AT setup-Mantras, Gotamas, Bros?

[skifree]

So here's my situation. I'm looking for my first mid fat ski in the 180-185 cm range to use as an AT setup. I ski around 40 times a year, mostly at SSV. I'll be using this setup mostly on powder days, as I already have an all mountain ski. My local shop carries freeride plusses so I will probably be mounting it with those.

If it helps any, on top of it being a good touring ski, I want something that will be stable at high speeds and on smaller drops, and still be somewhat manouverable it tighter situations.

Right now I'm leaning towards Mantras, but I've also heard good things about Gotamas and Bros (i'm somewhat unfamliar with this ski, so comments would be appreciated)

Any other suggestions and input are appreciated.

[Hutch]

SSV? Is that somewhere in Canuckistan?

[skifree]

sure is, Sushine village..banff

[ski_faster]

SSV? Is that somewhere in Canuckistan?

Sunshine Village

[Cirquerider]

I have Mantra 184 + Freeride setup and it works very well in a lot of different snow conditions. If I had it to do over again, I would probably get the 179 Bro softs just to save weight. The Mantras are reasonable, but have plenty of metal to push uphill. IMO, the Bros will let you go farther faster and give up nothing downhill. Being a bit wider in the waist and strsighter, they should float better, and have better traction with skins. Skins will fold better too.

[skifree]

C Rider, how do the 2 skis compare in the steep and deep? My only concern about the mantra is that the 94 waist might not be wide enough for me.

[Squatch]

C Rider, how do the 2 skis compare in the steep and deep? My only concern about the mantra is that the 94 waist might not be wide enough for me.

imho, i think the differences in float will be mostly from construction/shape rather than pure waist width. gotamas and 179 bros will have a significantly longer turn radius (32 bros vs. 25ish for mantras, with the goats being similar to the bros). gotamas (i've heard) ski short, bros will definitely be stable at speed, and the mantras might feel like they have a speed limit (i had 05/06s, the tips got floppy at speed). I mounted mine on the line, some mounted 1 cm back--I don't know if will change the tip issues. they're supposed to be slightly stiffer in the tips this year after a bunch of bent tips. I'll know more once I ski the warranty pair that came today .

[Powder Ho]

I have 05/06 Gotama's w/ Freerides as one of my AT setups. They're super stable at speed. I'm not much of a hucker so I can't give you much feedback there, but they are fairly soft in the tip/tail. They're superb in the powder/crud and suprisingly nimble even in tight spots. I usually don't hike more than 1-1.5 hours so I don't mind the girth. I've not skied the other 2 skis, but I have heard good things about both. I don't think you'd go wrong w/ any of these skis.

[pechelman]

another ski to consider is the atomic heli,tele, and sugar daddies

[upallnight]

freerides suck...

like, i know this one dude who has his heels pop open, like, every other run.

[pechelman]

^
hahah wtf?

[upallnight]

^
hahah wtf?

yeah, dude... if you search for "insta-tele" you'll find tons of threads saying how bad these bindings are and how you can't ever trust them on anything. how did they ever survive 10+ years in the market place?

i think all those great skiers that use them/sponsored athletes are really skiing on modified versions not available to the public. (just like shane mcconkey skis stock markers and seth skis stock K2s....right!) how else do you explain people trusting them in you-fall-you-die zones?

also, you, like, need a phd to mount them or something.

so i've been told.

[splat]

We'll be testing a fat 179 Bro at Hood in a couple weeks, then tweakin it until it's off the hook. We're inviting people to test it, if you're in the area. If it acts like we believe it's going to, you'll think you're skiing a 185+.

[mountain_man]

yeah, dude... if you search for "insta-tele" you'll find tons of threads saying how bad these bindings are and how you can't ever trust them on anything. how did they ever survive 10+ years in the market place?

i think all those great skiers that use them/sponsored athletes are really skiing on modified versions not available to the public. (just like shane mcconkey skis stock markers and seth skis stock K2s....right!) how else do you explain people trusting them in you-fall-you-die zones?

also, you, like, need a phd to mount them or something.

so i've been told.

Somewhere on the K2factoryteam fourm Seth states that he skis on a 100% retail Seth Vicious. Food for thought. but yeah i sure ther are pros out ther that ski on modified versions of the retail ski.

yeah well i found the page...
http://www.k2skis.com/idealbb/view.a...627D4DA196ECF3

[bluesbrother49]

Check out the Dynastar Early Trams, either with a Legend 8800, or a Pro. Sweet set-up, especially if your skiing it inbounds as well as out.

[screamrider]

Last year I got some 184 Mantras mounted alpine and some 188 Soft Bros mounted with freerides. They're both awesome skis, but all I can say is that at one point last season I was restricted to only bringing one pair to a late March storm at Alta/Snowbird and I didn't consider anything but the Bros (I also have 189 Maden AKs that were left at home). I'm actually regretting buying the mantras now. I just don't know when I'll ever use them. The Bros handle everything so well and have no speed limit. I love them! As for an AT setup, I can't imagine anything much better. For their size, few skis come close to the low weight of the Bros while maintaining so much stability and durability. IMHO, mounted with freerides, it's a dream AT setup. Go for it man! They'll be right at home in Delirium Dive!

[skifree]

Splat, is this a new prototype bro you're going to be testing?

