Line Prophet 130 the ultimate powder ski?

[YB]

With all the new ~125cm underfoot fat skis coming out next year (Big Daddy, Sumo, and Pontoon to name a few) anyone out there skiing the Prophet now think there's any reason to switch? Because based on what I've seen, while the new Sumo or BD might offer some advantage to bigger skiers, for me at 5'10" and 163 lbs. I can't see how any of these new skis would be better overall.

As far as I can tell, the Prophet 130, while maybe a little soft for the 200lb plus crowd is the most progressive powder ski out there. And that will be true next year too. For evidence; on an average six inch powder day I was able to do three consecutive non-stops from the rim to the chair in Highlands Bowl and I don't think I could do that on any other ski. I tell people it's like having a full Baja race-truck compared to the typical lifted 4x4 you see.

[lemon boy]

It is just an oversized regular ski, not one for skiing pow. (if you're gonna go that fat I don't think having a regular sidecut is really useful or wise)

[Professor]

For evidence; on an average six inch powder day I was able to do three consecutive non-stops from the rim to the chair in Highlands Bowl and I don't think I could do that on any other ski. I tell people it's like having a full Baja race-truck compared to the typical lifted 4x4 you see.

I dont know the area you are talking about, but I can do nonstop tram laps at Snowbird on skis that arent 130 under foot. Actually having longer skis with 105mm waist makes the lower mountain way easier to ski. I also used to run nonstop laps on skinny skis back in the day. So I dont understand why being able to do laps nonstop has anything to do with the ski. BTW people that have skied the Prophets at Snowbird, didnt like them. They like to turn too much due to the short length. Need something that likes to make really large round turns (not smear turns) in order to truly enjoy a big mountain. Just my $.02...

[YB]

My sense is that the bigger the ski, the MORE it needs sidecut, otherwise you tip it over and it doesn't do anything.

And as for the non-stop thing. I used to do them as a teenager in Snowbird on packed snow. I'm talking ungroomed, powder steeps with sun affected crust underneath. The Prophet just plowed through, more stable than anything else in my quiver, yet still can turn on a dime in deep tree conditions thanks to the softness and sidecut.

There's a lot of skis I haven't tried but they are more conventional than the Prophet and that's why I assume no other ski offers what it does for powder skiing.

[Vicious]

My sense is that the bigger the ski, the MORE it needs sidecut, otherwise you tip it over and it doesn't do anything.

And as for the non-stop thing. I used to do them as a teenager in Snowbird on packed snow. I'm talking ungroomed, powder steeps with sun affected crust underneath. The Prophet just plowed through, more stable than anything else in my quiver, yet still can turn on a dime in deep tree conditions thanks to the softness and sidecut.

There's a lot of skis I haven't tried but they are more conventional than the Prophet and that's why I assume no other ski offers what it does for powder skiing.

Dude, pow skis (aka 'big' skis) don't need sidecut, otherwise they tend to hook up in the snow.

Also, Prophets aren't as 'soft' as many people make them out to be...still not what I would call stiff, but not noodly like a PR or Made'n.

Edit: Not to mention, the reason why some of the best pow skis around are much straighter (i.e. Powder Plus, Sanouk, ANT, etc etc)

[summit]

There is NOTHING progressive about the prophet 130. It's just a GS ski that ate too many snowboards.

[YB]

Maybe it was a mistake to say anything about what I think or what I like about this ski. I'd like to hear from others that are on it and enjoying it. There's so much on this board about spats and pontoons... I figured someone would have some experience on the Prophets worth hearing about.


edit: But for what it's worth, the first 16" of the Prophet has anti-sidecut to help you point 'em.

[Vicious]

No need to get all defensive.

I've skied the Prophets, but unfortunately not in anything deep enough to let them do what they are built for.

That aside, I've skied many other big skis and liked most of them better.

[Professor]

And as for the non-stop thing. I used to do them as a teenager in Snowbird on packed snow.

Personally I dont even ski on days that groomers are the only thing going. I guess I also dont understand why a certain ski would makes it so you can ski nonstop, no matter what the conditions. Sure fat skis are easier on certain conditions, but saying only that ski would allow anyone to ski nonstop somewhere is simply silly. Gotta go, time to go skiing. And "yes" I plan to stop ALOT cuz I dont have Prophets

[YB]

Some skis take less work than others to turn, typically they have sidecut. And some skis float and absorb/damp more which also saves effort... I'm speaking of wide skis.

[runethechamp]

As far as I can tell, the Prophet 130, while maybe a little soft for the 200lb plus crowd is the most progressive powder ski out there.

No, not at all.

