2018 Bonafide still stable?

[skibrd]

THANKS!
Best constructive reply by far in this thread. As you may have seen I did go ahead and buy the Bones so we will see how that goes. Ski season is coming to an abrupt end here in the southeast. SnowShoe got some fresh over the weekend but it looks like rain/snow mix or just plain rain for the next 10 days

I could always ski the Bones a time of two & then sell them on fleabay 1/2 way through the '18/'19 season if they turn out to be too soft.

Sorry it took so long for a constructive response. I loved the Bones, but I’m on the hill 100 days a year and what I want out of a ski is different then most people. The Bones will be great skis for you, and you are right. If you don’t like them, eBay and try something else. I’ve heard the new Kastle MX99 is more versatile then the MX98, but haven’t been on it (and probably won’t since I heard it doesn’t come in 194cm).

I had my MX98s out in 4-6 in of cowboy pow that turned into slushee corn yesterday and they rock. Today on ice the railed. Definitely under rated in the versatility category.

[Meadow Skipper]

My apologies. That was a typo I corrected. I ordered them from Corbetts on the 8th for $370 after monetary exchange differences.

Still, that's a good price.

[N-Da-Bunka]

Sorry it took so long for a constructive response. I loved the Bones, but I’m on the hill 100 days a year and what I want out of a ski is different then most people. The Bones will be great skis for you, and you are right. If you don’t like them, eBay and try something else. I’ve heard the new Kastle MX99 is more versatile then the MX98, but haven’t been on it (and probably won’t since I heard it doesn’t come in 194cm).

I had my MX98s out in 4-6 in of cowboy pow that turned into slushee corn yesterday and they rock. Today on ice the railed. Definitely under rated in the versatility category.

I am lucky to get 30 days in each season and half of those are generally race days with my (now) 14 year old son #2. This year I was fortunate to spend a week in Banff @ Lake Louise & Sunshine Village with my 22 year old son #1. Next year the "fun" trips will be Crested Butte & Big Sky.

[gregorys]

I am lucky to get 30 days in each season and half of those are generally race days with my (now) 14 year old son #2. This year I was fortunate to spend a week in Banff @ Lake Louise & Sunshine Village with my 22 year old son #1. Next year the "fun" trips will be Crested Butte & Big Sky.

I'll try to keep it short.

IMO, the Kastles excel at stability, and edgehold. I don't usually ski them when it gets over 6". [And even if I do, it's just because I'm too lazy to go back and get something wider, and flatter underfoot.]

The biggest draw-back [for me] on the Kastle is traditional camber. But since I tend to only use it on the firmest days, it's really not a down-side.

The Bones does not, IMO, have the same edge-hold. It's fairly damp, but not in the Kastle class. But the Bones is easier to break out and slarve. This becomes a bigger benefit if you're going to ski most everything off-piste and non-firm on them. [You have a GS ski for edge-hold.]

But for me, my narrow-ist ski is the MX98.

However, I've had to ski the MX98 on some 8-14" days, and I'm reasonably happy in deeper stuff. So, it's not like it's incapable. It simply doesn't ski like I would like it to when it's soft and deeper.

All that said; if I were making the same compromises as you, I'd probably go Bones too. But I'd honestly hate to go back to only two skis - so I'm glad I am not making that kind of compromise. The Bones will give up some firm snow performance, & some stability/dampness. I think the MX98 is snappier and more fun. But you'll get it back as it gets deeper, and especially if you like breaking the ski lose and drifting/slarving and aren't tied to a traditional camber style ski.

HTH

[N-Da-Bunka]

...if I were making the same compromises as you, I'd probably go Bones too. But I'd honestly hate to go back to only two skis - so I'm glad I am not making that kind of compromise. The Bones will give up some firm snow performance, & some stability/dampness. I think the MX98 is snappier and more fun. But you'll get it back as it gets deeper, and especially if you like breaking the ski lose and drifting/slarving and aren't tied to a traditional camber style ski.
HTH

Your post does help & I'll actually have 4 pairs, 12.5m Radius Fisher Slalom, 12.5m radius Nordica Dobermann slaloms, the 18m radius Rossi GS's & the "play in the crud/powder" 20m radius Bones and I ski the slalom skis about 90% of the time as they are the lightest and provide me the best option for deep moguls and can shape turns to most any length at will on piste. Unfortunately, their 65cm waist makes crud and any more than 6 inches of powder a tough ask. Hopefully, the Bones will give me a option for a "go to ski" for non-race days.

