Skis you HATED.. Recent edition, 2010 or newer.

[oftpiste]

I've never gotten my brain completely around the DPS thang either, and have several pairs.

The one I really hated though was the Voile Drifter. So light and deflected every which way for me. Bucked me around like a wild bull.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

Love my drifter 192 zeros, but I was skiing Utah bc powder with them; Poor man's dps.

[Buster Highmen]

Love my drifter 192 zeros, but I was skiing Utah bc powder with them; Poor man's dps.

Never understood that equivalence having both and loving ye auld guard bamboo sided version with the teensier rocker. A perfect fit for my gorfy rubber band stylie.

Not adhering to the time interval here, so I might as well admit my dislike for the Dynastar Barney Clarke Course SL after being an Omeglass acolyte.

And while I bought and listened to several Black Sabbath records in my early teens, I can't quite understand their position as #1 band in some minds. Then again, I adore FZ. not to mention GONG, Softmachine, electric Miles Davis and wads of freaky jazz rock funk.

Prefer pinot noir to virtually all other varietals with an exception for sauternes.

Prefer manual transmission to automatics, even in traffic.

Prefer classics (Russians) and novels (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nabokov, Lawernce Durrell, Jane Austin) to sci fi.

Which just goes to show there's no accounting for taste.

Then there's Trump.

[Bandit Man]

OG BG is tops for me. So much hype. Too much camber and too narrow at the tail. Didn’t float great and was worse on groomers than my Spatulas. Testament to ON3P for refining the concept and building my favorite ski ever.

Nordica El Capo was El o. Stiff mid section and Uber floppy shovel and tails meant it had a tiny sweet spot and folded in crud. Furthest thing from a Cochise contender.

Disliked lots of others but not so much to say I hated them. I don’t jive with any Praxis I have skied but debating that isn’t the hill I want to die on today.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

I didn't like the Wootest 1.0, long, straight and pin-tailed made them track straight and made it difficult to get them up out of the snow. Fine in wide open and deep terrain, but limited their playfulness

[kid-kapow]

Lib Tech Ufo 115/185 - first gen. Ok soft snow ski - terrible on groomers/harder snow at anything close to speed. Kinda weird, as they narrower siblings the ufo100s were a lot more versatile, and Libs traditionally being quite fair on groomers. At my weight 185 were on the long side, so can't even begin to understand how they would behave under a heavier skier at speed on harder surfaces. It is a bit unfair to criticise a 115mm soft snow freestyle ski for not being versatile and handled groomers, but Ufo115s were just so terrible on edge at speed that I still feel the critque is warranted.

...I got attacked in the ON3P thread for saying so...

jeez man, no such thing happened. Like - at all. If that is how you think of that incident, then I would advice that you revisit those posts, and try to identify where the feedback you were provide turned, and why that happened.

Most mags engaged in the thread tried to give you input on how you could sort out your wren woes, if in an decreasingly patient manner. If my memory serves me right Scott even offered to retune em free of charge after provinding multiple long answers. If that is being attacked...

It is a bit sad that mags pm'ed you did not just post in the thread in the first place to share their experiences. You know, so that perhaps steps could have been taken (for instance Scott checking his current stock for being in spec before going out) instead of making themselves feel better by commiseration pm'ing you and then doing nothing more. You know, only asking for help - not trying to help. #whatmakesaforumgreat...

It's interesting how many people are not super stoked on the Wren 108...

yup, kinda weird. Then again they are more often mentioned at the other end of the spectrum though, so (potential) outliers might not be super representative of the whole. Such is seemingly the case with k108s too in this thread at least

I have always absoultely loved my w108s, if primarily as a soft snow ski. They are not the best groomer killers out there imo and are not the most engaging carves in the world, but they are awesome at mach loony in any kind of soft or tracked out snow imho.

[PNW_Skier206]

BD Megawatt. Would basically fold in half if you put any pressure on the massive shovels. Untracked pow only.


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[TAFKALVS]

I'm not going to keep beating a deadhorse here, I sent iggy an email outlining my issues. I think the tune on the pair I skied was too aggressive/wonky and I hope to figure out a way to ski a pair with a better tune.

[ill-advised strategy]

A bunch of the complaints in this thread sounds more like tune issues rather than inherent ski issues.

...let alone mount point stuff.

I own 3 pairs of the same ski, same length same tune...2 different mount points, 3 different binding setups. Px flat at center. Px on big ramped risers at -1, pivots flat at -1. Feels like 3 different skis. (Fwiw, this exercise has more or less convinced me to go all-pivot, all flat going forward)

I have a pair of skis I bought with a demo binding on them, pulled that and mounted pivots...much better.

