Great; found it!Quote:
Originally Posted by 2FUNKY
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Great; found it!Quote:
Originally Posted by 2FUNKY
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Anyone have comparison to Mantra 102? Bought a pair of 184 M102s at end of season, but debating on a set of R99 to take that quiver slot (all mountain charger for no new snow). Ski primarily PNW with occasional Whistler and annual Utah/Jackson trips.
I didn’t get to ski the comps but I saw Norse on a set at Alpy closing day. I skied the am 188s and they weee a bit soft for heavy chop but awesome on the groomers. I bought bonafides instead since comps were not in yet but am sure the comps rips. I would guess the m102s float better but the comps are stronger and smoother. You’re also welcome to take a spin on my bones.
Those are going to ski short for a man of your stature.Quote:
Originally Posted by phatty
That's one of my concerns, but also was looking for a ski that can be easy going while still being pushed. I don't want to be on all the time.
Oh man it is going to be a gruelling wait for winter. Lots of carpet testing happening.
In the meantime I'm trying to find the most appropriate binding for these stunners....thinking this combo might be the ticket:
Attachment 471820
Dude, those look hswt and scream the TGR Pivot King!Quote:
Originally Posted by gwat
Yasssss! MoAr Comps!!!!!!
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If you don’t do this it will be a crimeQuote:
Originally Posted by gwat
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DUDE YES!!!
Agreed. Forza!Quote:
Originally Posted by waxloaf
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Going to mount my 188 comps this weekend, just did a reread of the thread to build the stoke back up.
Leaning heavily toward the line. I'm about 150lb/5'10.
Wish I had a line on some of those neon yellow STH2 WTR... but will probably just slap on some pivots and call it a day. Can't wait to get these on snow!
Jumping in late on your AM skis--do you plan to offer a narrower ski in the future? I like Blossom and HLabs--I'd love to support both.
Hey man! On the line sounds right to me. Can't wait for you to give them a rip.Quote:
Originally Posted by east or bust
Howdy! Out of curiosity, how narrow are we talking? Or are you wondering about the R87 AM being re-run?Quote:
Originally Posted by ejj
Please feel free to DM me any time.
These skis are fantastic thanks Marshal!
Didn't realize when buying but these are just like my Head/Palmers from a while back and that ski ripped.
I was replacing a clapped out Kastle FX HP 95 and intended to go skinnier and more hard pack but I'm glad I got these its pretty much that ski for edge hold but is more all mountain. Being Killington based this year this is the ski to take into chopped out steep runs like Outer Limits or Downdraft/Cascade/Escapade and just charge. Smooth damp and skis better when pointed down the hill.
I'd ski these in pow they are def wide enough to float which means they aren't edge to edge piste only skis as they can't be both but they are very nice on hard pack. Some of my best pow days ever were on those Palmers this is probably the same width. Excellent on edge can really load them up.
Anyone have some r99 Comp they wish they hadn’t bought? Really really really regretting not buying the r99 2nds Marshal had [emoji17].
Same, same. I missed out and regret it.Quote:
Originally Posted by TAFKALVS
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I might have a pair I'd let go depending on how the next couple month go. Hoping not to need to get rid of them though, they feel fun.
Perfect ski for euro bii [emoji6]Quote:
Originally Posted by abraham
If you decide to sell, LVS gets first dibs, but I'd be interested. You know where to find me!Quote:
Originally Posted by abraham
Keep me in mind [emoji846]Quote:
Originally Posted by abraham
Initiation weekend complete. Mark me down as a comp cult member. Such beautiful and balanced skis. Very versatile- handled family duty and hammered hot laps. Bravo Marshal!! Attachment 479849
The coolaid is delicious.Quote:
Originally Posted by CascadeLuke
Ps, super jealous as I want on mine so bad. Not enough coverage, way too many sharks.
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We’re going through it too. Impatience won out. Pretty good conditions on main runs. Off piste, not much worth it. Anyhow, had ski decisions to make and wanted to get a taste of the koolaide. Will be moving on from a couple pairs as a result.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2FUNKY
Man, those look so rad!Quote:
Originally Posted by CascadeLuke
Finally got enough days to have an opinion on these:
TL;DR: They're fucking rad, aaaanndd...
Me: 6'3", 210, pretty much a race dick. I like making the same turn regardless of conditions. Surfy isn't really a characteristic I look for in skis.
