Spatula stability

Any long-time Spatulators care to enlighten me --

Took the Spatulas out again this morning -- conditions were 10-20" of windbuff, cream, soft 4-6" windslab in places, and open pow.

I am still amazed at how maneuverable these skis are in the trees and other tight spots, but they've never really clicked for me for higher speeds, big arcing turns, etc. They just feel kinda unstable at speed, like they're really really short.

Any suggestions? Do I just not have enough time on them? (maybe 8-10 days so far) Or is it just part of the Spatula "feel" that I have to get used to?

I felt the same way about them...

They are super super fun in corn and trees.

In the open....I vastly prefer my FFFs.

Spats just seem really short, I think the FFFs float better and are more comfortable at speed.

I ended up getting rid of them because, while they are really fun, I would rather have something more substantial.

suggestion....keep them for days when you think you'll be in the trees alot.

Get something like a FFF, EPH, capital trasher for days were you want something that can handle going really really fast.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iggyskier

suggestion....keep them for days when you think you'll be in the trees alot.

Get something like a FFF, EPH, capital trasher for days were you want something that can handle going really really fast.

---

The AK Rocket swallowtails I just picked up seem to fit the bill for going really fast in soft snow, and feeling stable. Those are probably why I felt like the Spatulas felt unstable today -- my last 2 days skiing before today were on the AKs.

Though I am still tempted by those ANTs. Dammit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Though I am still tempted by those ANTs. Dammit.

---

Get them. Everybody who has them loves them.

Super super stable.

You know you want them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iggyskier

Get them. Everybody who has them loves them.

Super super stable.

You know you want them.

---

iggyskier = crack dealer in previous life...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

iggyskier = crack dealer in previous life...

---

:D :D :D

So.....Bought them yet?! ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iggyskier

:D :D :D

So.....Bought them yet?! ;)

---

iggyskier = pusher...

Worth it? Really? Different enough from stiff Bros & Explosivs?

Have you skied Big Daddies? Similar? (I had BDs briefly - didn't like them - dead feeling, unresponsive, not at all snappy or fun. I think Explosivs are snappy & fun, despite their weight.)

haha I don't know.

I haven't skied either the Ants, Bros, or Bds.

I've skied explosivs and like them....

So....would they be that different from the exp or bros? Maybe not.

Worth it? Why not :D

Talk to Vicious. He swears by them now. He'll probably tell you what I did...

Buy them.

I'm gonna go against the grain here. I actually think the Spatulas rule at speed. It's one of the best straighline mach schnell skis I've been on.

Back to the Spats:
As we lack true BM terrain, can't say that I've really gotten them above ~50 but haven't really noticed the stability problem. Theyre really good at DROPPING speed, so point 'em into your favorite tight line. Oh yeah, when you hit the hardpack, just get on the back of your uphill ski (pressure the heel) and you'll be able to carve those badboys!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arty50

I'm gonna go against the grain here. I actually think the Spatulas rule at speed. It's one of the best straighline mach schnell skis I've been on.

---

I'm with Arty, here. I find them to be super-stable even at full-throttle. I think what adds to my impression of their stability is that I know I can stop on a dime with them in any condition...whereas some of my big skis w/ traditional or no sidecut often need a little more time & room to slow down.

play with the amount of pivot, the amount of insde lean. sometimes they just turn too fast = feels unstable?

I can't remember, mine have been out of the closet twice with almost 40 days in UT behind me this year. Stupid over-predicted storms.

But I seem to recall they went as fast as I wanted to go.

40 days in Utah and you didn't visit the Newfoundland Evaporation Basin once?

For shame.

As I remarked previously, for some odd reason I thought it was in Newfoundland. Silly me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iggyskier

Get them. Everybody who has them loves them.

Super super stable.

You know you want them.

---

I can't even ski, live in tree-and-molehill infested massachusetts and I want them.

Stupid nonsensical gear lust.

I prefer the swallowtail in resort when I am traversing alot but I find as long as you stay weight forward the spats will arc big wide turns in pow, you are just feeling the amazing stability of the salomons

It just takes time to really figure out the spats...

