Big Mountain Powder Chargers - Heritage Lab C113 and FL113 - Dedicated Thread

[arild]

Great to hear your two cents, Buster!

Was especially curious about your thoughts, since I recalled you love Lotii. Also very interesting that you found the 113s more directional than those, as they have proper pintail geometry (140/120/125), and the 113s are more "semi". I never skied the 120s, so no point of reference there.

Anxious to get on mine, kinda holding out for longer daylight hours(April's usually good).

support the raddest project going: http://heritagelabskis.com

[detrusor]

Finally got mine from Marshall, mounted 187’s at -11. Already established in too much of a wuss for the R120’s.

I really like these skis. Half day of crappy visibility at snowbird. Soak you the unexpected incredibly well. Turn is intuitive, carve well. Haven’t been able to open em up due to vis but looking forward to it!

[soul_skier]

187 FL113s crushed it today at palisades with bluebird weather and 5-8in of super cream cheese pow. My typical go-to for a day like this would have been wildcats but I don't see myself going back to those anytime soon.

[Buster Highmen]

A couple more C113 observations:
The C113 skis really well centered, meaning that the weight distribution over the course of the turn can be more over the center of the ski. It carves well with a centered stance and has significant purchase under the heel out to the tail.

When edged with a little force, the C113 really grips and chomps into the turn. Trenchable. It still slarves OK when you give it edge roll, but when you want to slam and hold, it comes through.

Again, it's a nice crudbuster, doesn't get thrown around by chopped potatoes. More directional than my other pow skis.

It skis with a good pop after getting it to flex into the turn with just a slight weight transition to the rear. I'm still getting used to how to ski it to get that acceleration, but it's there with the right balance.

[arild]

A couple more C113 observations:
The C113 skis really well centered, meaning that the weight distribution over the course of the turn can be more over the center of the ski. It carves well with a centered stance and has significant purchase under the heel out to the tail.

When edged with a little force, the C113 really grips and chomps into the turn. Trenchable. It still slarves OK when you give it edge roll, but when you want to slam and hold, it comes through.

Again, it's a nice crudbuster, doesn't get thrown around by chopped potatoes. More directional than my other pow skis.

It skis with a good pop after getting it to flex into the turn with just a slight weight transition to the rear. I'm still getting used to how to ski it to get that acceleration, but it's there with the right balance.

Easter is coming. For me, that is. Lift spinning is more or less over, touring can start.

support the raddest project going: http://heritagelabskis.com

[arild]

Yesterday was my last day of skiing FL113s this season. About 20 of those days have occurred. Most fun and reliable skis I've ever had clamped to my feet, and really can't wait till next season. Awesome stuff.

Today, however, was my first day skiing the carbon versions. Yesterday was corn harvest, today was even better.

C113, 194.
Mount: -11, ATK FR14s.
Boots: Lupos

I skied pretty conservatively the first couple of runs; didn't know if the bindings were trustworthy. Then I said fuckit, seasons mostly over anyway, an injury can be dealt with in summer time.

Given that they are the exact same shape as the FL versions, albeit slightly softer flexing, I wasn't expecting any surprising traits. They gave me none. I eventually skied them as I would the heavy ones, and honestly, the only real difference is that the heavier are damper, more Cadillac like in ride over ruff stuff, and, to my old ass, slightly poppier. Landings in corn are similar, railing turns on groomed is similar, though you'll feel more of the snow inconsistencies, but they're still awfully fast, and complement the heavy FL build really well.

I don't know if Marshal has any left of these, but run buy shit if he has.

support the raddest project going: http://heritagelabskis.com

[Buster Highmen]

I forgot to mention that the build quality is excellent, no blemishes, bubbles, separation or any irregularities. Everything is super tight. Well wrought. The bases are rilled right.

It's a burly board, definAtely primo for punching through crud. Not hooky at all, has a nice round feel to the turn and good rebound coming out of the turn once I got the weight distribution dialed in. As mentioned, it does ski really well with a more centered weight distribution than I'm used to (I'm generally more forward in the start of the turn and tend to weight the tail to end the turn, not needed on the C113). It's so directional, goes where one points it.

