Gear rumors 19/20

[robnow]

MB 108ti: Fucking rips, first K2 in 15 years you need to be careful who you put on it. If you get backseat it will kick your ass. It takes a strong skier with good technique. If you're on the lighter end of the spectrum size down. I'm 210 and the 186 was the right size. 178? was manageable and the 193 took some effort. This sits right between a rustler and a cochise for me. Really adapt at working through variable conditions with some firm, some soft, some chunky. Smooth and powerful with good edge initiation if you stay forward and drive it.

- ON3P Woodsman 108 - More fun and versatile version of K2 MB 108. You can ski it from a centered stance, but still get forward on it.

I was imagining the 108Ti to be more like a user friendlier Wren than the Woodsman. Great write up. Did you notice some desirable qualities in the metal of the K2 over the ON3P?

[gmeni]

Are they made by elan? Like the invictus?

Not sure... but great looking skis

[poocher]

Not sure if you guys have heard of this one, or if its in the tread. Next years SGN Skis lineup. Small Norwegian company. Great skis, great graphic and some damn good skis.



https://sgnskis.com

[mr_pretzel]

While it could be more stable, most skier's are going to find it plenty heavy and stable at speed. Whatever group you run in where 'everyone complains its too light and not stable at speed' represents a very small minority of skiers on the Rustler 10. If you are in the 5% of skiers who would like something which is heavier, and more stable at speed, buy a Cochise/Bonifide, or another ski. Blizzard likely wants those two lines to have a bit of separation. The rustler series is designed to be a bit more playful. FWIW, @210lb, I find the Rustler 11 in a 188 to be plenty stable for me in most conditions. There are times where I wish I had the 192, or something more stable (192 Armada Declivity X!), but they are few and far between.


Useful content:
Having skied a dozen and half new skis so far this winter I will say things are overall pretty good. Haven't skied much I wouldn't be happy owning and skiing regularly. Maybe I'm just better at not testing the shit skis, but less of the meh sticks than previous years.

- 192 Armada Declivity X can fucking rip for a soft snow ski. This one blew me away at how smooth and stable it was without giving up float in anything soft. Kinda ruined a bunch of the other new 110-120mm skis for me due to how stable and awesome it was. This should be on many TGR's shortlist. A little cumbersome in tight areas, but still manageable, and very confidence inspiring. Honsetly I'm just saying that to find something bad about it. Damp, smooth, solid, still floats in pow. I skied it on the pre-production mount line, which I'm told is 2cm in front of the production rec line. I would leave it there. I wish I had measured from the tail since it fucking ripped and I might get this in the future.

- Volkl Revolt 121: Playful without being squirly. Didn't actually look to see if it had camber, but it skied like it. Likes to pop in and out of the snow. Made finding little popper wind-lips and ledges a blast. Pop up, down, slash, repeat. Anyone who is worried about the Bentchetler going light should look at this ski. Obviously float wasn't an issue.

- Line Vision 108 - Most surprising ski of the test. Doesn't ski near as light as it is. Playful and quick but comfortable going through the mid day windbuff and chop at some speed. Could be a great resort capable touring ski or 50/50 ski for someone who takes a more playful approach. I'd like a bit more float in untouched deeper snow. Overall impressed me. Probably the only 'non-touring' ski to get light right, IMO.

- K2 Mindbender series (99ti, 108ti, 116C): First off, these skis are not simply scaled versions of each other. The 116 is not a wider 108, and the 99 is not a narrower 108. They are purpose built for different skiers. All are pretty damn good once you account for who they are intended for. The 116C is a playful pow ski. It is quick, agile, and floats great. Turn initiation is quick and precise in all snow conditions; much more agile and precise than any previous K2 pow skis over the last decade or two. Its not however, your pow charger of the current PNC/Pinnacle/Seth 118 (not to be confused with the shit pinnacle 95/105). It gets deflected easy at speed in chop and hard bumps. It's just damp and forgiving enough to point through the bumps, but its not comfortable. Overall it's going to be a great resort pow ski for most strong skiers, just maybe not the point it through the crap crowd. Easily the most fun in the trees of all the wider skis I was on.
MB 108ti: Fucking rips, first K2 in 15 years you need to be careful who you put on it. If you get backseat it will kick your ass. It takes a strong skier with good technique. If you're on the lighter end of the spectrum size down. I'm 210 and the 186 was the right size. 178? was manageable and the 193 took some effort. This sits right between a rustler and a cochise for me. Really adapt at working through variable conditions with some firm, some soft, some chunky. Smooth and powerful with good edge initiation if you stay forward and drive it.
MB99ti - more approachable than the 108ti. Quicker turn initiation, especially when skied from a centered stance. Locks in on semi-firm groomers (nothing really hard to test on). Still comfortable going through chop. Didn't find float really lacking for a 99 ski. Struck me a more soft snow friendly Mantra M5(96mm) that wants a little more speed.

-Mantra 102: Skis like a bigger version of the M5. Should be aimed at bigger skiers who can overpower the 96. Skis better the faster you go. Took a few runs to figure out where it likes to be skied from. Works well from a variety of stances, likes speed. Very comfortable blasting through chop. Tip is a little sluggish to commit when compared to the M5 or MB99.

