Explosiv Vintages

[Damian Sanders]

Olin was K2 for a while and the outer limits where the K2 AK launcher for a while too. (90ish mm HUGE waisted ski, and VERY soft)

The first vintage of launcher was a explosive, re-badged I think. Should have german on the sidewall, and a stiff flex. The newer K2/Olins are lawnchairs, not launchers.

So, are you saying the early Olin Outer Limits were NOT the explosiv? I understand they are sidewall, but from a little digging it seems like they are not the same dims (90mm vs. 95mm waist).

Hummm? If they are indeed explosivs from that vintage, shouldn't they have the boot-tip mark like the explosiv 1, 2, and 3, and K2 big kahuna?

[mntlion]

I think that the first vintage outerlimtes ARE explosives, and the "newer" ones after that are not.

how to tell:

german on the sidewalls.
same explosive dimensions 95 waist
stiffer flex that the other outerlimits, or K2 lawnchairs

[El Chupacabra]

I think that the first vintage outerlimtes ARE explosives, and the "newer" ones after that are not.

how to tell:

german on the sidewalls.
same explosive dimensions 95 waist
stiffer flex that the other outerlimits, or K2 lawnchairs

And the easiest way: Explosivs have vertical sidewalls, AK Launchers are cap skis.

[EC/BC]

So while doing a WFR recertification course, I ran across this ski in a litter full of old cross country and tele gear being used to make improvised backboards and stuff- (hence the shitty cell phone photos)

what vintage are these? they're skinny, short (170?) and stiff as hell. I'm surprised they were mounted with the glorified riva's that were on them, I couldn't imagine turning them with old school tele gear.

I'm a big fan of the bases though, a channel and gnarly splatter graphics

[Damian Sanders]

IIRC they are sort of a rec slalom ski from late 80's.

[garyfromterrace]

Dont know how I came across this but... since no one answered the question....
I have a pair of a similar vintage 205 "R" RS's
The were the best "do it all" skis I ever owned (until fat skis came along in the early 90's). I remember buying them a year old in 86 I think.

I remember them as a kind of detuned GS racing ski. Amazing at speed ( I was speed skiing back then, so I know of what I speak), great in the bumps and a kick ass powder ski. They really did it all, and I would rate them as the best do everything skinny ski I ever rode by far.

Now the SL (especially in a 170 length, ugh, may have been an ok tight radius ski for small children, but it wouldn't have been my cup of tea.

[ChowdahRidah]

Anybody know what is considered the best mount point for the first vintage of explosivs? +1 or on the line?

Thank you for your help!

[SiSt]

Anybody know what is considered the best mount point for the first vintage of explosivs? +1 or on the line?

Thank you for your help!

I think I´m about +6 in relation to the boottip markings on my pair of 190´s. Wouldn´t change a thing.

I´m on the line on 186 LP´s and -1 on my Shoots FWIW, normally don´t like being forward, but the mount lines on the old explosivs are ridiculously far back.

[ChowdahRidah]

Thanks! Any other opinions on mounting point for ist gens?

[gointhewater]

I took the mounting point from the best explosiv ever made, the buddha (fuck off all you Gandalf homos), and applied it to my 1st gens. Looks to be about 3.5-4 cms forward of the schuhspitze mark (I can do the math again if you are interested). No complaints, skis like a fuggin' champ. Actually I've been using these 16-17 year old legends pretty much everyday this season.
And as a side note, I don't beleive the k2 big kahunas pictured by Lexi-Bell (purple, black, & blue, page 2) are explosivs. Bought a pristine pair at the swap this year, has vertical sidewalls, has "schuhspitze" boot tip mark, and have to admit the shape looks an awful lot like an explosiv. But the widest part of the waist measures to 88, not the classic 95. Sorry Lexi.

[ChowdahRidah]

Yes!!!! That is what I was looking for!!! Thank you! I had a pair of Buddahs stupidly sold them, now have a pair of 1st gens. Mine do not say schuhspitze on them but I am assuming you are referring to the arrow on the side wall just after the size?
My pair are a 180, so does the 3.5 -4 still apply? Bottom line: the 1st gen. mount point is a bit back compared to the buddahs and I should consider going forward if I want them to ski in a similar way?

[gointhewater]

Ok release clause first. I'm a fucking math moron, there's a reason why I was a history major in college. So you may want to recheck my numbers.
Running a tape measure along the base of the buddhas I get a total length of around 177.5 cm (again I'm no carpenter either), with the midsole mark around 73.7 cm (measured from the tail).
73.7/177.5= .415211268
Total length of 1st gen. dayglosivs 179 cm
179x.415211268=74.3
So 74.3 cm from the tail is your midsole mark. Which, like I mentioned earlier, seems to be +3.5-4 cm of the boot tip mark.
And to answer your question, yes. If you want to make your 1st gens ski more like buddhas, mount them forward. But they will not obviously ski exactly the same. As much as people like to point out that the dimensions were the same for so long, they ski differently.

[EarlyWood]

Can anyone verify if the Explosiv 3 model does or does not have two metal layers?
I grabbed a pair at a swap a couple years ago...they be in the garage...just curious..

[SorryBro]

Can anyone verify if the Explosiv 3 model does or does not have two metal layers?
I grabbed a pair at a swap a couple years ago...they be in the garage...just curious..

Yes, it does. My Explosiv 3 have a metal top layer that I drilled through when mounting bindings and the fresh core shot in the bottom went to a different metal layer.

[EarlyWood]

many thanks SB...I verified your verification yesterday with a utility knife..metal top sheet (the one I thought was missing) full length.
They just felt softer than buddhas plus the construction/design on the 3s doesn't have the top sheet metal exposed to the edge of sidewall like the buddha sidewall constuction.
good ski swap find, not xactly their prettiest top sheet..

