Praxis Ullr

[BoatBound]

So just trying to get some info on this ski. I sent an e-mail to Keith but hoping that there might be some here who have skied or are knowledgeable about it. Any pics out there of the profile and the tip? Curious about the design. I want a deep pow ski for trees early untracked and broken and some cat days. Quickness/agility in trees is big for me. I am really impressed with the dims and build on this ski. I want something slarvy and good for drifty round turns. I have a 112's already but want something a bit looser and non-traditional feel. Also eyeing up a Protest.

[frorider]

I assume a search would pull up the detailed thread I put up last season.

[frorider]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...20253_d5343ab1

has some Ullr reviews.

It's not a slarvy-oriented ski.

[BoatBound]

not really. If you search, you may find that thread buried in a hundred others with the words ULLR or Praxis...... ya' know what I mean?

Thanks for your help.

[BoatBound]

Hmm, looks like the Protest is a better choice.

[skime]

This is a must read. Thanks for the reminder Frorider. I'm thinking these looks interesting. Still a bit hesitant about r/r design.

[hoarhey]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...20253_f5344823

Scroll down a bit on page 18 of that thread and you'll find the famous frorider shot on his 194 ullr's

Start at post 437

a bit further down on that page, Lakelander chimes in with his experience mounted at dimple on 185 Ullr's

Last year, I emailed Keith about his feelings on the Ullr and I mentioned that there wasn't much tail splay.

quote
More for a forward charging fat resort powder ski. I wanted more contact in the tail and the ability to lay down a carve over a wash out tail feeling so I have not much rocker in the tail but enough.
endquote

[BoatBound]

THANK YOU! Yeah, protests or BUbba maybe a bentchetler.....

[LightRanger]

Buy Protests. You won't be sad.

[glademaster]

I'll sell you my Protests if you're interested. It does feel much looser than the Ullr but it isn't the full on slarve machine that Powder Boards are.

[BoatBound]

yeah, I don't want to be sad. I did just hear from Keith. Protests are the way to go over the Ullrs.

That damn bubba looks like a lot of fun though...

[BoatBound]

I'll sell you my Protests if you're interested. It does feel much looser than the Ullr but it isn't the full on slarve machine that Powder Boards are.

I sent a PM but its not showing up as a "sent Item". Sorry for the duplicate message if you got 2.

[Shorty_J]

I'll sell you my Protests if you're interested. It does feel much looser than the Ullr but it isn't the full on slarve machine that Powder Boards are.

I might be interested in these if the OP is not.

[Wetdog]

I finally got on the Ullrs the other day. It was a Whistler powder day at last. In fact, it just keeps on snowing and after the Dec Jan drought it is welcome. I also posted in the GPO thread in response to a query there about them as they are essentially a wider GPO.

The day I took them out, I thought there would be more snow and the alpine didn't open so the mid mountain got skied out quickly and the snow had a bottom, but I did the fresh tracks breakfast and got them into some nice uncut snow before the hoards hit the slopes. They were definitely overkill for the conditions, but I really liked them. They definitely float easily with a 123mm waist! Like the GPO, they are not a slarvy ski like the Nordica Helldorado, the DPS Wailer 112 or Praxis Powder which I also own. They have a more locked in feel to turns which I like, though they can be made to slarve by breaking the tail loose, but you have to want to. Mine are the medium flex with carbon layup and I found the flex forgiving for the soft, but plenty stiff enough even when skiing in cut up turning to crud. My Concepts are a medium stiff and I really like them, but use them for more all mountain skiing and as the Ullrs are more of a powder ski I figured that a medium flex would be more appropriate and Keith agreed. So far, I am really happy with that flex.

What really surprised me was how well behaved they were on groomers which were mostly soft packed, but even in sections where ice was to be found they held an edge well. The tune was perfect, I felt no need to detune anywhere, no catchiness at all. The only downside to skiing groomers with these, which I had to at the end of the day to get off the mountain, was that it takes some energy to keep such a wide ski on edge for an extended time, but it sure didn't feel like I was skiing 123mm waist either. I've skied some wide skis that keep reminding me they are wide. The relatively light weight and profile of these skis made them feel more nimble.

Keith had suggested a mount of -2 for me. Mine are mounted with Schizos so the 0 or neutral point is 2cm behind the dimple which is where I started skiing them. In the soft this felt really good, but as the snow got skied out, I tried moving the mount forward, as I could feel just a little wildness in the tips skiing through manky snow and bumps at times. At -1 from the dimple this helped and later for my decent from the mountain I went to the dimple mark and found they skied harder surfaces slightly better there. I was able to find some fresh snow off to the sides in places and they skied well at the dimple. I will have to play around with mount points a bit more to be sure, but like the reports on the GPO, the Ullr seems to have a very big sweet spot. Moving the mount 2cms made only a subtle but noticeable difference, improving groomer performance slightly. I feel I liked the -2 in the fresh a bit better, but I really didn't have enough time on them to make a definitive evaluation. I wish I had them yesterday for a 20cm day at Whistler, but that is the downside of having to choose from a quiver. More to come.

[DJ2]

No more?

[Shredhead]

I have a pair of 185 Carbon Medium Stiff's w/Px-18's that I primarily take heli/cat skiing.
I don't slarve and I like them.
They don't seem to get a lot of love though.

[Wetdog]

For those of you who had enquired in the past about the Ullr, and for lack of further reviews, I wanted to post a short update having skied them for a full two seasons now. I had occasion to get out on them a number of times last season and had intended to take them Cat skiing to make a final determination about mounting position, but took another pair of skis instead. I did get them out enough at Whistler doing laps on Flute on powder days to make a call though. I had originally been advised by Keith at Praxis that I would like a -2cm mount behind the dimple as the recommended mount point is more centred. Despite owning a number of more playful rocketed skis, I do like a traditional feel as well hence his recommendation. I started skiing them at -2 behind the dimple with Schizos as per the above review then, as I tried a more forward mount, I found I liked them more on the dimple. Going back to the -2 afterward, by comparison, made them feel more sluggish and unwieldy with less turn initiation and the same to a lesser degree at -1. On the line, they are more balanced and maneuverable, fun, in powder while still providing the ability to rip high speed medium and longer radius turns with stability. While they will lock into those turns in a more traditional way which is fun, the tail, which has a some rocker can be coaxed to drift around, especially when skied more forward on the dimple. In tight spots at slow speeds the more centre mount allows them to be pivoted quite easily and they are surprisingly maneuverable given their dimensions. I made the call to mount them with Salomon Guardians so I don't have to boot pack with them any more. They are a fun ski, relatively easy ski to manage and maneuver, but not as loose as skis like the Protest or the Powder boards, however that is not to say they don't have a dose of new school design in them gained from skis like those mentioned. Sometimes I like that more locked into a turn feel, especially on bigger open faces at higher speeds when you want to ski the fall line. These are my choice for those times. They should be a nice slack country ski with the Guardians. I didn't weigh them before mounting, but estimate them around 4.2 Kg for 193cm medium flex carbon which is pretty good. I'm 6'3" and 190 and they seem just about right.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Added links to page 1 of 2016 PRAXIS thread