R99 Comp is pretty much my dream ski, being anachronistic, big, and pretty dumb. I picked up a pair last year, but put a pedal through my shin before I could get out on them, so it's been bulletproof manmade with the occasional dust on crust to less occasional boot-top dust on crust this year. Perfect test conditions IMO.
Hardpack/groomers: Yup. I really like the tip on this thing; just soft enough to tip up and roll in to a turn, but the strong forebody gives it not so much a big sweet spot, but a big gas pedal. You can initiate a turn anywhere in front of the binding and it's happy to comply. Grips like a race ski because it is. The tail doesn't play well with slackers, but is pretty balanced with the rest of the ski so I don't find it particularly punishing. It doesn't so much take you for a ride if you get backseat as it just locks you in to whatever dumb idea you were perpetrating and lets you deal with it. I've seen some people in this thread detuning the tail pretty extensively, and I think it does the ski a bit of a disservice. It has a really nice, tight finish if you don't round off the tails. It can be a little hooky in bumps if you're not on top of it, but I'm happy to focus on my form there so I can have that full edge in a carve.
Dust on crust: (2-8" dry on top of bulletproof) This ski loves this shit. We've finally got in to a reasonable storm cycle, and saying conditions are variable is putting it pretty nicely. Typically I go for a LP 105 in these conditions, and skiing both of these back to back, I think I prefer the R99. The LP 105 is better at following contours (going from scraped-off ice through a soft bump back to scraped off ice), so you can rail an edge, get a little light and smoosh over something and pick up right where you left off, where the R99 either goes straight through without relinquishing edge hold or requires a little more active extension to get the tip back down and reinstate the edge. This isn't really a knock, because deflection is basically a non-issue with the R99, it just requires a little more energetic style than the LP 105's trophy truck feel. But the R99 is quicker edge to edge, has better grip and torsional stability, and is less of a submarine than the LP despite it's narrower waist, lack of rocker and stiffer flex.
On the little untracked powder I've been able to ski this year, I was genuinely impressed with the R99's float. The shape really reminds me of the OG (Ca. 2009) Nordica Enforcer, that the shovel doesn't really plane up, but just is hard to sink because of it's spoonyness and relatively high profile. I dig it, I would much rather have a more pronounced tip shape with less rocker in a narrower all-mountain ski than a low-profile or tapered tip with a bunch of splay to keep it up top.
CascadeLuke said above that it handled family duty and hammered hot laps, and this is where I think this ski's strongest point is: it's rewarding and skis exceptionally well driving the tip and forebody of the ski, AND it's fun and skis exceptionally well just standing up and rolling it on edge. It's perfectly happy to make turns on the prescribed radius, in just about any condition, without sending your knees a foot out in front of your toes. It's not exactly easy-going, but it makes very nice, clean carved turns with a neutral stance and input from the middle of your foot. But, if you drive the tip like you hate it, it hooks up like a race ski should and locks in like you're on rails. There really aren't a lot of skis that do both of those things well, and it's pretty interesting in a ski that is so clearly designed to have a balls-to-the-wall feel.
That being said, my one gripe (and it's hard to call it that) is that the flex doesn't always feel like it matches up with the sidecut. Say what you will about stated sidecut radii, they at least give you an idea of what the turn is going to be like when you put the ski on edge. And with a full GS build, the R99 feels like it wants a little more time on edge to build the turn, but the sidecut brings the ski across the fall line quickly enough that it feels like I'm going uphill by the time the ski is fully decambered and loaded up. What this translates to on snow is that the ski feels a little overdamped in longer radius carves. So on long radius turns, I've compensated by either angulating far less (which is no fun and doesn't look rad, bruh), or making a more double-footed, neutral turn with a compact transition on to the new edge, which basically just means less time on the edge. Long story short: I'm more of a Ligety, the R99 wants you to be more of a Hirscher. It has been very fun finding the happy place, and a good exercise for me to dig deeper in the tool box a little more often.
I'm going to be skiing the hell out of these skis for a while, and probably shopping for another pair. I grabbed an R99 AM closeout for some A/B testing, and I've been hard pressed to find a scenario where the AM build is better. It's easier to flex the ski on the snow, but it's still a ski that likes speed to function well, so it feels a bit sluggish compared to the Comp build, as well as being noodly when pressed in to hard service. I even liked the Comp build better in bumps, despite how stiff the tail is, as it's just a more consistent flex pattern and feels quicker, even if you have to do more work (compression/extension) to make it so. Recovering on the Comp is as easy as getting a little air under you to pull your heels back, or a Plake-style hip thrust, and the relatively tight sidecut just puts you right back in it. Pretty good shit, hats off to Marshal for taking a good design and cranking it up to 11.
