ON3P SKIS Discussion

[TahoeJ]

Tools not jewels, even if they're pretty. ;-)

[auvgeek]

Hey Iggy and Team,

Any maintenance suggestions for the wood veneer topsheets? What do you guys seal them with (or is it a trade secret)?

Mine have held up well to the abuse with nothing more than drying them off each day. I seem to recall either Praxis or ON3P mentioning that you could file down the edge topsheet a bit to protect against chipping, but I never bothered.

Keep your feet apart, and you'll get years out of them. A buddy who apparently skis with his feet too close together put half a season's worth of chips in mine when I let him borrow them for a weekend.

[MHSP1497]

A buddy who apparently skis with his feet too close together put half a season's worth of chips in mine when I let him borrow them for a weekend.

ouch.....


i always make make sure to dry our skis off at the end of the day, before throwing them in the car and again when I get home. Good note on keeping feet apart, my BG's are reasonably chip free so I must be doing that part right.

[uglymoney]

A buddy who apparently skis with his feet too close together put half a season's worth of chips in mine when I let him borrow them for a weekend.

That sucks...been there with lesser skis and it still stings. We loaned out a pair of Nordica Fuels that my stepson outgrew after a couple seasons hard use and the tops went from nearly perfect to completely mangled in one day. Sigh. Saving them for my daughter.

[division.bell]

I got to ski the k116 today and was really surprised at how solid it was. Able to ski fast through soft mank over frozen mank with ease while still being on the more playful side.

Out of everything I skied during last week's demo, the K116 was the one that surprised me the most. I took out a pair of 184 Asym BG's after returning the K116's, and while I certainly had fun trying the newest iteration of one of my favorite skis of all time in some fresh snow and trees, in the back of my mind at every turn I was wishing I still had the Kartels on my feet.

Been so stoked on it since I got mine.

Everything you've said about your K116's rang true. There weren't any 191's available so I was on the 186's and didn't feel like I needed anything more; the combination of flotation, stability and maneuverability in one ski felt like combining two of my favorites (191 Caylors and 191 BG's). I look forward to adding some K116's to the quiver for next season.

[PowTron]

.

There weren't any 191's available so I was on the 186's and didn't feel like I needed anything more; the combination of flotation, stability and maneuverability in one ski felt like combining two of my favorites (191 Caylors and 191 BG's). I look forward to adding some K116's to the quiver for next season.

At Bend? And you didn't tell me you were TGR folk? Psssh...

[auvgeek]

Out of everything I skied during last week's demo, the K116 was the one that surprised me the most. I took out a pair of 184 Asym BG's after returning the K116's, and while I certainly had fun trying the newest iteration of one of my favorite skis of all time in some fresh snow and trees, in the back of my mind at every turn I was wishing I still had the Kartels on my feet.

Could you compare the K116 and 184 Asymm BGs to your 191 BGs? I'm curious why the new BG doesn't do it for you as much.

[mattig]

Finally joined the club.


Was able to reuse PhiberAwptik's holes for 305 bsl STH2's with the following result (317 bsl + warden):



Not too shabby. 2-3mm to spare on the adjustment screw. Stoked to get on these tomorrow. Will report back.

Question for Scott: if they say "prototype," can I claim they are the first Wren 98's ever?

[division.bell]

At Bend? And you didn't tell me you were TGR folk? Psssh...

Ha, I was barely coherent at that point in the week. Chalking it up to the copious amounts of free beer, and the incessant soul-penetrating winds experienced lapping the bowls off Northwest Express. I'm amazed I got my own name right when I dropped off the BG's.

I had lots of questions and more skis I wanted to ride (new C&D's!)...next time hopefully.

Could you compare the K116 and 184 Asymm BGs to your 191 BGs? I'm curious why the new BG doesn't do it for you as much.

First and foremost, I would like to express that it wasn't necessarily a fair comparison between the 186 K116 and the 184 Asym BG.