The one day I skied it in lighter snow, it planed up well, not as surfy as a fatter ski, but that's expected. I'd need more time in SWCO fairy dust to really compare, but in the PNW, it's surfs and porpoises great.

All in all, I'm impressed and pleased.

The silent eye speaks loudly.

[bry]

These things are unbelievable. Only have a handful of days but man they are a riot. 10/10 guys. Mounted -10.5 no regrets, easy swivel. The tail rocker and flex are just dynamite, perfect tip shape so stout throughout, you really accelerate quickly. Whee! With the heavier weight you can really drift with some serious momentum. Good times!

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[jackattack]

major FOMO for not throwing down this year not to be repeated next season

[chewski]

I had put out a few feelers about selling this ski, as i had yet to ever truly click with it after 4-5 days of use. I had tried them in the "right" conditions like deep, soft chop, i had tried them in the "wrong" conditions like refrozen and deep troughed moguls. Every time i would see some glimmer of brilliance, whether it be the insanely damp, yet poppy construction, or the limitless composure when pointing it on runouts. But i also always felt like the ski was still getting the best of me. I was almost convinced these had no place in my quiver moving forward. I prefer the better float and easier maneuverability of billygoats and bodacious as chop destroyers. For lower tide conditions i like skis with slightly softer tips and more sidecut for bumps and groomers. But bry's photo of these skis on a pristine spring day at my home mountain of mammoth made me convinced i had to try these in spring conditions... AND THEY RULE HERE.

I cannot think of a better spring conditions ski i have tried. In my initial review and early messages with marshal about purchasing this ski, i remarked how pleasantly surprising the edge grip was. This feature makes it better than many of the surfier, driftier skis with more rocker/taper that are so fun once the corn gets really deep and the slush bumps are in full effect. The day always starts off crusty, and you can trust these to hold really well when chasing the softening snow and poking around to test the brutally refrozen off pistes. On early morning frozen groomers off chair 25 these let you confidently arc instead of slipping and scrubbing speed on every turn. And the construction really, really helps mellow out the harsh when you venture too soon into a still refrozen area and have a long way to ski out. I did a full mogul run down the face of 5 when it was still bulletproof and had a pretty decent time of it. The wind was quite strong this weekend, so it can really delay the thawing of the best terrain, and i loved having these skis as insurance against a mistimed foray into icey terrain.

And once the snow gets really good and thawed, these skis drift and slide so much better than edgier, turnier skis with less rocker and more sidecut that are slightly better on the refrozen early morning pistes. I had some issues with grabbiness on these initially, and even went down really hard and sprained a knee. So i went from marshal's initial 1* "factory" base bevel to 1.5* (which they all get now). But i still left them sharp from tip to tail and even in really soft snow I couldn't let them rallycar around as much as I would have liked. So this time around i did a thorough gummi detune of all rockered sections and I finally felt like i was in control of these skis. I prefer to use edge geometry and bevels over intentionally dulling large portions of most skis. But that feeling of always being on the verge of being out skied by these meant that i needed some significant detune this time (I always do a LITTLE, but this was a lot more than usual). But something finally clicked for me and these would bite when i wanted, drift when I wanted, and somehow they even stopped feeling too stiff in bumps (frozen or slushy). I could vary my turn shape, when i initially reported feeling locked into their given radius. And, of course, they absolutely slay when everything gets chopped to shit. These were just so comfortable and intuitive today.

I have tried everything from race carvers to superfat pow skis in spring. They are all a riot at some point in the day. These may have been the best from start to finish i have ever used in spring conditions. These are marketed as soft chop destroyers, but for me I did not love the float enough to choose them over other skis that can still flatten piles of snow in various states of consolidation. Where these have now cemented themselves in my quiver is for mixed refrozen and sloppy mank, which easily can be 2-3 months at the end of a mammoth season. Super stoked on these again and eagerly awaiting the FR110

[arild]

I had put out a few feelers about selling this ski, as i had yet to ever truly click with it after 4-5 days of use. I had tried them in the "right" conditions like deep, soft chop, i had tried them in the "wrong" conditions like refrozen and deep troughed moguls. Every time i would see some glimmer of brilliance, whether it be the insanely damp, yet poppy construction, or the limitless composure when pointing it on runouts. But i also always felt like the ski was still getting the best of me. I was almost convinced these had no place in my quiver moving forward. I prefer the better float and easier maneuverability of billygoats and bodacious as chop destroyers. For lower tide conditions i like skis with slightly softer tips and more sidecut for bumps and groomers. But bry's photo of these skis on a pristine spring day at my home mountain of mammoth made me convinced i had to try these in spring conditions... AND THEY RULE HERE.

