2018-19 Praxis Skis Info and Resource Thread

[Self Jupiter]

PJ and MVP complement each other nicely. MVP works great for chopped pow imo or untracked up to around 10’’, it’s a great pow ski for its width. I own PJ and MVP.

[Muggydude]

What exactly do you want out of each ski? Playful, charger, surfy, etc.

For what it’s worth, I prefer pivots on skis up to 115mm waist and attack 13/16 for powder skis. Weight savings and ease of stepping into them in powder worth it for the attacks then


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[Shu Shu]

I don't ski switch or spin, but like drops. Like to ski fast on groomers, working on getting faster and smoother in cut up bumped up snow

GPO in the standard build will kill it. Its outstanding on groomers for its size. Incredibly quick and easy to turn in pow and cut up. It's the one ski I own that I think I'd enjoy two versions of. I have carbon map 187, which is awesome, but I have gotten used to the truck-ability of the heavy cores keith was making.
I'd keep the 187's as more of hiking and skinning ski, and get some heavy core veneer 182s, for bashing around our little hills on snowy days.

I don't know your height/weight, but if you are used to 185 ish skis, of all the praxis skis I own (Protest, GPO, Q, Concept, PJ) the GPOs ski shortest by far. I'm guessing I could easily ski the 192 in bigger terrain. My one 182 Quixotes, feel longer on my feet than my 187 GPO.

[lockha31]

Not sure what happened to my reply to MD, but I am working on getting to a more charging style, but like surfy. I don't ski switch or spin, but like drops. Like to ski fast on groomers, working on getting faster and smoother in cut up bumped up snow. Like skiing trees and appreciate something nimble. Targhee gets great soft snow, but isnt really steep at all. Want to ski more over in Jackson this winter to get better at steeper bigger terrain.

Currently skiing on 184 BC Atris probably should have ordered one size up, though a fun ski, for a DD. 185 JJ Zero for powder days, fun ski in fresh snow, don't care for it once it is tracked out and bumped up, maybe would have been better to get the 195's.

[SupreChicken]

If your goal on firm days is to bounce down the mountain and play around, PJ or MVP for firm days. If you want a locked in beer league racer, 9d8 or freeride. Pick your waist size. Agree with shu’s comments about the gpo. That’s a great ski for anything 2 days after a storm up to 10”. Protest for anything deeper.

The GPO really is an incredible ski. I feel like it got lost in the luster of the asym quixote, but that’s my favorite praxis design. In a waist size/class where there is steep competition, it still stands out to me.

Edit: grammar and autocorrect

[Muggydude]

The three praxis skis I own are:

184 Piste Jibs

182 Quixotes (heavy/veneer/carbon)

192 Protests

I haven’t skied the piste jibs yet but they’re a pretty straightforward design so I’m sure I’ll like them. Easy fun playful ski for groomers, messing around off features around the mountain, bump and tree skiing

Qs I love - sizing down (I owned 187 GPOs) really makes the skis quick to pivot and throw sideways, but the design gravitates towards fast surfy fall line skiing too. Very stable. Awesome resort ski for chopped up snow and variable. Only downside to sizing down is the decrease in float in pow - but that’s why I have protests

I personally thought the gpos were a great do it all ski, but the Qs are more fun. They love a fast line but are very easy to shut down and surfy if you ski with a center ball of foot type style


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[skibrd]

Considering a 3 ski quiver from Praxis and wanted to ask for advice. I originally was considering On3p, but Praxis appeals to me a little more.

Average skier, came to it too late in life, ski at Targhee and Jackson, aspiring to start skiing backcountry. 5'11" 200lbs (fat trying to get back to athletic.)

Hoping those with more knowledge of the skis could help me with the following that I am considering-

Firm Days/between storms/skiing with the better half- trying to decide between the MVP on 9D8's
Storm Days/Day or two after- GPO
Pow skis- Protest

Also, looking at either Pivots (if budget allows) or STH2's for bindings, or would it be worth splurging on shifts for either the MVP's or GPO's? (likelihood of touring much is slim so probably 80/20 at best).

