Spatula Spats

[Jim S]

I did a search and while there are comments here and there, I was hoping the experienced Spatula riders could post their commments on the ski and maybe create a definitive--or controversial--spatula thread.

• pros/cons?
• likes/dislikes?
• awesome/over-rated?
• other comments

Maybe I missed a thread and will get jonged to death with sweet adorable commments but wtf,

And perhaps I should have put this in the Tech section but I thought this part gets more viewers after seeing the darn Tahoe Xmas thread go on forever.

[bad_roo]

Oh, you want experienced Spatula riders?

[Vicious]

I've only been on mine a few times, but I'll give my .02 anyway:

Pros:

- great float
- quite stable
- versatility in turning (this is one of their best characteristics) the sidecut allows long radius turns in the open, but also allows quick turns in tight trees
- non-hooking tails...the sidecut also allows the tails to be 'slashed' around with no hooking, which I find to be a major plus...it's fun
- construction (thus far) appears to me to be quite sturdy

Cons:

- versatility in general; these aren't made for anything but soft snow, but let's face it, anyone buying these will ovbiously have a quiver, so this really isn't an issue
- weight; some don't like the weight, but with the mount point where it is, I don't find it to be burdensome

I'll edit in more as I see fit.

Jim - I was SUPER stoked on 189 Made'ns/Kahunas since their inception. Upon getting Spats, they fulfill any con I ever found with the Made'n (i.e. not as quick to turn, too soft, etc.)

If you want to give my pair a test drive when you're in CO, just let me know.

[Jim S]

So you prefer the Spatula to the Maden? Neat.

Thanks for the CO offer too.

[marshalolson]

• pros- kill windbuff & soft slab, rip in tight trees, sliding down a run at 40mph sideways is fun
• cons- i never felt *right* on them, i like to stand on an edge, they just weren't for me
• awesome/over-rated- both... they were super fun, but i got bored and sold them (to blurred)
• other comments- i didn't like the forward/center mount for landing hucks, i'd rather be on something with the same surface area, but with reg. sidecut; many have had durability issues; the reverse camber sucks to hike with

[Arty50]

Just to add to what's been said:

It's the best crud ski ever made. When everyone else is bitching about things being skied out, you'll still be killing it. This is mostly due to the reverse sidecut. It knifes through crud instead of hooking up on it. It's also my one big question mark with the Pontoons.

As already mentioned, they're heavy. However you never feel it when you're on the ground. In fact, the swing weight is probably the lowest of any ski out there. All the weight is underfoot. You will feel it hucking; it won't matter much though cause you'll stomp everything.

The bases are bombproof like other Volants of it's era. Despite being a very thin ski, they take a lot of abuse.

My one gripe is that they make you lazy since they're so easy to ski. If you ski them too much, they can make you sloppy on normal skis.

[runethechamp]

I just know that yesterday, with variable conditions from pow to windbuff and chalk, I might have struggled on a normal fat ski with tip/tail hook etc, but the spats just killed it. I was a little bit nervous on my first track run down left of Soulsearcher since I didn't know hat the snow was like in the runout, but after I hit a little bit of ice at the top where I skied in and had to point them, the rest of the run was easy through the windbuff in the runout.

[Crinkle]

Pros: chop killer. with the reverse camber you don't get any tip dive in other people's trenches when going through tracked territory. Normally when aggressively skiing this you might not be able to stay as far foward as you like on "normal" skis, but the spats seem to float right through it. Even when you are skiing tracked up pow, it has no issues and just floats through the snow. It is soo good in verisatile conditions. Easy tree skiing, so easy to turn.

cons: unless its super light blower, you don't get deep in the snow, getting chest/face shots as you might on a ski with less float and normal camber. and as others say its sketch at best on groomers, which is annoying on any traverse, it hurts your legs and you can't relax like you can on normal skis.

but my favorite ski by far.

[Wolfman]

Spatulas,
I have been love’n this ski for the past 3 winters…
The only real cons I have found…
1. Weight (that is really only a factor when you are hiking)
2. Skins suck on them
3. Tip will dive(adv Pontoon)
4. Not as stable as I want at high speed

Pros
1. Fit perfect on the sides of a rev
2. Too many other Pros to list.

[truth]

Pros: I have an unmounted set in the wrappers right next to me.

Cons: I can't ski until August in Chile.

[iceman]

I love them, there are no cons for me. Of course I haven't broken mine yet either, as Roo did right out of the gate.

As far as the "groomer issue", like Shane said somewhere, it's like taking GS race skis into 2 feet of pow - it can be done, but it's not what they were made for. They are perfectly manageable on groomers but not a lot of fun on them. So what?

And as to skiing style, you need two styles, period. It's a different skill set. Once you've gone back and forth from spats to skis with sidecut a few times it becomes second nature.

