Blizzard Bodacious 196 Review

[kicool]

Alright. This ski rocks. I liked it at rec but didn't love it. Moved the mount point to +2 on the 196 blackout ski (2017 I believe) and WAM this thing is my favorite ski. Such good support and control for a big guy that charges. 6ft 220 with gear. Having a ski that fucks shit up is insane. Skied my 194 animas and 192 rustlers in between bodacious days and I dont think I can ever go back to a playful ski, takes away from my style. Thinking of going even more forward on my next set of 196's anyone have any experience with that?

[gregorys]

Funny you should resurrect this thread now.

I decided to take a flyer and see about a 196 Bodacious, after loving the Cochise in 192.
But I'm no big guy, at 5'7" and <150.

But, my oh my.
The 186's are just fine. But sometimes a 196 is just the ticket.

Yesterday, we had 4-5" of dust on crust. Don't know why the Bodes were the right ticket, but were they ever.
Me and a buddy shared/traded off two pairs of Bodes - one in 186 and the 196's.
The 186's felt so nice, but then dropping on the 196's was unbelievable.

The 186 is so stable. But the 196 is just unreal.
If you can stand on the things and not chicken out (or die), they'll plow it down.
I'm not a "smash it flat with the largest hammer possible" kind of guy in most of my life.
But skiing? Those things make total sense to me!

Perhaps I'll try it forward a bit too - though I love mine just as they are.

Now I just need a second pair so I don't have to share.

[altacoup]

Alright. This ski rocks. I liked it at rec but didn't love it. Moved the mount point to +2 on the 196 blackout ski (2017 I believe) and WAM this thing is my favorite ski. Such good support and control for a big guy that charges. 6ft 220 with gear. Having a ski that fucks shit up is insane. Skied my 194 animas and 192 rustlers in between bodacious days and I dont think I can ever go back to a playful ski, takes away from my style. Thinking of going even more forward on my next set of 196's anyone have any experience with that?

This was also my experience. Boring ski at recommended mount. Awesome ski when mounted forward.

[kicool]

This was also my experience. Boring ski at recommended mount. Awesome ski when mounted forward.

Couldn't agree more. Have a brand new pair of 196s mounted with pivots at +3.5 from rec. Will get back with results soon. Skiing WB the next week.

[sf]

Does the mount forward recco apply to 186s as well?
I'm relatively tall vs heavy (as in, som \e might say I should be on 196s), so that leads me to stay on reccomended on the 186s.

[mr_pretzel]

Does the mount forward recco apply to 186s as well?
I'm relatively tall vs heavy (as in, som \e might say I should be on 196s), so that leads me to stay on reccomended on the 186s.

I did not get along with the 186 mounted +2 if I remember right. I could see it working great on the 196, the tip weighs a lot, so a little less torque is a good thing on the big boy.

[sf]

I did not get along with the 186 mounted +2 if I remember right. I could see it working great on the 196, the tip weighs a lot, so a little less torque is a good thing on the big boy.

Thanks.
Check the numbers now. Seems to be -12 on the 186, which isn't that extreme.

The "spurred" Bodacious is -15(?) though. Seems a lot, even with the more tapered tips

[kicool]

Skied the 196 at +3.5 for a about 7 days of skiing. Took it through a bit of everything. Still skied well, but missed being able to really get over the tips, especially in chop and variable. Could feel the longer tail on groomers and hard snow, I dont like that. In pow +3.5 skied well. All in all, moved back to +2. Such a great ski.

[SoVT Joey]

+2 would be the proper location, correct? On the 196?

[gregorys]

Funny this should come up now...
I did back-to-back runs at the line and +1 and while I generally like it on the line just fine, it was better in the upside-down windcrust we started with on Sunday. And it just generally felt better. I've done this comparison a couple of times before this week.

I think I'd generally prefer +1 vs the line.
But I also haven't gone further forward.

So, if I were picking, I don't think I'd go less than +1 anyway...

[gregorys]

+2 would be the proper location, correct? On the 196?

Nice score, BTW!

[sf]

Funny this should come up now...
I did back-to-back runs at the line and +1 and while I generally like it on the line just fine, it was better in the upside-down windcrust we started with on Sunday. And it just generally felt better. I've done this comparison a couple of times before this week.