I cannot think of a better spring conditions ski i have tried. In my initial review and early messages with marshal about purchasing this ski, i remarked how pleasantly surprising the edge grip was. This feature makes it better than many of the surfier, driftier skis with more rocker/taper that are so fun once the corn gets really deep and the slush bumps are in full effect. The day always starts off crusty, and you can trust these to hold really well when chasing the softening snow and poking around to test the brutally refrozen off pistes. On early morning frozen groomers off chair 25 these let you confidently arc instead of slipping and scrubbing speed on every turn. And the construction really, really helps mellow out the harsh when you venture too soon into a still refrozen area and have a long way to ski out. I did a full mogul run down the face of 5 when it was still bulletproof and had a pretty decent time of it. The wind was quite strong this weekend, so it can really delay the thawing of the best terrain, and i loved having these skis as insurance against a mistimed foray into icey terrain.

And once the snow gets really good and thawed, these skis drift and slide so much better than edgier, turnier skis with less rocker and more sidecut that are slightly better on the refrozen early morning pistes. I had some issues with grabbiness on these initially, and even went down really hard and sprained a knee. So i went from marshal's initial 1* "factory" base bevel to 1.5* (which they all get now). But i still left them sharp from tip to tail and even in really soft snow I couldn't let them rallycar around as much as I would have liked. So this time around i did a thorough gummi detune of all rockered sections and I finally felt like i was in control of these skis. I prefer to use edge geometry and bevels over intentionally dulling large portions of most skis. But that feeling of always being on the verge of being out skied by these meant that i needed some significant detune this time (I always do a LITTLE, but this was a lot more than usual). But something finally clicked for me and these would bite when i wanted, drift when I wanted, and somehow they even stopped feeling too stiff in bumps (frozen or slushy). I could vary my turn shape, when i initially reported feeling locked into their given radius. And, of course, they absolutely slay when everything gets chopped to shit. These were just so comfortable and intuitive today.

I have tried everything from race carvers to superfat pow skis in spring. They are all a riot at some point in the day. These may have been the best from start to finish i have ever used in spring conditions. These are marketed as soft chop destroyers, but for me I did not love the float enough to choose them over other skis that can still flatten piles of snow in various states of consolidation. Where these have now cemented themselves in my quiver is for mixed refrozen and sloppy mank, which easily can be 2-3 months at the end of a mammoth season. Super stoked on these again and eagerly awaiting the FR110

Awesome!! I'm still on 1deg, and honestly holding off on redoing the edges, but super glad you finally found love in them.

support the raddest project going: http://heritagelabskis.com

[Marshal Olson]

I have tried everything from race carvers to superfat pow skis in spring. They are all a riot at some point in the day. These may have been the best from start to finish i have ever used in spring conditions. These are marketed as soft chop destroyers, but for me I did not love the float enough to choose them over other skis that can still flatten piles of snow in various states of consolidation. Where these have now cemented themselves in my quiver is for mixed refrozen and sloppy mank, which easily can be 2-3 months at the end of a mammoth season. Super stoked on these again and eagerly awaiting the FR110

Hell yeah dude! Mammoth and Snowbird are certain to have endless spring seasons this year! Also, just sent you a PM.

[Marshal Olson]

I have tried everything from race carvers to superfat pow skis in spring. They are all a riot at some point in the day. These may have been the best from start to finish i have ever used in spring conditions. These are marketed as soft chop destroyers, but for me I did not love the float enough to choose them over other skis that can still flatten piles of snow in various states of consolidation. Where these have now cemented themselves in my quiver is for mixed refrozen and sloppy mank, which easily can be 2-3 months at the end of a mammoth season. Super stoked on these again and eagerly awaiting the FR110

Hell yeah dude! Mammoth and Snowbird are certain to have endless spring seasons this year! Also, just sent you a PM.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Echoing the sentiment above: I skied these at Alpental on Sunday. Full on rain down low, wet snow up high, 45*F, snowcone/slurpee conditions.....and they CRUSHED.