[robokill1981]

Some skis take less work than others to turn, typically they have sidecut. And some skis float and absorb/damp more which also saves effort... I'm speaking of wide skis.

You aren't really making any sense, your arguments are pretty pointless, and the Prophet is in no way a "progressive" ski.

Edit- Migraines leave me a pretty shitty mood...

In the interest of not being a total dick you should really try a Pontoon, Lotus, or Spat for something "progressive" because the Prophete is really just a super fat traditional ski.

[YB]

OK I get it. If it doesn't have upside down camber, negative sidecut, and a pintail it's not "progressive".

Obviously a real bad word choice on my part. Oh yeah, and my arguments are pointless too. I should have known. Don't smoke crack, and don't post.

[lemon boy]

YB- What you seem to not be getting is that people are trying to tell you that in all likelyhood YES! there is a reason why you might want to switch to one of the different shapes b/c they are potentially that much better than your traditional sidecut 130s.

Not only that but plenty of these skis are on tap to take a lot less work than the 130s.

[Huck_Schmuck]

I love my Prophets. Here in Yurop we've had a bad season so far, but pukin' outside , I've skied my Prophets a fair bit considering the conditions and they rock. They're so big they can turn a few inches into something that feels bottomless, they bust through crud and other poor snow and make it feel like powder.

IMO they're a little too soft for the way I ski, it took me an age to get them to carve nice on groomers (mainly for access before you ask).

I've skied Spats but the conditions weren't perfect. I'd like to ski Pontoons but I can't seem myslef owning a pair here.

I couldn't believe how turny these suckers are, coming from Exploders I was shocked. Again it took some getting used to but now I love it, they behave great in trees and I actually get a little reward for the effort I put in to get my turns. Face shots are back on the cards. Superb.

[bio-smear]

I have Prophet 100's and I love them, though I will admit they are turny. Haven't tried the 130's yet, but I think they'd be good in the really deep stuff. I've heard a lot of people say they are a definite quiver ski, only to be brought out on the bottomless days.

Poor YB...the guy was totally stoked about his Prophets and he used the word 'progressive' and ya kicked him in the balls. I think the ski is progressive from the standpoint of gratuitous width underfoot, but other than that, it is not much different in design that what's already out there. I wouldn't mind having a pair though, I think they would float very nicely.

[Particle]

I skied the Prophets on the ideal day last year - 30+" bluebird pow day at the Bird. Was with Prof so he's seen them in action. They were an absolute blast that day; stomp biggish airs (20-30+ ft) no problem, destroy the untracked, and even handle some tracked stuff OK. But man as soon as those things pick up speed on hardpack/groomed...it was absolutely terrifying. I had to make wayyyy too many turns to keep them under control for my liking.

So to anyone who hasn't already figured it out - Prof likes to go straight a LOT. And so I have to keep up by really not doing the jibby/dink around turns, and it's a different way of skiing than you'll find in places like CO where there just isn't enough open space to flat out BOMB everything. So for the most part you need a ski like the iM103, Squad, Iggies, (with good length 190ish min.) etc...to have the stiffness and stability to basically hit race speeds without feeling like you're going to explode (e.g., skis like the Prophet, etc.)

That's what I'm excited about next year's skis like the EHP, Big Daddy, etc...super fats with tapered sidecuts and relatively narrow tails. I'm hopeful that these skis will be stable enough to point it at the limits of speed off-piste, and yet with their shape, be versatile enough to be playful in shorter turns when needed. Who knows I haven't been on them yet, but could be a really cool trend in ski design. However I wouldn't include the Pontoon in that list due to its huge reverse camber.

[bio-smear]

One thing I'm not stoked about on the Prophets i the length. 186cm is just not enough for a twin like that, especially at speed. They need to offer a 193. For this reason, I'd like to try the ANTs.

[YB]

[QUOTE=lemon boy]YB- What you seem to not be getting is that people are trying to tell you that in all likelyhood YES! there is a reason why you might want to switch to one of the different shapes b/c they are potentially that much better than your traditional sidecut 130s. [QUOTE=lemon boy]


I've read some of the arguments for the spats and reverse camber. I've read that the Pontoon has zero camber for the 3 feet centered under the boot. I also have read some arguments for neg. sidecut on these skis and the tapered tail thing too. But seeing as this is the web I don't think we're actually going to have much success if we try and examine those arguments for merit in this forum. I could be wrong, but I tried to explain a little of the basis on which I judge the Prophet to be a superior powder ski and was quickly told I'm simply wrong; that it's not a "progressive" ski. No actual counter arguments were given, I guess I'm supposed to just accept on faith.

