Legend Pro and Mantra review

[comish]

I have been on the hunt for a new everyday (for the wind buff, crud, cruising, etc days that around > 2 days after a storm) ski for Mammoth.

Me:
5ft 9in
160ish lbs
Non racer, mostly off-piste western skier
Previous skis liked: Dynastar 4x4 Big (favorite flex), 180 Pow +, Sugar Daddy is ok, Thought Head IM85 and Explosive were ok.
Previous skis disliked: Sanouk (too long and soft, tips flopped all over, only good for really soft long turns for me), Rossi's (B4, XXX)
Today (1-3-2007) in St. Anton we had everything from 2 feet of untracked to icy piste to bumps to bushes. Because of bad Vis and sheer number of people on-piste, speeds were lower than typically skied.

What I'm looking for: 180-183cmish and 95mm underfoot that is a vertical sidewall laminate construction. Stiffish, without being a board.

'07 Mantra 184cm
I had sorta figured this was going to be THE ski for me. I enjoyed the ski, but wasn't really sure it was THE ski. Really easy to ski, made any turn shape. Surprised how easy short turns in the bumps on the icy piste were. The pow was a blast, but when isn't 2 feet of pow. With the demo's on the line I got some expected tip dive, but liked them on the icy bumps / piste. Moved them back a click, probably 1cm, and that got rid of most of the tip dive, but then felt like I had a fair bit of tip. I would probably mount them -1cm although I wasn't positive since this wasn't going to be my pow ski... Ended up unsure and definitely not in love. Perfectly fine, lively, easy to ski, all mtn ride, but definitely missing that something that makes it the ski you LOVE.

'07 Legend Pro 186cm
Got on these around 1:30. Wow, 1/2 way down a piste that mixed pow bumps with smooth sheet ice for troughs, they were soooo much smoother. A little more demanding, but not killers and my legs were fairly worked at this point so I was pleasantly surprised. In the end these are so much more than the Mantra. More stable, damp, smooth, that they just made riding through the chop so much less taxing. Super stable and ultra smooth. In a perfect world for me these would be a couple cm's shorter, but they are pretty dang good.

Definitely not buying the Mantra's. I think Volkl has made an easy skiing ski for the majority of buyers, but not for the better, faster riders looking for a smoother, damper, more stable ride. Its not an Exlosive that is for sure... The other thing was I didn't really even test the top end due crappy vis, and the million people on-piste, and the shrubbage factor off-piste due to our rather small (0cm's) base here at the moment. I know that the Legend Pro would kill the mantra here though making the decision that much easier.

Legend Pro is a pretty dang sweet ski as has been writen so many times before. Now unless someone can recommend a ski that skis like the LP, is around 180-183cm's and either the same width or a couple of cm's narrower, I'm sold.

Hand flexed a bumch of other skis here. The new Stockli DP's have a surprisingly ULTRA soft tip. They really changed that ski. It is way softer than either of the above skis in the highly scientific hand flex test.

[pechelman]

as far as dampness and smoothness, the only thing else I can compare is the mojo103. Its definitely a different animal than the mantra and LP and its also wider so it might not be what you're looking for.

In comparison, I find the LP mild mannered and playful over the m103 on the line. That ski has a huge beefy shovel that does not like to go accross the fall line in anything but a huge open turn but will destroy anything in its path. It is super smooth and damp though, maybe as much as the LP. I dont know\remember, as Ive been skiing the LP the past 5ish times out.
Edit2: for certain the 183 m103 is a good bit more stable than the LP...probably due to its longer running length and straighter sidecut

edit: for ref Im on last years raceroom 186LPs. I heard this years were a touch softer. 5'10/170

[Tony]

Good review!

Legend Pro is the new Explosiv.

Edit: would love to get my hand on some last years raceroom 186LPs still in wrapers.

[comish]

Everyone here in St. Anton doesn't think there is any difference from '06 to '07. These guys have generally known what they are talking about, but granted they know the Austrian factories better than the French ones.

Anyone actually ridden both?

[ulty_guy]

Legend Pro is the new Explosiv.

yeah comish, what tony said, explosivs are the only thing similar that i've ever skied, and the 180 would work for ya. maybe they're not quite as good at carving as the lp's, but they do pivot a bit easier on the steeps.

