As long as someone is enjoying them. Great looking skis and sound like a blast. I'd second the whistler demo question
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As long as someone is enjoying them. Great looking skis and sound like a blast. I'd second the whistler demo question
Thanks for all the stoke guys...truly appreciated. Concerning making it up to Whistler, we'll keep you posted and try to bring a bunch of skis for anyone to get on. I think our Stevens pass will give us a few days up there this year so we should probably take advantage. It's usually just so good around here, though!
A demo day here in the Idaho Panhandle would be sweet.
If you end up coming up the ol' sea to sky with some sticks I'll be happy to make time to show you the best spots i can think of. Touring ready a bonus!
Got a couple of good sample days on the 2019 Arlo 120 in the past week.
Length: 191 cm (188.7 cm straight pull)
Sidecut: 131-120-125
Radius: 27 m
Mass: Left: 2200g, Right: 2215g
Build options: inbounds core, stiff flex
Mount: Salomon STH2 on the recommended line for 336 BSL
Day 1 - 1/2/2020
Conditions were freezing rain, and surface was a mix of wind packed or lee side powder, with sudden transitions into the bulletproof ice underlayer. Not the ideal day for this ski, but a great day for variety of test conditions.
They’re nice and slashy in the soft stuff, and easily turn on a dime on steeps and in tight trees. The stiff layup can cut a rug in the chop and the wind pack. They feel really trustworthy at speed on good snow (i.e. anything that isn't ice). Conditions were so gnarly that I actually felt like I was in peril on the first run of the day, skritching my way down a homogenous wall of steep, bulletproof surface. They were able to hold an edge as I carefully made my way down or across this stuff, so that was good.
Day 2 - 1/5/2020
New snow has mostly buried the glare ice layer, and early season surprise rocks are receding. Wind pack, wind drift, and fluffy flakes have combined in a few areas on the mountain for steep powder perfection. They mob through everything. Excellent, stable landing platform, hold an edge great, cut through chop at high speed like nobody’s business. The tapered tips and tails are dialed in nicely for the recommended mount, and you can carve, slash, spin, slarve, whatever, without ever feeling like they’re waiting to suddenly acquaint the ground with your head and face.
Really a satisfying build. Nice and heavy, but at 2200g, not enough to be unduly tiring. Great damping, swing weight, side cut, rocker, tip and tail taper. A confidence inspiring, reliable, powerful, and even playful ski. They make me a better skier than I am.
Awesome writeup! How similar are they to protests? Any other skis you could compare them to?
And what is the recommended mount point?
Compared to the 192cm Protest, the ski sidecuts are very similar to the eye, excepting the 8mm width difference, but the Arlo has a slightly tighter (4m) turn radius, more and earlier rise tip and tail rocker, and greater tip splay. I could feel some similarity to the Protest in turnability (on soft snow) and forgiveness of imperfect turn commitment that I attribute to this and the tip and tail taper.
I put around 30 days on the 189 Billy Goat last year, and feel like the Arlo’s swing weight is easier, like magically so, making them feel a lot more nimble, less tiring throughout the day, and less knee busting at the end of a long day.
This build of the Arlo is the most dense, but is lighter than the both the 192 Protest and 189 BG by approx. 250g/ski. They handle and perform more like the PM Gear Kusala Pow (reverse camber, 124mm, ~2200g), I felt, except maybe more stabilizing on the landings.
Thanks. So ~-8,5cm? Interesting.
Can you compare the flex to something else? Praxis flex-scale? And.... Can you say something about the tour core / other flexes?
Would consider a Arlo 120 as a powder touring ski.
Probably in a tour core, soft or stock flex.
Never really loved my Protest though.....
Excellent detailed review Lucknau, I’m stoked you like em.
I’m going to say the stiff flex is similar to a praxis 4. Maybe a bit stiffer.
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I wanted to try out the demo fleet at mission last weekend, but the rental shop powers that be wouldn't release them in to the wild yet due to coverage/conditions. Even when I promised to keep em pristine.
awesome write up Luck! I am really curious about Lithics - they seem awesome, but are a bit cost prohibitive as of now. Time will tell when I have the chance to get a pair or two :)
Cohens got my goat for sure! Probably more interested in the Arlos but most likely waaaay too much overlap for me I think??? Personally feel like an Arlo shift setup would be the perfect travel ski and I honestly would consider selling some shit to justify that dookie ass setup but I think a CASTed Cohen would get more use in my quiver for sure. Lithic stuff looks soooooo sick, I really really dig what they’re putting out! At the end of the day, if I had the coin the coin, I just say screw it and pick up that skunkworks model I dig so damn much!!
I’m very curious to try the skunk117 too!
I’m currently on 188 cohens with cast, super stoked on it.
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Short version, more later, with the caveat that i have only a few really good days on cohens, no firm snow:
They are comparable in deep snow, in terms of float, both intuitive, stable, and really fun. I’d say the gpo is a slightly more directional shape, less tail taper and rocker.
Also, my cohens are heavy cores, with sally/cast, so pretty stout. My gpos are carbon/UL/veneer with tech binders.
I’ll get back with greater detail after a few more days....
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If anyone gets time on the skunkworks 122 I'd love to know more. That shape is dreamy
I love prototyping season!
I haven’t gotten on any of the new Skunk series yet, but I’ll be mounting up this fresh shape tonight and putting them through their paces very soon.
Attachment 312379
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Oooooo