Armada ANT

[ROCKS]

Anybody know much about these yet?? like how they ski etc... They definitely seem to be designed as a hard charging big moutain ski... no tlike many of Armada's other offerings, which are very jib specific...

I saw them in person, and they are massive, very stiff and strong too... not all mushy. Basically any thoughts would be appreciated about them, as I am kind of consisdering these.

Oh yeah, they only come in a 191... does that seem a bit big for somebody who's about 6'0" and 190 lbs. I've been skiing up to now on 185 xxx's.

[Lok]

Oh yeah, they only come in a 191... does that seem a bit big for somebody who's about 6'0" and 190 lbs.

Not at all.

There are some comments on the ANTs here: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ht=Armada+ANTs

[addict]

191, long?!?!? Nope. You outweigh Hugo and he's on 198s or something......

[ROCKS]

191, long?!?!? Nope. You outweigh Hugo and he's on 198s or something......

Yeah, but that's Hugo... I ain't Hugo he attacks super hairy lines and ball busting speeds... I'd love to reach that level, but for some reason I just feel like I'm not quite on par with him yet... haha.

Good point none the less though, I guess 191 isn't too long after all.

[Darkside]

If you want a ski for slaying it on big days, the ANT will treat you right.

[Vicious]

I've got a pair of ANTs...still debating over mount points though.

If anyone (specifically BC Flow) has any info on where to mount these suckers, please share.

Right now I'm thinking -9 from center.

[PeachesN'Cream]

ok ok i'm due to answer.

viscious, i was just gonna reply to your PM but i'll do it public like since people are asking.

armada reports that anthony mounts his chord center -5 for jumping and -8 or 9 for big mountain charging. that siad i mounted mine -7 for some versitility. -7 is also where the factory mount line is.

i'm 6'3" and 220lbs. strong race background and have been rocking seth pistols for the past three years.

i only have two days on these. the first day was the season opener so i was getting my legs back under me. the ski pretty much kicked my ass. i had one line at the end of the day that was dialed but the rest of the time i was singing the "my skis don't turn song." also in deep flat pow the tips didn't want to stay up at all, tho not sure mounting 2 cm back would have made a dif.

day two was a different story. i did pop two big beefy rivits in the back of each of my boots to stiffen em up (i ride lange FR120's which are softish for somebody my size) so i could put more heat on the ANTs. this helped some. i also got past my first day jitters, started going straighter and faster and all was "feeling it" again.

so after two days my review would be. it's a damn big and burly ski. they are a bit of work to ski esp. on the groom etc... but it mobs in the pow and on big lines. i'm super excited to get to know them better and i think they will prove to be pretty limitless.

i also wouldn't hesitate to mount them -8 or -9 back from center. there is a bunch of tail back there at -7.

hope all that helps - FLOW

[tywhy]

The recommended mount from Armada is 90 cm from the tail.

[Vicious]

Thanx BC...I think tomorrow will be my first day on them, so I'll post my thoughts then.

[Vicious]

Well, I had my first runs on the ANTs today and I must say, I'm stoked like a kid in a candy store!

After much deliberation and measuring, I decided to mount -11cm from center. Now that I skied them, I'm damn glad I went that far back as these skis are STIFF and having any excess of tail would be brutal if you ask me.

Unfortunately, I was only able to ski them on the groom, but the edge grip was amazing. Don't get me wrong, these skis aren't 'turny' but the big fast turns I did with them, the edges weren't going anywhere but where I wanted them to.

These are quite possibly the fastest skis I've ever been on...like f'ing rockets! Can't wait to open them up in the pow. They are super burly and the stiffness took a toll on my legs, but these are the ultimate go fast and tear shit up ski.

The weight of the skis is another thing...they are amazingly light. Even mounted where I did, they are very agile and still skied switch quite well.

Sticking to the idea of keeping them light, I ended up straying from my original plan of mounting them with P18s and hooked them up with a pair of Deadbolt 614. These binders are dope too. When you step in, they have the feeling of a high-end Salomon. Even on those big skis at speed, the Deadbolts felt super secure and stable.

I'll get back you to with more info when I've had a chance to ski them in more varied terrain.

[ROCKS]

Thanks guys, these responses about how the ski actually runs are awesome... I'm really starting to lean twoards 'em... I just gotta decide whether I really want to get some skis or not.

Thanks for all the input though, keep 'em comin' if you got more.

Vicious, how big a guy are you?

