Originally Posted by
jvskinn
Ugly,
This may be beat to death by now, but my daily driver is the old Jeffrey (110mm waist, similar to the Kartel) and I got to Demo the Wren 98's. Like you, I don't ski park. First off, you're right to consider the Kartel, they're awesome skis and can be a ton of fun. However, your concerns about the Wren 98's aren't really too big of a deal. I skied the Wrens in semi-soft big bumps and trees at one of the Loveland Demo's last year, and I was expecting a big mountain ski that wanted to go fast and straight. I was pleasantly surprised to find they handled bumps well and could be shut down super fast. They're a versatile ski, and I think they'd be perfect for what you're describing.
However, if you just want to try the Kartels, you may like them too. They're no slouch when you want to go fast and do not feel like a soft park ski. I think they tend to be underrated a bit on TGR because everyone here is a super hard charging big guy, but in the 186 I think you'd find they'll keep up with you pretty much anywhere you want to go.
Good luck, and have fun