2017 Praxis Skis Info and Resource Thread

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I moved mine from the suggest line to -2 and they still arent great. I still feel like the tail is huge and they are unpredictable, they hook and go and aren’t fun to ski at all.

Mine aren't predictable. They predictably do half if what I want them to do. They are good at snapping off quick turns. But when I'm trying to lock into a long high speed carve they are too eager to come around. Maybe they're base high? Going to check now.

[galibier_numero_un]

I recently mounted some older 184 Freerides at the current recommended line and they feel too far forward. Too turny with nothing to drive. I could reuse holes to go to minus 3. That seems pretty far back but the line isn't working for me. May also sell/trade.

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My last year Freerides didn't feel too far forward (mounted on the line), although the tails hung up in bumps. Based on Keith telling me that he's not a fan of the tail (#4 flex) in the bumps either, I didn't have confidence that moving them back would be a good trade-off for me.

I ended up selling them - perhaps prematurely, but I wanted to retain their resale value (one set of holes, pristine bottoms).

I loved them in wide open spaces, but end of the day, ratty bumps beat up my old bones too much.

They locked into a carve beautifully - definitely check the tune. You and I seem to stand on skis similarly, although you ski with a bit more power than I do.

...Thom

[Foggy_Goggles]

My Freerides are -1.5cm

I've learned to love them but they are not a new school powder ski. To me they feel like a fat old school round flex GS ski like an Explosive or LP. They reward good technique.

If you have been skiing less that 20 years, you will find them challenging in difficult off piste conditions.

[skibrd]

My Freerides are -1.5cm

I've learned to love them but they are not a new school powder ski. To me they feel like a fat old school round flex GS ski like an Explosive or LP. They reward good technique.

If you have been skiing less that 20 years, you will find them challenging in difficult off piste conditions.

Interesting comparison to the Legend Pros because I find the Pro Rider (aka the remake of the LP105) to be infinitely easier to ski in powder, crud or pretty much any condition there is.

When I got the Super Freerides, I was looking for a ski that skied more like the Kastle MX98, or the Pro Rider. I came off a new school pow ski, the Volkl Shiro, and expected the Super Freerides to be very different, but skiable. My Freerides are almost unskiable in pow and crud. I’ve had them out in everything from dust on crust to PNW Maritime pow and they want to submarine right under everything and only come up when I lean way back. A 117 underfoot Ski should not be submarines. I’ve tried getting up to speed in the back seat (aka tips out of the snow) and slowly shifting my weight forward, the tips dive right under the snow and I stop. I’ve tried skiing them under the snow and the submarine slowly never getting any speed up so to plane on top.

[N1CK.]

my 184 Freerides are one of my favorite skis. Not a pow ski, but I found that they handles crud and chop quite well, and can rail turns. Pivots on the line = perfect. I just drilled them for Tecton and had to go -1 (barely) but I'm sure they'll be fine there too.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I have no plans to ski the Freerides in pow. But I would like them to rail turns, as others have said they are capable. I have skied them in bumps and found them fine (But mounted too far forward). I guess I'll work on the tune and see if I find anything amiss.

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[irul&ublo]

First day of the season and 1st on my 184 Freerides. Heavy core w/ carbon, med stiff. Firm in the morning and they did nicely in both short and long radius turns on the groomers. A step up in that regard from my Lhasas. With sketchy coverage, didn't get much off piste, but once it softened, got a few crud runs in Wolverine and off the ridge above Sun Bowl. Handled the crud nicely. The skis have some good pop, but they will be an issue in the bumps, cant be lazy. Worked on finding the sweet spot, at least on the groomers, pressure down through the heel works.

Traditional feel, nice pop, good in the variable conditions (limited). Mounted on line

[skuff]

My Freerides are -1.5cm

I've learned to love them but they are not a new school powder ski. To me they feel like a fat old school round flex GS ski like an Explosive or LP. They reward good technique.

If you have been skiing less that 20 years, you will find them challenging in difficult off piste conditions.

My buddy has been skiing on 186 LPs since 2006, and loves them, but wanted to try these "early rise" skis that share some of the characteristics of the LP with slightly more width. Sounds like there's a learning curve with the Freerides.

[galibier_numero_un]

@skibird, I've been ignoring your use of the word "super" until I saw your mention of 117mm waist.

So we're taliking about a custom Freeride, spec'd at +10mm and ????

... Thom

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Sounds like there's a learning curve with the Freerides.

To be clear, I'm pretty sure mine is a tune/mount point issue. And Skibird is on a different ski.

[adrenalated]

I have to say, I worked on the tune a LOT on my Freerides and once I got it where I wanted it, have experienced none of the issues described above. I changed the edge angle from 1* to 2* and detuned HEAVILY. Like, file at a 45 back to the sidecut contact points, and feathered that into the positive sidecut.