[pechelman]

180 explosivs ski significantly different in my opinion, but I would agree with Tony's statement. just a quick comparison if it helps

maybe a tad more stable at lower speeds. lighter.
much less damp\more planky feeling. Also the 180explosiv is a really short ski due to its meausred 177 length, and huge shovel that makes it ski smaller as well. A lot less "refined"... more of an old 60/70s v8 muscle car

the LPs tip flex is much more solid and deflects less as is the rest of the ski.
explosivs are a tad quicker\easier in the trees and bumps. I think the LPs are better in powder. Due to the heavier tip\tail masses and stiffer\limited flex on the LPs I find they can chatter a bit when you push them hard accross the fall line in tight turns on hardpack\ice. These are rock solid and stable at speed. Super smooth you hardly notice that you're running over gapers. I like them both on hardpack, but if I had to choose Id probably say the LP due to the longer length and greater dampness.
maybe more of a new z06 corvette feel?

both skis are definitely built with bomber construction\materials though

[Shredhead]

Why don't you try the 176 LP? I ski the 194 LP and the 178 8800's. The 178 8800's are a pretty dam good ski and I can only imagine the 176 LP would be better.

[MTT]

That would be the 179 Stiff Bro.

How long you wanna wait? Cuz the 179 Stiff Bro is the ski you describe. It feels Like the Pro but is lighter a bit shorter and has a bit more POP comming out of tight turns. But still pretty damp over rough snow.

[pappag]

Just got back from spending 5 days on the 194 LP's out in Vail/Breck/BC. For reference, I'm 5'10", 220#.

I found them not to be as stiff as expected. Quite easy to maneuver except in tight spots (i.e. they were not too fun in the trees - then again the 194 length might explain that). Powder - they sink, but we knew that. They love to go fast and they almost make you want to go even faster than you normally would. I found them surprisingly forgiving in bumps which I also felt likewise with the 8000 from a couple of years back.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with them. If anything, the LP has changed my skiing style to considerably more aggressive and you can't argue against that.

[comish]

Got on my pair of the 05/06's LP's this weekend for a day at snow starved Mammoth. I can now say I'm officially in love with this ski. Getting it on a mtn with a little more room than was available when I tried them in Austria and they are fricken awesome.

Sooo stable. Sooo smooth. 186cm really isn't too much. They are heavy, so don't know if I will change my tune after a full day of off-piste as we were basically bombing groomers and soom very very slight wind buffy chopped crap interspersed with rocks, but they are a very sweet ski. Blow the doors off the Mantra and soo much more solid than the Got although prolly not as good a pow ski as the Got (big susprise)

I don't think there is much if any difference from the 05/06 to this years ski. The topsheet is a little different, but I couldn't really feel a major difference in flex. Granted there are 2 weeks in between trying the two skis so this is very unscientific, but I don't think there is a big difference.

[ulty_guy]

quick note on the 176 lp. i tried it out in cham yesterday in pea soup dust on bone rattling ice. granted the conditions were less than ideal, i think b/c the sidecut is kept the same down to 176 the ski lost some of that ease that came with the straighter 186 which i actually found easier to ski. i'm a big fan of the 180 exploder and the 176 lp doesn't yield that same 'it'll only do what you tell it to' feeling (which i also think the 186 lp has).

[sar13]

Good review. Nice to see it come back up since I am looking for the same type resort ski. Any chance Comish or someone else has compared the 186 LP to a 188 Bro recently? Seems like the contact length would be similar.

[pappag]

First time on pow. As it's been stated, plenty of tip dive unless you really and I mean REALLY work it. On the upside, the ski fucking rocks in the post-pow. Was floating all day long. TONS of fun in these conditions. Also noticed that this ski doesn't really come alive until you hit 40+.

[screamrider]

Good review. Nice to see it come back up since I am looking for the same type resort ski. Any chance Comish or someone else has compared the 186 LP to a 188 Bro recently? Seems like the contact length would be similar.

I have 186 LP's mounted alpine with PX14's and 188 Soft Bros mounted AT with Freerides.

All I can say is that in 25 years of skiing I have never had as great a time as I have on the LP's! I bought Mantras last year and was just not super stoked on them. They were an ok resort ski, but I definitely was looking for more. The LP answered that and then some. I had no idea a pair of skis could be so confidence inspiring yet easy to ride at mach speeds through absolutely any type of snow. My sugar daddies and mantras will never see snow again (on my feet anyway).

As for my soft Bros, they're an awesome BC ski, but completely different than the LP's. I'm sure the stiff Bros are much more comparable, but I was actually quite shocked at the difference b/w the LP and the Bro. Don't get me wrong, I love my soft Bros, but after ripping my LP's for 5 days straight, I was shocked at how less stable the Bros were when I took them out for a ride. The edge grip was considerably less and there was no way I could hit the crazy high speeds of the LPs (which blew me away). I would love to try the stiff Bros and see how they perform.

In any case, you can't go wrong with LP's for everyday resort riding! They will rock your world!

[pappag]

I had no idea a pair of skis could be so confidence inspiring yet easy to ride at mach speeds through absolutely any type of snow.

This sentence best sums up my thoughts on this ski. I've been skiing for 24 years and never thought I would found something that would continue to push me further and further each time I step in.