A good ski with a shitty tune, demo bindings, and the wrong boot center placement can feel terrible.

[XXX-er]

I've never gotten my brain completely around the DPS thang either, and have several pairs.

The one I really hated though was the Voile Drifter. So light and deflected every which way for me. Bucked me around like a wild bull.

Back in the day 5 of us slapped down the plastic and the shop told us the skis will be here in 2 months, eventualy we had the only DPS skis in narthern BC, these were the shinny ones that gave you the really expensive super light carbon splinters and some guy walks up to me in the chair line to ask " are they really as good as they say ? " so of course i said oh yeah man !

But even as I said it I couldn't believe that BS cuz while they were good they were not really much gooder than the JJ's I had paid WAAAAAY less $ for so when one wailer developed a hole in the base from a Knot in the core wood I sold the warranty replacements becuz they were never gona be worth as much as they were in a plastic wrapper and besides the JJ's were not that much different

I shot my buddy the retailer a DPS link, he thot DPS was so cool he bought 16 pairs, he told me it was the single biggest selling product he had ever stocked in 15 yrs of skis and bikes

SO to answer your question IME ... exclusivity has a price.

I got a pair of denali in rotation ... light weight also has a price.

[raisingarizona13]

The ones Nobis had were race room and super stiff. Was watching a civilian ski a pair that Nobis had gifted him up at Alyeska...Kim Reichelm was next to me as he hooped and holler all the way down...she looked at me and said in a deadpan voice "he doesn't know it but those skis are skiing HIM"

Tried Ravens this year, swiss cheesed them trying to get the mount point right...no love and got my ass kicked on the sale.

Ha! That sounds about right!

[swissiphic]

...let alone mount point stuff.

I own 3 pairs of the same ski, same length same tune...2 different mount points, 3 different binding setups. Px flat at center. Px on big ramped risers at -1, pivots flat at -1. Feels like 3 different skis. (Fwiw, this exercise has more or less convinced me to go all-pivot, all flat going forward)

I have a pair of skis I bought with a demo binding on them, pulled that and mounted pivots...much better.

A good ski with a shitty tune, demo bindings, and the wrong boot center placement can feel terrible.

Agree on all this. Makes it really hard to believe reviews since there are so many variables that can affect the outcome/summary verdict on if the ski sucks or if it's a good'er.

Beyond that, there's the customization thingy...my K2 Darkside o.g. versions that i got for free as a castoff from a buddy shedding his shitty skis, went from one of the worst feeling backcountry/pow skis (hooky in mank, hooky in crusts, tip dove in bottomless and upside down snow and generally felt unbalanced tip to tail) to my all time fav after years of dicking around bending more rocker into the tip, then spooning the tips, experimenting with different binding ramp angles (steeper was mo betta), boot stance angles (add slight heel lift), boot flex (softer)...then pulling the rocker contact point back a few inches, then skiing the shit outta them so they flex like elastic bands...

I have a quiver of a whole whack of pow skis, demo'd a bunch more and the 10 year old darksides remain the best feeling of em all.

Just took em out for a day of heli turns in bulletproof, wind fucked strastugi, windboard, hard slab, breakable wind crust, wind skin, shallow loose facets, deep loose facets....and damn they just felt so dialed.

It's a complex game, this pick a ski thing.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Just took the virginity of my 180 cm Icelantic Nomad 105s with alpine bindings...third time skiing my alpine gear in about 10 years. Then yesterday took the 189 cm K2 Hippy Stinx with Bombers on them...Talk about changing up ski design and appropriateness of terrain, condition and skiing mechanics.

Some people just can't adjust or don't know how to adjust their skiing to skis of different designs. Nothing wrong with that...50+ years skiing gives a person a kinesthetic awareness and proprioception that can work for any ski. Everybody has a style...but good technique doesn't vary.

Most people are fairly low on the beater jong to expert continuum though consider themselves significantly higher.

You should track down some OG Billygoats and post some video of how your kinespathetic euthenasia (or whatever nickname it is you've given your smug sense of superiority) holds up to a truly bad pair of skis..

[tenB]

Interested if those that love the W108 are on the 184? I know three other skiers, all strong rippers, who didn’t love their 189s. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it’s likely the 184 is a more balanced ski.

I felt reluctant to even bring this up as my family and I have other ON3P skis that we ride daily, but I also owned the first gen BG, and I think our honest criticism helped shape the legacy of future versions.

[TAFKALVS]

Interested if those that love the W108 are on the 184? I know three other skiers, all strong rippers, who didn’t love their 189s.