I spent more time putting first tracks in steeper terrain on the K116's, and more time seeking out remaining stashes over the rest of Bachelor on the BG's. This inevitably lead to spending lots of time traversing and cruising through mellower terrain on the BG's. The Kartel's felt more alive and playful over the whole mountain, where the BG's didn't feel as inspired or challenged on the more moderate terrain. It was also my first time riding BG's shorter than 191cm inbounds, but I'm not weighing much of my overall opinion on that fact.

I've owned 3 different variants of the BG's (11/12 191's, 12/13 191's which I still own, and 13/14 186 Veneer Tours). I went into the demo with expectations of riding the new Asym BG and immediately feeling compelled to upgrade to the latest and greatest. I was more surprised at how much fun I had on the K116's than I was at not needing to immediately upgrade my BG's. I'd love to get on the 189 Asym BG's to directly compare them to my existing 191's, especially on a mountain/terrain that I am more familiar with as that was my first trip to Bachelor. I have a strong suspicion that I would enjoy the Asym BG's tremendously more than I did in Bend if I had the opportunity to ride them at Crystal or Stevens.

I can elaborate further if necessary.

[jackattack]

Just sold my Steeple 112's -- too soft for my skiing style. For those who have skied both, how much stiffer are the BG's? I would like to have a ski in the quiver to harvest stashes in tight trees and handles wind crust reasonably well.

[Kootenai]

3/4 Demo Day at Schweitzer.

Excited you're coming to Schweitzer, but any chance you're sticking around till Sunday I have a mid week pass and there are a few that I want to test drive.

[Skistack]

Can a lighter weight mag comment on the Wren 98's?

150lbs soaking wet here, looking for something with a more user-friendly tail than my 181 Q-Labs, but still charges.

[TahoeJ]

Can a lighter weight mag comment on the Wren 98's?

150lbs soaking wet here, looking for something with a more user-friendly tail than my 181 Q-Labs, but still charges.

I'm 175 pounds and what I can tell you is don't let the Wren name fool you - they aren't even half as demanding as the old 112's. They're actually pretty user friendly IMO, although I feel the same about the Bonafides and some people think those are tough to ski so who the hell knows. At your weight they'd probably charge a lot harder than they do (or don't) for me, however.

[Gman]

Can a lighter weight mag comment on the Wren 98's?

150lbs soaking wet here, looking for something with a more user-friendly tail than my 181 Q-Labs, but still charges.

you'll be fine. I'm 5-10lbs more than you and it's the perfect ski for me. If you're really concerned you can always make it slighter softer than stock.

[MHSP1497]

Hey ON3P.... My Kartel's didn't ship last week, any chance they'll go out this week? The anticipation is getting to me

[auvgeek]

Dude. Stop bugging them publicly in this thread about your skis. They do the best they can to get skis out ASAP, and pestering them in this thread will do nothing to speed up the process.

Now be a good maggot and post some stoke as penance.

[adrenalated]

Can a lighter weight mag comment on the Wren 98's?

150lbs soaking wet here, looking for something with a more user-friendly tail than my 181 Q-Labs, but still charges.

I have not skied the Q-Lab but the Wren 98 is pretty much exactly what you describe. I'm 145lbs and the 184 Wren 98 is noticeably more easy-going than my 186 Wren 186, especially in the tail.

[MHSP1497]

Dude. Stop bugging them publicly in this thread about your skis. They do the best they can to get skis out ASAP, and pestering them in this thread will do nothing to speed up the process.

Now be a good maggot and post some stoke as penance.

Message received. Here's a pic of the wife on her Wren's at Northstar. I need to finish downloading from the camera from some specific stoke pics I took that day.




Here's another pic from Kirkwood on a hard snow day, the BG's were demanding but still plenty of fun:

[mattig]

tl;dr, I think I'd like the K108s

I skied both days this weekend on the new Wren 98's. My only reference skis are Peacemakers (daily driver) and OG Bodacious (borrowed for a day). I didn't feel like there was a substantial gain in stability (i.e. stiffness, dampness, resistance to deflection over firm, uneven chunder) over the Peacemakers, which is surprising if you read about both those skis on paper, but not surprising when you hand flex them (they weigh about the same as well). Wrens were much softer in the tips than I would have guessed, but that didn't seem to cause any issues on hard snow. MUCH less stiff than OG bodacious.