The LPs are like that little Devil that sits on your shoulder and tries his best to convince you to do things you normally wouldn't or shouldn't...but at the same time, he goes all Tony Montana on the little good guy sitting on your other shoulder so there's really only one option at all times.

[300hp]

comish you would splooge over a 180 tanker. stiff but not unruly. Phenomenal edge grip. so much so that these have become my favorite skis to rip ice and groomers on. I just like the feeling of carving on a fat ski, it feels like you can lay them bitches over so far. 93mm underfoot and 23m radius. sick sick. get a pair.
Hunter

[pechelman]

its nice to know that even though Ive probably been skiing for 10% the time folks here have that are talking about these skis, I agree with pretty much everything thats been said. Ive been on at least 20 or so different skis in my time skiing and the LPs are undoubtedly the ski I would choose if I could only have one.

I will say that they do great for me in powder though, havent had any dive worth speaking of. Might be due to the fact Im skiing them in AT boots and can really flex my tips up towad the sky at my ankles.

[Bandit Man]

My sugar daddies and mantras will never see snow again (on my feet anyway).

I love that comment. For some reason it just makes me smile.

I am not always "up to skiing" the LP's, but when I feel like charging, they sure are fun...

[HitMe]

Aaah, this thread reminds me how much I LOVE my 190 Explosives(wizard). The Mantra surely don't have anything that would put it at the legend status of the Explosives, but at the same time I hold the Mantras for a more all round ski. Every time I get the possiblity to give the Explosives a good run though I get to the bottom with a HUGE smile on my face and the feeling that on the next run I will go even faster. My Mantras seldom produce this feel, but in many situation I still have more fun on them, they invite me to introduce more variation to my skiing and come alive at much lower speeds. So, I think they are good skis that in fact offers a few things the Explosive don't.

But that said, I'm definitely looking forward to next years stiffer Mantras which I think will spice up things a bit. They will still not be Explosives (since a secret of the Expl is the lack of sidecut up front which the Mantra has lots of) but they might get some of that "superhero" feel.

[kidwoo]

I'll hop in on the LP lovefest. I skied them last spring with freerides with a few 10-12 hour days and loved them in the corn.....regardless of the heavy hike wieght. I stuck alpine binders on them this year and did notice myself riding on the tails a bit to get them to float on mellower slopes. I moved the binders back just under 2cm from the line to match the tip/tail ratio of a pair of explosives I have. We got a few feet of snow this past weekend (finally) and I traded out my spats after a few runs for the lps. They float much better and still rail through the chop like a freight train.

Good to hear the new ones are similar. I'm having a hard time envisioning liking another pair of skis this much

[screamrider]

I'm having a hard time envisioning liking another pair of skis this much

Couldn't agree more, although I'm itching to try the XXL's!

[comish]

I can update this a bit as I have now ridden my 05/06 LP's a few days. Everything from hardpack groomers, storm day yesterday at Mammoth, to soft bumps. I love them for anything smooth and fast. Groomers, soft pow, wind buff, etc. Soo stable and damp. Just absorb everything that makes you want to go faster and faster. Great edge hold as well. Anything short of true EC ice and they are great.

The weight begins to be a bit of an issue with bumps and smaller turns in the steeps. Playing in ch 22 at Mammoth we don't have quite as much snow as normal and there are a bunch of bumps, rocks, obstables etc. Rather than letting them run and haul ass, it requires a few more smaller turns and that weight makes them a bit of work. That having been said, they are so reliable that I think it will be cool. Still definitely digging them.

I think they nailed the flex on them. The tip has just enough give to absorb bumps, chunks, etc and then they get nice and stiff a ways infront of the boot that just makes you want to drive that tip. Great fricken ski!

[StormDay]

Nice review comish.

You’ll get use to the weight and get use to that “reliable” feeling.

If you are looking for something similar to the LP, but better at quick turns check out elan’s M777. I picked up a 192 M777 this year and my 1st impression was that the M777 is a thinner LP.

With all this LP talk on the forum, I finally took mine out this year. I hoped it would soften up and give us some good corn at Alpine Meadows today. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen before I had to pick my kid from ski school at noon. But, the LP handles the hard snow so well that I didn’t mind.

[link1]

interesting thread.....I am now in the market for a new set of boards as my compressed edge on my G4s has turned into a split edge. Having skied the G4 for the last two sets of skis, I was seriously considering the Mantra, but this thread has me now looking at the Lps. I am 6'4" and weigh in around 240, so i do not think the weight or stiffness would be too much of an issue...would be moving down from 198 to the 194. Maybe time to check them out..........

[pappag]

Any else unable to flex the tail on their LPs at all?

I find that I can't even budge mine at all. And the tip flexes very slightly...you have to hammer it down to really get it to move.