Ridiculously Fat (Sumos and DP120)
First thing I thought when I pulled the 190 Sumos out of the box is, "this is silly". They are downright ridiculous in girth. When leaning up against the wall next to 194 Squads, the Squads look like old race skis. But the real issue is how do they ski? "Ridiculous" still comes to mind, but it is "Ridiculously Fun". The first day I struggled with the shorter length a bit. The sweet spot of the 194 Squads is a bit back and that ski has a ton of tail to set a hard edge when necessary. The 190 Sumo sweetspot is right over the middle and the tail is too short to use the same way you use the tail on the Squad. This took some real getting used to, especially in tele boots. But after three days in a row on them, I am sold. Airing into cut up stuff just seems easy. I will admit I had perfect conditions for them from Thursday through Saturday, but there was no where that they really disappointed me. I still wish they were longer, but I can deal with it. They also rail on groomers and hold a decent edge on hard snow. Again it took a while to stop overpowering them in a turn after skiing my Squads so much, but once I just rolled the ski on edge it would do all the work. It is also still stiff enough that it will handle a decent straightline on cut up junk or hard snow. They are surprisingly stable at speed and just haul through the junk. Again, compared to a Squad the bottom line is easier to ski, floats ridiculously well, holds a good edge, carves a real nice turn, but not as stable when just hauling ass. I think the stability is as much due to the length as anything else though since a few times, I simply almost "looped out". Bottom line, the Sumo is almost exactly what I have been looking for. :biggrin: :biggrin:
Now I also got a number of runs on a Flex 2 DP120, that I think is last years. Again, a really fun ski. In soft snow these things are super fun. On hard snow and groomers, same problems I experienced with the 193 EHPs. They tend to wander a bit when running flat and dont do what I want outside of soft snow. Although LB skied them all weekend and liked them much more than the Sumos. The "skiddiness" of the DP, for want of a better term is one of the things he seemed to like better. The bottom line seemed to be the shape. The Sumo and its "traditional shape" is harder to get on edge, but carves clean when you do. The EHP is easier to dump speed by tossing sideways and a bit more managable in tight spots. I do want to say that I liked the feeling of the construction on the DP. It was light and damp at the same time. If they were more of a traditional shape I would consider buying a pair next year. Maybe if "someone" reads this and builds a 198 Wailer 125, I would have the best of both worlds :fm:
