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"so looking for something more turny and fun for couloirs and such. These seemed very popular over here for that.
Would mount them with warden 13s"
I skied both the 186 and 179 before buying the 179. For me I found the 185 to be a bit slow (6' , 160lbs). The 179 is quicker, floats well and is stable at speed. To me the trade off of the gained quickness for a slight loss of high speed stability was worth it.
Good to know! If I find some summer deals....
(Mind you, got to have aforementioned ACL put back together first)
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starting to bend my mindAttachment 326257,a ski for all occasions
Third from left, Pinnacle 118, is currently my favorite ski for just about all conditions except super hardpack. How would you compare it to the Mindbender 116?Quote:
Originally Posted by 2ski2fish4ever
Oooh pick me.... The 118 is a helluva ski, id say its damp stable and floats better than anything with its deep rocker lines. I felt the same way about it you described all last season. I often called it a locamotive in that you kind of have to commit to each turn and it would power through it.Quote:
Originally Posted by yeahman
There are 2 main differences between the two 1st id say much like the 108 ti the tail is a lot easier to release than the 118 making it more slash/slarve friendly and slightly more maneuverable in tight spaces and lends it self to a more playful style.
The other key difference is in untracked pow the 116 becomes like a tool of the gods. I dont know why (carbon and shape?) but it has ability to walk on water so to speak in deep snow. That is totally different than just stay on top of it which the 118 does a better job of but with much less finesse. The 116 just feels light on your feet and super intuitive in deep snow.
All that comes with a trade off in versatility.
The 116 skis groomers great and hard snow well but is not as stable in cut up snow and chop as the 118 something i think the 118 really excels in.
The verdict... For powering through crud and shitty variable snow like a linebacker named rudy the 118 wins.
For skiing pow with precision like Lamar Jackson and for a ski that has more energy and fun playful style the 116 wins.
18-19 i was on the 118s no matter the conditions
19-20 i skied the 118s early season and on a couple other days.
The 116 took over as my pow ski and days it wasnt deep i still preferred it as it didnt beat my legs up as much. The 116 is a lot easier to ski although it took a while to feel that way.
I would recommend the 108ti to compliment your 118
But really you need all 3. Ok im done
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i can't speak from my own expierience as my 116's are still in the wrapper,as my Tahoe trip was canceled.My 118's are the first edition after the Morrisons,pre Annex.Skiing really tight trees here on the east coast i can turn them on a dime the deeper the better.i am about 6'2 220lbs and 65 years old.My son who is 6'3 and about 160, competes in many of the FWQ's,didn't like the 118's,,thought they were slugest and needed more muscle to turn.He skied the MB 116's in a 193 and really liked them.i will say that the
MB 99 is my weapon of choice in just about anything that mother nature can dish out.
ps,the only way to know how a ski skis is to ski yourself,we all ski differantly and we are all differant in our physical makeup
THanks for the comments SVS and 2ski. I have the same model of P118s as you 2ski, from a few years ago. I find them really quick and easy to turn in tight spaces, but also great for arcing big turns...whatever you want to do. The Darksides were great powder skis but they deflected in chop, and the 118s really seemed to fix that issue and still be great power skis. I haven't skied the newer version though.
Anyway, I would like to try the MB 108ti. I actually bought a pair this spring for a good deal, but after a couple days I decided I didn't want to spend the money right now and I I returned them. :confused: I'll try to demo some next season.
Skied the k2 116c in a 193cm in whistler and revy in december before I hurt my knee. The rustler 11 in a 192cm is the ski that usually fills that spot.
Skied at eagle pass for 3 days and RMR during storm cycles early dec.
Loved it in soft snow, better than my rustler also more jiby. Found myself doing handrags and such way more on this ski. Felt very balanced and light.
Then skied it at whistler during our low snow late dec. To be completely honest as a bigger guy I completely overpowered this ski ripping roundhouse jump laps and general hot dogging.
Really missed the metal in my R11, that is all. Was back on the blizzards in March once my knee healed and fell back in love with my R11s.
When you can’t touch the bottom, or the bottom is soft, I’ve never been on a better ski then the 116C. My Praxis Protests were my bottomless ski, they got replaced by the 116C. It’s truly just easy to ski. I broke/my pair delaminated, and still bought another pair. They are that easy.
I will say I didn’t love them when I could feel the bottom, especially if there was anything hard (ie ice chunks) that I preferred my Shiros. What makes the 116C light and so easy to ski in untouched pow, doesn’t lend to stability in mixed conditions. As the season went on, I did find my self grabbing the Kastle BMX 115 (and Shiro) for crud.