[Bluebird]

^^ finally mounting those 3's, good work. On a sadder note I am finally retiring my first pair of sploders. My daily drivers, the buddha's have finally given up. It was a long, glorious life or them, but it is their time. They will find a home in a chair, shot ski, etc.

Time to call in a reinforcement!

[jgb@etree]

'sploders like to hang out together:



Wizard's ready for the snow:



I may be biased, but think that this ^^ is one of the purdiest ski/binding combos ever. (thanks for the hookup on those clamps BB!)

So what did we figure out, EW? The Explosiv 3 & Wizards were the same length (189) but the budda and pnh skis were a little shorter - do you remember how much?

[EarlyWood]

'sploders like to hang out together:



Wizard's ready for the snow:



I may be biased, but think that this ^^ is one of the purdiest ski/binding combos ever. (thanks for the hookup on those clamps BB!)

no bias... a perfect combination "meant to be" color match like the were painted with the ski and a frkn 20 din

So what did we figure out, EW? The Explosiv 3 & Wizards were the same length (189) but the budda and pnh skis were a little shorter - do you remember how much?

I'm going with 187 on the buddas but it's all a bit of a blur ..for some reason :-)
I'll double check measurements and edit here later...

did some more flexing on the 3s and convinced they're softer. They're not beat and are in good condition....almost like this is the ladies version of an explosiv (seriously no offense to ladies meant)...but these are a couple cm longer than buddas..
am thinking the top sheet of metal would have to stretch to the sidewalls like the buddha's to match the stiffer flex plus maybe the top sheet is not as thick(may check)...or a different wood core was used... or all of that...

Interestingly the only mounting location given on the 3s is the schuhspitze toe mark, leaving a lot to the imagination for a big boot. I'm happy with where we landed based on all the skis shown in jgb's first pic.

If anyone has solid schuhspitze mark info go ahead and post it... toe of 350 boot is now almost 5cm beyond schuhspitze and it looks right to me

vibes on the buddhas BB ...something tells me you'll find a replacement :-)

[Bluebird]

Oh I've got another pair of buddhas ready to go. And a neon, and a blue, and a spare neon....

Only problem is I am not sure they are going to be my go to ski anymore up here. we'll see.

I have found about 3.5cm on 180's so 5cm could be right for 190's??

Those 3's are just a mystery. If you ever take one apart let me know. THe graphic is so bad I have never been drawn to get a set.

[el penoso]

Looks like they are the real deal. I probably would have pulled the trigger if it were not for the 88$ ship.
And it says used but its clearly in plastic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BIG-KAHUNA-K...item2317750afe

[chickenmonkey]

This seems to be the place to ask/post this. I have procured 180 V-Explosives from either 2001 or 2002. They are the same as in the below thread but 180 in length.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-w-912-ti-250?

My question is about mounting point. They are mounted with Naxos and the previous owner had them set about +4 of the line with about a 307 bsl. My bsl is 295 and now I am about +5 of the line.

The line is roughly at 74 cm from the tail. My boot center mark is roughly 79 cm from the tail.

It's just the plain line, so I am guessing it is boot center and not boot toe. But is it the moved up boot center like the buddhas or the further back boot center like on previous years?

[chickenmonkey]

I recently procured a set of 2000 or 2001 Thor V-Explosives with the slight twin tail. They are 180s and have the same topsheet as the ones in this post...sorry...cannot post links yet:

www dot tetongravity dot com/forums/showthread.php/101109-01-02-190-Volkl-Explosiv-s-w-912-ti-250

I believe these are the ones with a boot center mark as it just has the plain line without "schuhspitze" next to the line. My question is, is this the moved up line as in the buddhas or the further back line with a similar position to the "schuhspitze" versions? The line is about 74 cm measured from the tail on 180s.

The reason I am asking is they are mounted with Naxos and the previous owner had them at about +4 of the line for a 307 BSL. With my BSL of 295 they are almost +5. but want to know if I am really +5 or +2ish ... curiosity really as I will probably keep them where they are if they ski well.

I have already skied them, but in death crust conditions that were hard to assess the situation.

[chickenmonkey]

I recently procured a set of 2000 or 2001 Thor V-Explosives with the slight twin tail. They are 180s and have the same topsheet as the ones in this post...sorry...cannot post links yet:

www dot tetongravity dot com/forums/showthread.php/101109-01-02-190-Volkl-Explosiv-s-w-912-ti-250

I believe these are the ones with a boot center mark as it just has the plain line without "schuhspitze" next to the line. My question is, is this the moved up line as in the buddhas or the further back line with a similar position to the "schuhspitze" versions? The line is about 74 cm measured from the tail on 180s.

The reason I am asking is they are mounted with Naxos and the previous owner had them at about +4 of the line for a 307 BSL. With my BSL of 295 they are almost +5 or 79 cm from the tail, but want to know if I am really +5 or +2ish ... curiosity really as I will probably keep them where they are if they ski well.

I have already skied them, but in death crust conditions that were hard to assess the situation.

bumpy please

[Bluebird]

bumpy please

My 180 wizards, not the thor are back in VT so I can't say for sure, but I am pretty sure they are more center like the buddha rather than back like the neons and blues.

Sorry that really doesn't help much.

THe far back mounting of the neons and blues is pretty noticeable compared to todays skis.

[chickenmonkey]

My 180 wizards, not the thor are back in VT so I can't say for sure, but I am pretty sure they are more center like the buddha rather than back like the neons and blues.

Sorry that really doesn't help much.

THe far back mounting of the neons and blues is pretty noticeable compared to todays skis.

Thanks BB.