9D8 low snow (haven’t skied only recommending on reputation)

188 Quixote’s - great storm day or a few day after ski for Jackson/Gee

Protests

That’s what I’d get if I was looking at Praxis only. If you wanted to mix and match I’d go:

184 Kastle MX 98 (I’d you can find a pair)
18X K2 Marksman 108 TI
188 Quixote or 192 Armada ARV JJ or 193 Volkl Shiro

Any day I grab my Protests at Jackson, I’d usually be fine with something 115-120 underfoot, but I do really like them when the getting is good.


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[PlayItLeo]

Buy Concepts. They’ll handle everything.
But buy Protests too, because Protests.


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[jmars]

^^^^^ Sage advice right here

[frorider]

I personally thought the gpos were a great do it all ski, but the Qs are more fun. They love a fast line but are very easy to shut down and surfy if you ski with a center ball of foot type style

Agree. I’m in the process of reducing my ten? pairs of Praxii down to 5 (I have a mix of resort vs BC, Tele vs Alpine, so don’t judge me) and I’m torn on whether to sell the GPO 192 or the Quixote 194s. For me the GPO remains the most versatile, and I tend to reach for it when traveling somewhere, so there may be a pair of minty Quixotes on gear swap despite the fun factor in the right conditions.

[undertow2]

Agree. I’m in the process of reducing my ten? pairs of Praxii down to 5 (I have a mix of resort vs BC, Tele vs Alpine, so don’t judge me) and I’m torn on whether to sell the GPO 192 or the Quixote 194s. For me the GPO remains the most versatile, and I tend to reach for it when traveling somewhere, so there may be a pair of minty Quixotes on gear swap despite the fun factor in the right conditions.

I love my Qs but no way would I part with my absolute beloved GPOs... I travel alot and to date I have yet to ski a more versatile ski than the GPOs and is always in my travel bag...! I did 192 Rustler 11s this year and that may change, but god did Keith knock it out of the park with the GPOs...

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[galibier_numero_un]

I love my Qs but no way would I part with my absolute beloved GPOs... I travel alot and to date I have yet to ski a more versatile ski than the GPOs and is always in my travel bag...! I did 192 Rustler 11s this year and that may change, but god did Keith knock it out of the park with the GPOs...

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^^^ this ^^^

I'm up to two GPOs (182 , MAP, Carbon, Nylon, #4 with Vipecs, and 187, Enduro, Veneer, #4 with Wardens).

I have however, sold my Qs, for reasons I've stated too many times. They did some very nice things, but weren't as versatile/predictable for me as either my GPOs or Down CD 114s, either of which would be the single ski I'd grab for a Western travel ski.

... Thom

[grinch]

Yup , gpo is probably the best one ski quiver evaaar

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[steveski]

I love my Qs but no way would I part with my absolute beloved GPOs... I travel alot and to date I have yet to ski a more versatile ski than the GPOs and is always in my travel bag...! I did 192 Rustler 11s this year and that may change, but god did Keith knock it out of the park with the GPOs...

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^^^ this ^^^

I'm up to two GPOs (182 , MAP, Carbon, Nylon, #4 with Vipecs, and 187, Enduro, Veneer, #4 with Wardens).

I have however, sold my Qs, for reasons I've stated too many times. They did some very nice things, but weren't as versatile/predictable for me as either my GPOs or Down CD 114s, either of which would be the single ski I'd grab for a Western travel ski.

... Thom

Yup , gpo is probably the best one ski quiver evaaar

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Also been trying to spread the gospel of the GPO for as long as they've existed. As the first Praxis/Tabke ski I followed from its creation I couldn't be happier about how awesome they are.