[freshies]

cons: and as others say its sketch at best on groomers, which is annoying on any traverse, it hurts your legs and you can't relax like you can on normal skis.

glad its not just me that had this issue, my legs were cooked after the first day on my Spats this week due to the groomer run outs back to Summit...was really nervous this week as i kept envisioning doing a snowboard like face plant on the groomers w/these....man they are squirelly.

they are also a bitch to do long traverses and hikes with, as I also found out this week. did my usual Alpine traverising/hiking and they were heavy and scary on icy traverses....anyway, i know thay aren't designed for any of the above, so i am not really bitching, just pointing out (for most, the obvious)what i noticed on them my first week.

on the flip slide, they just slay the wind buff, pow and chop like nothing i have ever been on. amazing.

[Big E]

Cons:

Mine have yet to see new snow. Hoping to change that within the next 2-3 weeks.

Interestingly, on my one and only day on them at Stowe, when even the trees had pretty hard snow, they were not nearly as bad on the groomers as I was anticipating. Just don't try and carve them.

[Mit]

Cons: They tend to break when applied to a Brownmonkey's face.

[Wolfman]

I think they are money on traverses.

[iceman]

Even Mildbill likes them.

And he doesn't like anything.

[Yossarian]

whereas in contrast, I think I sort of don't like them, just like Marshall, and I pretty much like everything.

I mean, I like them, they were fun...
But maybe just not for me.

True, a better chop/crud/second half of day ski has not existed, but...
I'd rather ski fresh anyway?

I dunno, I get it, they crush the competition in many conditions...
But I'm just not sure they're for me. I like carving, there, I said it!

[El Chupacabra]

whereas in contrast, I think I sort of don't like them, just like Marshall, and I pretty much like everything.

So why don't you like Marshall?

[mildbill.]

Even Mildbill likes them.

And he doesn't like anything.

damn you ice. allow me to qualify the first part of the above statement.

Pros-
-They reduce the 'this snow is crap and it makes my feet hurt' factor

Cons-
-cool guys that g-force freestyle in the moguls or tele on wanky little tuas with big backpacks inbounds will try and engage you in conversation, and passive/agressively try to let you know they don't think spats are cool, forcing you to be extra unfriendly

Neutrals-
YES THEY SKI FUCKING FINE ON GROOMERS!

for the record i only ski them on the east coast. given space/lack of thickets i strongly prefer regular skis.

[El Chupacabra]

I have all of 3 days on Spatulas so far.

Day 1: amazingly fun. One of those "this is the best ski ever" moments. Conditions were 1" breakable crust, quickly covered by fresh pow falling all afternoon.

Day 2: hard work, didn't want to go where I wanted them to do. Conditions were excellent super-deep powder, but next-to-zero visibility. ***However***: turns out I popped both top buckles off my boots while skiing that day. This could have had something to do with my crappy skiing that day.

Day 3: 3" of breakable windcrust/ slab. Really difficult conditions (for me) to ski; kept picturing a bad fall and another ligament tear ending my season. So I never really pushed myself this day.

I need more time on these skis to really get used to them. I think Arty posted about needing 5-6 days before everything clicked. I'm going to bring them with this weekend, for what should be soft cut-up crud conditions.

[runethechamp]

My first day on Spats: WHOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Good powder day at Kirkwood, no difficult conditions, realized I could just let them run. The fact that I loved them from the first turn might be due to the fact that it was on a first tracks run where I always pick a fast, open line.

Yesterday I had a couple of moments where I was wondering why I felt like I was struggeling, but then I realized I just needed to give them a little bit more speed and open up a little bit more. And you can pretty much always do that on Spats.

[vtdownhiller]

Only skied mine in Alaska
Love the way you can stay forward on steep terrain with almost no fore/aft thigh burn and windcrust on the runouts save your legs for another run....also the ability to scrub your speed by throwing em sideways and buttering up is amazing

[iceman]

Cons-
-cool guys that g-force freestyle in the moguls or tele on wanky little tuas with big backpacks inbounds will try and engage you in conversation, and passive/agressively try to let you know they don't think spats are cool, forcing you to be extra unfriendly

heh, classic.

[Crinkle]

But I'm just not sure they're for me. I like carving, there, I said it!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Evil E]

come on people.... the spat is arguably the best powder, junk, crud and manky snow ski that exists. If you want to carve or ski groomers go ahead and pull something with some shape from the quiver. If its deep or funky the spat is the call. If you dont get this yet, then it might not be for you, or you havent figured out the skis abilities. I really think that anyone on this board that regularly skis pow owes it to themselves to ski them for a week and make their own decision. I for one cannot wait for the pontoon's arrival, but Im still not sure how the teardrop sidecut is going to work better than the reverse sidecut.

skiing trees on spats is ridiculous fun.

yes they suck on hardpack, but thats not what they are intended for at all. Hasnt this topic been beaten to death yet?

Peace out - kip