The Official Great Pacific Octopus Thread

[SupreChicken]

I can do the 187 med-stiff concept vs 192 gpo comparison...plus billy goat (auv) plus gambit...fuck it. Embrace the overlap. 110-120 is money for the pnw...

[davieboot]

Am I reading the Praxis website correctly that the GPO won't be available again until March 2014?

http://praxisskis.com/shop/index.php...emart&Itemid=3

[spindrift]

Am I reading the Praxis website correctly that the GPO won't be available again until March 2014?

http://praxisskis.com/shop/index.php...emart&Itemid=3

Call it a typo. Call it ambiguous. Read it as March 2013 presale on 2014 model year skis.

[Jim S]

fun ski for sure

[arild]

They´re very pretty, at least.

[Bird Blaster]

Thinking of trading in RP112's for these.....

[nickwm21]

Skied my 192 carbons today at mammoth. Mounted on the dimple, not detuned at all. Hit the tail end of the storm so it was mostly chopped pow down low and wind buff up top.

Ski is super stable at speed but can still be thrown around in the trees and chutes.

I need more time for a proper review.

Ski was hooky. I will detune tonight. The mount is pretty far forward but I like the balance point there. Some people might like -1or2....

sent from the future using my mind powers

[Bird Blaster]

What has a better damp feel to it? Fiberglas or the carbon?

Is it like the DPS skis that way where the hybrid has a better damp feel in chop. (at least vs pure 2).

Also - whats the mount point from the tail?

[nickwm21]

The carbon is not full carbon like dps. Its a fiberglass/carbon blend layup like pmgear. That said, my gpos are a little heavier and much more damp than my lhasas....

This ski is a lot of fun in the chop.

sent from the future using my mind powers

[Jim S]

Skied my 192

Ski was hooky. I will detune tonight. The mount is pretty far forward but I like the balance point there. Some people might like -1or2....

sent from the future using my mind powers

I too thought the dimple wasy way too far forward and was going to remount -2 or so but detuning the tip just past the contact points made the mount feel less forward. And made the ski far more predictable and fun.

[SupreChicken]

I have detuned to the contact points, and I'm still feeling some hook on icy cat tracks. Soft snow skiing is doooooppppeee. Shitty snow skiing is pretty awesome as well. Mach through like it ain't no thang. Pivot machines. Ruining glades and meadows. Cats didn't take us to anything steep today (ballz). Hoping tomorrow will be better. Full review and gopro porn to follow...

[Shu Shu]

Would also love to hear a three way compare and contrast, between the GPO, Concept, and Protest, to guide 2014 pre-sale spending

[whyturn]

I've got GPO and protest covered
Can compare to squad 7 and 191 Lhasa fat also

[HighWest]

I've got GPO and protest covered
Can compare to squad 7 and 191 Lhasa fat also

Bring it!

[undertow2]

Bring it!

^^^^^This....! I am joensing for an indepth review and comparisons...! Have 191 Billygoats, but have a very strong feeling these will be added to the quiver...! God I love this stuff and really love overlap...!

[nickwm21]

I need to detune more. They come from the factory detuned at the taper areas. I brought that down halfway to the contact points... I think the sweet spot is a little past the contact points...

Anywayz - IMO this ski is the perfect resort chargy pow ski. They ski untracked great but they shine in those conditions you see at 230pm on a resort pow day; chop, powder bumps, crud, etc... they also ski groomers well and pivot great in the trees and technical steeps.

sent from the future using my mind powers

[Shu Shu]

I've got GPO and protest covered

Nice. Want to hear Jim S do a concept-gpo head to head as well, then I'll be set.

[Jim S]

Nice. Want to hear Jim S do a concept-gpo head to head as well, then I'll be set.

End of the week.

[Bird Blaster]

What are people's thoughts on Praxis's carbon vs non-carbon skis?

pro and cons - or if there is one please point me to the appropriate thread. (At work right now and can't search )

[nickwm21]

What are people's thoughts on Praxis's carbon vs non-carbon skis?

pro and cons - or if there is one please point me to the appropriate thread. (At work right now and can't search )

Check out the 2013 Praxis thread....

sent from the future using my mind powers

[Bird Blaster]

thanks - i had looked before there but didn't recall reading that...must have skipped it. i will go back now

[SupreChicken]

Praxis GPO Review.