[galibier_numero_un]

Also been trying to spread the gospel of the GPO for as long as they've existed. As the first Praxis/Tabke ski I followed from its creation I couldn't be happier about how awesome they are.

Ya know, not that Keith's other designs are chopped liver, but with my first Praxis being a GPO, I was a bit surprised by the misfires I made as far as other models not being for me. The GPO set an unfairly high bar for my tastes/style.

Now that I have my first day on my new, to me 187s (on the WROD), I'm more than ever an advocate of veneer. My 182s are Enduro/Carbon/Nylon and my 187s are Enduro/Veneer.

The 187s feel remarkably similar (from a dampness perspective) to the 182 Qs I had (Enduro/Carbon/Veneer), with both of them being an order of magnitude more damp feeling than the Enduro/Carbon/Nylon ones.

IOW, I think the Veneer does a mighty fine job of damping the carbon "ping".

And yes ... I think the 182 Qs ski a tad longer than the 187 GPOs.

... Thom

[lockha31]

Seriously, thank you all for the insight. I am going to go 187 MVP, 187 GPO (was thinking 192 might be better, but not in stock and Targhee isn't that steep so the shorter length might be better for skiing trees at my current ability).

Still thinking about Protests, any additional advice on sizing? Having a hard time deciding between 187 and 192 (seems like splitting hairs and probably will be good either way. Again 5'11" 200 lbs) Maybe 187 is the better starting place.

Lastly, bindings? Would it be worth putting shifts on the MVP's or GPO's in the stock layups (might have a hook up), or should I just go with Pivots, and order some with lightweight cores next year if I fall in love with one of the shapes and get more into backcountry? This year would be 80/20 at best.

(and Concepts will be on the list top of my list next year...)

[sf]

Seriously, thank you all for the insight. I am going to go 187 MVP, 187 GPO (was thinking 192 might be better, but not in stock and Targhee isn't that steep so the shorter length might be better for skiing trees at my current ability).

Still thinking about Protests, any additional advice on sizing? Having a hard time deciding between 187 and 192 (seems like splitting hairs and probably will be good either way. Again 5'11" 200 lbs) Maybe 187 is the better starting place.

Lastly, bindings? Would it be worth putting shifts on the MVP's or GPO's in the stock layups (might have a hook up), or should I just go with Pivots, and order some with lightweight cores next year if I fall in love with one of the shapes and get more into backcountry? This year would be 80/20 at best.

(and Concepts will be on the list top of my list next year...)

Not trying to be a jerk, and not trying to ruin Keiths sales....
But you should maybe consider picking up only one or two pairs.
Praxis are well built, and good quality, but doesn't suit everybody. You might love them, or not

[skibrd]

Seriously, thank you all for the insight. I am going to go 187 MVP, 187 GPO (was thinking 192 might be better, but not in stock and Targhee isn't that steep so the shorter length might be better for skiing trees at my current ability).

Still thinking about Protests, any additional advice on sizing? Having a hard time deciding between 187 and 192 (seems like splitting hairs and probably will be good either way. Again 5'11" 200 lbs) Maybe 187 is the better starting place.

Lastly, bindings? Would it be worth putting shifts on the MVP's or GPO's in the stock layups (might have a hook up), or should I just go with Pivots, and order some with lightweight cores next year if I fall in love with one of the shapes and get more into backcountry? This year would be 80/20 at best.

(and Concepts will be on the list top of my list next year...)

Go long on the Protests.

Binging wise, drive north out out of town, head to the CAST Touring shop, talk with Lars, have him set you up. Turn into the gas station lot and the enterance is in the back. Him and his brother ski for Praxis, and make the best bindings for touring. Support local and don’t buy Shits


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[SupreChicken]

192 protest. Pivots on the mvp. Shift on the GPO as is. There’s your travel ski.