I took me at least 70-80 days on them to truly learn how to carve them...

They fucking ROCK at speen IMO
take for instance an inbounds day, its 4pm and I want to get to the truck and drink a beer...

you can seriously just point them through potatoes and chopped bumps...get em up to 40 or 50mph and they just smash through anything in their way...

El Chup, I agree with your initial comments about not feeling as stable on the Spats. Not that they are an unstable ski, but I just feel more stable on other sticks. Hands down the best tree ski I've ever been on, but once again, when it opens up, I'd prefer to be on something longer and straight.

blah blah blah

Enough with the comparisons...just get some ANTs. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vicious

just get some ANTs. ;)

---

trigger pulled :tdo13:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by marshalolson

trigger pulled :tdo13:

---

YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by marshalolson

trigger pulled :tdo13:

---

Holy shit dude. I wish I had your brain. I have no clue how you do it.

Actually, maybe you just have too many bindings lying around that need a home.

PS. You DO know there is a huge twin on these right?:fm:

The spats arent for everyone, they take major adjusting and some people are unwilling to put in the time to adjust to the skis dynamics instead of feeling like the ski should instantly make them better and more confident (which it will if you spend some time on the ski) Personally i think that the ski is so radically different that every serious skier should really try them just for the experience. I think theyre really really cool and SOO damn fun in pow.

They kill in deep pow, mank, and especially snow with a suncrust or ice layer on top they are SOOO far superior to anything else out there. No comparison. No tips to hook and throw you you just sail over the crap and ski it as if its fresh pow. And in the DEEP they are faster than anything else too cause youre a floating madman. In marginal conditions they can break loose and I can see someone wanting traditional long fats, but as long as there is a few inches to manuever in they slay it.

BEST TREE SKI THAT EXISTS. This is the real reason to have this ski. I love skiing trees, but my speed and confidence doubles annually thanks to spats. :fm: :fm: :fm:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MOHSHSIHd

It just takes time to really figure out the spats...

I took me at least 70-80 days on them to truly learn how to carve them...

They fucking ROCK at speen IMO
take for instance an inbounds day, its 4pm and I want to get to the truck and drink a beer...

you can seriously just point them through potatoes and chopped bumps...get em up to 40 or 50mph and they just smash through anything in their way...

---

70-80 days? It is IMPOSSIBLE to carve the Spatulas. You can edge them but not carve.

I took me about 1 turn to realize the spats kick ass at high speeds, and that's how they've felt to me since. Maybe the transition time depends on how you ski them or maybe it depends on what level your basic technique is at, I don't know. I know my basic skills are kind of shitty and maybe that's why I liked them right away, but I do know I've skied lines a lot faster on the spats than on any other ski.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

70-80 days? It is IMPOSSIBLE to carve the Spatulas. You can edge them but not carve.

---

70-80 days seems pretty extreme.... maybe a day or 2?

i wouldn't say the spats "carve", but i would say on hardpack it's possible to work the tails (from the heel of the boot to the back of the tail) so that you sort of get the end of a carve. works pretty well, but you can't pressure your tips at all on that stuff.

i would think that if most people heard it would take 70-80 days to get comfortable with a ski, they'd completely avoid it. that's 5-10 years for many people. most wouldn't wait 80 days for greatness..they'd just stick with what they are using and get decent results in the meantime.

i felt a little awkward on 'em the first day, with great moments sprinkled in...but they started to really shine after day 2 & beyond.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Z

PS. You DO know there is a huge twin on these right?:fm:

---

Yeah marshal - what happened to that "all twin tip skis suck" stuff? ;)

Incidentally, I just grabbed the last pair of ANTs from backcountry.com. :yourock:

Enjoying this thread as I just grabbed my buddies Spats for the weekend.

Truth be told, they are for Britney to try out this weekend. I have 130 tip skis in my quiver, but she has never been on anything larger than Explosives. I am excited to see how they treat her.....hope day 1 isnt too weird.