I'm starting to lean towards the 179 Bro (I'm only 150lbs @5'11), Based on this and my skiing ability (advanced-expert, agressive style) would I be more at home on a soft or a stiff bro?

and Upallnight, it looks like they have the "insta-tele" problem fixed with a longer heelpiece platform on the new freeride plus.

[pechelman]

skifree
this is a new fatter version proto test. 114mm instead of 99.
As far as stiffness its hard to answer that question without more information.
You could definitely handle the stiff, but you might be better suited to the softer depending on what you want to use it for and what you're going to mount it with etc.

uan was being sarcastic

[skifree]

pechelman,
I'll be mounting it with an AT binding (Freeride Plus or Naxo NX21)
I already have an allmountain ski with an 80 waist for not so deep days, so I'll mostly be using the new setup for deep days. My local resort has a couple "freeride areas" (delirium dive and Wild West) which consist of steep bowls, chutes, and tree skiing. These areas are north facing and get very winloaded, so deep pow is not uncommon. I'll also be doing touring (shorter tours up to 3 hours), and resort accessed back country at places like Kicking Horse and Lake Louise. I'll be doing smaller drops, no bigger than 20 feet, and I would rate my style as aggressive/technical (I'm a ski instructor)

edit: looks like i missed the boat on that sarcasm

[upallnight]

and Upallnight, it looks like they have the "insta-tele" problem fixed with a longer heelpiece platform on the new freeride plus.

actually, i have 3 pairs of freeride pluses right here. the platform is the same, but they did make a slight mod to allow for more flex of the ski while staying in the range.

i was being a bit sarcastic up above. many folks around here hate on the fristchis. much of it boils down to poor mounts, and some of it amounts to groupthink.

they've been rock-solid for me for 10 years now, from the titanal II up to the current model. (haven't had the FR+ on snow, so I can't testify to its capabilities yet.) i have trusted them in plenty of situations where falling is not an option.

anyhoo... sorry about the earlier posts. my sarcasm meter was acting wacky. i think if you search you'll find plenty of my posts documenting the features and limitations of AT bindings, among all the chatter.

consider your source is the only advice i can give.

[skier666]

I've got a pair of 191 Mantras with Naxo21 and as stated before, they work rather well in all conditions, so its hard to go wrong there. However, after putting some time on the new Gotamas with the extra sidecut, I'd almost lean towards them. Granted, I don't travel too far in the BC. Mainly day trips, so if wieght isn't a huge issue, I'd say the Gotamas.

[skifree]

Thanks uan, i checked your posts and found some helpful information. Based on old reviews and new mods, the plusses should be a solid binding.

That said, how do you like your Naxo21s 666? I'll be skiing my AT setup about 70% inbounds (on powder days) and 30% OB, so durability is going to be my biggest selling point between Naxo and Fritschi...I don't want to have to worry about breaking my bindings every time I ski a steep line or hit a drop. (I know this probablly won't happen, but the stonger the better, as both bindings are approx the same weight)

[splat]

We're going to be testing the fat 179s and 193s. Prolly have some soft regular 179s and maybe a pair of stiff. Our base guy just blew it on a bunch of bases and we're waiting for more right now. As long as we have bases, we have everything else to do a bunch of different flexes. We'll be putting some carbon in the regular 179 stiffs to keep the weight down (for those who have been asking). We also hope to use carbon fiber infused resin that will add considerable life to the skis.

[upallnight]

Thanks uan, i checked your posts and found some helpful information. Based on old reviews and new mods, the plusses should be a solid binding.

That said, how do you like your Naxo21s 666? I'll be skiing my AT setup about 70% inbounds (on powder days) and 30% OB, so durability is going to be my biggest selling point between Naxo and Fritschi...I don't want to have to worry about breaking my bindings every time I ski a steep line or hit a drop. (I know this probablly won't happen, but the stonger the better, as both bindings are approx the same weight)

skifree... you're going to hear lots of people here talk about how burly the naxos are...and you'll also find that a relatively low percentage have real experience with a multitude of AT bindings....and there is a definite lean toward spending time inbounds on this board than touring (even more than the 70-30 split you describe).

how much do you weigh? do you use alpine or AT boots? how big are the drops you're doing, and do you have solid technique when you land or do you hot tub them?

i can tell you that fristchis survive multiple 100+ day seasons of skiing every day, inbounds and out.

the naxos weigh a bit more (but they're comparable), they don't really test any stiffer than the old FRs (new FR+ may change that), and they tend not to tour as smoothly as the fritschis (and even the fristchis do not have that great a stride).

the naxo heel does lock down, which is nice but not essential for air (say, 20' & up).

both bindings are easy to mount at home. careful fritschi mounting eliminates the need for the heel lockdown (assuming you're not mounting them on total noodles).

durability from what i see, seems quite comparable between the two. when you're asking around, ask folks how much they ski each setup. many people have dedicated alpine setups they use, and the naxo is only for touring, which represents a low percentage of their time. (observe the board for a while and you'll see the general bent.)

if you're using it as a sidecountry ski, then the weight's not a big deal.

i'd suggest going with whichever is the cheaper at the time. naxos are pretty pricey, and i imagine that the original freeride will go down in price when the FR+ officially hits our shore.

[skifree]

UAN, I weight 150lbs @5'11 ( yeah im light), I'll be using alpine boots, and doing drops up to 25 feet (not being conervstive) my technique on drops is pretty good, I'm a CSIA level II, so I have a pretty good sense of balance. it looks like I'll be able to get the freeride plus for about $80 cheaper than the Naxo