192 cm, carbon layup. 140-116-128. Mounted on the dimple (somewhat rearward appearing mount) with ffg16. DIN 10.5. Me - 6'0", 30 years old, 165 lbs.

Yeah, I have an overlap problem. In the 110-120 waist range, I currently own 188 mtn jibs, 192 GPO, 187 Concepts, 195 Gambits and 190 bibbys are on the way from bird blaster. It's ridiculous, but I suspect there are other mags out there that would happily take my quiver in it's entirety.

First impressions: So for starters, that topsheet is irresistible. My favorite in the lineup. Long mellow rocker with what appears to be some ON3P-esqure RES in the tip, shorter, still mellow in the squared off tail, 9.8 lbs in the plastic. Edges are razor sharp. Gummy stone hits to contact points before I even mount them. Not quite as thick as my other praxis, but I've done too much dumb shit to my praxis quiver to have any doubts about durability. Good advice for any/all praxis - go ski the shit out of them.

Ride - similar to gambits. Stupidly versatile, but surfier and a little more nimble. It's a nice, nice ride. I need to detune a lot to just PAST the contact points, and I honestly want to do 2 or 3 swipes in the underfoot area to dull them just a little…they are still super grabby on hardpack.

Groomers: Soft or slushy, you can get them to lock in and feel stable. On hard snow, they grab.

Bumps: Super easy and forgiving for a 192 stiff, chargy ski. Soft and shallow, just point em and bounce around. If they are big and troughed, pivot from the balls of your feet and hit a line. They are as easy to ski bumps on as my 187 concepts and 188 mtn jibs. But they're stiffer and have a higher speed limit. Boom.

Trees: It's like slalom practice in soft snow in the trees. Point em, turn em, carve em, slarve em. Whateva. It all works. Planing like they have a 55 cm tip rocker. Surfing like they have some RES.

Airs: YES. that tail is stiff. Stable and forgiving. Stomp it. Park laps are fun, but riding switch is tougher on these than the gambits. Also, I'm pretty bad at riding switch.

Crud/tracked pow - just point em like it's untracked. You'll feel the changes in the snowpack under you (stiff ski), but they do exactly what you would want them to. They stay predictable and easy to shut down. Rage or play. I see why they make a good comp ski.

Cons/Changes:
Tuning - FKNA with the factory tunes. I can't ride them. They are hooky as shit on ice…that said, a little more time and a further detune with my gummy, and I think I'll likely stop complaining.

That's it. There's literally nothing else I would change. Rocker is mellow and long. Tip curve is never too sharp. They surf. They're nimble and stable. Not a great hardpack ride (likely related to the tune). I like both the gambits and my simple moustache concepts better on hardpack…this, the concept, and the gambit are all insanely fun, versatile skis. I give the Gambit the nod on a firm day and this the nod on a deeper day. Concepts are the easiest to ski. If I could only have one, I'd go GPO because I like the feel of surfing and I'd "put up" with the hardpack performance…

IMO, Drew and Keith have absolutely crushed it with this design.

And whatever to my quiver overlap problem. If there are skis that I like this much being built, I'll horde.

Same offer stands to non-gapers in the 310mm BSL club who want to take em for a spin and can offer me something cool to try in return. Not sure if we'll get any more good snow at Stevens, but here's hoping for a temp drop.

Jim? Anything you would add? Others?

I know I promised some helmet cam porn. Turns out editing is a huge PITA. I'm working on it. I'll also get some side by side photos with the gambits.

[davieboot]

Nice review, looking forward to the photos, and maybe a firm snow update after some additional detune.

[Bird Blaster]

^^^^ that review just made waking up noteworthy today. Thanks for that

[greasyslope]

Nice review, you impressive gear whore! Now, if only you could gain at least 40 lbs.

Can you compare the GPO's to the Bibby's a bit? I think the GPO's are a bit lighter (but not certain). Do they deflect more? How's the relative dampness of the ski with the carbon layup? Thanks, in advance.