If you are looking for a ski that works for pow and powder touring, the MB116C should be on the list of skis to check out. Same if you spend your powder days looking fit untouched soft snow. If you spend your Pow days skiing as fast as possible inbounds crushing the crud, the 116c is the wrong tool for the job (Bodacious or something similar is much better).
I have been/was touring this spring a bunch on my 116C mounted with Kingpins, and they are great. They don’t feel heavy on your feet. I recommend them to anyone looking for a pow ski or pow touring ski. One of my pairs will be on my short list of travel pow skis
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Anyone ski the 90ti? Cheap on fleabay and sort of thinking about them as an ec frontside ski
Thinking about 116c for a touring ski. Anybody doing this?
They were my low tide ski this past season in the PNW. If you are looking for a frontside carver look elsewhere. They are a narrower all-mountain ski that carve really well if you drive the tips. If you expect to finish the turn with a locked in tail, they will wash out. So you have to let up a bit. On the other hand one of the things I love about the ski is how easily the tails can break free into a drift.Quote:
Originally Posted by cat in january
Yup with castQuote:
Originally Posted by Eluder
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I got a pair with Kingpins and a pair with CAST. They tour very nicely.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eluder
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@skibrd, you have the 116C and the BMX115 in similar sizes, correct ? Is the 116C way easier than the BMX115 ?
I have the BMX115 in a 185 and its easy enough for me despite the weight.
I was thinking I could take the 193 116C for deeper days as I don’t want to go wider than that. I’m just afraid it might be too much ski, not sure ...
Yes, correct, I have both the 116C and BMX115 in 192/3. I wouldn’t say easier per say, just different. The 116C doesn’t do snow where there is anything hard under the soft snow, where the BMX115 handles consistency and texture changes better, specifically going from soft to hard.Quote:
Originally Posted by stuntmanbo
The 116C is just too light and doesn’t like hard chunks. I struggled a ton in warm dense spring pow, to the point where I wasn’t grabbing the 116C for sled skiing. They are just so light. Maybe a tune would help my pair, but I’m done for the year so that will have to wait until next year to try.
I also sled skied a ton after the resort closed, and again the 116c is light so I was grabbing heavier, and theoretically, more durable skis.
If you like the 185 BMX 115, Id say stick with that length for the 116C. The 116C is super easy to ski in deep snow, but the length adjustment might toss you for a loop. I used to be a big proponent of 200+ cm pow skis, when my every day skis were 190-195, and the adjustment always sucked.
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Hi! For you guys who bought the mindbender 108 last year, how was the durability? I don't mind core shots mostly I am concerned about delamination, has anyone experienced that?
Also according to blister review, some people mounted them at +1/+2, what do you guys think? I am not a park skier only hit natural features but I've since grown very fond of my black crows atris which has a -7cm mount so I am tempted to mount the MB 108 also slightly forward
Only skied mine for two months before the shutdown, but no issues with durability so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by fernandocz
As far as mounting a bit forward...sure? But why on THAT ski? The MB108 is very different than just about any Black Crows ski. The MB108 is a soft-snow freeride ski that handles groomers remarkably well...but it isn’t a freestyle ski. Why try to make it feel like one? I’m on the line on 186’s and would mess with the mount point.
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Thanks. I mentioned black crows atris because I always thought I like more directional skis considering I like to do big turns on steep terrain in general. However I surprisingly really loved the atris and I enjoyed how playful it is and I found it to be still adequate on very bad snow as long as I stay lighter on my feet and use my legs as suspension more. So I am kind of trying to find a middle ground between a traditional charger and a playful ski which is why I am considering MB 108 in the first place.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bandit Man
Yeah glad to hear it's good on groomers. So you find them hold fairly well even on icy groomers too?
Then take a good look at the Corvus!Quote:
Originally Posted by fernandocz
I had maybe 20 days on mine last year. Durability is good, no issues. Mounted on the line. Unless it was a big snow day I tended to pull the MB 108s off the wall. Great versatility whether skiing groomers, hunting stashes or day after snow chunder busting. Although I am in CO, so not real ice like midwest or east coast, I found them to be as good as good be expected from a 108 ski on hard snow.
I would say they are just okay on icy groomers but really outstanding on soft groomers. If I was going to ski icy groomers, I would choose a different ski from my quiver.Quote:
Originally Posted by fernandocz
The reviews that suggest they prefer softer conditions are spot on. They float in powder better than most of 108-width skis yet are still very capable when you transition back to on piste. If you want a ski like this that is better on firm snow but still capable off trail, try something like an Enforcer 110.
Thank you guys. I ski mostly in Kicking horse and Lake Louise so not the ice coast was just trying to gather all the info. I actually demo'd the enforcer 110 last year no complaint but also I don't find anything exceptional. Also @waxoff I am also looking at the Corvus probably will choose between those three.