As Foggy said it's not a new school pow ski and I'm not claiming you don't know how to ski or can't adapt, but comparing to a 203 Shiro isn't really a comparison at all. I've skied Shiros and the style you use to ski those is 100% different from a ski like the Freeride. Full rocker vs traditional camber.

FWIW 145lbs on a #4 flex 184cm Freeride (standard width). I've skied them both on the line and at -1cm and prefer -1, but both are fine. They float as well as you'd expect a ski that size to. I can't say much about crud, I only tour on them.

[N1CK.]

FWIW 145lbs

Dude. I'm sending you a sandwich.

[skibrd]

@skibird, I've been ignoring your use of the word "super" until I saw your mention of 117mm waist.

So we're taliking about a custom Freeride, spec'd at +10mm and ????

... Thom

Yes, they are Super Freerides, +10 mm width (and length) 4 (medium stiff) stiffness with carbon Enduro core and cherry top sheet.

I understand they are drastically different skis then the Shiro, but a ski that’s 117 underfoot shouldn’t have tip dive in pow ever.

[Foggy_Goggles]

I understand they are drastically different skis then the Shiro, but a ski that’s 117 underfoot shouldn’t have tip dive in pow ever.

I'm far from an expert but I'm gonna disagree with that. The fact that your ski is stiff, trad camber and what I'm calling no rocker is gonna have a lot more to do with performance in 3D snow than waist width.

Taking what is basically a traditional all mountain shape and adding a cm does not a pow ski make.

Of course, I could be full of shit and not know what I'm talking about.

[Duffman]

Been skiing my GPO’s with the stock tune, detuned just the tip and tail. I don’t find them to be to sharp at all. Seem to have great hold on the hardpack and not at all grabby in the soft stuff. When a groomer is wide open you can fly with (for me) great angles using the natural radius. Super fun!


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I love my Praxis skis, but the tunes for me have been so damn inconsistent. My 187 GPOs from a few yrs ago were insanely grabby and needed a ton of detuning and base bevel work before they skiied well. My OG Protest was a little base high and could cut salami out of the wrapper. On the other hand, the new Custom Qs have perfect bevels and detunes, best tune I've had. Hopefully this aspect of the skis is improving

[east or bust]

I am so negligent with tuning and waxing I have not really noticed the waxing issue you mentioned, but Kopi's explanation makes a lot sense.

I love that screaming bear, I have that on my Protests, but there hasn't been much call for the Protests this year so haven't seen them much.
I've been on my piste jibs a lot these last couple weeks and been having a great time. The heavy layup I have really helps deaden the bone rattling turns across the the re-frozen corduroy. They are straight up awesome in the conditions you mention. Every year at this time I break down and demo some high end carving ski and get board after like 3 runs. What are you finding the lack in terms of hard snow performance?

So as far as the waxing issue, I think a base grind will help things. My first 4 days skiing them was in VT during that cold snap where it barely broke 0F for a week. I had waxed them before that but I think I could have some base burn going on.

I am still at a loss for WTF is going on with them on hard snow. I've never skied anything that I haven't been able to lay down a consistent carve on. They are acting super funky, like major diverging tips funky. Never had that with any other ski. Since they have the asymmetrical top sheets I've been skiing them consistently as a left/right ski. Next time I'm on snow I am going to switch it up and see if that has any affect.

The real bizarre part is when the snow gets softer or even 3D this problem goes away completely, and they turn into one of the best bump/crud skis I've evar skied. Thinking it's gotta be the tune.

[yellofin]

I am going to check if my bases are flat the few times in been in the snow they were good but on the firm and ice not so nice I have switched sides and haven't noticed a difference

[Shu Shu]

So as far as the waxing issue, I think a base grind will help things. My first 4 days skiing them was in VT during that cold snap where it barely broke 0F for a week. I had waxed them before that but I think I could have some base burn going on.

I am still at a loss for WTF is going on with them on hard snow. I've never skied anything that I haven't been able to lay down a consistent carve on. They are acting super funky, like major diverging tips funky. Never had that with any other ski. Since they have the asymmetrical top sheets I've been skiing them consistently as a left/right ski. Next time I'm on snow I am going to switch it up and see if that has any affect.

The real bizarre part is when the snow gets softer or even 3D this problem goes away completely, and they turn into one of the best bump/crud skis I've evar skied. Thinking it's gotta be the tune.

Yeah that's weird, I mean they're not some 50 lb titanal piste shredder, but diverging tips is not something I've experienced. I can lay them over pretty hard on the bullet proof we have, I pretty much know exactly when the grip is going to break now. For me I've been getting my best turns early afternoons after all the ice/man made groomer snow has been pushed to the side of the trail and you've got maybe six feet wide strip of 1-2" deep ice shavings... fuck we need snow up here.

[skibrd]

I heard back from Keith and he recommend moving the bindings back even further and suggested maybe I was just used to the lively feel of Praxis skis. He also said the skis have a break in period so maybe just more time on them?

