Review: 188 Soft Bros, 190 Gotama, 185 Bridge, 185 Scratch Brigade

[J-Rad]

Me:
6ft 4in
195 lbs
Non racer, advanced but no expert, ski both east and west coast.
Conditions: variable, mostly soft conditions (packed powder, soft moguls, tracked-out powder, crud, 30" fresh on the last day)

188 PM Gear Soft Bros (2nd gen, baby blue topsheets with salmon colored bases, lots of camber but I didn't notice it), mounted with Solly alpine binders on the recommended mount line:

I've been waiting to ski these for a long time. I picked up a pair from Splat at the end of the 2006 season and promptly tore my ACL in early 2007 without having had a chance to ski them. I finally got a chance to ski them last week in CO in the variable soft conditions they were designed for. They turned out to be a perfect fit. On soft groomers, they were super stable at speed and carved nicely when on edge. In crud/tracked out powder, they were a pleasant surprise. I expected to be thrown around more than the heavier Gotama but the opposite was true. They blasted through cut-up snow with ease as if it wasn't even there and got deflected less than the Gotamas. To me, the tip felt just a bit stiffer than the Gotamas and there is something magical about their light weight and soft flex that helps them absorb variable terrain. Soft moguls were also easy due to the low swing weight and lack of sidecut - just pivot away. Our last day in CO, we had 30" of fresh and the Bros were just unreal. Floated like a wet dream even in bottomless pow, effortless through the trees. I think a lot of it had to do with the almost non-existent swing weight - they were just effortless to ski and you felt like you had total control in any condition you came across.

The only downside I found is that they started to chatter at speed on very hard snow. But since they aren't designed for this kind of snow and rule in anything remotely soft, I could care less. Based on other reviews, 188 Stiffs would probably rule in both conditions and are on my short list of skis to try.

190 Gotamas (04-05 black topsheet with ?Tibetan writing) mounted with Solly alpine binders on the recommended line (sidewall I):

Easy to understand why these skis are so popular. They are stable at speed, damp, solid underfoot and confidence inspiring. They float with ease in the powder and can rail carved turns on the groomed. Compared to the 188 soft Bros, however, I found them to be slightly softer and much heavier. Because of this, I preferred the Bros in almost all conditions. I found the Gotamas to be too soft in the crud/tracked out powder - they bucked me around more than the Bros. Their weight was also noticeable in the trees and steeps vs. the Bros which were just effortless to bring around. The only area where I preferred them to the Bros was on very hard snow groomers. They had that inspiring Volkl grip once you got them on edge and chattered less at speed. Skiing moguls was sort of a wash - the slightly softer tip absorbed bumps easier but the Bros light swing weight made them easier to throw around. Float in the powder was outstanding but not noticeably better than the Bros.

185 Volkl Bridge mounted with Z12 demo binders:

Great frontside ski. Stiffer than the Bros or the Gotamas, they could carve up a storm on firm snow. The tails were also surprisingly easy to release given the 22m turning radius, probably because of the twin tip. Normally, I hate skis with that much sidecut in the bumps, but these did just fine and were able to pivot and smear when required. I imagine this would make a great mid-fat ski for the East Coast or for hard snow out West. Never got a chance to try them out in powder, but I imagine they would do just fine.

185 Rossignol Scratch Brigade mounted with Z12 demo binders:

Least favorite ski of the bunch. I guess I just don't like Rossignol skis very much because they felt like the Rossignol Bandit Xs I used to own - kinda boring. OK on the groomers, OK on the moguls, not great in the crud, OK float in powder. They were super easy to ski but just felt lifeless under my feet. They were also the least stiff of the bunch which probably had more to do with it than anything. Wasn't eager to try them out for an extended period of time so I don't know if this is the fairest review. But based on my limited time on them, a heavier skier would probably be better off looking at a different ski.

In sum, I love the 188 Bro Softs. They just crushed it without any effort in those soft variable conditions. I should also mention that I picked up a pair for my dad as well. Honestly, I have never seen somebody improve as fast as my dad did on a new pair of skis. He is almost 70 years old and learned how to ski in the Alps (he's from Germany). He never got used to the whole sidecut thing, so when I got him off some shaped skis and put him on a pair of soft Bros, he transformed into a whole 'nother animal. He was straight schussing down mogul fields, flying through the powder, turning with ease through the trees, making any turn he wanted to on the groomed. To me, it was particularly special because my dad is the one who taught me how to ski. To see him back in his old form with just a new set of boards under his feet was utterly amazing. He swears he will never own another pair of skis again. Perfect ski for someone who never really made the switch to skiing a shaped ski.

Thanks to Pat and the rest of the PM gear crew for the effort and dedication you put into making skis for the rest of us. Your skis put smiles on our faces this past week like you wouldn't believe.

[MashedPotatoes]

nice.

I'd echo all your thoughts on the 188 soft Bros after skiing them all week in Tahoe. You just can't go wrong with these skis. Mine I think have less camber than yours and they were indeed deliciously floaty in the pow we had earlier in the week. Easy to throw around, carve, short turns, long turns, whatever they pretty much do it all. Love the shape! Did some uphill with them and am finding my combo of Dukes/Bros/Endorphins/Glidelites to be a very capable one rig quiver.

gratuitous Bro slutting pic:

[cowdog]

Yep. Love the 188 soft bros (last year's baby blue top sheets with black bases). I have a pair mounted with dynafits. They are so good in softer snows. They tour like a dream. The weight to performance ratio is about as good as it gets. The shape is nearly ideal.

I had a pair of the first generation 188 stiffs with blue bases. They had a large amount of camber that made them ski awkwardly, although their soft snow performance was solid. They also had some gaps between the edges and bases and one of them delaminated underfoot. The soft bros I have now are infinitely better skis with much less camber and appear to have a far more refined fit and finish. I hope that's the norm now and not just luck of the draw, as it appeared to be initially.

[hick]

I must jump on the Bro ho bandwagon. I traded some Volk's for some soft Bro's at the end of last season (thanks Soulskier!). I mounted em up as a tele rig with g3s and only recently got to ski em in the soft and deep. Loved em and normally I hate the way light skis ski, but the Bros are amazingly stable in the conditions they are intended for. They are making me enjoy skiing on broken bindings again (tele). The alpine rigs may be gettiing more breaks. I'll be looking for some 192 fat Bros in the future for sure. Great skis to echo the above posts.

[splat]

Wow, guys, thanks!!! The props are what keep us going.

I just want to say that the Bros have never been better than they are now.
We had some problems in the past, but the boards we are cranking out now are so freakin solid, I couldn't be happier that three years of slaving away is now putting us where we have always wanted to be - in position to deliver the most rock solid performers you could hope for.

Cheers!