BD Megawatt Mounting

[GiantManta]

You're evil b/c that would just be an excuse to get some Dynafits for these badboys!

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Skied mine on Garmont Endorphins and Garmont Radiums. Both worked fine (I am 6'3" 190).

[GiantManta]

Sounds like I should be good - time to go see Marshall and get those bad boys mounted up

[TheDon]

Anyone else wanna chime in on mounting forward? Heard this was the way to go.

I think the same thing, maybe I'm getting too used to seeing the 'newschool' set ups but the megawatt's mount point looks soooo far back.

All tip no tail.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

^^^^ partially because of the size of the shovel and that is is *essentially* a pin-tail design (although not completely).

[snomaster]

I got mine mounted on the line last year and am remounting forward +3cm. they are way too far back for my taste. the rocker means that you can get your aggressive stance over the tips more and they'll stay up.
Anyone questioning 1.5+ forward should take out a metric ruler and see how minimal that amount is... and make the right choice.

[snomaster]

so after consulting my ruler and looking at my current mount, I'm going +5cm on this remount (with dukes). this is just under 2" in imperial units.


but you don't have to trust me. I'm a NOOB on this forum, muhahaha.

[Bcar]

..remember that the tip is pretty soft on these esp. with the early rise, it does ski shorter than it appears, with most of that shortness coming off the tip (about 45cm contact pt vs ~20-30cm on a trad ski). I mounted on the line with Dukes and it felt great for everything other than on pure hard-pack...
It does look a bit odd being that far back, but not when the base contact point is 45 cm back from the tippy tip

[Driver]

I'm mounting mine on the line this week - BD did a lot of research on where to put the line given the various factors (tip rocker, flex, etc.)... and those who know say the line works great. I guess I could see a little forward if you intend to ski hardpack, but why would you intend to ski hardpack?

[thecriscokid]

Just rode my 'watts today for the 1st time. Mounted on the suggested line...
Big, Big nose compared to what I usually ski (+4.5- 6 on my OSeth's and 'bents)
I can appreciate the suggested stance but I may have to go forward after a bit more time on them.
Anybody that has remounted please chime in on what you tink

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

any updates after a full season of use? thinking +1 will be better later in the day when things firm up...

thoughts?

Go forward 2 cm's. That's coming from the rep. I have had better results there this year.

[NorthernSpotted...]

I struggle to think of a reason anyone would mount these things forward if they're skiing them in the conditions they're meant to be skied in. They'll turn on a dime, they're stable as hell, and they float like a motherfucker. And cripes, if you're really mounting them 5cm forward, go out and get the 178s instead.

[TheDon]

^^^^^ Mounting 5 cm forward would give a more surfy/jibby feel. Everything a newschool/rockered ski is about.

Plus, if you mount forward you could easily size up, giving you more speed and stability.

I’m thinking about doing that with the Voile drifter, it has the same foot print but you shed about 2 pounds on the pair.

BD did a lot of research on where to put the line given the various factors (tip rocker, flex, etc.)...

I'm a skeptic about this comment^^^. I'm sure they did some research but IMO they probably got some input from their riders and pressed some protos. When their riders liked it they made it production.
They may be more math lab than I know but consider this:

Go forward 2 cm's. That's coming from the rep. I have had better results there this year.

The way skiing is changing, that much tip and so little just doesn't feel
"normal" anymore.

Anyone who mounted forward have feedback?

[rasi]

Can anyone confirm that BD did move the mark forward? On my last years MW the center mark is 78 cm from the tail, the mounting specs on the BD website now say 79 cm.

[Foggy_Goggles]

On the line w/ last years white ones and loving it. Keep in mine I hate excessively forward mounts but I feel these are plenty newschool/ surfy.

[mortimer]

Can anyone confirm that BD did move the mark forward? On my last years MW the center mark is 78 cm from the tail, the mounting specs on the BD website now say 79 cm.

BD gave me this response a few months ago -- I went with +1 based on his comments and a friend's lotus 120 mount.