[N-Da-Bunka]

These sticks in 187 with the Marker Dukes are a heavy combo which makes them extremely stable through muck & at speed & well suited for my 5'10" 215lbs mostly athletic frame. They are about 1/2 pound lighter than my GS skis but they feel just about as stable and are also able to plow through foot deep powder that the GS skis simply sink into. As others have stated, they handle groomer's well but they do have a characteristic that caught me a bit off-guard. Turn initiation takes a fraction of a second or even a full second longer than would be the case on race skis. But once they set, these seem to hold an edge as well as my Rossi Hero Master GS skis.

This seems logical as the tips and tails are soft so turn is initiated and then pressure applied and THEN the ski has to bend and set into the turn. On GS skis, the carve is IMMEDIATE. The 28mm additional width did cause edge engagement to be completely different with a lot more pressure happening up that the top of the cuff in my boot than happens with the skinnier-waisted racers. Once engaged they carved well likely due to the metal top sheets that help the edges engage.

Also, exit out of the turn is also MUCH softer with no kick what-so-ever out of the tails. Understandable as they are designed to be soft. Having only been skiing racers for the past 4 years, it surprised me just a bit that there was..no kick what-so-ever at the end. Just a continuous smooth carve that could be easily splayed if desired. However, no issue as this is how they are DESIGNED to respond. I played around with the tail and even did one of those "carve a full circle" practices and completed it but wound up on my butt at the end. LOL

The one thing I did find initially on the groomers was a natural tendency to get into the back seat a bit more than normal. However, it was easy to quickly adjust & remain balanced once I got a feel for the skis (about 1/2 a run) and I found that carving turns were a pleasure. I could see mounting the bindings slightly forward on these and not have any issues. Personally, I would NOT mount these any further back than recommended so skip the -2cm or -4cm that some are doing on other skis.

At a 187cm length these may be long for most but I found that they still played well in "normal" moguls less than waist high. I had read other reviews that had provided similar guidance but it was still a pleasure to experience it IRL. I intentionally transferred weight to the tails to initiate an unbalanced condition while in the moguls to determine how difficult recovery would be. I found that getting back centered was easily accomplished but I larger than most and have the racing skills that may help me recover easier than most so they never "got away" from me even though others had reported when they got on their tails in the moguls.

[mattig]

Sorry to necro such an old thread, but there was a grave error that needed to be corrected (considering those who might land on this for research purposes as I just did).

I'd previously referenced MX98s as "not versatile." That needs to be retracted. I just wasn't good enough or comfortable enough with them. They're the most versatile ski in my quiver, especially if I'm not sure what kind of nasty conditions I might encounter (surprise wind-scour or ice, and other miscellaneous chunder are the biggies). I initially thought they were hard to turn in pow, but again, operator error. As Skibrd says, anything up to 12", but for me on the 184s (whereas he skis 194s), I would say 6" or less. Closer to 12" and I'd reach for another ski. I think they take some time to get used to (5-10 days) when it comes to skiing them in pow.

Anyway, I just picked up a pair of 187 bones on a lark, in the hopes that they'll be a softer/variable daily driver to my MX98's harder/variable/nasty daily driver. Looking forward to more extensive testing of my "bones are kids skis compared to mx98" hypothesis.

[54-46]

I owned Bonafides. Versatile, but not much else.

Found them vague and kinda meh on firm and didn’t have that much float. Not gonna do 4’ of fresh well.

Good for soft, crud and leftovers, but the Black Crows Corvus and an handful of other skis are better at that.

I liked Fischer Motive 95s better than the Bonafides all around (pretty much everywhere)

[skibrd]

Sorry to necro such an old thread, but there was a grave error that needed to be corrected (considering those who might land on this for research purposes as I just did).

I'd previously referenced MX98s as "not versatile." That needs to be retracted. I just wasn't good enough or comfortable enough with them. They're the most versatile ski in my quiver, especially if I'm not sure what kind of nasty conditions I might encounter (surprise wind-scour or ice, and other miscellaneous chunder are the biggies). I initially thought they were hard to turn in pow, but again, operator error. As Skibrd says, anything up to 12", but for me on the 184s (whereas he skis 194s), I would say 6" or less. Closer to 12" and I'd reach for another ski. I think they take some time to get used to (5-10 days) when it comes to skiing them in pow.

Anyway, I just picked up a pair of 187 bones on a lark, in the hopes that they'll be a softer/variable daily driver to my MX98's harder/variable/nasty daily driver. Looking forward to more extensive testing of my "bones are kids skis compared to mx98" hypothesis.

I think you will find the Bones as versatile and more relaxed compared to the MX 98. Both have their place, the MX98 just demand your attention 100% of the time, and you can relax on the Bones a bit.

I’d also like to clarify my comment about skiing the MX 98 in up to 12 in of snow. It is doable, it is possible, but over 6 to 8 inches reported in the morning, I always grab something else, Shiros, Super Freerides, or Protests. I have gotten caught off guard with MX 98s when the morning report is wrong, or wind moved snow into a spot that is way deeper then the report, and been 100% fine. The MX98s handle the snow perfectly fine.