For me (225lb), if I got too far over the tips, they flexed more than I wanted, thus making things unpredictable (but never uncontrollable) at times. This was most noticeable when trying to turn too far across the fall line at slower speeds. They want to be driven... fast. They won't punish a weak, inconsistent skier, but they'll reward a strong skier with a BALANCED stance (i.e. not getting TOO far forward--pinching the dollar bills with your shins) who understands how to put a ski on edge. Most of all, I think they'd really appreciate it if you'd kindly just avoid turning too terribly much or too far across the fall line.

Bottom line, they're not at all "flickable," and that sorta bummed me out coming off the peacemakers--especially considering the latter felt nearly as stable for most of the skiing I do (FWIW, I'm sure I'd love the Kartel 108, and that would be a much more interesting comparison). I think this is why Scott referred to the last iteration of the Wren as "sort of a dying breed of ski as some of the newer, more playful designs get the stability thing right." I could totally see that.

One thing that confused me, and maybe you smarter folk can help, is how the turning radius felt MUCH longer than the OG Bodacious (which has a much higher stated radius)--like a team of sled dogs was pulling me down the fall line. Is this simply a factor of the Bodacious being easier to break free into a slarvy turn whereas the Wren likes to stay hooked up? Sorry if that's a jong question. I'm still figuring a few things out.

[auvgeek]

^^Interesting. What lengths for all skis you're comparing?

My take on it is that the Wrens aren't necessarily a dying breed, but that very demanding skis are. Particularly since in challenging conditions and tight trees, easier-going skis can be skied faster because they're easier to shut down. IMHO, the current Wren is more for the skier who prefers a traditional mount point and less tail rocker than the skier who wants to rage all the time. That doesn't necessarily make the Wren more stable than the K108; just different skis for different style skiers.

I bet you'd prefer both a 189 Wren 108 with some detuning in the tip and tail as well as a 191 K108.

[mattig]

^^Interesting. What lengths for all skis you're comparing?

My take on it is that the Wrens aren't necessarily a dying breed, but that very demanding skis are. Particularly since in challenging conditions and tight trees, easier-going skis can be skied faster because they're easier to shut down. IMHO, the current Wren is more for the skier who prefers a traditional mount point and less tail rocker than the skier who wants to rage all the time. That doesn't necessarily make the Wren more stable than the K108; just different skis for different style skiers.

I bet you'd prefer both a 189 Wren 108 with some detuning in the tip and tail as well as a 191 K108.

Peacemakers: 186
Bodacious: 196 (2012-13 I believe)
Wrens: 184 (tape says 185.42cm, topsheets say "prototype")

So I'd guess you're onto something that I'd like it just a little longer and wider

I dig what you're saying about "easier to shut down." Makes sense.

[XavierD]

My K108s are plenty stable.

[mattig]

The peacemaker / Gunsmoke have also been a set of magically awesome skis the likes of which we probably won't see again.

Yeah, that's why I got them originally, but it really hit home this weekend. I'm hopeful I can like K108's and 116's (or BGs) as much or more, as I'd really like to support a local company.

[auvgeek]

So I'd guess you're onto something that I'd like it just a little longer and wider

Not necessarily wider, just that the Wren 108 is stiffer with a longer radius than the 98. I don't know how your prototypes differ from the production, though. At 220#, I think the longer lengths are worth a thought. How tall are you?

[dschane]

I don't know, their reputation is that they're demanding, but I'm just a regular joe schmo on skis, who still telemarks, and I was touring with them all weekend on a mixture of shit crust, pleasant dust on crust, and wind-filled funkiness. It looked like this on the summit on Sat.:



Despite that, the skis were reliable and great at making quick and easy turns on icy mank. I ran into trouble when the conditions transitioned quickly and unexpectedly from dust on crust to wind-filled funkiness and half of me would get pulled down, but I can't blame the skis for that.