I think I'd generally prefer +1 vs the line.
But I also haven't gone further forward.

So, if I were picking, I don't think I'd go less than +1 anyway...

186s or 196s? And your size?

[gregorys]

196's
5'7" 135-140#

[oftpiste]

196's
5'7" 135-140#

[sf]

196's
5'7" 135-140#

I’m humbled

Reminds me of some canadian guy I saw in a ski movie back in the days. Tiny guy riding a pair of 196 Lhasas of cliffs

[gregorys]

^^ Yeah, I dunno, I feel a little funny skiing them, yet I just like 'em.

It took a few days before I was pretty comfortable with them most anywhere, after moving up from the 186's - because, yeah, they're a freight train [on meth], especially with little ol' me driving them.

They're kind of a handful in the trees tho. There was a day earlier this year that several people said was awesome in Jacks Woods at MHM. I made a lap, but decided I'd ski elsewhere, or trade out skis. A guy died there a few years ago, on a day I was making solo trips in there too, hitting a tree. I would prefer to avoid that fate. Even on a good day, the 196's aren't optimal for me there. When it's got luge track in the choke points - well, it's time to go do something else.

[SoVT Joey]

Went +2. Looked right.




Charge on!

[gregorys]

L-to-R
Hammer, smaller hammer, sledgehammer.

[gregorys]

BTW, tried them Wed at +1.5.
Still pretty good.
(I don't think I can go any more forward - I'm maxed out on the demo binding travel.)

A dozen fairly serious runs, so not a lot of data - not that it matters, now that you've got them mounted.

[Velomayniac]

I’m a big guy and I love the 186s for resort pow days and the day after when it gets all choppy and bumped out. They can snake through the tighter stuff easily, great in trees. The shorter length is still pretty darn stable and I get no wheelie or over-the-bars feeling.

need to mount up my 196s for open terrain.

[sf]

^^ Yeah, I dunno, I feel a little funny skiing them, yet I just like 'em.

It took a few days before I was pretty comfortable with them most anywhere, after moving up from the 186's - because, yeah, they're a freight train [on meth], especially with little ol' me driving them.

They're kind of a handful in the trees tho. There was a day earlier this year that several people said was awesome in Jacks Woods at MHM. I made a lap, but decided I'd ski elsewhere, or trade out skis. A guy died there a few years ago, on a day I was making solo trips in there too, hitting a tree. I would prefer to avoid that fate. Even on a good day, the 196's aren't optimal for me there. When it's got luge track in the choke points - well, it's time to go do something else.

Never saw your answer. Were you on the line on the 186s?

[SnakeMagnet]

Huh, reminds me i should take the 186's to Castle tomorrow, seems like a perfect day for them.

I had to put them at +1 due to mount conflict and reused the heel holes from its previous owner's griffons. I didn't feel like there was too much tail or that they were lacking in stability up front; they tracked more straight and overall handled the unreliably punchy wind crust better than anything else I brought that day. Just wore the shit out of the legs due to weight.

Their ability to not give a fuck almost scares me frankly. I was forced to muscle through some stiff bumps when some tourist made a hard left into my fall line and had a lot of speed going onto the north bowl cat track with a steep lip I didn't see coming. Instant backseat launch with several seconds of airtime into cut-up piste and still landed like a feather; pulled up and kept going to the base without a flinch or a speed check. Unbelievable.

[Velomayniac]

Bobos in Reno has a leftover new pair in 176cm from 2013, they said they'd let go for $199.

[Percy Rideout]

Checkin in on preferred mount point for the 196cm black Arne edition. Scored a pair from Marshal. Thanks marshal!

The ski i'm getting has one mount on the line. I'm thinking +1 based on the advice in this thread. All blizzard skis i have mounted on the line before with great success, so I'm reaching out before putting more holes into these unobtaniums.

6'2" 180lbs.

Mount on the line or forward?

[gregorys]

I've played with it a bit, A/B'ing back-to-back.
I've got demo's on mine and all the way forward, at +1.5, is still good. I expect I could go further if I wanted and be totally happy. [Can't try more because my tiny feet only allow me to get to +1.5!]

+1 seems very safe.
+2 doesn't seem unreasonable at all, given most of what I've read here - though I can't recall where.