SV mounting

[BCpowder]

first off thanks to everybody for their inputs on which pow/all mtn ski i should get. ended up going with some 179 seth v's and cant wait till they arrive. they will be mounted with look px12 binders courtesy of el_chup...

i've done a little reading up on mounting point for these bad boys, according to seanvicious, iggyskier and co, +3 seems like the money spot. i'm curious though, being 5'8" 175 lbs and used to skiing 168's i tend to land some of my bigger jumps backseat so would +3 be the right spot for me? granted, landing hucks and getting kicked backseat has a lot to do with poor form but it would be nice to get some help from the skis. by the way i wont be skiing switch very often and am concerned with maneuvering in trees as well as steep pow.

any thoughts?

[seanpistol]

as far as your landing backseat, that's just bad technique and something you need to work on. it's not because of where the ski is mounted, and you'll get it eventually.

+3 is $$$$. i went +4 for everyday, but i think a cm further back would be better.

do it.

[Bandit Man]

At 175 lbs and 5'8", anything in front of mid-sole is gonna be way short. I mounted mine at mid-sole and they felt short there, too. Not sure how others feel, but I thought the old SP was more "jibberific" than the SV.

For the record, I hated my SV, although I think I am in the minority. In hindsight, I wish that I would have bought the 189 and mounted them forward.

[skibackwards]

i would go +3 personally

[BCpowder]

skis arrived yesterday... going for +3 thanks yall

[upallnight]

I mounted mine at +3, and I personally feel that is a bit too far forward and easy to overpower. I love the ski....BUT...if I were doing it again, I'd probably go +1 or +2....they just sometimes feel a bit short in pow. (That said, I use them more for steep lines in chalky snow than jumps in deep pow.)

I took a few laps on a pair mounted at 0 when evaluating the skis and liked them, but I decided on +3 to reduce the swingweight for what I was planning to ski with them and based on the many positive opinions on this board of the +3 position. I'd split the difference if I remount them.

For reference, I'm about your weight and a bit taller.

Another data point: I often forward-mount my skis (I forward mounted my 190 Gotamas), so I don't think this is just an issue that I have with forward-mounting in general -- it's just that a forward-mounted 179 is a bit short (to me). A forward-mounted 189 might not have the same issue.

[BCpowder]

interesting. i will consider going back to +2 or +1

[upallnight]

interesting. i will consider going back to +2 or +1

Remember, it's just one opinion -- and *many* people seem to like the +3.

Again, I do like them at +3 (but not a 179 @ +3 for pow)...I think I'd like them more at +1 or +2 for both pow & all-around.

Let us know what you choose and how you like them. It's a really fun ski and I don't think you'll go wrong with anything in the 0 to +3 range!

[Jim S]

+ 3

[seanpistol]

+ 3

if anybody would know, jim would.

once again, i say +3. even if you never even think of skiing backwards or spinning on these things.

[Jim S]

Thanks.
I don't spin. I don't do parks.

I ski all mt/big mt/whatever you want to call it. I had last years Pistol at 0 and though the tail washed out too much. Seth skis + 5.

I have my 189 and 179 and SV and they are quicker and have better tail performance. I heli skied the 179 at +3 and I'm over 6 feet tall and about 190 lbs. They floated fine.

[BCpowder]

took them to the tech today and going +3. i'm not too worried about tip dive or skiing powder - i'm strong enough to compensate for that. besides, i've been skiing the deep stuff with my first generation scratch FS 168's all this time. i think i can manage. the small amount of lift i get from the px12's might do more harm than good with this forward mount, but it'll probably be negligible. i'll follow up with my thoughts when i get a chance to ride them. now if only this torn knee cartilage would hurry and heal up... whistler is getting some good snow. nothing that a knee brace and some duct tape can't fix though right

[LaramieSkiBum]

i'm 190 and 6', on 189s, so i guess it doesn't apply to you.

When really opening up they dived to easily at +3. Kept me way in the back seat. Just screwing around in the trees and stuff was fine, but opening them up in big wide open spaces - they were way too unstable.

