colerichardmyersAnyone ridden the Countach 110? From speaking with the Moment folks it sounds like this is their soft snow freeride-y ski, which sounds right up my alley. I am looking to replace my Praxis MVP 108 (might have just obliterated bases being to greedy at Kirkwood on some cliffs and chutes) and am really intrigued by the balance of directional/charge and playfulness. Sounds like a lot of their athletes are opting for the Countach for soft snow over the Wildcat or Deathwish. Really looking for that ski I can daily drive for the most part up in Washington that allows me to feel confident at speed on a steep line, pivot nicely when things get tight, and stable in the air and landing. Anyone out here grabbing the Countach over the Wildcat or Deathwish? Or why are you going with the Wildcat or Deathwish over the Countach?
I’ll give you the other end of the question. The WC/DW over the countach.
let’s get the easy one out of the way. The only reason to choose the WC over the CT would be you prefer a more progressive forward mounted ski. The WC mounts -6 and the CT mounts -8. Not a world apart but forsure changes the dynamics of the ski. If you prefer a more progressive free ride ski you’ll be happier on a WC. If you prefer a more directional charger you’d prefer the CT.
for all intensive purposes the CT front half is a WC 116 with 1mm narrower tips and 1mm narrower tails that are more flat but not commander flat. It’s 140/130 which is part of the reason for the amazing float. That’s also the reason with the flatter tail on the CT it requires a bit more work and better technique to really push through the shovels being further back but also allows the ski to charge really well. The radius is also smaller on the CT so it’s faster edge to edge when comparing it to the 116 WC. Smaller radius than the 108 as well.
the core is poplar and beech, Which gives it the higher stability at speed and more charging characteristics over the WC which is poplar and ash. I personally prefer a more progressive ski and mount. I have commander 98‘s and they’re my least favorite moment ski because of the mount and heavy directional feel. But I wanted something for icy days that had metal.
now onto the DW. for comparisons sake I’ll describe mainly the 104 over the 112 since you mentioned you’re considering that as well.
the DW 104 is going to be playful and pivoty but still has no issues charging down the mountain and holds good stability for a ski with its waist size. It’s going to be faster edge to edge than any of the others mentioned due to its waist and radius. While it’s still higher than the CT the lower waist makes up for the difference.
its shares a similar core to the CT in that it’s poplar and beech as well. So the stiffness and stability is much higher compared to the WC and DW 112 which are both poplar and ash. The 104 is essentially the same weight as the 112 with both being 8lbs in a 184. The 104 core is a more stout wood combo like the CT so it gains more weight. The CT is 9lbs in a 182. The 104 punches above its weight for high speed stability and usually surprises people for how composed it is at speed, especially if they’ve been on the 112 as the 104 is more chargy than the 112.
you will obviously lose float with the 104 compared to the CT. That being said it holds its own fairly well in soft snow and really doesn’t have issues until you’re getting into the deep deep. The tips are 132 so not some narrow sticks.
The big factor that tips the scale in my opinion for the 104 is the triple camber. That allows the dw’s and specifically the 104 to handle such a wider range of conditions that the CT just can’t match. When things get firmed up, icy, crusted over or just really shitty the DW comes alive. The triple camber will bite into essentially any surface and gives you grip where there just typically isn’t in a normal rocker profile. As great as the CT is, and it is that Great it just has a narrower window that it performs well in and a longer list of conditions it’s not ideal in. Where as the DW is the opposite. There really are no conditions it isn’t great in until you get into super deep days. While you could absolutely ski the CT from the start of the season to the end and it would work, You’re going to have a better time on a DW 104 in that same time frame.
you made it sound like you’re going to be using essentially one ski for the time being and hopefully getting something else down the road. For me personally in that situation I want the ski with the widest range of performance that’s going to give me the maximum amount of good days in most conditions. Which is going to be the DW 104. If I had to get only one right now. I’d choose that personally. Then add the CT as a second ski down the road for deeper days.
with all that being said unless something wild drops in the reserve line that I need to have I’ll be adding a Countach as my next ski to the quiver. So I’m a lover of the ski. I just already have a DW 104 and 112 currently in the quiver.
you can’t go wrong with either one. Just for me personally triple camber is real and it greatly improves your skiing experience across a much wider range of days. It’s the reason the ghost train has become my favorite ski period. A ski that big especially in my 194 shouldn’t be able to do what it does, but that’s triple camber.