- ON3P Woodsman 108 - More fun and versatile version of K2 MB 108. You can ski it from a centered stance, but still get forward on it.

- Faction Prodigy 4.0 - Meh. Cool bro. It's 112 and playful and nothing special. Skis exactly how you think it would.

- DPS Koala 119 (184) - more stable version of revolt 121. Still playful. A new ski for DPS for sure. Not the directional missile of the Lotus 122 Pure 3, but way more stable than the other skis out there. Fun for blasting around PNW chop where you have some deep sections but might roll over a bump to find a chute totally skided out by a snowboarder (I skied this in different conditions than the others). It can be shut down quickly. I'd consider mounting this one back just a hair unless you're a very centered skier.

-Kastle FX 116 HP - Good ski which favors bigger skiers. Skis well. tip got hung up a little for me. Gonna be hard to show me where its $300 better than a Declivity X or Rustler 11 (192).

Dang first time in a long time I actually want to get on a armada and a K2!
Anymore insight on the woodsman?

Thanks a lot for the write up XavierD!

[TAFKALVS]

The mindbender 108 is mind bending because it’s the first k2 I’ve wanted to own in about a decade.

Skied them at bbi and they were great


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[gregL]

While it could be more stable, most skier's are going to find it plenty heavy and stable at speed. Whatever group you run in where 'everyone complains its too light and not stable at speed' represents a very small minority of skiers on the Rustler 10. If you are in the 5% of skiers who would like something which is heavier, and more stable at speed, buy a Cochise/Bonifide, or another ski. Blizzard likely wants those two lines to have a bit of separation. The rustler series is designed to be a bit more playful. FWIW, @210lb, I find the Rustler 11 in a 188 to be plenty stable for me in most conditions. There are times where I wish I had the 192, or something more stable (192 Armada Declivity X!), but they are few and far between.


Useful content:
Having skied a dozen and half new skis so far this winter I will say things are overall pretty good. Haven't skied much I wouldn't be happy owning and skiing regularly. Maybe I'm just better at not testing the shit skis, but less of the meh sticks than previous years.

- 192 Armada Declivity X can fucking rip for a soft snow ski. This one blew me away at how smooth and stable it was without giving up float in anything soft. Kinda ruined a bunch of the other new 110-120mm skis for me due to how stable and awesome it was. This should be on many TGR's shortlist. A little cumbersome in tight areas, but still manageable, and very confidence inspiring. Honsetly I'm just saying that to find something bad about it. Damp, smooth, solid, still floats in pow. I skied it on the pre-production mount line, which I'm told is 2cm in front of the production rec line. I would leave it there. I wish I had measured from the tail since it fucking ripped and I might get this in the future.

- Volkl Revolt 121: Playful without being squirly. Didn't actually look to see if it had camber, but it skied like it. Likes to pop in and out of the snow. Made finding little popper wind-lips and ledges a blast. Pop up, down, slash, repeat. Anyone who is worried about the Bentchetler going light should look at this ski. Obviously float wasn't an issue.

- Line Vision 108 - Most surprising ski of the test. Doesn't ski near as light as it is. Playful and quick but comfortable going through the mid day windbuff and chop at some speed. Could be a great resort capable touring ski or 50/50 ski for someone who takes a more playful approach. I'd like a bit more float in untouched deeper snow. Overall impressed me. Probably the only 'non-touring' ski to get light right, IMO.

- K2 Mindbender series (99ti, 108ti, 116C): First off, these skis are not simply scaled versions of each other. The 116 is not a wider 108, and the 99 is not a narrower 108. They are purpose built for different skiers. All are pretty damn good once you account for who they are intended for. The 116C is a playful pow ski. It is quick, agile, and floats great. Turn initiation is quick and precise in all snow conditions; much more agile and precise than any previous K2 pow skis over the last decade or two. Its not however, your pow charger of the current PNC/Pinnacle/Seth 118 (not to be confused with the shit pinnacle 95/105). It gets deflected easy at speed in chop and hard bumps. It's just damp and forgiving enough to point through the bumps, but its not comfortable. Overall it's going to be a great resort pow ski for most strong skiers, just maybe not the point it through the crap crowd. Easily the most fun in the trees of all the wider skis I was on.
MB 108ti: Fucking rips, first K2 in 15 years you need to be careful who you put on it. If you get backseat it will kick your ass. It takes a strong skier with good technique. If you're on the lighter end of the spectrum size down. I'm 210 and the 186 was the right size. 178? was manageable and the 193 took some effort. This sits right between a rustler and a cochise for me. Really adapt at working through variable conditions with some firm, some soft, some chunky. Smooth and powerful with good edge initiation if you stay forward and drive it.
MB99ti - more approachable than the 108ti. Quicker turn initiation, especially when skied from a centered stance. Locks in on semi-firm groomers (nothing really hard to test on). Still comfortable going through chop. Didn't find float really lacking for a 99 ski. Struck me a more soft snow friendly Mantra M5(96mm) that wants a little more speed.

