TOP SNOWFALL

midatlantic · #1 02-26-2008, 09:38 AM

Me: nearly 6 foot tall around 180 pounds.
Bindings: Solomon Z12’s (thanks MMT).
Boots: Atomic Hawx 110.
Ability: probably considered advanced but at the shallow end of TGR skill pool.
Others skis I have owned: K2 169 El Comino, K2 173 Mach S, Fischer 165 RX8.
Tune: ½ with one inch detuned on tips and tails.
Mount position: 2mm forward of center line.

Disclaimer: I will be comparing my BRO’s to my Fischer RX8’s a bit as I can only compare them to what I know plus some of the comparisons are a little startling. But this is not meant to be an RX8 versus Bro review, just a different perspective. Oh, and my reveiws are not very good.

Let me start out by saying the 183 BRO’s do everything I want them to do and nothing I don’t want them to do. They are very dependable and even allow me to get lazy at times. Also I haven’t felt like I had to change my skiing style at all.

The BRO’s are a very light ski, they may even weigh less than my 165 RX8’s with railflex bindings. The BRO’s are easy to turn as I found out slowly following my 5 year old down some bunny slopes. I would say they are as easy to turn as my RX8’s. Both skies can turn on a dime and make any sized turn you want.

IMO the BRO’s also give you a truer turn as you don’t have to worry about the tip of the down hill ski catching at the last second and slamming into your up hill ski, if you perform an aggressive turn (like you do with skis that have a more aggressive side cut). It is also nice to be able to ride down the slope with the bases flat on the snow without having to worry about tips catching.

I skied the BRO’s for a week In Colorado and skied all kinds of conditions, some fresh powder, tracked out wind blown crud, dust on crust, yellow ice, soft bumps, hard bumps. On icy groomers the ½ tune did its job, no problems. On soft and hard bumps I was able to ski the zipper line or work my way down using whatever other techniques I wanted.

At Copper Mountain I was able to get some fresh powder tracks in Spalding bowl. The powder was only about 5 inches deep but I covered most of the vertical in about three turns even thought I hadn’t really planned to. When I got to the bottom, I looked up and some people I had started out next to were still coming down. The BRO’s were very smooth and fast.

In Copper bowl and union bowl I skied wind blown skied out heavy crud and the BRO’s made it fun, giving me confidence to make my turns and plow through the crud. There were a few times during the week I felt like I was going over the handle bars but that was nothing compared to the constant for and aft battles I would have had with my RX8’s on every run in the same crud.

On Tucker mountain I hiked to the end of the ridge and discovered some not completely tracked out foot deep powder and enjoyed floating on top of it with the BRO’s.

I think the RX8 is a great ski and easy to ski but overall I think the BRO’s are actually a bit less work. As I mentioned before, a ski like an RX8 requires constant attention when you get up to speed because of for and aft balance issues and issues with the tips catching, you always have to be on top of them and make sure you are up on edge. I guess that is why I feel like I can be lazy with the Bro’s at times. The Bro’s are my go to ski now and I probably will not use the RX8’s that much anymore. IMHO The BRO’s come close to the one ski quiver with all of its abilities in different situations.

skiingsamurai · #2 02-26-2008, 12:01 PM

thanks for the review

comparing the bro to the rx8 = airsoft gun to tomahawk missile.

I have a pair of rx8's too. I haven't taken them out this season yet

what is a 1/2 tune?

snoboy · #3 02-26-2008, 12:37 PM

I'm thinking 1° base bevel, 2° edge bevel.

midatlantic · #4 02-26-2008, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skiingsamurai

thanks for the review

comparing the bro to the rx8 = airsoft gun to tomahawk missile.

I have a pair of rx8's too. I haven't taken them out this season yet

what is a 1/2 tune?

LOL you are welcome. Snoboy has it right!