Hey, Huckwheat...You've probably already seen this (it's from McConkey's 'Mental Floss'), but I thought I'd post it here just in case. Good info for your girl.

The first part (skiing on both feet) shouldn't be much of a stretch as most skiing on fat skis in pow these days is done with 50-50 weighting...hell, even WC racers are carving with the downhill inside edge/big toe & uphill outside edge (little toe). When the Spats came out, that was a bit more of a foreign concept.

=========================================

Ski on both feet!

Put your weight a bit more on two feet throughout the turn instead of mostly on your downhill ski. This will help you stay afloat and facilitate sliding when you need to. You will also be able to load up your downhill ski as you normally would in most soft snow situations but knowing how and when to use both feet will greatly increase your abilities with the Spatulas. Sun crust and wind affect are prime examples of when to use both feet. In these conditions the Spatulas will blow your mind. Normally these conditions would require you to slow way down and be very careful not to hook a tip. Not anymore. Ski on two feet and let ‘er rip!


Slide instead of carve!

Yes, believe it or not this is something that you should be trying to do in the powder. Sliding will be the most difficult of Spatula techniques to learn but you should be able to get the idea in time. Even if you never attempt to learn slides you will still be able to blow doors on everyone else without Spatulas. Who knows, you might just naturally start doing them anyway. The more dense and compacted the snow is the easier it will be to perform slides. Sliding will greatly improve your maneuverability and control. Begin your powder turn and then instead of hitting your edges hard to carve a turn, stand up on two feet and let your skis slide or skid diagonally across the fall line. It will be harder to perform a slide directly down the fall line. Start off doing them diagonally.
=========================================

1st time on them I thopught I'd warm up. After 2 turns I thought "I'll drop that 15 footer over there" the rest has been nothing but skigasm. These skis rock!!! and yes, if you can get enough of the edge into thesnow and flex the ski, they will carve.

Spatulas good:
Dropping speed
Dropping huge air (just stomp it don't worry about slapping / checking)
Fast arcing turns.

Spatulas bad:
Icy runs
Rock hard bumps
Why do you want to ski that?

Can't wait to try the Pontoons.
Oh yeah, I found their bases a little too soft to ski rocks.

this thread might benefit by including mounting location data. or has every spat user here, with favorable or unfavorable results at speed in open terrain, been using identical midsole mounting locations?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Yeah marshal - what happened to that "all twin tip skis suck" stuff? ;)

Incidentally, I just grabbed the last pair of ANTs from backcountry.com. :yourock:

---

everyone kept telling me it was because the twins i hated were all too soft, and the ants are about as stiff as twins get... so i'll give them a try. if no love, then i'll sell them and get something else.

oh, and i guess i'll bump that thread again :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bucky Mullet

Oh yeah, I found their bases a little too soft to ski rocks.

---

Weird, everyone I know who has Spatulas says the opposite. I've hit some really mean rocks with them and I have yet to get a core shot. Which is amazing considering how thin the base seems.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frorider

this thread might benefit by including mounting location data. or has every spat user here, with favorable or unfavorable results at speed in open terrain, been using identical midsole mounting locations?

---

Mine are mounted at the midsole mark on the red plastic riser doohickey attached by Volant.

I have two powder days experience with Spats in a foot-and-a-half of Big Sky powder. They were fun, but no more fun than my Sugars, which I traded back and forth to compare.
Trying to ski those things on roads and hard packed runouts was such a downside to those suckers that I was relieved to finally have my NoKaOi's and Sugars back. Incredibly unstable at speed on groomers and packed/rutted traverses. I don't ever need to try them again.






______________________________
"Oozing with sincerity."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Mine are mounted at the midsole mark on the red plastic riser doohickey attached by Volant.

---

I found that my red plastic thing isnt line up on the ski, so I wouldnt mount by just using that for a guide....

i dont remember exactly, but they were off laterally 1-2mm..

If you don't like the feel of spats in powder, there's something you're not doing right.