[Vicious]

6'3" 190#

[skier666]

You should see how nice BC-FLOW's skis look up against his wall....like artwork.

[Vicious]

Mine do too.

[Vicious]

Well said HS. This is precisely why I went -11 from center. On the Armada site, Tony states that he rides them -5.5, but I'd guess that is more for when he is jumping. I can't imagine being so close to center on such a burly ski, but hey I guess everyone is different.

[PeachesN'Cream]

i'm OK with my -7cm center mount. i am doing the lean-back a little on low pitch, but when you get the ANT on steep shit and bring it up to speed.... Thenk Yeeeewwww! even at lower speeds it's not that bad (see fig. A)

still if i could do it again i'd maybe mount at -9. being a little bit further back would be nice.

p.s. loving them, but fack they are a lot of work to ski the whold hill on.



fig. A

[ROCKS]

Interesting stuff guys... There is just so many skis out there, I never have any idea what to get.

I just had my first day skiing this year, and it was on my old XXX's the black and white ones... I am freaking sore, back and legs... Mind you I'm out of shape, but I'm just wondering whether or not I could handle big skis like the ANT's

[aspenskibum]

i've never skied these before, but it sounds like even for the people who can "handle them" they are not thier everyday ski, they are the part of thier quiver reserved for highspeed tearing it up powder skis. if you're looking for a one ski quiver, i'd think there are things our there better suited to your needs.

[FLEX]

Shit, hearing about the performance these ski's are dealing out , I might grab a pair for myself.

[addict]

Interesting stuff guys... There is just so many skis out there, I never have any idea what to get.

I just had my first day skiing this year, and it was on my old XXX's the black and white ones... I am freaking sore, back and legs... Mind you I'm out of shape, but I'm just wondering whether or not I could handle big skis like the ANT's

Have you looked at Capital skis up in Pemberton? They have a few that look nice, and maybe a similar, but less burly ski. PLus there's one in a 196 that I crave. A bit of coin, but I think they'd be durable and last, given their attention to production. Just a thought.

[PeachesN'Cream]

i was thinking prior originals in the 193. that ski looks pretty f-ing sweet!

the ANT is acting as my one quiver ski this year. so far yes it's pretty demanding. i'm not sure if this is due to me being out of shape or them being hard to throw around. my guess is it's a combo of the two. however i will say that the more time i spend on them the more i like them. i think i will be able to get it to act as my one and only ski but i'm gonna get in really good shape making that happen.

i can't whip them around like i could with my seth pistols (duh) they don't lay deep arcs on the groomers like the seths did. they require you to be on it all the time... BUT... when you take the ski and point it down something steep and pow covered it simply mobbs it! skiing knee to mid thigh deep pow i could lay the ski over in full race stance and rip big ol turns no problem. i'm still warming up drops again but what i have pointed the ANT off of it has stomped clean.

[ROCKS]

Have you looked at Capital skis up in Pemberton? They have a few that look nice, and maybe a similar, but less burly ski. PLus there's one in a 196 that I crave. A bit of coin, but I think they'd be durable and last, given their attention to production. Just a thought.

Got any links to their goods?? sounds interesting.

Yeah, hearing what BC FLOW has to say, I don't know if I could actually handle something like the ANT... at least not yet...

Prior Original's do like somewhat promising now though.

[milkman]

Got any links to their goods?? sounds interesting.

Yeah, hearing what BC FLOW has to say, I don't know if I could actually handle something like the ANT... at least not yet...

Prior Original's do like somewhat promising now though.

www.capitalskis.com
If you order now, your skis will be ready by the first week of January...

[routter]

So- coupla days on my ANT Naxo-21 setup now..the word for the day is fun.

Me- 170ish, 6' mostly ski big sticks w/ lots of metal. IMHO there is no need to be afraid of these boards. Adjectives usally seen in "Skiing" come to mind when describling this ski: snappy, lively, light. I've got 'em mounted 2cm back from the factory line, so I guess that's -7cm from chord center. They seem pretty balanced here- I mostly only land switch- don't spend a lot of time cruising ass first. One thing is for certain, these can be over-driven. You've gotta stay centered, too much forward pressure and it's washy-wash time.

Fluff, crud and crap are obviosly the best conditions for these and their girth. But I find them to be quicker than maybe others do. We have plenty of trees here in the 'boat and these are a lot easier in said forest than my 'roids, to be sure, and certainly no tougher than 'goats.

In all, they're just what I was looking for in an rando setup.