2016 PRAXIS info, mounting and resource guide

[grinch]

also agree with eskido. the build goes a long way. personally, I haven't liked the dampness ,or lack of, in my carbon or ul carbon builds on the ski hill but my glass gpo and protests on the hill , depending on fresh amounts,are perfection. I think both those skis have spoiled me. I'm having a hard time adjusting to the lack of taper and rocker on the 9d8's I picked up. I really like being able to edge a racy turn one turn and then have the ability to pivot at will and transition back into a carve. so ez with the gpo. maybe I need a piste jib? or more than 2 days on the 9d8?
thread drifting....... any one want to trade a 184 piste jib for minty 179 9d8's? when is spring sale? pretty mild today...........

[galibier_numero_un]

Maybe it's just me. I ain't no gnarly skin' cliff huckin' dude, and so we may be working from different reference points about how to operate a ski. My mind spins when people talk about a ski's behavior at 60mph or when dropping 20 foot cliffs. I admire this, but that's not me. I'll ski a 48 degree chute, but my intent is to stay on the snow at all times. I've been skiing since 1965, and I'm looking to save my bones and connecting tissue. It's a different risk/reward equation for everyone, and me ... I want to be making turns in my 90's and beyond.

Perhaps the most interesting comment here is about the carbon. My 182 GPOs are carbon (not UL). Keith told me that adding some carbon would give me a bit of pop but would retain most of the dampness of the full glass layup. I have no reason to doubt him, and maybe what I'm experiencing are my limits as a skier. I'm gonna take my Automatic 109's out this week for a reality check. I may be getting spoiled by what the GPOs do so well.

Eskido - I have no idea what you're saying when you mention the "blowing through" vs. "power through and stomp the dogshit". All of this sounds (to me) like going at mach looney speeds. Me? I'm just looking for a bit less tip deflection. Maybe I'm looking at a mounting further rearward? Currently, I'm at -1cm from the dimple. Somehow, I don't think this is the answer.

Is there anyone here who skis A-basin/Breck with an all glass GPO mounted (in the range of) a 302 BSL? I'd love to swap skis for a run or two.

Cheers,
Thom

I'd have to agree with eskido. Having skied my ON3P JMOS for years and recently some 186 BGs, while I love the bamboo core and think they are more damp than the Praxis skis, its not by a large amount at all. I have never felt that my 187 glass GPOs don't handle the resort very well and can power through things if I so choose. Once you get into carbon hybrid layup is a different story, but that's more for homogenous so imo.

Hate to be the asshole here but this is bullshit. I've only ever had an issue with my short UL's on resort, otherwise I feel like the right layup, stiffness, and length, they'll do anything amazingly well, I believe it's more how you ski the ski, as opposed to what you expect the ski to ski for you. Don't get me wrong, I understand the sentiment here but why would you want something to blow threw something you can power over and stomp the dogshit out of the otherwise with the perfect amount of flex to pop you right back into the next turn??? Guess it's all personal preference as to getting a ski that skis the way you want it to but I've always felt that Praxis (with the right build) delivers whatever one could ever ask for a ski to do

[eskido]

"Power through and stomp the dogshit" Haha!! Fuckin love it, didn't even realize I said it! I guess I'm disagreeing with you whole heartedly on how Mach sheezy skiers ski??? I like to drive em hard and put em away wet but I'm not trying to push 60+ mph straight lines through an icy cruddy bump field, that sounds more like to me what one needs a quads of steel and heavy metal uber damp sticks for. I like a ski to go where I want and pop over a bump or 2 directly into the next line I want to power through or into (think more tech lines at higherish speeds) which I think directly corresponds to how someone can ski bigger and smaller lines funner. I'm just not getting tip deflection with the bigger built Praxis skis and they just pop into, over, and out of lines and then stick em. I just don't necessarily plow through shit at Mach sheezy because I just ran a 60* couli for 2 thousand vert with my hair on fire...

[galibier_numero_un]

For sake of skier profiling, I'd guess that I'm easily in the top 1% of skiers on a given day (for example) at A-basin - because of technique and not "animal factor". There are lots of gapers who ski faster than me. I've taken a couple of ex-racer types down West Turbo (for example) and they've "suddenly" decided that they have to meet up with someone and can't ski anymore with me.

