Review: Praxis Powder 185 in 73" of Pow......

[Raps]

So I know how many of you are jonesin for your Praxis' to come........so I thought I would share my first experience on them so you can jones even more Also Chris Knights solid review on the 195s inspired me to write one on the 185 for the more vertically challenged on this board....

Me: 5'8" and around 155 - very aggressive, fast skier, raced for 10 years - currently riding Gotamas.....mounted these Praxis with 914s at 98cm from the tip (but for a 308mm sole, adjusted to a 314mm sole so they skied a little farther back)

First off - it took me a while to sack up and try a ski with a non-conventional shape since I come from a race background. I grew up with a constant focus on edge pressure and carving etc....so when I quit racing to pursue the big mountain stuff I skied on pow skis that were fat, but with shape so I could crank big gs style turns in the soft stuff. Going into this season I was going to buy some Katanas or something that were a bit wider than my Gotamas, but with a conventional shape. However, when the Praxis deal came along I said wtf lets do it and see what the fuss is about.

My first day on them was last Friday at Loveland when I skied with a bunch of maggots on about a foot of the fresh stuff. Well the first few runs were super awkward, as I expected them to be – right away I tried to roll the edges over and turn them and wooosh they slipped out from under me and I almost beatered. It really took most of the morning to push my racing steeze out the window and ski them like they were supposed to be skied. I gradually caught on, especially in the chopped up stuff where you could charge without much thought. The key was to get the balance right, somewhere almost directly over the middle so you could let them pivot. I left the mountain still unsure on them but knowing that I was starting to get the hang of it …….. I had a feeling the next day was going to be epic…..

At 10:30 that night I packed up and headed to Aspen for the Highlands opener…..i figured 73 inches of snow and 36 or so of those inches in the past 30 hours would be a good testing ground for Day 2. We got on the 15th chair or so and headed straight for steeplechase. It was amazing how deep it was – people were getting stuck all over the place, I mean really stuck, like yelling to people, drowning in snow stuck. People on snowboards and other “fat” skis were getting slowed down by the heaviness and amount of snow but not I. These things (combined with my 155 weight) truly floated over the entire mountain. I finally had gotten my smear turn down with the correct weight distribution after a run or two and after that it was so damn easy. Its like skiing on autopilot. There was no speed limit and the tips are pretty upturned for a ski like this (compared to the ARG etc..) so no matter how deep the snow was, there was no tip dive. The steeper and faster, the better. They make you want to charge harder, just to test their limits. I have never felt so comfortable on anything, it was truly a great feeling. After things got tracked out, they continued to shine. No matter how crusty or thick they weren’t affected. I am used to busting through runouts and chopped up stuff on my gots and am usually very comfortable on them but these things take crud skiing to another level. At the lift lines as I heard people chatter about how deep it was and how hard it was to ski in this stuff, I had to laugh.

So all in all these things are beyond sick. By far the best ski related purchase I have ever made. I know there are a lot of other perspectives out there, especially by people who have skied other reverse camber/reverse sidecut skis – but I thought I would write this up for those who are just making the plunge to the “reverse” world or who are thinking about it. As a racer and someone who loves to arc big turns, I never thought I would admit to loving a smear turn……but I am, these puppies have made a believer out of me.


On a construction related note these things appear to be super tough. I hit a couple rocks and stumps but nadda on the bases.

[GBB]

Nice review man. Was their anytime where you were wishing you had the 195s?

[encore]

Well the first few runs were super awkward, as I expected them to be – right away I tried to roll the edges over and turn them and wooosh they slipped out from under me and I almost beatered.

When you tried to roll them over, I assumed you were on hardpack,correct? You can ski it like a "regular" ski in the deep without smearing or pivoting, which is really nice. Practice with different ways of skiing them and they will become much more enjoyable. Glad you like them.

[Raps]

Nice review man. Was their anytime where you were wishing you had the 195s?

Naw, the 185s seemed spot on for me at my height and weight. They obviously ski shorter because of the the twin and the reverse camber but they still felt plenty long for me.


And Encore, yeah that was on hardpack which is to be expected. When you are in the deep stuff yeah you can pretty much do what ever you want with em and they make it enjoyable

[Bizarro-Squatch]

nice dude. i was definitely jealous that day.

[comish]

Thanks for the review. I'm in much the same boat and sprung for them. Never really interested, but figured for this price I should giver.

Currently doing the binder debate. Freerides or Soli's... I like the flexibility to sidecountry w/ the freerides and figure I don't care about the hardpack performace anyway so the inherent flex in the freeride might not be that big a deal????

Good review.

[GBB]

Comish, I took the LP's out the other day and they absolutely ruled everything. They quickly became my favorite pair skis. /hijack

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Pretty much spot on with my review last year.

Best skis I've ever bought.

[Raps]

Thanks for the review. I'm in much the same boat and sprung for them. Never really interested, but figured for this price I should giver.

Currently doing the binder debate. Freerides or Soli's... I like the flexibility to sidecountry w/ the freerides and figure I don't care about the hardpack performace anyway so the inherent flex in the freeride might not be that big a deal????

Good review.

Thats a tough one - i can say though that the 914s felt super solid on them

[GBB]

Now time for my JONG ass question...

Considering I loved the way my 186 LPs skied and if I was hypothetically considering a Praxis purchase (even though I know that won't happen) I should definitely go for the 195's right?

BTW I'm 6'2" 175. Yea I know I need to drink more beer.

[trouble]

I have 186 LP's that I ski most days, and I went with the 195 praxis. I am very VERY happy with them so far. Ridiculously easy to ski.

[Raps]

GBB - i would say 195s yeah - you are a good half a foot taller and have a few more pds on me so that would be the way to go


Comish - check this thread out - http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59488

Seems like you should prob throw sollies on em?

[comish]

One of the things I'm thinking of is traveling, ala flying somewhere and can only bring 2 pair. An LP for everyday and then a touring pair. If its pow I would like to have the Praxis and therefore that is where the flexibility of having Freerides on there is interesting to me. Considering I'm not going to use this on groomed which is where I think the freeride flex issue becomes an issue then why not?

I did read that thread, thanks. I haven't read any threads of anyone putting Freerides on the Praxis now that everyone has a hard on for the Dukes. Dukes would clearly be the call, but can't be found for a reasonable $$ at this point. Hence my freeride idea given I have a pair sitting here...

[Bertier]

I had them out when the bird opened the mineral side on Thursday. Funky breakable crust in spots - they allowed me to ski faster and in more control than I would have ever on traditional skis. Made questionable snow into a blast. Money well spent.

Also way more manageable on the groomed that I anticipated.

[gimpy]

similar boat as comish w/ the praxis/freeride dilemna. thought about dukes but the $$$ and issues about first year product has me leaning towards some old freerides. don't own alpine boots so its gotta be an at binding so fr's it is. i won't be mounting them till after we get some decent snow round here though. and i did kick down for some 140 mm skins but i figure if it just ain't worth it, they'll still be big enough to trim again to fit my goto 95 mm waist skiis.