I stick by my description of the MB108TI reminded me of the Rustler 11 blended with the Enforcer 100. It is floaty in pow, fairly forgiving, carves well on groomers,and is quite versatile. It is not a full on charger. Certainly not a Cochise, Katana, or Monster 108, and nowhere near as demanding as any of those either.
As far as durability goes I'd say the 108s are pretty damn solid... I have over 50 days on mine and have beat the shit out of them pretty good anything from literally running tip first into a boulder at JH to several 30 -40 ft drops to pretty flat landings in spring conditions. There is what may be the start of a delam on one ski but it's holding fine and didn't notice until the tuning guy pointed it out.Its definitely not moving and I plan on skiing it hard and trying to break it. Bought another back up pair bringing my total to 3 108s. For reference I'm 6'4 235-250 lbs and make questionable decisions while skiing.
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How do the MB 108's compare to say a Wildcat 108? I know they are sort of different beasts, but I wonder how much crud crushing ability I give up.
Bought the MB 108 and mounted on the line. Will report back once I get some days on them.
I've still left the demo binders on my pair so that I can play with the mount point. I can get up to +3 and plan on testing different mounts. Just praying for snow now.
Picking up a pair of the 108s, anyone get a chance to explore the mount point? I usually mount on the line, but considering mounting forward on the 108s for a little additional pivotability.Quote:
Originally Posted by dmcd
Mine are mounted on the line. I found the 187s a bit sluggish on the line, the 179s are quite nimble on the line. Consequently I went for the 179s. If you have the 187s a little forward may help. Demo a pair with rental bindings and try different spots
What length did you get? How much do you weigh? Those two factors matter quite a bit. The skis have a softer tip and very loose tail. In the appropriate length, they are quite manageable.Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeCSkier
I’m 195-lbs and on the 186...they are really easy to manage, even in tighter spaces...but I tend to like stiffer skis in their longer/longest sizes. The 193 might have been the better bet for me, but I wanted a more nimble ski.
Again, you could easily go forward of the line. I don’t think it would ruin the ski, but in the proper length, I think they are great on the line.
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I agree my 186 skis great on the line.
A shorter ski is quicker than a longer ski? No whey!Quote:
Originally Posted by Quandary
Me gusta mucho los 99s
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170 ish, but short, so went with 179. Sounds like the line is the way to go from all the replies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bandit Man
Care to expand? I have a pair of 184 99’s that I have yet to mount up. Kicking around handing them to my 16-yo to see if they are the upgrade to his Enforcer 100’s he is looking for. Since we both ski in the Cascades, your experience is very applicable.Quote:
Originally Posted by SirVicSmasher
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Can anyone else compare the Mindbender 116c to other skis they’ve had and liked or not liked?
I’m looking for a new PNW resort powder ski to replace my very well loved 2013 186 Atomic Automatics that I think I bought from Bandit Man like 6 years ago.(Thanks!) I have and love the 2020 QST 106 so I tried 185 2020 QST 118 but did not get along with the forward mount. (I’m super finicky about mount and binding delta and all that crap - just could not feel balanced on the ski.) A friend recommended the MB 116 and Head 117 as more rear mounted pow skis. I briefly tried the Heads two seasons ago and thought they felt a little too stiff and chargey for me so the MB seems interesting.
One thing I wonder about is that they don’t look very rockered in photos. I’ve gotten pretty used to the fairly generous rocker/camber combo in the automatics for slithering around tight spots. How loose and comfortable feeling in trees and tight terrain is the MB 116? Everyone says it’s light and easy to ski but it’s hard to translate that into how they feel in anything steep/tight/awkward.
The MB 116 replaced the Pinnacle 118 (which I have and love, I think mine are 2017, the black ones). The Pinnacle 118 had more rocker though, according to the Blister review. The turn radius is almost identical. So if you're looking for something with a bit more rocker, maybe try to find an old pair of Pinnacle 118s? I sure would snatch up a pair of the old black ones if I could find them NIP. If you are set on new model skis I can't help you because I haven't skied the MB 116. I should try to demo some this year to see how they compare to the P118.
I’ve been looking at the 108t since it came out. Remembered that I had some 192 Zealots (blue) I could mount up alpine. Can anyone compare the two?
Dimensions are almost the same. Only difference is 2mm at the waist. Wood cores with titanal layers both “fork” shaped. Some tip rocker, a little in the tail. I can’t give the Zealots away...thoughts? Ski them right? Try to find demo Benders? The K2 shop here doesn’t mount longer lengths for demos because they don’t think people should be one longer skis. I usually ask them why the manufacturers make them then.