As far as speed ... heck, I'm 65 and I've had my share "yard sale" crashes in earlier life. I figure the path to long term happiness is to not do too many more of these, and I'm fine with that.

Cautious? Yup. 1:53 to 2:00 and 3:20 to 3:30 in this video is me - not a lot of stoke here, just trying to show how cautiously I approach steep terrain with lots of buried sharks (lots of stops/starts due to running into rocks that day, and hence the tight editing):




Popping over moguls? That means air time, right? That's not me either.

Steep? U-bet. Round turns with rhythm and "pop"? That describes me too.

I'm wondering if I want to move the mount point back from -1 to -2cm. Somehow, I doubt this will change the tip deflection I'm experiencing, and maybe the small amount of carbon is what I'm experiencing. It could be time to dedicate these to part time touring with a pair of Kingpins ... just trying to better understand their attributes and limits, because they're truly fine skis. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some manky crud at Loveland on Sunday when I get to try out some Billy Goats.

Cheers,
Thom

[grinch]

Deleted spam in case

[N1CK.]

are you selling those 9D8s?

[grinch]

are you selling those 9D8s?

Yes. Deleted that . Made an ad

[adrenalated]

All I said is that SIMILAR ON3P skis are more damp than the nearest comparable Praxis ski. Comparing a jmo to a GPO ain't fair. Totally different skis, drastically different flexes. A standard layup RX is less damp than a wren 112. A standard layup GPO is less damp than a Billy goat. The Praxis stuff may be totally fine and damp enough for you. That's cool. But the comparable ON3P is smoother and more stable in choppy snow. That's all I said.

[Muggydude]

^^ I wasn't arguing that. I agree the BG is more damp and better at crud than the GPO (not by a large amount though). I think the GPO does well in those conditions too, and is lighter weight/a little less demanding. As has been implied both layups have their benefits.

[grinch]

All I said is that SIMILAR ON3P skis are more damp than the nearest comparable Praxis ski. Comparing a jmo to a GPO ain't fair. Totally different skis, drastically different flexes. A standard layup RX is less damp than a wren 112. A standard layup GPO is less damp than a Billy goat. The Praxis stuff may be totally fine and damp enough for you. That's cool. But the comparable ON3P is smoother and more stable in choppy snow. That's all I said.

Makes sense. I'd like to add a bg and maybe a kartel amongst my praxis'. Not sure I'd need them but that hasn't stopped me this far.

[adrenalated]

^^ I wasn't arguing that. I agree the BG is more damp and better at crud than the GPO (not by a large amount though). I think the GPO does well in those conditions too, and is lighter weight/a little less demanding. As has been implied both layups have their benefits.

Agreed.

[Island Bay]

Protests getting some loving in the Japanese backcountry. (187, carbon layup, mounted on the dimple - just to make it Tech Talk)

[riff]

Going to -2 on my 187 carbon protests has made a huge difference for me. I totally love the ski now. Of course this makes me want some GPOs; after a decade of metal layered work skis I'm really digging the lighter, energetic and lively stuff. I took out my bodacious the other day and was feeling the extra weight for sure.

[Shu Shu]

Protests getting some loving in the Japanese backcountry. (187, carbon layup, mounted on the dimple - just to make it Tech Talk)

FKNA-So nice to see some Protest stoke.

[grinch]

Yes nice to see IB and riff both got it going on. Sweet pics IB. Just saying the other day I'd like to get a couple in blower with just the base graphic showing on my p tests.
I failed .......

[galibier_numero_un]

Perhaps the most interesting comment here is about the carbon. My 182 GPOs are carbon (not UL). Keith told me that adding some carbon would give me a bit of pop but would retain most of the dampness of the full glass layup. I have no reason to doubt him, and maybe what I'm experiencing are my limits as a skier. I'm gonna take my Automatic 109's out this week for a reality check. I may be getting spoiled by what the GPOs do so well.

I took both the Automatics and GPO's out on Thursday.