5B · #5 02-26-2008, 02:13 PM

Nice review. Welcome to the dark side--you can sell those RXs on epic.
183 stiff or soft?

mooseknuckle · #6 02-26-2008, 03:07 PM

I'm digging the shit out of mine (183 Stiffs) with same bevels but much more detune than an inch on the tips and tails. I fielded a "why do you need those out here" from a self-professed friend of President Splat while gapeing up my home mountain (Roundtop) on them this weekend in a hungover state of mind. While I don't really think I needed them, they sure felt pretty good! Would love to get them out West this year, but it looks like I'll have to wait until next season [shrug/sigh].

Long duc dong · #7 02-26-2008, 03:29 PM

Thanks for the review.

midatlantic · #8 02-26-2008, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5B

Nice review. Welcome to the dark side--you can sell those RXs on epic.
183 stiff or soft?

Thanks, these are the stiffs.

midatlantic · #9 02-26-2008, 03:53 PM

Hey Moose, I will PM you soon to see about meeting up, glad you are loving the BRO's too!

BODOMINO · #10 02-26-2008, 04:41 PM

Thanks for the review. I just got my 183 softs and did the same tune job on them (2 degree side bevel and 1 degree base bevel). I also detuned the first 6 inches (15cm) of the tips and tails. I put Look PX 15 FS bindings on them (3mm forward) and probably will do a 9 toe DIN and 11 Heel DIN. Did y'all put a new coat of wax on them or just ski it straight outta the box?

hutash · #11 02-26-2008, 04:56 PM

Just waxed, and skied the edges they came with, which worked very well.

I got to compare my 183 stiffs against 179 stiffs over the weekend. Powder, chop, and groomers with a few inches of fresh on top. I was much happier with the 183's much better response on turn initiation, but the 179 were still nice. I have my 183s mounted 3mm forward, while the 179s were on the line. The owner of the 179s like the 183s better as well.

183 Bros rock, that is all.

mooseknuckle · #12 02-26-2008, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midatlantic

Hey Moose, I will PM you soon to see about meeting up, glad you are loving the BRO's too!

Sounds good, MA. I spend more time at R-top than W-tail, but I'd look forward to catching up some time. I'll be in touch next time I head down to W-tail.

midatlantic · #13 02-26-2008, 05:55 PM

I waxed mine before skiing them but I did not tune them. My first day out I caught an edge a few times and found out later the shop tune is rather raw. Splat suggested the 1/2 tune and suggested only detuning an inch at a time from the tips and tails. Detuning an inch has worked out well for me so I have not gone any further.

midatlantic · #14 02-26-2008, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

Sounds good, MA. I spend more time at R-top than W-tail, but I'd look forward to catching up some time. I'll be in touch next time I head down to W-tail.

Sounds good man, although I am relegated to the bunny slopes for the rest of the season. First day of Colorado trip, first run, on a green slope, my wife had a slow twisting fall and broke her fib and tib in her right leg. Freak accident. Anyway I went skiing with my 5 year old daughter last Saturday (as my wife no longer can) and she is skiing so well. She skied for a full four hours and made her way down one of the bigger hills all by herself, overcoming her fears at the top. Even though I had to spend the day on greens, it was one of my best days skiing ever. I was so proud and psyched for my daughter that I was on cloud nine all day Sunday. I love my little shredder and her back seat snow plow steeze!

Fritz · #15 02-26-2008, 10:04 PM

How did you like that mounting point? Was it a splat recommended sweet spot? Where is everybody else mounting theirs?

edit - nevermind found this link: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...mounting+point

splat · #16 02-26-2008, 10:17 PM

midatlantic - thanks for the rx8 comparison.
Stoked you're diggin them and glad that detune worked out.

BODOMNO - sounds about like my DIN sets.
Might be a bit much detune for ice, but let us know how they skied for you.
I'm taking a pair to Whistler tomorrow, along with the Brockers.