Now i'm at 0 they never dive and i don't ride wheely style at mach speeds. Still super stable in the air and plenty of tail for landing.

Seth may ski +5 but he also doesn't weigh anything. +3 meant tip dive in ultra light utah fluff. Coastal / PNW wind blown or heavier snow than your probably fine, but if your skiing utah, wy, or colorado, 0 is good for opening up in the low density stuff, at my weight.

And detune the SHIT out of them. Don't ski them on the factory tune. When i first bought them, i hit them with a stone on the tips and tails, and it wasn't enough, high speed hookups on groomers and pow made them dangerous.

I took sandpaper to them again and they are just right, no more high speed hookup in the pow, good smearing, and still hold an edge.

[vinnay]

im about 5'11 190 and mounted my 189s at +4 given that they are my everyday ski and i wanted to be able to throw them around. I think it helps make them a little more manageable. ive gotten a bit of tip dive in deep stuff but not bad, and not once you get em up to speed in my opinion. anyway they rip.

[bagtagley]

Are the mount points for SVs and Pistols the same? I seem to remember a post about the guide being off by a few cm on one or both models.

Anyway, my Pistols are mounted at 0, and they've always felt dead-on.

[vinnay]

if your pistols are mounted at zero that means they are really mounted at -2. in other words, yes. so +3 on the scale is really +1, etc.

[Jim S]

Seth may ski +5 but he also doesn't weigh anything.

Good point. He's about 155 lbs or so.

[BCpowder]

finally got up to whistler to let them rip for the first time.
SV 179. mounted +3 with look px12's.
location: peak, harmony, flute
conditions: spring skiing (frozen chunks, ice patches, slush, some hidden fluffy stashes, and sunshine)

these are some beefy boards. they only wanted to charge and destroy, with the exception of wide open groomers where they performed big swooping turns at good speeds. a little harder to maneuvre in-tight, especially around moguls. they liked picking a line and firing straight through instead, while remaining pretty stable. haven't touched the factory wax or edges and found they held edge pretty well and were not overly turney. edges were stable on ice but not at high speeds. in super heavy untouched snow, which broke off in 4" thick shards, they were nearly impossible to turn. it felt like skiing fresh cement, however i felt i was missing something in technique - maybe lowering my centre of gravity and really digging into the snow when trying to turn, lifting my toes in the direction i want to go... but when initiating a normal turn in these, i felt there was huge resistance both from the skis and the snow.

well that's spring skiing for you. i would have had a lot more fun during the 15-foot dump in january, but they're still a rippin ski and i think i'll keep em

[LaramieSkiBum]

seriously detune the shit out of them, 189's are long enough they hold an edge when you need them. But if your out and about with a 98mm waisted ski then your not looking to get much bite anyway. They were tons more fun in powder and crud detuned. Or just let them detune themselves, and purposely do not tune them next winter.

[upallnight]

For what it's worth, I like mine with a 1* side & 1* edge on them...but then I detune them pretty far back from the tip & tail (about 6-8"), which gives enough bite but doesn't make 'em grabby.

BCPowder: Regardless of what you do with the edges, you gotta wax the fackers... there is no "factory wax"....

[BCpowder]

oh my bad, i thought there was a factory wax. no wonder they were so slow. and thanks laramie i may let them detune themselves... but if i found them hard to turn in heavy snow, wouldn't a dull edge make it worse?

[upallnight]

A proper wax will actually make a ski easier to turn, so that could help.

Not sure why one would want completely detuned edges. I think LSB was saying this for powder or other situations where you don't really need to set an edge (i.e., the sidecut and character of the flex will do the work) -- but having the tuned edges should not get in the way.

I recommend a good edge under foot, detuned tips & tails. Handles the hairy stuff and still is great in the pow.

And defnintely put down several coats of wax on the new boards. Bases on new boards are usually very thirsty, so they will absorb quite a bit of wax -- but you have to do this over time / over several sessions. I generally wax a new set of boards before each of the first 4 or 5 times I take them out. That will lay a solid foundation for later. I then wax once every 3-5 days, depening on conditions.

[BCpowder]

will do... cheers