Praxis Protest..just how cool is it?

[soggysandwiches]

These are the exact conditions I am most curious how the Protest handles.
Are people wishing for a narrower ski, or are they licking their lips getting ready to mob that kinda snow on the Protests?

^what he said

[Long duc dong]

I got an email yesterday about Praxis closeouts.

They have some Protests available, among a number of other options.

I just picked up some MVPs in a 183. I'm fascinated by the RX, I think that in a 184 might be perfect for me, but I have several skis around 116, a pair around 100 and nothing around 108, which seems like it would be a good sweet spot.

The sale is up on their website.

[tuco]

These are the exact conditions I am most curious how the Protest handles.
Are people wishing for a narrower ski, or are they licking their lips getting ready to mob that kinda snow on the Protests?

^what he said

You guys serious?

[MjKBC]

Looking at 192's as my Whistler inbounds deep day ski and possibly w/CAST. Curious to how I will get along with this ski, currently on JJ Zero 2.0's (-2.5cm from center w/CAST), faction 3.0's (-2.5 as well) and Corvus Freebirds (-7.5 from center). Other pow skis have been 2 other sets of OG JJ's, OG Hellbents and Obsethed's. Good skier with neutral stance.

[soggysandwiches]

You guys serious?

yes. not all of us can spend our lives and money reading every single review that has ever been written in the history of the internet or afford to buy every ski ever. i've never skied a 128mm underfoot ski. so we ask questions to people who can before we spend money, so we know what we're getting. blister makes it sound like they are still decent in softer lower-tide conditions, but i would like to know from someone who owns protests how they'd deal with those conditions. if the answer is "no dumbass they wouldn't handle it well they're basically reverse camber and 128mm underfoot with a fuckton of tip and tail rocker and taper" then say that. if the answer is "yeah they are stable and fun in anything soft" then say something like that. but i want to hear it from someone who has skied protests in those conditions

[N1CK.]

they are stable, and fun in anything soft! Seeing those pics, I'd take mine out in that, just maybe not all day.
I've skied mine in fresh pow, chop, and yes even groomers back to the lift. They aren't for crushing gates, but they still mob down anything soft. Fresh snow and some room to go fast? Yes. Please.

[Andyski]

If the chop in those photos is soft, they’re awesome. If it’s not, they’re not

[2FUNKY]

Going off those photos as the snow looks gud n soft, I be Protesting with a big shit eatin grin on my face.
Edit to add, plus they rule if it warms up or starts to rain turning pow into schmoo. Everyone else packs it up and goes home while I shred likes it’s killer pow.

[tuco]

yes. not all of us can spend our lives and money reading every single review that has ever been written in the history of the internet or afford to buy every ski ever. i've never skied a 128mm underfoot ski. so we ask questions to people who can before we spend money, so we know what we're getting. blister makes it sound like they are still decent in softer lower-tide conditions, but i would like to know from someone who owns protests how they'd deal with those conditions. if the answer is "no dumbass they wouldn't handle it well they're basically reverse camber and 128mm underfoot with a fuckton of tip and tail rocker and taper" then say that. if the answer is "yeah they are stable and fun in anything soft" then say something like that. but i want to hear it from someone who has skied protests in those conditions

Protests are powder skis.
Sometimes pictures can be misleading, but seeing how that's Alta and pow gets skied out there in about 37 minutes, I'm going to surmise that the snow is soft, powder in fact. Therefore, pow on ground means pow skis on feet.

Just sayin.

P.S. You're only going to glean so much info from a review(or answers from the collective). Lots of variables there

[jackattack]

i've never skied a 128mm underfoot ski.

you haven't lived

[skis_the_trees]

2Funky - so glad to read you post. We ski the same home mountain and I finally decided to see for myself "how cool is it?" and got some 196s off of Gear Swap. I have headed home or at least started having a lot less fun in those conditions you describe when it turns to shmoo. If you see the big Protests with trees top sheet give a shout out!

[whyturn]

Just saying that these kind of days on the protest are worth every penny




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[2FUNKY]

Drool…..

[doebedoe]

Just saying that these kind of days on the protest are worth every penny




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Those are the kinda days that make me regret not yet owning a WooTest.

[2FUNKY]

Those are the kinda days that make me regret not yet owning a WooTest.

Just go full Protest….

[VON]

I'm assuming all Protest owners have fairly large quivers, and I'm still trying to understand at what point the snow conditions will cause a person to grab their Protests over their ~115-wide skis. Like, when do people think the Protest will actually be the better tool for the job than their 115's?

It makes sense to me why people would like the Protests in lower-angle pow, trees, and schmoo, but I have a hard time believing they're gonna be better than my Bodacious or BMX 115 in the steeper stuff, particularly an hour into a pow day when that steep snow is getting real chopped up.

