105ish, Fun, Daily Driver

[ticketchecker]

Is the mount on the blaze really that far back? Was interested in them with a tech binder but if they’re designed with such a rear mount it makes me think twice. Just moved my qst 106 forward 1.5 of the line and they’re awesome there. So I’d need to mount the blaze 7.25+ for similar feel?

At great risk of turning this into a mounting point rabbit hole isn't the mount point on the ski dictated more by the design than by the measurement compared to other skis?

I'm guessing the similar feel may not be an option on two skis with vastly different recommended mount points. I prefer more directional skis and ordered something with a recommended mount of -2.4 from center and I'm afraid I may hate them.

[whyturn]

Maybe rustler 10


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[wasatchback]

Have the Enforcer 104 and it’s pretty playful and easy to pivot especially with the mount plus 1cm or 2.

Like many new skis, Enforcers are commonly edge high on the bases so check the flatness before getting the bindings mounted so the shop can stone grind them flat if they aren’t.

Enforcers are definitely not edge high, nor is just about any ski coming out of a large factory these days. They might not have enough base bevel but they’re definitely not edge high, it’s pretty much impossible. Rockered areas of skis tend to have a bit more concavity to the base due to the fact that less pressure gets put on that part of the ski when they’re ground. However it has virtually no impact on the performance of the ski.

They most likely just require a bit more base bevel which can be done by hand in 5 minutes by someone that has even a small amount of experience. The likelihood of a shop doing more damage to the ski by gridding them is much much much higher. Depends on the shop of course.

[altacoup]

At great risk of turning this into a mounting point rabbit hole isn't the mount point on the ski dictated more by the design than by the measurement compared to other skis?

I'm guessing the similar feel may not be an option on two skis with vastly different recommended mount points. I prefer more directional skis and ordered something with a recommended mount of -2.4 from center and I'm afraid I may hate them.

That’s basically exactly what I was saying. Was interested in ski but knowing is designed around that mount I have no interest as I’d be looking to mount out where it should be mounted

[m2711c]

Head Kore 105.....

[I've seen black diamonds!]

My Enforcers came flat.

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[DarthMarkus]

When I think of playful and poppy, I don't generally think of skis with two full sheets of titanal. I would look at skis with a partial metal laminate or alternative materials: rustler 10, m-free 108, Kore 105.

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[ticketchecker]

That’s basically exactly what I was saying. Was interested in ski but knowing is designed around that mount I have no interest as I’d be looking to mount out where it should be mounted

we're violently agreeing

I hated the Rustler 10 and the Enforcer 93 so I might be a Blazer

[noslow]

My Enforcers came flat.

Oh, good. You’re one of the lucky ones then! All you have to do is check edge angles and wax them up.

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Enforcers are definitely not edge high, nor is just about any ski coming out of a large factory these days. They might not have enough base bevel but they’re definitely not edge high, it’s pretty much impossible. Rockered areas of skis tend to have a bit more concavity to the base due to the fact that less pressure gets put on that part of the ski when they’re ground. However it has virtually no impact on the performance of the ski.

They most likely just require a bit more base bevel which can be done by hand in 5 minutes by someone that has even a small amount of experience. The likelihood of a shop doing more damage to the ski by gridding them is much much much higher. Depends on the shop of course.

If you have flat bases from the factory, you are one of the very lucky ones! Tuned hundreds of skis over the years and have bought 30 pairs of skis in the last 5 years from mostly major manufacturers and only a few have not needed a stone grind to fix flatness issues before tuning the edges. Some of those could have been made “skiable” like I did when I was away and improved a horrible factory tune on my new Fisher 102s but they were still transformed after a stone grind and a reset of the edges when I got them home.

There are often comments/reviews online about skis feeling “a bit hooky” or “hard to pivot/turn” and they detune them to try and cure the problem but they would more properly fixed by checking base flatness/Stone grind if needed and a reset of the edges.
Finding the need to detune edges is usually a sign of base flatness issues(edge high) and/or base edge bevel issues. Skis feeling unstable or like “marbles under the skis” is usually a sign of base high issues.

