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Overall The slow speed on the cat tracks is definitely the most frustrating thing about them, but easily worth the inconvience in the pow. All in all I'm extremely happy with the skis, but would love to be able to try some 138s, spats and Pontoons, as well as EHPs, 120s to see how they compare. Performance First off, this is the first time I've ever skied a non-traditional shape, so my experience is limited to regular fatties (JP vs. Julien, ANT, Made'ns, and 1st gen Pistols). I lapped the Peak probably 6-7 times though the day and even as it got tracked out I was happy to be on them. They ski the deep stuff like nothing I've ever skied. The floatation is amazing and as a result you can absolutely rip. I'm used to soft skis and these were so much more stable going really fast and laying down huge turns on the open bowls. They wanted me to find stuff that was even steeper so I could go faster. After waiting in line for about 40 minutes we only got one run in with the sun and with the fog and snow rolling in quickly were were off to find some lines in the trees. After reading many spatula reviews about their instant pivot point I was hoping to find something like it on these. They did not disappoint. Effortless transitition between turns, at least compared to regular sidecut skis, which allowed me to haul ass towards trees faster than I normally would because I knew I'd be able to turn on a dime once I needed too. It also helped going fast cause once I reached the bottom of the bowls I knew I'd need the speed. On hardpack these things are slow. I heard about this problem on spatulas but did not expect it to be this bad. I'm usually the fastest one of all the guys I ski with and it was extremely frustrating getting passed by boarders on the flats as I was skating like mad. They are also really squirrelly on the groomers, but that was to be expected. You can feel the minimal sidecut in the middle of the ski, but you really have to be ripping to use it. With that 2mm of sidecut I have no idea what the turning radius would be, but its long. It took some getting used to, but by the end of the day I was more comfortable with it and wasn't almost bailing when gapers cut me off and forcing me to react quickly. On the later runs in the day it was harder to find untouched lines but cutting through the semi-tracked out pow was a breeze. Definitely the most noticable difference compared to anything else I've skied. Going through some of this cut up stuff I noticed only a small difference between the untouched stuff. Virtually no tip flap made it so easy to charge through this stuff. This made me feel better about my purchase as I know I won't only be using them on the fresh, deep days but also 1 or even 2 days after the storm. Towards the end of the day Whistler Bowl was completely tracked out with some pretty brutal moguls forming. Combined with the flat light this wasn't a enjoyable experience, but better than I thought it would be on the ARGs. It wasn't too difficult to manouver through them, and I seemed to be having an easier time than the guy I saw on Pontoons who crossed his massive tips a couple times and took a nose dive into a mogul once. Design I can't comment on the spatula because I have no experience on it. However, from everything I've heard, the 2mm sidecut does improve performance on groomers, albiet only slightly. The tip and tail rocker is like nothing I've ever skied and is unbelievable in pow. The thinner tip and stiff flex makes you able to destroy the crud and cut-up pow. Value They were fucking expensive, not gonna lie. Characteristics Don't kid yourself, this is a stiff ski. Hand flexed its stiffer than the ANT. But flex in this type of design is less important. Because of the rocker you don't need a soft flex to sink the the middle and keep the tips up. Durability No durability issues as of yet. Only one day on them. Cap construction, to keep the weight down, but appear to be very solid. I don't anticipate any problems.
