| Pros: |
Very stable on all terrain, nice float on powder
|
| Cons: |
grabby on piste at slow speeds
|
I am M, 41 yrs, 5'11", 175 lbs and I have the 176cm with all-mountain mounting (back from center). I prefer off-piste, trees, and moguls. I live in NC, but ski in the Rockies only. My skill level is somewhere between advanced and expert. I have about 80-90 days total on skis.
I had some reservations for the first hour or two on the skis, and that is primarily due to me "taking it easy" to start out... don't do that! They like to go fast and will carve well for their size when you get them moving... you don't need to break the sound barrier, but if you ski them at a slow intermediate level, they tend to catch their edges.
Due to the mild taper, I found these to be quite good in moguls. They are not a mogul ski, so they don't make them easy, but they don't require any additional effort either. I would have expected to need to adjust my technique considerably, due to their width but no.
I had only one day on fresh snow... 6" to 10" of powder. No complaints... they were perfect!
Off-piste in tracked out snow, they were excellent. Absolutely great in steeps, because they don't get kicked out from under me when I hit a big pile. I skiied faster than I ever have and with much more confidence!
Very forgiving if you like to catch a little air (or probably if you like big air too... I just can't tell you personally). I CAN tell you that I've always had great success with jumping... just not so much with landing. That changed on these skis. Keep in mind that I'm only talking about a few feet.
My only other ski experience has been K2 160cm Apache Recons. I still love those skis, as I learned on them and they are more fun at slow to medium-fast on the groomers, but there is no way I'm going back!
And, I like the butterflies... I'm just glad they were green and not pink!