[grinch]

Quiver is sounding pretty sweet. Thatd be 3 skis im going to have. Kept my 182 gpo's. Want mvp's because i really liked my piste jibs just want shorter than 184 in that type of ski. Went from 177 protest to 187 protest now ill go back to 177. Both were very good. Ill give a slight edge to the 77 for me. Like the pj, id like a half size in the protest(182 ptest and 179pj/mvp) but they both have a big sweet spot so i guess ill side with the shorter sizes because theyll have slackcountry bindings(cast and pindung)

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[lockha31]

Not trying to be a jerk, and not trying to ruin Keiths sales....
But you should maybe consider picking up only one or two pairs.
Praxis are well built, and good quality, but doesn't suit everybody. You might love them, or not

That is kind of the plan. I am going to go with the MVP's and GPO's. Maybe Protests, just because they look fun, but honestly with how few days would warrant them they really aren't needed. I figure if I don't love any of them, it wouldn't be hard to find them new homes in the gear swap given the following here on TGR. I could always try the Concept next year if the GPO didn't end up being the one.

I completely get that some people end up loving Keith's skis, some don't. I just planned to get two new pairs this season, and wanted to support one of the smaller brands. Keith's skis are the most appealing to me.

Binging wise, drive north out out of town, head to the CAST Touring shop, talk with Lars, have him set you up.

I had considered a Cast set up, but not seriously. I will definitely check it out more, thank you.

[riff]

Definitely go long on protest, definitely make the gpo uphill ready, for travel!


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[Muggydude]

At your size I agree on the 192 for Protest. I’m smaller than you and have never felt that ski was long for me. Many other people would agree on here, protests don’t ski long.

Shifts or cast would be good on GPO.
Pivots on MVP
Attack 13/16 on Protest


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[eskido]

Not trying to be a jerk, and not trying to ruin Keiths sales....
But you should maybe consider picking up only one or two pairs.
Praxis are well built, and good quality, but doesn't suit everybody. You might love them, or not

I don’t think people should read too much into this as said, I think a better way to say it would be that not all of Keith’s skis suit everyone, but Keith very much has a ski that will suit anyone. It’s just a matter of finding what ski works for the individual skier, and that’s one of the things that’s so damn cool about Praxis. He has some ski designs that are very obviously quite divisive, i.e. Q’s, Concepts, hell even the GPO, and Protest, but he also has plenty of skis that ski very traditionally and plenty of skis that are somewhere in the middle. Offering so many models is awesome for the people who want to have lots of options to find a ski that’s just right for them but it obviously has the downside that it’s hard for people who just aren’t that into really getting into the ski design process and would prefer to just pick a brands best selling stick in the category i.e. qst 98, 108, 118 (no I’m not going to look up specific specs but you get the idea). Pretty much why Keith’s marketing sucks, I’m sure he could just make 4 or 5 models that work for everyone and spend time marketing instead of designing cool ass skis but that’s not what Praxis does, and I’m in camp that’s super grateful he doesn’t cause f n dig his designs and build options. I’ve put a lot of people on Praxis skis and everyone of them loved the skis, but I also made sure I didn’t put them on a ski that I didn’t think they’d jive with, and it was pretty easy to do.

[SchralphMacchio]

One remarkable thing about the GPO is for pure corn days (which are rare in Jackson) is how well they ski the bulletproof crust that is just barely starting to melt and transition into corn. They are just barely acceptable in the unmelted boilerplate (corduroy grooved or not), but as soon as there is more than 3-4mm of edge penetration into the melting snow they ski just as well and just as fun as a 100mm ski like the OG Bro. And you only need somewhere between 1-2cm of penetration depth for them to feel super surfy as if you were skiing almost-overripe corn.

For those days starting the morning on a beer league slalom ski, or an 80-waisted metal topsheet ski, or just drinking and grilling in the lot until said 3-4mm of surface melt, then grab the GPO’s and you’re good to go all the way through pond skim conditions and it’s time to resume grilling and drinking.

I bought those skis for resort chop / midwinter conditions, and was truly surprised how they handled the spring stuff!