anyone skiied lp's AND squads?

[grapedrink]

i've got a pair of 186 lps that i love but i cracked some old b4's a while ago and sent them in for warranty and got a pair of 189 squads back from rossi last week (nice guys eh?). i'll probably just end up selling them because at 150 pounds i don't think i need more ski.. but i'm curious, if any of you guys have skiied both, did they ski fairly differently? which did you prefer? thanks

[MTT]

i've got a pair of 186 lps that i love but i cracked some old b4's a while ago and sent them in for warranty and got a pair of 189 squads back from rossi last week (nice guys eh?). i'll probably just end up selling them because at 150 pounds i don't think i need more ski.. but i'm curious, if any of you guys have skiied both, did they ski fairly differently? which did you prefer? thanks

Tough problem to have dude. If you don't need the Money keep the squads, sounds like the BIG LINE pow ski you always dreamed of having. They have more suface area than the LP's but ski very similar.

[hop]

some friends on patrol at Baker tele on both, and the squad gets the nod as better floating and better charging and bigger and better and blah blah blah...

[bossass]

Squads kill it. That is all.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Unfortunately, there is no search function on this forum. If there were, you could search and see if the Squad stiffness has been discussed at great length. It's too bad, really; having such a function would make this board a great resource for technical information.

Oh, well.

[grapedrink]

ehh i don't really need the money but i'm sure i could find a use for it, thanks for the replies, i'll keep em for now, hopefully i'll be able to demo a pair early in the season.

[seldon]

i demoed the squads, ski 86 lps everyday. squads are loads more ski - much harder on the leg muscles and require heaps more input and chutzpah to not get in the backseat. i think the lps are manageable everyday skis, and the squads are most definitely not.

[kidwoo]

Squads scare me.

I actually just experienced shrinkage thinking about them again.

[upallnight]

For whatever it's worth...

A close friend of mine -- moderate size guy, usually skiing w/ 40-pound pack -- got some of the 19x Squads last January. The guy's no slouch -- 150+ days/year, many *thousands* of lines up in AK...

He felt he had to *break* them before they felt manageable. We put them between 2 sawhorses and a 225+ pound friend jumped on them repeatedly until they softened up.

Obviously, this is no comparison w/ LPs, and word is that the shorter lengths of Squads are less stiff...but this is one guy with no ego and no problem noting that the Squads are more ski than most mortals *realistically* need.

[jd83]

Can anyone compare the 189 to the 184 squad. I was lucky enough to demo the 189 squads in Whistler last season and was laughing and giggling the entire time, however i don't think that I would want to use them if it wasn't a big day with good visibility. Thus probably couldn't justify owning them for those rare days in a season even though i get 150+ days in a year. I would be interested to hear how the 184 ski because I have a feeling from flexing them that they would be much more manageable on a less than perfect day but could still step it up and rip when the conditions and visibility allow inbounds.

[grapedrink]

geez i really have to try these skis now, see what all the fuss is about to whomever was asking about the 184's, i had a pair for a day this winter, i don't remember too much about them, they were fun.. good everyday ski but i'd get 186 lp's instead (and did).

[forest]

I demoed the 184s then bought the 189s. My take on them would be 184s fun, pretty easy to ski, not really that stiff. 189s, holy f@#$k. If you've got room to let them go, best ski I've ever been on. If you get tired or lazy, ur done.

[kidwoo]

He felt he had to *break* them before they felt manageable. We put them between 2 sawhorses and a 225+ pound friend jumped on them repeatedly until they softened up.

Funny........the guy I talked to with them said he did the same thing after trying to ski them once. He put a few hundred pounds of cinderblocks on them for a few days, rotating sides. Said it helped.

[Particle]

Funny........the guy I talked to with them said he did the same thing after trying to ski them once. He put a few hundred pounds of cinderblocks on them for a few days, rotating sides. Said it helped.

That is just so wrong. Poor skis. Now granted the 189s are stiff but as long as you're not bumpskierx noodling zipper lines, who cares? They are the perfect Bird/JH/Squaw/Mammoth/Whistler ski for at least 50% of the days at those mtns IMO.

[upallnight]

That is just so wrong. Poor skis. Now granted the 189s are stiff but as long as you're not bumpskierx noodling zipper lines, who cares? They are the perfect Bird/JH/Squaw/Mammoth/Whistler ski for at least 50% of the days at those mtns IMO.

The guy I described above is a loooooongtime JH skier and 12+ year AK vet (>3 mo/year)....and he did a similar thing for his 19x Squads when they arrived. He's a strong skier with a big pack...and found them unsuitable until the flex broke down (manually).

...For whatever that is worth...

Seems like the 19x is way more ski than most mortals want...maybe the 189 is less stiff.

All straightlines? Maybe....but straightlining takes much less skill in most situations...

[WWCD]

UAN,
Why do you keep using 19x?
Does you buddy have super secret squads or you don't know the length?