Nevertheless, this thread has made me far too curious to take anyone's word for it at this point. Got myself a pair of 4-flex 192's and can't wait to report back after a typical Snowbird pow-chop-day.

[2FUNKY]

When I know my Protests will be better than my Lhasa Fats @117 under foot.
Crusts, heavy snow, new snow that has turned to rain. Huge dumps, heh. Spring slush. Bottom less, low angle pow.
The Lhasa slays pow as well just differently. Protests open up terrain differently, more playful, drift soooo nicely. Way more fun/quick in trees than Lhasa, though the new tail rocker did change that aspect of the Lhasa for the better.
Now chopped up hammered pow at a busy resort, Lhasa all day erry day.
Put me on top of a big steep line with a foot+ of new of fresh lines or with a few tracks and I’d be perfectly happy with either on my feet. They both would do it just fine but damn the Protest is so good in fresh or slightly tracked snow. But so is the Lhasa. They just feel different in a good way.

[Ted Striker]

Adding my two cents to that ^^^ I've owned a few different iterations of the Lhasas and the OG Protests with Drew's topsheet. IMO, the Lhasas (and other Bros) come alive with speed. The more you commit, the more you get back. The Protests are more 'changed your mind? no problem!' That said, hardpack is a different story, and the Protest is definitely a quiver ski.

[doebedoe]

Just go full Protest….

Got those for inbounds—should’ve specified for touring

[2FUNKY]

Adding my two cents to that ^^^ I've owned a few different iterations of the Lhasas and the OG Protests with Drew's topsheet. IMO, the Lhasas (and other Bros) come alive with speed. The more you commit, the more you get back. The Protests are more 'changed your mind? no problem!' That said, hardpack is a different story, and the Protest is definitely a quiver ski.

Fully agree. This is the third iteration of the Lhasa I’ve owned.
Also adding that the stiffer 4 flex protest handles chop way better than the stock flex.

[Wes Mantooth]

Put me on top of a big steep line with a foot+ of new of fresh lines or with a few tracks and I’d be perfectly happy with either on my feet. They both would do it just fine but damn the Protest is so good in fresh or slightly tracked snow.

I feel like this is what's kept me from buying Protests. It's a ski I've known is special and epic since its release but have never felt like I had enough of those fully untracked days to justify them unless I got them primarily as a touring ski. Most pow days I'm lucky to get a couple runs where it's soft and untracked and the rest of the day is slamming chop and I'm happy to have the extra heft and versatility of my Bibbys. I'm also very unlikely to bring multiple pairs of skis to the hill and switch them out after a few runs

I know I have to try them to understand it and mark my words I will have a pair at some point, but it's always been a hard sell despite knowing they're amazing

[VON]

I feel like this is what's kept me from buying Protests. It's a ski I've known is special and epic since its release but have never felt like I had enough of those fully untracked days to justify them unless I got them primarily as a touring ski. Most pow days I'm lucky to get a couple runs where it's soft and untracked and the rest of the day is slamming chop and I'm happy to have the extra heft and versatility of my Bibbys. I'm also very unlikely to bring multiple pairs of skis to the hill and switch them out after a few runs

I know I have to try them to understand it and mark my words I will have a pair at some point, but it's always been a hard sell despite knowing they're amazing

I'm in the exact same boat as you. Don't really tour. Race the crowds on powder days at Alta/Bird for most of my powder days each year. Get about 4 or 5 decently untracked runs on a powder day if I'm lucky. Then the rest of the day is skiing through some pretty choppy pow.

For example, this snow here is 11am-ish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYeZ6OhjuTY

I'm guessing Protest owners are still grabbing their 105-115's for these kind of conditions, not the Protests. If Protest owners are actually preferring their Protests for this kind of snow, then I'm shocked, in a good way.

[2FUNKY]

Oh my, I’d protest the shit outa that soft fluffy chop happily. That’s where the stiffer 4 flex dominates over the stock flex. Lhasa would make quick work of it as well tho.

[TAFKALVS]

I've not had too many days with Mr. Funky on Protests but those that I have it doesn't seem like he's slowed down or hindered by Protests in anyway once it gets choppy.

If you can get an edge in, most specialty pow shapes are pretty fun in soft chop imho. And when you find that hidden pocket of 2-3 smeary pow turns you'll be glad you still are on them.

[VON]

Ok ya'll I'm done asking questions about the Protests. I'll report back after I've given them a few days in these conditions. Never been on a particularly smeary ski before, so I'm pumped to get these out there and see how that feels.
Thank you all for the input!