I'm somewhere at 35ish days on these skis in just about every condition and have yet to bring out any other skis.

[soul_skier]

Posted the photo over in the Tahoe thread but I have to agree with WRG's versatility sentiment. I took the 187s out today to get rowdy at the resort formerly known as Squaw and and the skis crushed it. I went from bulletproof ice and cold creamy pow in the Palisades to wet heavy spring snow over on Granite, then finally to the beginnings of refrozen corn and didn't once wish I was on a different pair of skis.

Unsurprisingly, they have continued to be absolutely fantastic landing pads. Not many skis feel as composed and stable as the FL113s airing a chimney line, making long radius pow turns, and crushing chop on the runout.

[jackattack]

I plan to find out how well these harvest corn this weekend.

[Marshal Olson]

Booya!!!

[chewski]

I plan to find out how well these harvest corn this weekend.

Very, very well. I went with 1.5 base bevel and rocker section detune before unlocking the beast, but i'm a jong

[arild]

https://youtu.be/oo5rP_1k4lo

support the raddest project going: http://heritagelabskis.com

[waxoff]

https://youtu.be/oo5rP_1k4lo

support the raddest project going: http://heritagelabskis.com

Rock on! 😎

[jackattack]

Chop destroyers.
They demand the fall line in anything soft
Loose and drifty in anything moderately firm or floaty
I’m really excited for midwinter conditions

This is a tight mountain and I can’t imagine opening up the 194.

[mr_pretzel]

Nice Jack! 187? Whats the mount?

[jackattack]

Nice Jack! 187? Whats the mount?

I went with the recommended mount -11. 187cm fl113

[chewski]

So these rule in spring corn, sweet corn, creamed corn, canned corn, white corn, yellow corn, and probably in popped corn as well. But found another use case: baby corn.



Seriously though I have used these for skiing with my 6 month old recently. I bought some "dad skis" when k2 poachers went on sale for $280 from corbetts thinking the slower speed minimum, easier turning skis would be best for skiing with the family. I honestly can't see the need for easier skis yet until maybe my kids are old enough to actually follow and copy turns. My other kid just turned 3 y/o and she still needs me to brake for her and i prefer the fl113 over poachers for skiing with her too. So whether holding my 6 month old or braking for my 3 year old, the less turny ski that flattens and dampens all the spring crud and cut up snow is "easier" for me than the "easy" ski.

Honestly this isn't about the fl113 as a dad ski, per se, as i prefer m102's most of all for dad skiing so far. but i have been choosing the fl113 because i just so prefer it in spring conditions that it's all I want on my feet for when I finally peel away and ski on my own. And also, i just don't find it demanding anymore like i initially reported.

I would attribute how much easier these have been for me to:

1.) easy skiing spring snow conditions
2.) warm temps softening boot flex
3.) getting in better and better ski shape through the season
4.) changing base bevel to 1.5* and detuning the rockered sections

I can't tell how much to attribute to each of these factors, but early in the season i was bailing on techy chutes and billy goating lines due to lack of confidence in my control of them. Now i will ski just about any line i am capable of skiing on these without a second thought. I also find them fun in slush bumps. Basically this long post is just to give an update so people don't think these are EXTREMELY demanding or 100% game on all the time skis. They are not easy, but i no longer find them that hard

[SkiJitsu]

Has anyone been able to ski these in 4-6” of PNW hot pow? The super wet, grabby snow that makes skis feel locked in?

My current best ski for this is a v-werks katana (I assume because of the rocker) but I want something with a heavier build to smash through the crud that builds up by noon. I also have the ON3P Wrenegade pro that is great at busting crud, but feels too locked in when hitting the untracked hot pow (cream cheese) in the morning.

Is this the ski that checks both of those boxes?