I'm getting that sense...

[DougW]

Whitedot Director, Gen. 1

Blister had a review about them, and I bought a used pair and mounted on the rec. line.

Worst ski I've ever been on. Couldn't predict the turn shape whatsoever.

Had trouble for a while with this ski. Good on powder and on firm but chop was difficult. Just so much rocker so felt like it skied short felt that was going over bars. Had to adjust stance to get lower. Very well made ski and would buy Director again later revision now that more conservative shape.

[Benny Profane]

5 pages and no soul7 mention?!? Maybe because they don’t suck?


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I've skied with two very good skiers who seemed quite happy wearing them. Have seen them on a fair amount of instructors and patrollers. They're plentiful, so, therefore, cheap at end of year closeouts and demo sales. Which is another factor not being talked about here. Cheap does not suck. Expensive sucks.

[klauss]

Interested if those that love the W108 are on the 184? I know three other skiers, all strong rippers, who didn’t love their 189s. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it’s likely the 184 is a more balanced ski.

I felt reluctant to even bring this up as my family and I have other ON3P skis that we ride daily, but I also owned the first gen BG, and I think our honest criticism helped shape the legacy of future versions.

I'm getting that sense...

189

[TahoeJ]

Interested if those that love the W108 are on the 184? I know three other skiers, all strong rippers, who didn’t love their 189s. I’m not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it’s likely the 184 is a more balanced ski. .

I have 184's. Which of course are really like 187 compared to the way most brands measure. Which also means the 189's are like 192 and maybe that's just a ton of ski to bring to life? Your theory could explain the varied reactions.

I'm 5'11" / 185 pounds FWIW. My Noctas are 190. I tour on 188mm skis. And I think the 189 W108's would be too much for me to handle.

[toast2266]

Whitedot Director, Gen. 1

Blister had a review about them, and I bought a used pair and mounted on the rec. line.

Worst ski I've ever been on. Couldn't predict the turn shape whatsoever.

Huh. I love that ski. Lots of rocker means it's super easy to make short smeary turns. But tip them on edge and they'll run long turns with pretty good stability (at least by significantly rockered ski standards). I don't find them unpredictable at all, but I think they needed a decent amount of de-tuning to ski well. But I find that to be the case with a lot of skis with non-traditional shapes; sharp edges combined with lots of rocker can make it difficult to know how the ski is gonna hook up in lumpy snow. I keep the tips and tails pretty dull.

[toast2266]

Blizzard Bodacious.

Fuck those things. Anyone want them, cheap?

What length? Kinda interested.

[muted]

I've skied with two very good skiers who seemed quite happy wearing them. Have seen them on a fair amount of instructors and patrollers. They're plentiful, so, therefore, cheap at end of year closeouts and demo sales. Which is another factor not being talked about here. Cheap does not suck. Expensive sucks.

I'd guess Rossi gives patrollers and instructors discounts. I've also heard the new versions are a lot better than the old versions.

This concludes this worthless post with no experience skiing the Soul7 or knowing anything about discounts. You are welcome.

[Gepeto]

I'm getting that sense...

"ReallY"!.... Was comin to this too :!

warning 'rabbit hole' - why do i give a shit

From my post 49:
"I feel some dead weight/unused damp out front and the ski doesn’t initiate real easy - delivers some indecision forward at sub light speeds even in the deep and less than deadly accurate at warp. It hasn’t detuned away either." (should read "tuned")

I'm curious to know if the underfoot stiffening layer extending out the front camber reaches the last of the camber contact or does it fall short on the 189? (same stringer or layer from 184 stock)

Could that be why I'm getting mixed signals?


should be enough precipe tomorrow for a thursday test session.

*
To TJ's point... the ski is bomber in open terrain at mach schnell. Just lacks finesse. Dampest non-metal ski I've been on. If I give up on it, it would be hard to just step down in size. I would probably move on.

[RYAN13]

Interested if those that love the W108 are on the 184? I know three other skiers, all strong rippers, who didn’t love their 189s.

I'm on the 189. Bought them intending to use them as a charger on big days...I like them a lot for that purpose. Definitely feel like I have to wait until midseason or hit the gym to do them justice.

[PowTron]

DPS Rontele Pro 112

Rossi S7 (although the 195 I think that had metal in it was tolerable)

Dynastar Cham 107

Scott (basically anything)

Icelantic Nomad

K2 Sidestash

EDIT: (For reference I very much enjoyed a lot of stuff from Black Crows, Line, and Volkl the last 7-8 years besides my ON3P affiliation)