-Mantra 102: Skis like a bigger version of the M5. Should be aimed at bigger skiers who can overpower the 96. Skis better the faster you go. Took a few runs to figure out where it likes to be skied from. Works well from a variety of stances, likes speed. Very comfortable blasting through chop. Tip is a little sluggish to commit when compared to the M5 or MB99.

- ON3P Woodsman 108 - More fun and versatile version of K2 MB 108. You can ski it from a centered stance, but still get forward on it.

- Faction Prodigy 4.0 - Meh. Cool bro. It's 112 and playful and nothing special. Skis exactly how you think it would.

- DPS Koala 119 (184) - more stable version of revolt 121. Still playful. A new ski for DPS for sure. Not the directional missile of the Lotus 122 Pure 3, but way more stable than the other skis out there. Fun for blasting around PNW chop where you have some deep sections but might roll over a bump to find a chute totally skided out by a snowboarder (I skied this in different conditions than the others). It can be shut down quickly. I'd consider mounting this one back just a hair unless you're a very centered skier.

-Kastle FX 116 HP - Good ski which favors bigger skiers. Skis well. tip got hung up a little for me. Gonna be hard to show me where its $300 better than a Declivity X or Rustler 11 (192).

Skied all the same skis except the Woodsman and the Declivity X and agree with XavierD's breakdown. Super stoked for K2 next season, best run of the demo was on the Mindbender 116. Also stoked that the Blizzard Zero G 105 and 95 weren't totally neutered - yes, they are more accessible and we won't have to tell people to detune them out of the plastic, but they still rip.

[auvgeek]

Totally unsubstantiated rumors of a Scarpa Alien XT. Could this be like an F1 with the new tech? Anybody know anything?

[skialpy]

- Faction Prodigy 4.0 - Meh. Cool bro. It's 112 and playful and nothing special. Skis exactly how you think it would.

Can you elaborate a little more on this ski. Blister gave it a positive review and I thought on paper it looks nice.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

. Also stoked that the Blizzard Zero G 105 and 95 weren't totally neutered - yes, they are more accessible and we won't have to tell people to detune them out of the plastic, but they still rip.

That's great news.

[CaliBrit]

Kingpin M-works 620/540g brake/brake less.

[Rob Stokes]

Totally unsubstantiated rumors of a Scarpa Alien XT. Could this be like an F1 with the new tech? Anybody know anything?

That or a F1 RS is the obvious gap in the line. It seems believable to have a ~120 flex boot with the F1’s quality of walk mode for sub 1200g


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[kc_7777]

Read somewhere that 4FRNT is changing the Devastator?

Any ideas what they’re doing to it?

[trogdortheburninator]

Totally unsubstantiated rumors of a Scarpa Alien XT. Could this be like an F1 with the new tech? Anybody know anything?

Ha, that was just T making a joke.

[auvgeek]

Ha, that was just T making a joke.

Dang. Thanks for the response. Feel like a bit of an idiot for getting excited.

[LeeLau]

That's great news.

Yah. Nice to have subjective feeling reinforced by someone else!

[NorCalNomad]

Totally unsubstantiated rumors of a Scarpa Alien XT. Could this be like an F1 with the new tech? Anybody know anything?

Well no XT but Scarpa put out a new baseline Alien

[SKIP IN7RO]

No go on the Voile belt, but this looks promising. Snowboard-Bindings-Designed-to-Transform-Into-Snowshoes

[TripleT]

The voile belt kinda already exists, provided your slim-ish....

https://titanstraps.com/shop-straps/...industrial-36/

[gramboh]

No, thats an ARV 116 and is not stable.. This is one of the zero collection. Ski on the far left:

Anyone have stats on the 2020 Armada Zero line? I can't find stats, curious about dimensions and weights on those bad boys.

[reckless toboggan]

No go on the Voile belt, but this looks promising. Snowboard-Bindings-Designed-to-Transform-Into-Snowshoes

On spring corn, sure. Waist deep pow, not a chance. Not nearly enough surface area on the "snow shoe" to keep you above deep powder snow, especially dry deep powder snow.

[adrenalated]

On spring corn, sure. Waist deep pow, not a chance. Not nearly enough surface area on the "snow shoe" to keep you above deep powder snow, especially dry deep powder snow.

Even if it worked, you'd still be snowshoeing.

[NorCalNomad]

Even if it worked, you'd still be snowshoeing.

qft

[SKIP IN7RO]

The voile belt kinda already exists, provided your slim-ish....

https://titanstraps.com/shop-straps/...industrial-36/

I am right on the limit of that titan strap working as a belt. Thanks for the heads-up.

[SKIP IN7RO]

Even if it worked, you'd still be snowshoeing.

And fucking up the skintrack. I wonder if they will sell enuf of those binders to get back all the development costs. It looks like alot of engineering and design was involved. I'll stick to my splitboard.

[robnow]

Anyone have stats on the 2020 Armada Zero line? I can't find stats, curious about dimensions and weights on those bad boys.

No weights but everything else:
https://www.newschoolers.com/ski-gea...urer/76/Armada