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Thread: Mantra 102 - where to mount it?
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02-08-2020, 09:07 PM #101
Mantra 102 - where to mount it?
Finally got a chance to ski these today at Blackcomb. I was on the 184. Very much agree with what has been stated here. Stable and strong, but easy to break loose, especially in soft, variable snow off piste. Not as demanding As I thought it might be. Impressed with the multi-radius sidecut. I think I need a pair.
My buddy (6’2”, 200-lbs) who normally skis a 187 Bonafide skied the 191. He was amazed how manageable they were. He thought they felt shorter than his Bonafides...except for very tight trees. He agrees with my assessment...very stable but not punishing. Rewards solid technique and is tremendously versatile in all kinds of conditions. He wants the 191’s.In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...
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02-09-2020, 05:38 AM #102
Let's chat this out. This is my first ski with a variable sidecut. (I don't even know what that means in real life.) It's hard to understand the physics behind a short radius underfoot and a longer radius in the tips & tails. I can't see that shape in my head.
But when I ski it's just so easy. At low/medium speeds I can just throw my ankle to the side and get a short radius arc. Like a little mini GS ski. But when I decide to rip the face apart, that short radius isn't there anymore. Usually on a ski that is easy to zipper at lower speeds I feel the ski is being out-skied at high speeds. That isn't the case with this sidecut.
I don't know what that means. And I can't understand how a ski can do both medium speeds with quick arcs and high speeds with long arcs.
In reality, I guess the underfoot just kind of "misses out" on the long radius/high speed turns... and maybe that's where the speed limit is... all while hidden by tip/tail engagement.
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02-09-2020, 10:15 AM #103
In my mind, it makes them not hooky whatsoever and allows a varied radius turn. Skiing is believing. If you love that locked in feeling, these aren’t the ski. Good edge hold, but not locked into a given radius. Similar to the OG Cochise (or at least that is the closest comparison I can see), but a different feeling for how the ski behaves. Skis like a substantial ski but without any punishing attributes. The Blister Review is pretty accurate on these, IMO.
In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...
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02-09-2020, 02:13 PM #104Registered User
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02-09-2020, 02:28 PM #105
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02-09-2020, 03:34 PM #106Registered User
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02-09-2020, 09:14 PM #107
I skied the Mindbender 108ti (18x?) last spring on slush and refrozen slush. I was surprised at how well it skied those conditions and said at the time that it would be my next ski. And if it were cheaper than my M102, I might have purchased it.
That said, the M102 has a quieter tip, smoother arcs and has a damper metal feel. The 108ti released easier and had a softer tip and is therefore probably better than the M102 in the deep, but that's just speculation for me.
Both are good skis. The Völkl feels more durable but who knows.
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02-09-2020, 09:22 PM #108Registered User
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02-10-2020, 07:21 AM #109
My take is that if you're getting a deal on it, you probably won't regret the purchase. If you're building a quiver and want the cusp of 2020 design to last you 10+ years, you might want to look at the M102. But I have absolutely no history to articulate why the K2 won't also last 10 years.
I don't think the K2 is easier or more forgiving, per se, but I do think the Volkl is more ski.
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02-10-2020, 09:02 AM #110Registered User
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02-10-2020, 11:00 AM #111
Honestly based on the other skis you normally use, it's not surprising that a smaller ski was less stable than you expected. It seems like you are solidly in the pick-the-bigger-ski camp and not between sizes at all. I also don't think going forward will get you what you want at all. If anything that will make it ski even shorter and less stable.
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02-11-2020, 02:33 PM #112Registered User
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02-12-2020, 08:12 AM #113Registered User
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Any feedback from people mounting +1 or +2 on these or is the accepted wisdom still that's stupid?
Looking at the 191 and was thinking a -9 or -10-ish mount might help keep me from blowing up when I land on my tails because I'm bad at drops. Don't think I need the ski to feel quicker particularly.
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02-12-2020, 02:50 PM #114
I wouldn’t say that mounting at +1 or +2 is stupid. My M102 in 184 is mounted at recommended and I don’t like it there very much. No problems on groomers and in consistent snow but in variable shit fuck where I’m getting occasionally out of balance I wish I had more tail. 184 could be to short for me, though, so I might overpower the ski. On a 191 I would definitely go at least +1.
In the past I went +2 on all my Völkls (2x metal Katana & 1x V-Werks Katana, all in 191) and never regretted doing so.
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02-12-2020, 03:05 PM #115
After a quick 2-hour jaunt on the 184 this past weekend, I saw no need to deviate from the suggested mount point, however, that is a very limited sample size. Also, other than when I was in tight trees, I thought I could size up.
Weird how the ski hand flexes quite stiff, but doesn’t ski as stiff as one would think, at least IMO.In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...
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02-13-2020, 07:24 AM #116
Again, I started this thread with that very question given my similar experience with both versions of Katanas and multiple Mantras. If I had to do it all over again I would mount it right where I did - on the line. If there is consensus on anything in this thread it's that the M102 is nothing like the Katanas and previous Mantras.
Who cares how the crow flies
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02-22-2020, 07:35 PM #117
Just bought a M102 in a 184cm and am headed to Revelstoke next week. Been a while since I've been on a Volkl and never been to Revy... Excited to let fly on some vert! Enablers in this thread I say!
Last edited by singlecross; 02-22-2020 at 08:17 PM.
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02-23-2020, 12:27 AM #118
I hand flexed, fondled a pair of M102s in a whitefish shop last week. I was smitten. Cool to read everyone's thoughts in this thread. So, would the M102 be a proper way to retire my beloved OG black buddah 183 gotamas? Carry forward some of the DNA?
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02-23-2020, 06:27 AM #119
Mantra 102 - where to mount it?
Dude, read the first page of this thread. “The Mantra 102 should have been called the Gotama 2.”
It’s sad, in a way, but yes— this is the ski that replaces our OG Buddha Gotama.
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02-23-2020, 08:15 AM #120
Agree with that. Marketing wise M102 is flying completely under radar here. All the shop dudes don’t even know M102 exists what I learned when I tried to get a demo ski.
You see tons of M5 over here but never saw another M102.
Mantra(M5)-Gotama(M102)-Katana(K108) would be much more consistent with the history of Völkls freeride line.
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02-23-2020, 08:31 AM #121Registered User
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02-23-2020, 08:32 AM #122
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02-23-2020, 08:38 AM #123
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02-23-2020, 08:45 AM #124
Mantra 102 - where to mount it?
I don’t know how Völkl guys did this but M102 pivots very much like a subtle fully rockered Katana or Gotama having actually a good amount of camber. Also very similar to a Rustler 11/OG Cochise which are basically flat under the binding. Those who know recognize this feeling immediately after first few turns.
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02-23-2020, 09:18 AM #125
To the engineers out there: the beam load chart that shows up in this thread in tapatalk (couldn’t locate in thread)...
Is it to be assumed the geometric center of any beam is the best mount point, or is it to be assumed the factory recommended mount point is in fact the location based on construction, and one should not deviate from it if they want the best performance?
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