I’m on to my second pair of MX98s and want to seriously emphasize they have a break in period. The first 5-10 days well you are learning how to ski them, they are also softening up a tiny bit to be more accessible, but they will still be big skis. The next 80-100 days the MX98s go from fat GS skis that you swear are going to kill you, to fun and easy to ski in trees, and bumps. Once you break them in, then you get 200+ days of easy fun cruising take anywhere versatile skis. I’m around 350 days on my first pair and one of the skis is starting to delam behind the binding, and I’m 100% ok with that.

The three pair of Bonafides I had never had any break in period that the MX 98 had, and that’s 100 ok. I also never got more then 100 days out of a pair of Bones, they either delamed or went soft on me.


Nothing in the following paragraph is intended to insult anyone, I’m just being truthful.

Both are great skis, and I recommend them to anyone, you just have to know yourself or you’ll get the wrong ski. If you ski 100 days a year, work on your technique/form, demand that your skis last, and have a pair of fat skis for pow, then the MX 98 is for you. It is NOT a one ski quiver ski, it’s a 2 or 3 ski quiver ski. (I know someone will chime in saying they only ski the MX98, and well good for you, I’m not good enough to ski them in any conditions any time). If you work a 9-5, ski as much as you can, get 20-60 days a season, and are looking for a one ski quiver, something you can grab no matter the conditions and not worry if they can handle coral reef, sheer ice, groomers, crud, and pow, then the Bones are the ski for you. Know thee self, don’t go all I need the biggest baddest ski out there and get the MX98s because someone said they are bad ass, know thee self.

On a side note, I prefer the 187 and 180 Brahma (yeah the 88mm wide Brahma!) to the 187 Bonafides and the 187 Bonafide to the 185 and 192 Cochise. I prefer the 194 and 184 MX98 to the 189 BMX 105 and BMX 105 hp. The 187 Brahma is one hell of a versatile awesome ski and shouldn’t be ignored if you are looking at 2-3 ski quiver. It takes a lighter touch then either the Bones or Kastles, but that’s totally fine. It’s a blast of a ski. I was very sad the day I ripped a heel piece out of my Brahmas

[east bear fr]

MX98 is a real good ski, very stable, very smooth, quite easy.
Even more stable is the Monster 98. A tank compared to the MX98. More demanding, not as smooth but more versatile, better in stinky snow and in powder. I own both, if I would have to keep only one it would be the Monster.

[Bushwacka]

180cm New Brahmas are an amazing skied out eastern woods ski bumps, and still can shred groomers...... way quicker than my 185cm E93 but slightly less stable at speed on a groomers, but will carve a tghter turn if you slow down a little. They dont really float like the E93s but they honestly dont tip dive either.....

I think the MX88 and 98 are kinda of meh for eastern woods but are great maching down Nosedive and Hayride at Stowe.

[mattig]

I agree on the break in period. Either that or it was a learning period? I'm not sure, but leaning toward break in. That said, I really loved them on day one too.

Monster 98s are similar, but I prefer the mx98s. I don't think the differences are easy to explain in words. Mx98s are a more precise instrument IMO.

Also agreed on it being a quiver ski. I have Speedzones if I know I won't see any new snow or off-piste leftovers (although they're fine in a few inches of fresh), various fat skis for pow and reasonable quality leftovers. Mx98 for everything else. I'll try the bones as a mid-quiver tag team partner to the mx98.

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[east bear fr]

Yes, MX98 are more precise, especially on plain terrain.
The Monsters are burlier, harder to bend, a little less damp in these conditions, but better in crud, chop, and every difficult conditions. And better in powder. It's just a question of preference.

Both are super stable and reliable skis, more than bonafides of any year, but less playful, and not as good in pow, especially the MX98.

[mattig]

Yes, MX98 are more precise, especially on plain terrain.
The Monsters are burlier, harder to bend, a little less damp in these conditions, but better in crud, chop, and every difficult conditions. And better in powder. It's just a question of preference.

Both are super stable and reliable skis, more than bonafides of any year, but less playful, and not as good in pow, especially the MX98.

Sounds like you own monster 98 and I own mx 98. Both of us have skied the other ski and think ours is better. Anyone have equal time on both?

Edit: did quick homework and looks like you have owned mx98? If so, how much did you ski it? I'd give it a college try.

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[east bear fr]

I'm owning both currently. Both in 184 and both in longer size (respectively 191 and 194). Yes there is some overlap ;-)
I ski MX when i spend more time on groomers or when conditions off piste are not too bad, or when I want to ski slower (MX are easier at slow speed).
I ski Monsters when I spend more time off piste, especially when snow stinks, or when I want to go fast anywhere.

