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  1. #1
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    Replacing 183 q lab ?

    I’m basically destroying mine this season...and I love them, but need to start looking for something new soon

    Anyone had luck replacing them w something similar? I’d go a little wider. Love how they do everything pretty well.

    Have bigger skis in the quiver so I don’t need a full pow ski or big charger (I like moment jag sharks for that)

    Mostly skiing these in Colorado. Used to have some old LPRs, which I also loved

    Recommendations?

  2. #2
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    Get a 184 Katana K108. [End of thread]
    In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...

  3. #3
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    ^^^ that’s about where I’ve ended up to replace my 190. Strongly considering the Fischer Ranger 107, too.
    focus.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mustonen View Post
    ^^^ that’s about where I’ve ended up to replace my 190. Strongly considering the Fischer Ranger 107, too.
    I used to own the 190 Q-Lab and skied it for about 1.5 seasons as my daily driver. That Q-Lab tail is going to be hard to find anywhere these days. The 3D sidecut of the Mantra M102 and Katana K108 provide them the same on-piste manners as the Q-Lab but with better soft-snow manners. The Volkls are more “accessible” in my opinion, but still charge. Since the 183 Q-Lab is nowhere near the ski as the 190, I have no qualms or hesitation about recommending the M102 or K108 as replacements. Plus, when you size down from the 191 to the 184 on the Volkl’s, you don’t get a watered down version of the ski.
    In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...

  5. #5
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    Replacing 183 q lab ?

    Thoughts on 184 vs 191 as a direct replacement for the 190 Q? Was leaning 184, just as a reaction to getting the Corvus in a 193 and wishing it was 188... feels a little unwieldy. Maybe I’m getting old.

    Really, the 184 is an easier call than the rabbit hole I went down with 189 vs 181 ranger, which is a big part of my leaning. And if I don’t dig ‘em there’s enough hype around them they’ll be an easy unload here.

    I wish they still made the Q Lab... frustrating, that.
    focus.

  6. #6
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    Isn’t the 183 Q Lab like 179? The 190 is 186ish.


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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by MagnificentUnicorn View Post
    Isn’t the 183 Q Lab like 179? The 190 is 186ish.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    Blister sez 187.something. Too lazy to measure mine at the moment. They slot in reasonably between 196 rens, 193 Corvus, 191 rens, and 187 MSP.
    focus.

  8. #8
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    I think I measured it to 187 as well. Wouldn't mind something a hair shorter for my next ski. The 183 isn't the same ski and the 17X is for girls lol.
    I'd look at some of the Black Crows offerings or Blizzard, or a left over ON3P Wren to replace a ski like the Q. I know I've been eyeballing the 188 Rustler 11 since it looks a little easier to ski, but still smooth and stable af. And it's probably more like a 186. Yes, I am aware it's wider under foot, but it's basically the same niche of ski, right down to the Austrian metal sandwich. Mmm, sandwich.

    ETA: Fischer Ranger series and Nordica Enforcer series comes to mind too. Really depends what kind of length and width you're looking for. After that, adjusting to any minor differences you can actually feel in the ski shouldn't be too hard. Nordica, Blizzard, and ON3P Wrens strike me as the closest thing to the feel you might be looking for.
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  9. #9
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    Nordica does not currently make anything remotely close to the Q-Lab (at least not the 190). I own the Enforcer 115 Pros, 110, and 104 Free (all 191’s) and they are all softer and have way more tail rocker.
    In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...

  10. #10
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    I’d consider a pair of 185 Cochise. I have both and don’t find them different, but not that different. I’m wondering whether the 105hp might also fit the bill.
    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  11. #11
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    OP, there’s a pair of 183 Q Labs available on Boulder Craigslist.


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  12. #12
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    Thanks all... checking those out now skistack

  13. #13
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    Replacing 183 q lab ?

    Very interesting....

    Shapes are VERY similar.... most of the extra length (Ranger is a bit longer, advertised length notwithstanding) is in the shovel after the tip splay bend, which is minimal on both.

    Flex is not dissimilar either, though the Q Lab has a softer shovel.

    Pictures include poles, for obvious reasons. Some with straps, some without. One is even an earlier iteration of the leki trigger.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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    focus.

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