might work well for her also, but probably 175 if she skis the 168 Nordica Nemesis (no rocker, full cambered ski).
I found GPO to ski slightly longer

Either way GPO, especially at the narrower waist width in the shorter lengths is a fantastically versatile ski

**dschane** · 04-17-2015, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by jmars

Guys...SnD user here and I love it on the east 185...but this question is for the wifey. She is currently on Nordica Nemesis 168/9 and a Nordica Vagabond 169....she love them both. Looking to pick up a "travel" ski as we are done with alpine trekker (no issues just weight). She will only go up hill on days we are out in UT visiting family and spring days (like now) here in the east. She is a strong skier, an excellent skier to be honest....yes Im a proud husband.

The 2 models I am torn on is the MVP and the Backcountry.....either ski will have a guardian/duke on it. Figure she'll be heading up hill 8-10x per season, nothing super long or technical.....just a change of pace to catch sun and fun.

Any thoughts here? I'm looking at the 170 on either model. I orginally went in thinking the MVP as its closer to the skis she likes but the Backcountry's weight as well as shape catches my eye, reading about it too makes it sounds even better. I'd like the ski to be good in variable conditions both on and off piste. It has to be decent on groomers too as this ski will be all over the hill on our trips and here back hone....resort time, short jaunt, more resort....rinse repeat. She has a Kastle Rx and a Nordy Wilde Belle as well so we are building the quiver nicely.

After writing this, is the ski I am looking for the MVP? Thanks for the advise

If she were trying to go light, I'd say go with the BC. But you're going for some all arounders, including crud busters, so I'd stick with your instincts and go with the MVP. And I have my eye on that for my wife too.

Originally Posted by hoarhey

Hmmm. Pondering new models
Thinking about a CCR wootest for some reason
180 length in addition to 187

Do you know something; is Keith offering the Woos in 180?