Seek out those places with highly reviewed race ski tuning experience with many now having large automated Winterstieger or Montana machines which take a bit of the uncertainty out of getting a good stone grind. I still use those for just the stone grind and do the edges myself.

So any new ski-check base flatness with a metal scraper or thin edge of the True Bar and stone grind if needed. If pretty flat/after a stone grind, run a bastard file laying flat along the ski to check for any remaining high spots that grab. Then set your base and then side edges with detuning only above the widest taper point to reduce top sheet chipping(or up from the contact points on Moment, ON3P or Praxis skis).

Cheers

[Harry]

Praxis RX


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[SupreChicken]

Wildcat 101
Wildcat 108
Magnus 102
Jeff 102
Jeff 108
Praxis mvp

[Eluder]

When I think of playful and poppy, I don't generally think of skis with two full sheets of titanal. I would look at skis with a partial metal laminate or alternative materials: rustler 10, m-free 108, Kore 105.

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When I think of playful and poppy a head ski never enters the discussion.

[kid-kapow]

Man, there are so many good skis in this segment (consolidating the mentions above that I am familiar with):

Völkl Revolt 104s (not been on these yet, but the stiffer front part and slightly softer back part together with deep if shallow (splay) rocker lines should make these awesome - very centered mount point though)
Moment Wildcat 101 / 108 (108s are great, light&poppy, great edge hold, likes to go fast and make bigger turns)
ON3P Jeffrey 102 / 108 (do not like to be driven, but idiotic amounts of fun and terrific at spring skiing)
Dynastar M-Free 108 (not been on them yet, but should be loose and somewhat chargy - my hypothesis: a less challenging, but more poppy woodsman108)
Blizzard Rustler 10 (a bit turny on firm snow, but tons of rebound and very, very fun in soft snow)

Or, the easiest way - check out Blister's Buying Guide and just start reading while being honest about your skiing style and abilities.

[bridge]

Sir Francis Bacon?

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[Shorty_J]

At great risk of turning this into a mounting point rabbit hole isn't the mount point on the ski dictated more by the design than by the measurement compared to other skis?

I'm guessing the similar feel may not be an option on two skis with vastly different recommended mount points. I prefer more directional skis and ordered something with a recommended mount of -2.4 from center and I'm afraid I may hate them.

I think so, yes.

If you like centre mounted buy a ski that recommends that... if you like a traditional mount buy one that recommends that.

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[rightcoast]

Sir Francis Bacon?

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Or the J skis equivalent...I'm forgetting the model name right now. Sorry

[DGamms]

Or the J skis equivalent...I'm forgetting the model name right now. Sorry

Yeah, these are the type of skis I think of when someone says playful and 100-105 underfoot.

J Skis Vacation: I have a few days on mine now, pretty damn fun.

Or Line Sir Francis Bacon, or K2 Reckoner 102.

Skis that are mounted -2 to - 4cm from true center and have soft tips and tails that let you play on the natural features of the mountain.

If you want more backbone, then the Wildcat and Jeffrey options seem like a good fit. As does the CT 3.0. I’ve never seen or hand flexed the Revolt 104 in person but the specs on paper look good too.

But if soft skis and progressive mounts aren’t your bag for “playful” skis, then obviously look elsewhere.

[kc_7777]

K2 Marksman?

I mounted mine at -5cm. Pretty fun ski. Like a SF Bacon but just a bit firmer. Ripped groomers too. Asymmetrical tips weird to look at but very maneuverable.

[eskido]

Been said, but fwiw, I would be looking hard at the Jeffrey and Wildcat series for this spot, most likely leaning Jeffrey

[Dromond]

I have 19/20 QST 106 that I find easy to ski and forgiving while still damp enough to deal with some rough snow and mixed conditions. They have some partial metal but not too much. I think they are sort of in the middle of the poppy -> stable spectrum. It depends how far you want to go. Last year I had 2018 Backland FR 109s with no metal, and for me that was too far to the poppy end of the spectrum - I felt like I was getting beat up when the snow was rough or firm.