I really appreciate both. There quite similar, but quite different too, not easy to explain. I prefer the Monsters, but can understand someone prefer the MX.
This year, I'm in bad physical condition, and I have to admit that the easiness of the MX (in comparison) is convenient. But I'll keep the monsters. Ever.

[mattig]

Very good. I'll check my fanboism at the door and endeavor to spend more time on the monsters, if I can find a pair.

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[cinnepa]

had the 98 monsters....bones definitely not as demanding..to me at least. 98's just destroyed everything in their path; didnt like to go slow. fun as hell, great edgehold, no speedlimit - just couldnt justify keeping.

[skibrd]

had the 98 monsters....bones definitely not as demanding..to me at least. 98's just destroyed everything in their path; didnt like to go slow. fun as hell, great edgehold, no speedlimit - just couldnt justify keeping.

That’s how I feel about the MX98, everything disappears in front of you, yet when you want to slow down and have them be precision instruments, they can be, if you can ski them accordingly.


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[mattig]

Cinnepa's bones just arrived, and interestingly enough, they hand flex about the same. If anyone is interested in profile differences, they're quite noticeable. Here ya go. Sorry the tail profile on the bonafide isn't captured perfectly, but it's way up there compared to the MX. Looks like 187 bones will ski quite a bit shorter vs 184 mx. Food for thought, perhaps for any of you who have only skied 194 mx's?

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[Hood26]

I have been enjoying my 180 Bones. I swapped a pair of K2 Pinnacle 95s out of my quiver for them. I remounted the Look SPX that I had on the K2s.

Based on the detailed insights of Skibrd, I think I should be pretty happy for a while.

[skizix]

I understand what you are saying and I went through the same process. I had Rossi GS skis, Bonafides and fat pow skis. The Kastles are the best option as an ‘all-mountain’ Ski for pow and crud. The Bonafides will get soft if you ski them hard, then will lose their ability to handle anything other then pow and smooth fresh groomers. Ive only got a day on the Enforcers and I don’t get why they are rated so high. They are wonky, don’t hold an edge worth a dam and get deflected off crap.

Yes the Kastles will do 60 on edge, but they also will handle up to 12 in of pow and crud will disappear in front of you. If you can actually drive a ski, it’s the most versatile ski on the 951-100 under foot range

I'm going to go ahead and 100% disagree with you on Bones vs Enforcers.

One thing they do have in common: lots of crappy skiers on them, who should probably not be on either, lol.

I skied 187 Bones. PROS: 1) they are amazing carvers - like one of the best I've been on (and any turn size, right down to very fast slalom turns, where your upper body is going in a straight line - doing that, they launch you out of each turn into the next in a very satisfying way). 2) they are surprisingly good in fresh pow, up to 12" or so. CONS: 1) they get kicked around. I'd call them very stable on smooth groomers (i.e. no speed limit), but in cut up junk: not so much - deflected all over the place. And where they truly suck is trying to high-speed GS through end-of-pow-day mini-bumps. 2) Just so-so in tight trees/tight spots. 3) They just are not that fun. Not sure exactly why, but: no personality.

185 Enforcer 100's: not sure if you skied older Enforcer's (which were very different), but the current edition (mine are 1 graphics ago, same ski as current) does everything the Bones do and more. Frankly, I didn't expect to like them (thought they hand-flexed too soft, and it's a lot of sidecut). But I definitely do. PROS: 1) carve 95% as well as Bones (which is to say: really great, just not quite the Bones' energy in tight radius carves 2) get kicked around a lot less than Bones (they still can be deflected, unlike, say, my 190 Bibbys, but it's totally manageable). Much better in the cut up stuff, and can totally GS through the mini-bumps. 3) Much better in tight trees/spots. Just more versatile in general - they do it all well (until it simply gets too deep for them: 12"- 18", depending on the snow). 4) 100% fun! Bouncy/lively when you want, chargey/stable when they need to be. CONS: 1) at first, felt too turny. But that feeling quickly went away - no issues skiing flat at speed, etc. 2) Maybe a little bit of a speed limit (but that speed is pretty durned high).

Enforcer 100's are now my do-it-all, go-to ski, at least when there's not enough new snow to warrant the 190 Bibby's. Wouldn't want to tour on either, but otherwise it's an amazing quiver of 2 (I've got others, but for now these 2 will see 98% of my ski days). Bones will be sold.

[Bushwacka]

were you on the new shape Bonafide or the old shape bonafides? ^^^

[skizix]

were you on the new shape Bonafide or the old shape bonafides? ^^^

Not sure. They looked like this:

[Bushwacka]

yeah those are the current shape. The news ones are better.