Overall I think this is a great ski. If its mixed condidtions this is my ride. I have skied the ANT as well and find this a better all around ski, but if you are doing all of big mountain, the ANT is a better ski. Its shortfalls arise in poor conditions. It skis fast, which I love, but is still soft enough to play around with on a lousy day, ski switch (they ride amazing switch) and maybe venture into the park. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being extreme, 10 being extremely extreme, I'd rate this a 9.5. Performance I think this is a great performing all mountain ski. It's straight shape (straighter than the ANT) loves to haul ass on the groomers and despite the huge tail, doesn't hook up in the pow. It's soft flex doesn't make it chatter at speed as much as I thought, though it is a factor, but it helps in the trees and pow. I do notice that the soft flex hampers it in the cut up pow and crud, especially compared to something like the ANT. The skis are amazingly light which helps with the swing weight. If this ski weren't as light I would have a harder time in the tight trees because of the straight-ish sidecut, but it does pretty well. The ski also skis shorter than most twins because of the huge rear tip. I use this ski as my all-mountain ski and love it. I don't ski too much park, so the longish length doesn't bother me. If I'm messing around though, its light enough that I can still do in there. If I was only skiing park that day I would definitely swap it for my dedicated park ski. It's not the greatest on ice because it likes to make long turns, but just sack up and ski fast and you're fine. Design I love the straight shape and the huge turned up tail. Switch in pow is easier than any other ski I've tried. The graphics are fucking awesome too, better than this year in my humble opinion. The mounting line has been known to be different on each ski so watch out for that. Also, most people who have skied these say the suggested mounting spot is too far forward. On the 188, measure 88 cm from the tail to find the optimum spot. Value I got a hell of a deal on these, $300 US brand new in March last year, so for me, its amazing value. Even if you paid retail I'd say its pretty good value. Aside from the first generation Armadas the durability has been pretty damn good and I don't hear of many problems. Characteristics This is a fairly soft ski. Stiffer than the ARV for sure as well as a Seth Pistol, but softer than the Seth Vicious. It's a fairly even flex and performs well all mountain. Durability Only a couple days on them but so far they are holding up well. Only minor scrapes to report, and the bases are still immaculate. They have experienced problems with the older pivot and look/rossi turntable heels (fks series and p18) ripping out because of the screw pattern. Others with those bindings have been ok, but it is something to worry about. Salomon heel pieces are great and the new look/rossi px/scratch/power series are fine.
Overall Overall I'm happy with them. Best pole I've used with their only problem being the lack of powder baskets. Absolutely sick design. Support Anthony and get yourself a pair. Performance I'm very happy with these poles. Strong and light, you can't really ask for a better performing aluminum poles. The pole strap system isn't fantastic and can loosen easily. However, it is really easy to to fix and adjust. I could see them easier to get off if you find yourself buried in a tree hole than a regular strap. The grip itself is really comfy and well designed I think. Design Sickest pole design out there for sure. Its a graphic you can appreciate from afar as well as close up. The baskets are too small for pow and need to be replaced. Value Decent. I found them to be 10 bucks cheaper than a comparable strength Scott aluminum pole. For the price (70 canadian when I bought mine) I would have liked powder baskets to come with them (I believe some of the new Joysticks do though). Durability Better than I originally thought. I had composite poles for years and while they never bent, they eventually broke. The whole tip with basket snapped right off. I find the Spicolli strong for an aluminum pole (still not bent after a bunch of good bails) and lighter than my old composites.
Overall A great glove overall. It prides itself on being the world's only fully gore-tex glove, and so far I have not experienced anything that would tell me otherwise. I can stick my hand in a bucket of water and they won't leak. On top of that it's comfy and extremely warm with the fleece layer in. The only downfall is the powerstretch liner which is coming apart a bit. Performance This is a pretty amazing glove. The entire exterior is gore-tex. It has never had a leak even on those soaking wet PNW days. Its got a nose wipe and goggle wipe stitched on top of the thumbs and leather layed over the palm for grip. The 2nd layer is a thick fleece liner, nothing much more to it than that. Other than its super thick. It is WAY too hot for most days, but I could see you using it a lot on the east coast. Its really only something I bring with me (usually stored in my pack) when its colder than -15. With this layer in the mobility is a little restricted, if I were using it a lot I would buy another size up. The 3rd layer is the powerstretch liner. It's wicking fleece and performs very well. Its not all that warm but I don't usually need uber-warm gloves (and when I do I just put in the fleece layer) and it does keep your hands dry. It fits extremely tight but is designed that way. It also has rubber stripping on the palm for grip which I find very useful. It together with the outside liner is usually all I need on a regular day. It feels a little big without the fleece liner in, but not too baggy and there is still good mobility. Design Pretty straight forward simple technical design. Does everything it needs to do and doesnt mess around with graphics or extra features. Value Even as sweet as these gloves are, I could never pay retail ($189 us). I paid 80 canadain (yay eBay!) and that is well worth it. If you find a deal on these, pull the trigger. Fit I got a large and they fit a little tight with all 3 layers, a little loose with just 2 layers. If you plan on using them like that you have to compromise. Durability The powerstretch liner is getting a couple holes in the finger tips and I may have to sew them up or get new ones soon (they are sold separately which is nice). One of the pull straps to tighten the glove around the wrist has come out. It's not broken, but it will be a bitch to feed that cord back into the glove. (Like putting a drawstring back into your pants after it pulls out of one end). In the gloves defence, it was my fault. I was a little to aggro with the tightening and it came right out.