Can anyone compare these to Moment Commander 98s?
Very different approaches to ski design.Quote:
Originally Posted by phatty
Awesome review Z!
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These babies are my new go to. I know HL is receiving deserved attention on the new hotness but these should be staples imo.
Z you articulated thoughts I share as well. On my most recent go with them I settled into the double-foot neutral turn and minced transitional mank. It was night skiing after a reported 4” from the morning and wet snow falling most of the day. The piles were set up for hours. Upper mountain skied considerably different from lower. Top was creamy but colder night temps were turning it funky. The lower was nearly rain corn. R99 comps ate it up.
I took another detune pass recently on my tips and feel dialed now. As someone who has realized I’m happier on more narrow skis in general- these came at the right time. In one word: clutch.
Sounds like my weekend at Mission over new years. Even if the snow is too funky they don’t care. Stoked for ya mang! Headed up to Silver today, with our conditions the R99 Comp will be clutch today.Quote:
Originally Posted by CascadeLuke
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8.5 months post-op on my left ACL and finally got back the horse.
Put 2 days on my R87s (175) which I worried were too short. Shortest ski I can remember skiing. And all I can say is:
Sweet Baby Jesus!!
These things lay trenches like nothing I've been on. Short turns, check poppy and lively.
Mediums and load up that energy. Big fucking rails that go from trail's edge to edge while still passing everyone? Feel like partially cramping your quad as you step on that gas peddle for that extra long turn? Check and double fucking check!
Soooo fast and stable but you can feather your rail into drifting carve or straight up slarve pretty much at will.
Never have I gone so fast and had so much fun on cat tracks. Pumping tucked carves? Hmm, I guess so.
I initially ordered 182s, but with the shipping snafu and Marshal coming out with the FL105 I switched my order.
Then had unbuyers remorse and bought a pair of C grade 175 R87 blemishes from the HL outlet fearing they would be too short.
I was wrong.
Speed limit not found and I was hauling the fucking mail.
:D
Upcoming storm will give some time on my 185 FL105s and 187 R110s.
(sorry Marshal the 187 R120Sts are not yet mounted, but they are lovely!; anyone have some white/purple Blue Tomato P15s?).
I now have a few days on mine cruising around with the gf, her second year on skis so beginner/intermediate. These will ski slowly and make nice composed short turns with ease. So quiet underfoot and happy to chill. Linking short turn after short turns so effortlessly. They just keep surprising me, in a good way.
The best is when there is an opportunity to point them down hill and stand on that radius at silly fast speeds it’s so composed and rewarding.
Hopefully things work out in the future for another press of these.
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Yo Atrain#
Pretty sweet to see some R120s in the wild; especially on the Tram deck at Jackson Hole.
Seems the appropriate home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pfluffenmeister
Thanks pfluffenmeister! Fun to chat about the awesomeness of HL skis in the tramline at Jackson! The R120 comp's were 100% the right choice for the 15" of freshies yesterday. Truly, too much fun!!!
188 R99 Comp. Mounted -11.25 / 82.75cm from the tail due to hole conflict at the toes.
First day thoughts. Good god the comp build is good. It took 1 lap down Headwall for these to become cold dead hands skis.
They're are a siren song. Enticing your eyes to look farther down the fall line and urging you to go faster as they smooth the way in front of you. Refined. Composed. Rewarding. The more you put into them they more they give back to you. It's a beautiful dance.
To be honest, I was intimidated before getting on these. I thought they were going to be far too much ski for me. I'm 6'1 175 fully geared up and can bend a ski despite not having a race background. That said, I wouldn't call myself a great skier compared to a lot of the talent running around Palisades. My fears were completely unfounded. The flex works so well with the shape and the mass of the ski. Sure, the R99 Comp demands to actually be skied, but that's what makes it so great. It returns more than what you put into it.
Huge props to Marshal for making this ski happen. Even bigger props for his stellar customer service. He endured a barrage of texts, emails, and even a few in person meet ups as I waffled over mounting these due to a nasty hole conflict at the toes. I'm very glad he convinced me to just mount them and enjoy them.
Any plans for this build to be released again?
These things are indestructable and basically still new after 50 days. Would love the same build 10mm wider and 5 cm longer?
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Originally Posted by CascadeLuke
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I can't imagine so as MO did everything on Earth to deal w/ the factory to no avail ; there's a reason I and Prestige and HL all dropped them. </p>