I did open myself up for that, knowing the esteem that the spats and pontoons are held in around here. But you know in Aspen and when I visted Jackson this year, I really don't see anybody skiing on those contrarian boards. But hey, not the Prophets either so maybe that doesn't mean anything much. But I do reject the notion that my arguments are pointless, I just didn't make them very clearly it seems. And though I'm repeating myself, the sidecut on the Prophet isn't entirely traditional. It has a slight reverse taper for the first foot and half of the ski which I believe does help the ski point as opposed to the hooking issue that someone mentioned.

[robokill1981]

I did open myself up for that, knowing the esteem that the spats and pontoons are held in around here. But you know in Aspen and when I visted Jackson this year, I really don't see anybody skiing on those contrarian boards.

There were only about 1000 spatulas built several years ago and Pontoons aren't even technically out yet so don't take their limited numbers on the slopes to mean anything. I'm glad you like your skis and I'm sure they are fun in the right conditions, so if you like them and feel the need to defend them so much then what is the point of this thread? Should you buy new skis? No, you like yours a lot. Should we all decide that the Prophete is the best powder ski ever made? No, because it isn't. Is there one single best powder ski ever? Nope.

[Z]

You are all wrong. All of you. K2 Merlins are the best powder ski ever. 198, pussies.

[Roberto]

This is going to ruffle a few feathers here, but I agree that the prophet 130 is better than most any powder board out there. In response to the argument you hear all the time about the uselessness of sidecut on powder skis, I have to disagree. Ultimately it all comes down to personal preferance but I actually sold my sanouks and got a pair of Prophets because of the sanouks lack of sidecut. Call me old fashioned but I actually like to carve and arc my turns and not slide sideways or slarve as the sanouks tended to want to do, due to the funky camber and lack of sidecut. With the contact point so far back on the prophet you essentially get a ski that floats like a 130mm waist ski but can downright arc slalom or gs turns in powder or slush. another thing that surprised me was the liveliness of this ski and how sweet it was in the trees; during tight powder turns it loads up and virtually launches you off the snow into your next turn. Also they pretty much ski switch for you, which was a pleasant surprise. Another surprise was that you can smear your turns on command with them in powder just as well as spats from my experience. Granted due to the short lenght, huge twin and far back contact point they are downright scary in chopped up snow (I liken it to trying to ride a mechanical bull without getting bucked off) and take awhile to get used to letting them run without feeling like you are going to catch and edge and eat it. Like any powder ski they have their drawbacks but I have not come across another powder ski that can offer what they can, and thought I would offer a contrasting opinion to what is usually expressed on this board

[YB]

I skied the Prophets on the ideal day last year - 30+" bluebird pow day at the Bird. Was with Prof so he's seen them in action. They were an absolute blast that day; stomp biggish airs (20-30+ ft) no problem, destroy the untracked, and even handle some tracked stuff OK. But man as soon as those things pick up speed on hardpack/groomed...it was absolutely terrifying. I had to make wayyyy too many turns to keep them under control for my liking.....

That's my experience too, great ski in many ways and very helpful when landing big air because they don't sink too much. But I don't really care that they suck at speed on hardpack, if it's not a PURE powder day I'll be on the Big Daddy.

....That's what I'm excited about next year's skis like the EHP, Big Daddy, etc...super fats with tapered sidecuts and relatively narrow tails. I'm hopeful that these skis will be stable enough to point it at the limits of speed off-piste, and yet with their shape, be versatile enough to be playful in shorter turns when needed. Who knows I haven't been on them yet, but could be a really cool trend in ski design. However I wouldn't include the Pontoon in that list due to its huge reverse camber.

I agree these skis will be interesting, especially the new 190 Sumo. I wonder how much more running length it will have than the Prophet? I also wonder what the upper limit is both in width and length for me because at some point extra ski is going to be more trouble than it's worth. It's my sense that with the Prophet maybe I haven't reached it yet, but it must be close. Now for someone 8" taller and 80lbs. heavier the rules are probably different. The new BD and Sumo probably won't have much more surface area than a Prophet because they're both a little narrower but a little longer.

[Particle]

Call me old fashioned but I actually like to carve and arc my turns and not slide sideways or slarve as the sanouks tended to want to do...

...Another surprise was that you can smear your turns on command with them in powder just as well as spats from my experience.

So let me get this straight: you're old-fashioned, but in this case old-fashioned means you can only carve on a ski with tons of sidecut? It's a little-known fact...people actually used to carve on skinny straight skis. And, you like to carve but want a ski that you can 'smear turns on command'? Talk about mixed messages...

[72Twenty]

Who's that Finklestein shit kid that has 2 pairs?