Maybe I just screwed this one up. I struggled in pow on traditional camber skis for years before getting on the Shiro, and maybe I should just stick to flat (no camber) or rocker pow skis. Oh I was hoping the Super/fat Freerides would work...

[adrenalated]

Diverging tips probably means the tapered part of the sidecut in the tip is too sharp. You lay the ski over, and the reverse sidecut portion catches and turns the wrong way. Detune those bitches.

skibrd, if you've always had trouble on trad camber skis in pow, I'm not surprised you're having trouble on the Super Freerides. Making a traditional ski fatter doesn't make it not a traditional ski...

[skibrd]

skibrd, if you've always had trouble on trad camber skis in pow, I'm not surprised you're having trouble on the Super Freerides. Making a traditional ski fatter doesn't make it not a traditional ski...

Yeah, I’m figuring that out. When the conversation started about ordering them, I was looking for a ski to replace my Shiros, maybe a long RX, and Keith suggested the Super Freerides. I was clear they would be a pow ski, I’ve got other things that do non-pow better. I didn’t want to go as big as the Protest, but I probably should of just gotten a new pair of Protests. I’m kicking myself for dropping the cash I did on a pair of skis that don’t do what I wanted well, and don’t do anything else as well as other pairs I own. Guess I wasn’t clear enough in my intentions.

[Muggydude]

Definitely check the base bevel and flatness. Keith told me they were focusing on the factory tune a lot more this year, but mine must have slipped through and both my pairs where quite railed, which can really mess a ski's hardpack performance up. Never would have known without a true bar.

I also detune all my all Mountain and pow skis pretty hard. File from taper points to tips. Diamond stone from there to rocker contact points. Gummy to a few inches past that, and then some passes over the entire edge. Everything feathered together of course.

If I want to lay a gs carve, I'm on my GS skis or even Brahmas, not a 117 underfoot ski. On all my 100+ waist skis, it's much more important that they release well in pivots and tight spots and funky snow, than have insane edge hold on ice. Not what the skis were designed to do.

[skibrd]

Just got them back from the tune shop and they look 1000000% better, I’m excited to get on them tomorrow.

Keith has also been insanely helpful. He suggested I go back another cm, so they mimic how my Pro Riders and Kastles ski. The customer service from Praxis is amazing.

I’ll get them out tomorrow and let everyone know how they ski.

[Banh Mi]

The Rxs are the best skis I have ever skied, hands down. I perfectly match up with them. They inspire so much confidence. It’s a “one-ski quiver” that doesn’t give up performance anywhere. They float well, carve extremely well, slarve when you need to, pivot if you need, can link turns at mach looney on steep icey groomers, handle moguls/trees well, etc. I haven’t yet found conditions or terrain, where they dont either excel or feel very good.


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[SchralphMacchio]

Chiming in here after my first day on custom 182 GPO's last week ... Sadly, it wasn't fun so I think I may still be looking for a playful 1-ski quiver, soft enough for a runt-sized skier, for resort soft snow and traveling.

I think now I'm basically looking for a fatter, slightly stiffer BC, since my '11-12 180 BC's are my favorite, most playful, easy to operate skis that I have ... the main issues are that I have them mounted with Dynafit Speeds so they are too light, a wee bit soft, and a bit narrow for what and how I'd like to ski in the resort. I wonder if I should just order a custom BC with +10mm and a scant touch stiffer than stock? Or should I be looking at something like a 175mm JJ 2.0 on clearance and just get-r-done?

Re: my 182 GPOs, I'm going to give them at least one more chance with an updated tune. Mounted them @ -1.1 cm due to complaints about tip dive/drag in the GPO thread. I did some light detuning around tip and tail taper, did not have time to wax so bases were dry since their original summertime build (I know, not smart, just didn't have time before maiden voyage). Snow was rime-coated thick cement "pow" that later became skier packed - so not the greatest intro, but I switched mid-day to my 180 BC's and it was way more fun so I couldn't just blame the snow.

GPO's felt like they didn't want to turn at low speeds, I felt like I had a hard time throwing them from side to side via short smear turns, seemed hard for me to find the right balance to get the pivot point, and they felt like they only "came to life" when speeding up to mach looney. I also had diverging tip issues on turn initiation which maybe means I didn't de-tune enough. I asked Keith to put stiffness softer than GPO stock but stiffer than BC stock ... and I'm worried they still came out too stiff for me (I'm a runt, 5'8" 135 lbs and a poor hack of a skier) due to more contact length on the snow than the BCs have. I haven't asked Keith if I need to wait for these to break in and soften - they have the ambrosia veneer topsheets so I wonder if that's got anything to do with the stiff feeling.

Anyways, not trying to rant too much, more looking for ideas on how to get the GPOs more dialed, and/or on other skis that are possibly more suited to my size/weight/style/intended purpose.