PNW no new snow ski

[SchralphMacchio]

Following!
I've been using 2012 Enforcer 98s for this ski, they work pretty well for the task, being damp/settled and initially soft enough to be forgiving to small mistakes, but the shape could be more fun, and I also just want a touch more bite on total windstripped boilerplate. Tried the E94s and hated the "one turn shape" but otherwise liked the balance of flex / pop and settled quality of that ski, and would love something much looser and less turny with that balance of flex and dampness.

The Kendo 88 intrigues me on paper, but demo opportunities are hard to come by in my neck of the woods and I have to take care of the kids the ONE day I know they will be demoed at our local hill this season!

[chewski]

Following!
I've been using 2012 Enforcer 98s for this ski, they work pretty well for the task, being damp/settled and initially soft enough to be forgiving to small mistakes, but the shape could be more fun, and I also just want a touch more bite on total windstripped boilerplate. Tried the E94s and hated the "one turn shape" but otherwise liked the balance of flex / pop and settled quality of that ski, and would love something much looser and less turny with that balance of flex and dampness.

The Kendo 88 intrigues me on paper, but demo opportunities are hard to come by in my neck of the woods and I have to take care of the kids the ONE day I know they will be demoed at our local hill this season!

Yes the kendo 88 should be on your radar. I got my buddy on a pair of 2023 kendo 88 in 184 and i was on mantra 102 and they both do well for what you are describing (having not skied the k88 myself but listening to his feedback as we skied together). Also check out my post in the peak skis thread. I tried the 104 and think it fits almost exactly what you're describing, except for the "boilerplate ice" grip. For that i'd say maybe the peak 98 (which I assume skis similarly to the 104) or possibly the peak 88 (which I honestly don't know if it skis all that similar to the 104). Unfortunately the peak 98 and 104 are out of 184cm and the BOGO deal is over I think, but a "less turny" enforcer (newer versions) is likely an apt description of the peaks. Try reaching out to them and seeing what they can get you. The kendo/mantra series of skis are dialed though and probably my slight preference

[SchralphMacchio]

Thanks for the info on those Peaks. The Peak 98 looks a lot like a modernized version of my gen 1 E98s (which are not really anything like current Enforcers). Peak 88 looks like an interesting Kendo alternative. I'll pay more attention in that thread!

And I'm not looking to make SL turns on boilerplate (far from it, I snowboarded and didn't start skiing until I was 32), just not require a perfect edge tune on the ski that also gets used for billygoating through rocks and manzanita during low tide! My E98s are just wide enough and get beat up enough (and I've detuned the tails aggressively) that they don't have tremendous bite on boilerplate, just needing to add something back, not rip it.

[kootenayskier]

I’ve been thinking of adding a pair of Kendo 88s under my M4 Mantras (which I love) as a groomer/firm conditions ski, as I was skiing today. However I’m not seeing any deals on them at the moment, whereas the Salomon Stance 90 is currently dirt cheap - CAN$419 with free shipping on Corbett’s right now, and from all the reviews (I haven’t tried either) they seem pretty comparable in most respects.

[SupreChicken]

Frankenski. Old 4frnt turbo

[ApexSkua]

Intrigued by the AM R99 and Season Aero. Has anyone gotten on both and able to give a comparison? Also interested in MX99s but don't see many of those around

[D(C)]

Finding a no new snow ski for the PNW/Coastal BC has been a struggle for me. Given the warmer temperatures and wetter snow we get, snow seems to set up hard as soon as it is skied, as opposed to becoming chopped but soft like you see in colder/drier places. As a result, I have found that some of the stiffer, straighter skis that require some runway to come alive don't work so well, unless you're sticking to groomers.

My current 2-ski resort quiver includes 186 M-Pro 99s and 192 M-Free 108s. The M-Pro 99s aren't a burly charger, but they have flat tails and a more traditional shape. I find they can feel like a lot of ski in skied-out snow, and I actually prefer them when the snow is fresh and smooth (unless we're talking groomers). I'd rather be on the M-Free 108s for finding stashes and in dust on crust, just because they're more maneuverable.

I ended up pulling the trigger on some 185 M-Free 99s, and my 186 M-Pro 99s are up for sale, for the reasons above. I used my 192 M-Free 108s in skied out snow at Baker on the weekend and came to realization that I just want a smaller, less cumbersome version of those for when it’s not full throttle conditions.

[m90eb5]

Following!
Besides a few soft thin powder days, it’s frustrating to run on icy hardpack these days.

[fbw360]

snuck in on a pair of 2021 CT 1.0s when they were on dummy sale for less than $200 NIP and have been really enjoying them the past 2 weeks. Surprisingly good edge hold and lots of fun in trees even when everything is pretty scraped off. Nimble for how stiff they are. Still held up even when I found a few pockets of untouched snow. Never looked much at the faction lineup but some feedback in the original thread won me over (along with the price). Pleasantly surprised to find myself reaching for these all the time now when I havent been able to chase the occasional refill we have gotten. From my (limited) understanding this is specifically the 2021 revision though which was kind of a unicorn in the lineup.

[SchralphMacchio]

Also check out my post in the peak skis thread.

So I had gotten pretty excited about the Peak 88 based on the geometry being slightly more narrow tip than the K88, 2 layers of titanium, solid reviews … but then I saw who the CEO was and just - no F ing way based on my time in Tahoe. Too much bad blood with that guy.