The 09/10 Megawatt has the same alpine boot center point at 790mm from the tail as last year’s model. I’m 6’1” and 185lbs, myself and actually mounted mine (last year) at +1cm – I prefer a little more forward mount on my skis, regardless, and with the Megawatt at that point, I couldn’t be happier. You’ll for sure be in a more aggressive all-mountain stance at +1 to +2 cm forward of the recommended line. I wouldn’t go much farther forward than that, however, given the rockered tip and shorter running length of the ski in general.

Last year the Megawatt's core was full poplar. This year, we've kept the poplar core, but have integrated birch stringers in the sidewalls of the ski. These birch stringers stiffen the ski from tip to tail, but still allow for an even longitudinal flex. This stiffening is most evident in the rockered tips of the Megawatts in that they're not as flip-floppy as last seasons. Additionally, being situated right over the edges of the skis, the birch stringers increase edge-hold as well. You're also correct in that this year's Megawatts have a slight amount of camber, so a little more pop/snap in out of turns. Lou Dawson has a nice pic comparing the camber on this years and last years Mega's on his blog: http://www.tetonat.com/2009/07/sure-...ike-christmas/ .

In terms of how much stiffer is the new Megawatt vs. the old Megawatt, the new model definitely has a tail that'll push you through a turn and, like I mentioned earlier, the tips are a bit more firm along with increased edge-hold throughout. Keep in mind the new isn't overly stiffer than the old, just tweaked a little here and a little there to give a more precise ride/slide/float down your favorite hill.

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Loved my mount on the line last year. Replacing my FFR+ with Dynafits this year, and to avoid overlaping holes, I will move back if necessary. Great ski.

[skiandbike]

Looking for some advice for using two pairs of boots with the 09/10 model and Dukes. I was thinking +1 for a pair of 305 bsl AT boots, which would put me approximately on the line after adjusting the Dukes back for a pair of 317 alpine boots. Am I jonging about this properly? Don't know how often I would switch, but having the option would be nice.

Any experience with the mount location affecting touring/slogging? +1 doesn't seem like it would really do much either way.

Hoping these sticks serve as a challenge to Ullr to bring the snow...

[ready2tumble]

All of the above having been said, would moving the mount forward make the skis more maneuverable in powder? I'm not worried about hard snow performance, but when the entire 188cm length gets down in the snow, my 145 pounds has a little trouble bringing them around. Would it be worth trying a remount, or would I just be making them harder to sell when I finally get something that fits?

[Winkler]

I would say that moving the mount forward would make the ski more maneuverable and reduce resale value at the same time. It's not like mounting them +2 or 3 is going to turn them into 178s, which is what I would ski if I weighed 145.

[ectreeskier11]

mounting 1.5 cm has been aweomse, skied these things everyday for the past 3 weeks plus. do it.

[sliced]

I mounted mine on the line and have skied two days on them. I think they're absolutely fine in powder-only conditions, but like most people I ski at a resort that is tracked out by 11am. I do not like these skis in anything but untracked so far. The tail is way too soft and I can't power through anything cut-up because of the huge amount of float.

Anyone think mounting the bindings forward a bit would help? Because honestly I don't think it would change anything. But, I'm stuck with them.

[AltaPowderDaze]

Anyone think mounting the bindings forward a bit would help? Because honestly I don't think it would change anything. But, I'm stuck with them.

i've skied them at +1.25cm, +2cm, and +.65cm. +2 was way too far forward for me. groomed was a little strange with that mount and the tails didn't have enough weight on them for pow or crud. i kind of felt like i was less stable and apt to go over the handle bars. +1.25 was an ok all around mount and i didn't have any real complaints but going to about 1/4 forward of the line has been great. it skis everything well but to be fair i haven't skied them on the line yet.

[Driver]

Mine are on the line and ski great. There is no lack of manueverability so not sure why you would want to go forward and potentially lose the best feature of the ski: inability to dive the tips in bottomless. Disclaimer 1: I've never been a guy to disagree with the engineers - I figure they know best on mount point. Disclaimer 2: Everyone will think their mount position is the best so these opinions are sort of worthless.

[Tresckow]

I have had them mounted on the line for years, and haven't even considered changing them.

That said, I'm suprised to hear they are not liked in chop or set up conditions since the don't drive through the crud. I thought the point was to be on top of that crap, not to dive in and try to blow through it?

If anyone has some used pairs to get rid of, I would be interested.