I started off with the Automatics. I found some windblown/deflecto snow in the North Glade at A-basin. I had a bit of a rough time on it (warm-up run), but in general, I commented that they're not half bad, and fairly quick, edge to edge.

Then I got on the GPO's ... subtle but yet HUGE difference. They railed like a mother on hardpack in comparison with the Automatics. Maybe they're not the ultimate crud busters, but they're an order of magnitude more confidence inspiring. I found myself skiing faster and with more authority, to the point where my boots "loosened" up by one to one and a half buckle notches as I drove the skis.

Reflecting on this, I'm thrilled that I took Keith's advice and got the carbon mix (ya gotta be honest about yourself when chatting with Keith), because it creates some room in my quiver for a heavier ski (1st world problems). I really don't want to give up what this blend does so well (tight trees), and the candidate in my quiver (for Vipecs/Kingpins) is the Automatics. I'm sure I'd love the full glass layup for different reasons, and I'd love to try a pair.

I continue to be amazed at how tough the bottoms of the GPOs are. Somewhere, midway down Schaauffler (halfway along 'Zuma cornice), I caught a buried shark, heard a loud (base on rock) sound and my ankle took a lot of stress from the deceleration. If these were the Automatics, I'm sure I would have gotten a core shot (based on lesser hits the Automatics took earlier in the year). When I checked, I couldn't find anything on the bases other than some tiny (and I mean tiny) scratches.

So, I can only conclude that (a) I let this thread whip me into a frenzy with unreasonable expectations (I should know better), (b) last Sunday was just a bad day for me, (c) there are heavier skis out there with their own compromises, and (d) that I LOVE these GPO's.

Cheers,
Thom

[undertow2]

I have more skis than I need including 191 Billy's and to date my absolute favorite do it all is my custom 192 GPOs... That ski is special and is not weak at anything...

[galibier_numero_un]

I hear what you're saying. I can easily see myself getting a second, longer, all glass pair of GPO's.

... Thom

[undertow2]

Protests getting some loving in the Japanese backcountry. (187, carbon layup, mounted on the dimple - just to make it Tech Talk)

BTW Island Bay bad ass pics... Next time you should try and lay them over a bit more (inject sarcasm here)...

[eskido]

BTW Island Bay bad ass pics... Next time you should try and lay them over a bit more (inject sarcasm here)...

X2!

[SupreChicken]

Speaking of GPO love...my wood veneers showed up. FKNA, they're beautiful. UL, med-stiff, 187, 3781 grams for the pair = 8.3 lbs. they feel more like a stiff - than a medium stiff, kingpin mount pending. After my tip dive experience with my 192 at the dimple, I'm going - 1. More reports and photos etc to come. Will remove the dynafits from my 192 and replace with sth/cast. With these two setups, I should probably tour more.

[kevino]

If you feel like those wood veneer GPOs aren't getting toured enough I'll take care of that issue for you.

[undertow2]

Speaking of GPO love...my wood veneers showed up. FKNA, they're beautiful. UL, med-stiff, 187, 3781 grams for the pair = 8.3 lbs. they feel more like a stiff - than a medium stiff, kingpin mount pending. After my tip dive experience with my 192 at the dimple, I'm going - 1. More reports and photos etc to come. Will remove the dynafits from my 192 and replace with sth/cast. With these two setups, I should probably tour more.

F'ing jealous SC... Saw Drews veneer GPOs after Cham FTW run and sweet baby jeebus they are the absolute best looking ski... Unfortunately I don't have a need for any new skis so this top sheet will have to wait...!

[eskido]

F'ing jealous SC... Saw Drews veneer GPOs after Chaw FTW run and sweet baby jeebus they are the absolute best looking ski... Unfortunately I don't have a need for any new skis so this top sheet will have to wait...!

Noticed Drew's on his go pro vid at an fwt event, fuckin sick! Can't wait to see SC's pics, stoopid jealous!

[SupreChicken]

kingpinned at - 1. 11.7 lbs mounted for the pair. Need some touring conditions worth getting.




Kingpins are kind of PITA to mount. But knut's german stash of templates proved useful. Really grateful for that.