My experience with Squads, is 3 days of spring skiing in Utah.
Gotta agree with LB, they are great for bigger mountains, and coming from Pistols, I was amazed at the amount of speed you can carry through everything.
Far as flex goes, they are stiff, but I'm no lightweight, so it wasn't a problem.

Grape, mount'em and try them out. You may just love them.

[upallnight]

UAN,
Why do you keep using 19x?
Does you buddy have super secret squads or you don't know the length?

I just didn't know if they were 191s or 193s (or something else, altogether), so I said 19x...but he got them on form in Jan...so they're the same ones released to shops, I believe.

He's about 160-170 + 40-50 pounds of gear.

[kidwoo]

That is just so wrong. Poor skis. Now granted the 189s are stiff but as long as you're not bumpskierx noodling zipper lines, who cares? They are the perfect Bird/JH/Squaw/Mammoth/Whistler ski for at least 50% of the days at those mtns IMO.

These were 190 somethings. They were big. I don't know if they were this year's or next years but they had that green flame graphic similar to the b/bandit skis. Maybe they're stiffer than the 189s?

He handed me a pair of unmounted new ones and I literally could barely get the tails to flex leaning on them. They were rediculous.

I'm sure they'd be fun pointing down some gnarly face at 60 mph because they'd be so damn stable but so would some 12 foot wooden longboards greased with seal blubber. For most of the skiing I do (which involves turning), they didn't seem like something I needed to own. That's just me though. Keep in mind I've only been on skis for 3 or 4 seasons. I'm sure most people who would buy these things can handle much more ski than I could. My 186 lps and gotamas are keeping me happy and are plenty stable enough for what I do. So take that for what it's worth.

[upallnight]

These were 190 somethings. They were big. I don't know if they were this year's or next years but they had that green flame graphic similar to the b/bandit skis. Maybe they're stiffer than the 189s?

Yes, they are definitely stiffer.

And, yes, they are definitely beasts.

I'm sure most people who would buy these things can handle much more ski than I could.

*many* (not all) folks who would buy these would wind up with more ski than they need...they're just not that useful for the mortal...or even for the really strong skier. ya gotta be superhuman to ski 'em well (including turn them) if you're going to realistically use them in the lower 48.

[Ordinary Hero]

Hi,

I know this has been discussed endlessly, but just for the JONG.....

I am a fairly skilled telemarkskier 180 cm. and 78 kilo, (US: 5,84 feet and 171 pounds) .
I am looking for a bigger (charger, wider) powderski. Can someone please describe the differencies flex, weight, edge to edge, suitability for telemark etc. of these two different kind of skis.

I am out of Europe and don't get waistdeep powder and is therefore in doubt about the 2nd. category. I will mostly be using it for liftserved "offpiste":-)


1st. category:

LP in 186

For what I reckon! Ï wanted last years, but these are so ugly that I am considering anything else! Wood core, nice flex good all mountain.

Squad in 184

foam core, are they lighter than LP, how does the alpinplates work with telebindings?

Sugar Daddy in 183

???

My brain says that I should pick one in above category; price, common sence, etc. but my heart says....

XXL in 190ish


Squad Pro in 189

from personal flex (last year) they seems over kill, the stiffest not raceski i have ever flexed ?-) seems like a different ski than 184's since priced 50% above!

Big Daddy in 190

these seems like the biggest skis, but how is the flex compared to XXL?

....since it could be fun to be the "new kid on the block" with the biggest meanest ski!!!

Bro's is out of the question not worth the hassel when getting them to Europe + 25% taxes, and if (I said if) somethings happens so I have to return them for warrenty or the like, I would have to get through the whole tax thing once again.

Thanks,

[Professor]

Without answering all the questions since every one of those skis has been discussed before. I will answer this question.... "how does the alpinplates work with telebindings?" There is no alpine plate. The silver plates are cosmetic. You still drill right into the ski. BTW if anyone wants some 194 Squads, mine are likely to go on the chopping block. No one really needs two pair of these beasts, not even me.....

[pechelman]

to add to whats already been stated
I flexed some 178s and 184s and they really felt good.

The 189 scared me. It seemed like I was trying to flex a 2x4 the hard way. <--not exagerating

[lemon boy]

BTW if anyone wants some 194 Squads, mine are likely to go on the chopping block.

bwwakk bwakkk bwwwaaakk bwak bwak

[Professor]

bwwakk bwakkk bwwwaaakk bwak bwak

What the hell you talking about Willis? I am keeping the BIG pair

[gh444]

40-50lbs of pack??????......I call bullshit unless he is out in the backcountry for multiple days at a time. Even then thats a whole hell of a lot of weight. I went backpacking for 8 days over labor day and neither my pack or my buddies pack crossed the 55lb mark. We saw people out there for as long as we were who were only carrying 35lbs.


-aaron