BODOMINO · #17 02-26-2008, 11:00 PM

Splat,

let me edit that last detuning length - i went 4 inches (10cm) on tips and tails, not 6". My first slope on the Bro's will be Telluride in about 14 days (finally spring break arrived for a med student). Meanwhile, I've got a bit of a problem with these South Cackalaki (South Carolina) ski folks - they don't seem to have any jigs wide enough to fit my Look PX 15's and the 99mm waist on the 183, AND they are too damn cheap to buy another Look/Rossi jig for 2 benjamins that will fit. I'll be in Nor Cal in a week with the Bro's (unfortunately no time to ski 'em in Squaw) and will get them drilled by some competant, non-redneck (and I'm a redneck by all standards), non-South, Cali dude.

BO

splat · #18 02-26-2008, 11:46 PM

That sucks. No wide jigs? Damn.
If they were any good, they would have offered to freeball the mount.

cinnepa · #19 02-27-2008, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splat

freeball

...the only way to work in a cubicle all day.

midatlantic · #20 02-27-2008, 06:46 AM

Splat, the 2mm mounting point + 1° base bevel, 2° edge bevel tune + 1 inch detune = pure dialed in performance gold.

BODOMINO · #21 02-27-2008, 07:49 AM

yea, thats what i said - freeball the damn thing with your narrow jig, but these guys didn't feel they had what it took - they were too busy creamin' their pants over the new Bro's to have any useful ingenuity.

midatlantic · #22 02-27-2008, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BODOMINO

yea, thats what i said - freeball the damn thing with your narrow jig, but these guys didn't feel they had what it took - they were too busy creamin' their pants over the new Bro's to have any useful ingenuity.

If you are up for a road trip, you can get them done at Washington Ski Center in DC. Plus they seem to have the most exstensive and complete inventory of fat skies I have ever seen.

Sphinx15 · #23 02-27-2008, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midatlantic

If you are up for a road trip, you can get them done at Washington Ski Center in DC. Plus they seem to have the most exstensive and complete inventory of fat skies I have ever seen.

Hey MA - good to see you on here, not sure if you remember but met you at whitetail (liberty?) a couple seasons ago now. Good review, not sure what your BSL (325) is but if you're up for it at some point I'd love to get on the bros for a few runs as i'm thinking of picking up a pair next year. I've got a pair of moment tahoe's in 180 I could offer up if you wanted to trade for a few runs - also have praxis but I don't think they would be well suited for PA hills.

Also recommend Ski Center however FWIW they couldn't mount my old gotamas where I wanted them to (axials not axial2 though) on the back line because the jig wouldn't fit...

midatlantic · #24 02-27-2008, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sphinx15

Hey MA - good to see you on here, not sure if you remember but met you at whitetail (liberty?) a couple seasons ago now. Good review, not sure what your BSL (325) is but if you're up for it at some point I'd love to get on the bros for a few runs as i'm thinking of picking up a pair next year. I've got a pair of moment tahoe's in 180 I could offer up if you wanted to trade for a few runs - also have praxis but I don't think they would be well suited for PA hills.

Also recommend Ski Center however FWIW they couldn't mount my old gotamas where I wanted them to (axials not axial2 though) on the back line because the jig wouldn't fit...

Hey Man, I totally remember you, that was up at WT. You can try my BRO's, the only glich might be I ski with two different shell sizes, but I have been able to put my bigger boot into the smaller boots binding so we might be able to get it to work. I have a mutant right foot, mostly big toe, that is a full inch longer than my left foot. After trying to jam my big foot into boots that aggressively fit my smaller left foot for two years, me and my boot fitter gave up and he hooked me up with the two different shell sizes. My boot fitter at the Washington Ski Center is Brien Eardly and he is one of the best, he also purchases all of thier equipment. I think I will be up at WT this weekend, let me know what your plans are.

BODOMINO · #25 02-27-2008, 09:27 AM

yea, i've heard of that place and heard of Brien as well - I called up there a few months ago to get a good opinion on some bindings and Intuition liners. They are definately A+ at that shop. Wish I could make the road trip up, but with these friggin gas prices sky rocketing, I might as well start hitch hiking. I've got a place in the East Bay (SanFran, CA) that I trust and will just get it done out there next week before I go to Telluride. Thanks for the good word about Washington Ski Center, I would love to get up there some time to get some boot work done.