A buddy from Tahoe gave me a detailed reports on his K88 today and they sound very promising.
“If you put it on edge, it turns. Pressure the tips and it turns more. Leave it flat and you go straight. They felt “turny” on my first go but not the last couple days. I think there’s enough rocker and softness in the top that they are pretty well behaved across the board”
He said it likes tight turns but easy to extend or break loose, the rocker makes it behave well off piste, and sounds damp enough to settle quickly on garbage. He said he likes them, eventually he might want to go with something just a touch more burly like a Stormrider … for my size/weight ability though it sounds just right. I’m 5’ 8” 140 lbs and will probably do 177 since it does have tip and tail rocker.

These are to be paired with ON3P Woods 108s (which I will replace with Woods 110s at some point) that are a daily driver for anything not mostly junk/garbage and anything not either completely soft all around the mountain or just not too deep. Have other skis for full on soft or full on deep conditions that don’t need to be discussed in this PNW low tide thread!

[chewski]

So I had gotten pretty excited about the Peak 88 based on the geometry being slightly more narrow tip than the K88, 2 layers of titanium, solid reviews … but then I saw who the CEO was and just - no F ing way based on my time in Tahoe. Too much bad blood with that guy.

A buddy from Tahoe gave me a detailed reports on his K88 today and they sound very promising.
“If you put it on edge, it turns. Pressure the tips and it turns more. Leave it flat and you go straight. They felt “turny” on my first go but not the last couple days. I think there’s enough rocker and softness in the top that they are pretty well behaved across the board”
He said it likes tight turns but easy to extend or break loose, the rocker makes it behave well off piste, and sounds damp enough to settle quickly on garbage. He said he likes them, eventually he might want to go with something just a touch more burly like a Stormrider … for my size/weight ability though it sounds just right. I’m 5’ 8” 140 lbs and will probably do 177 since it does have tip and tail rocker.

These are to be paired with ON3P Woods 108s (which I will replace with Woods 110s at some point) that are a daily driver for anything not mostly junk/garbage and anything not either completely soft all around the mountain or just not too deep. Have other skis for full on soft or full on deep conditions that don’t need to be discussed in this PNW low tide thread!

I want to overlap all the volkls from 88, 96, 102 to 108 for no reason other than the m102 was that wow for me. I think the m6 mantra is the burlier kendo your friend seeks

[Bronco]

What about the Blizzard Brahma 88?

Looking to replace my OG Brahma 88's for a low tide PNW ski. Anyone know how similar the 2023 Brahma is? How's the Bonafide compare to the Brahma?

[SchralphMacchio]

I’d ask in the Blizzard thread. I got only 1 run on the 2023 Brahma 88 but I had never skied older ones, and it was late in the day with snow softening up so I couldn’t test chunder or chickenhead performance. I was really surprised how forgiving the tips were when I went sideways into a deep mogul at speed and didn’t get bucked … was overall more easy going than I expected and it had a nice long effective edge. About all I could glean from the one short end of day run as the Demo was closing down.

[carlh]

Evo has last years bonafide on sale any reason I should just buy them for this slot? Sale price might get better for Presidents’ Day but they also have a 30 day low price match.
Bronco they have brahmas too.

[nickwm21]

Do it.


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[carlh]

Procrastinating paid off, price drop to $400 overnight so I ordered. Should be here next week. Black 189s will look good with the orange sths I’m going to mount. Assuming I will be happy on the line on these.

[carlh]

Deal here there are some left as well as Cochise and both brahmas https://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/bliz...nafide-97-2021

[Bandit Man]

Gosh that's a great deal on that Cochise 106. I didn't think the on piste manners were as refined/competent as previous iterations, but it's really fun off trail in soft or crappy snow. Tempting to give it another try.

[ApexSkua]

Also tempted by the Cochise but thinking it overlaps too much with my E104 Frees

[SchralphMacchio]

Took a lesson today (3rd lesson ever, first in 12 years) on my classic ugly lightning bolt topsheet 2012 Nordica Enforcer 98s (flat tail, double full length/width titanal layers), and they still get the job done as a PNW no new snow ski! They just aren’t a very modern shape and aren’t too happy with poking into areas with more 3D snow.

If anyone needs to unload 177 Kendo 88s that are too small for you, ping me first!!!

[carlh]

Ready to rip. Heading up tomorrow night with the current forecast there should get some chop testing. They are reassuringly heavy.

[phatty]

Ready to rip. Heading up tomorrow night with the current forecast there should get some chop testing. They are reassuringly heavy.

Alpental was heavy chop setting up to frozed crud tonight but nuking as I left. Should be a much better test for those tomorrow night.

[carlh]

Tonight looked like supergoat conditions.

Alpental was heavy chop setting up to frozed crud tonight but nuking as I left. Should be a much better test for those tomorrow night.

[phatty]

Tonight looked like supergoat conditions.

Nowhere near enough new snow on the lower mountain. I bet up top was amazing, though. Huge difference between top and lower Armstrong.

[spudbumkin]

Took a lesson today (3rd lesson ever, first in 12 years) on my classic ugly lightning bolt topsheet 2012 Nordica Enforcer 98s (flat tail, double full length/width titanal layers), and they still get the job done as a PNW no new snow ski! They just aren’t a very modern shape and aren’t too happy with poking into areas with more 3D snow.

If anyone needs to unload 177 Kendo 88s that are too small for you, ping me first!!!

What vintage of Kendos do you want?


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