Armada Halos or K2 Domain

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DannyKid

Member
Wadda ya think?

I'm needing new park skis this year and want to try out something with rocker / early rise. Ideally looking for the softer end of the flex scale for mainly jibs, presses, rails etc.

Loving the design of both these skis. Flat camber on the Domain is exciting but like the idea behind elf shoe and narrower waist. Tricky

I'll be center mounting so the non symmetrical shape of the Halos is bothering me a little, although probably not a big deal.

If you want to know, I'm 5'8" 140lb

mucho...very much
 
Halos are insanely fun. If you won't be doing any massive jumps (lets say 50 or 60 ft+ and throwing large tricks like cork 7s and 9's or even dubs) then those will be incredibly fun. They are super light although they don't handle quite as well carving as a full camber ski (coming from a racing background). Nevertheless they are super fun. Wait for someone to talk about Domain's also before you buy, you don't want to have only one biased opinion.
 
I saw the halos in store today and they weren't IMO that flexy. They still have a decent flex to them though.
 
They are moderately flexy. Like for a serious park ski they are somewhat flexy, but they aren't as flexy as people make them out to be.
 
I just got the new domains and they are insanely buttery!! there so solid and have tons of pop and the 0 chamber under foot is awesome! Stiff underfoot so big jumps are great !!! they are bomb proof and a lot of kids are stupid and say they are heavy but there really not.. when there on your feet they feel so light !! one of the best park skis ive skied!! and the graphics are sick.. mad good ski i recommend it highly to you
 
No camber underfoot makes surface swaps much easier, shuffle landings there is no camber to catch, same with butters on etc. It also makes rocking on to your tails and noses easier for ollies/nollies.
 
all this. i had the domains all last seasons and theyre still holding up super well for this one. surface swaps, shuffles and butters are so easy. and the early rise/no camber makes them so much fun
 
I've actually got a bit more time to post now.

I've owned both Domains and Halos so hopefully I can help.

Domains are soft, with no camber underfoot I found the comination too soft. I washed out more than I'd like on jumps and even bad rail landings. That said they were super easy to butter, press etc and very poppy on ollies/nollies. They definitely have all the advantages of a flat/rocker ski in that sense but they weren't for me personally.

Halos aren't actually that soft in my opinion. Pretty stiff underfoot with softness in the rocker sections. I could do butters on them fine but they were the fast poppy sort of butters rather than slow stalled out butters that i prefer to do. I liked them on jumps, fast rail spins and switchups. They have extremely low swingweight but the sidecut and narrow waist didn't really agree with me.

I could feel the advantages of both skis but I didn't like either all that much.
 
I've skied both and agree with your characterizations of them, except I like the Domains a lot. I find their flex conducive to everything jib-related (note I am partial to softer skis).
 
I can speak only for the Domain since I've never ridden the Halos. Anyways i like my Domains a lot. Soft, easy to butter and press on rails, surface ups are a lot easier without camber. The only complaint about the rocker design would be that you won't get as much out of turns. The ski tends to slide more than dig but part of that is my edges being dull. Overall, fun ski to ride for park. maybe not so much all mountain but hey it is a symmetrical park ski. 8/10
 
Never skied halos but I fucking love my domains, finally got to use them on a real hill, and was thoroughly impressed. They're stiff underfoot so you are stable when you need to be but have excellent flex in the tips for popping, butters pressing and landings. The flat camber is really noticeable on rails in a positive way, it's much easier to spin on the rail and you can spin out easier as well without having to worry about catching an edge. Not to mention they're tough as nails. The negative of the flat camber is that it isn't great at carving, and being symmetrical means doing stuff like moguls and be a workout so you do make a compromise in that regard. It comes down to what you wanna do, if you wanna perfect that cork 7, and charge hard the domains may not be your thing, but if you wanna fuck around and step up your rail game it's a fantastic ski.
 
i bought a pair of halos and have skiied one day on them and so far i love them. not quite as flexy as i thought they would be but still so much fun. great on rails and fun in the air
 
Thanks to all. When I made this thread I was hoping for more love for Halos because I've wanted them for ages and probably wanted to be pushed in that direction. However having read everyone's comments do far it's looking more like the domains could be the way to go. I'm definitely after a soft ski for more of a buttery experience.
 
Domains sound much more like what you are looking for. Travelling Circus Anthems would be another good option.

Halos are a good ski, I could feel that, but I wouldn't characterize them as particularly buttery, more just very light and very quick.
 
I have to domains and everything that has been posted about them in this thread is right on point, they are quite soft but are still extremely fun to use, actually are pretty light and super easy with rails
 
what i think, well i have skied on domains for the past 2 years now and i can say they are my favorite ski so far. last year i tested every single armada ski (park and pow) and i feal like they specialized all their skis ( besides jj's literaly could slay any thing on those) towards 1 specific aspect of skiing. Takings the t halls or halos through the whole mountain just didn't feal right, flex was of while doing different things and so on, and on.

Domains on the other hand can handle any thing in the park perfect flex for jibbing around with still enough to stop massive jumps.

final thought, if u can buy 4 pairs of skis... buy the halos if u can only buy 1 buy domains
 
btw im same same spec s as you 5'8 and about 138 lbs, so when i say domains are super solid for huge jumps they are to me. not to people who are 170 lbs and big manly men, just dont want people getting butt hurt.
 
i have the punx and the domains, but really am not a fan of the domains at all. the punx are so fast ((base), the domains are really slow) and lively, exxtremely quick edge to edge and super poppy and playful. in comparison to the punx i find them feeling dead. thats why i havent really skid them alot and continue using my punx.
 
Thanks so much everyone, really impressed with everybody's advice, very helpful. As much as it pains me to turn my back on the Halos, it's looking more certain.

I just have a couple of other quick questions for those who ride or have ridden the Domains.

I'm used to a narrower ski (Punx at the mo fyi). Do you think I'll notice the extra waist width in any negative way?

Also, I've seen that the Domains are a little longer than specs suggest, much like the old Hellbents etc. I'm assuming that this makes it not as necessary to size up like I would for the Halos. I'd get a 169 if it were regular camber, so given they are actually 174ish, I should still be good?

Now to +K everyone...........
 
you wont notice the extra length, since it has early rise it cancels it out, you should be fine with the bigger waist, its hardly difference
 
really dont like the domains after skiing punx. i noticed the extra weight negatively, but the bindings on the domains were burlier. its not that the weight is terribly annoying, its just that the punx are so crazy light to throw around, that any heavier ski is kind of annoying.
 
I have the older hellbents (2010) and they are 179s and when I measured them they are 183 and I have the domains (2012) in a 169 length and I measured them to be 173, I'm not sure if the 2013 domains are like this but I do know they are available in more sizes
 
I don't get why everyone keeps saying that the Domains are zero camber. I'm looking at my pair right now, and they have fucking camber. The rocker is also pretty subtle compared to the Halos.

I'd think about it this way: the Domains are designed for a rail heavy riding style like that of the Stept crew. They're soft, they're symmetrical, they're poppy. So, if you like trannyfinding, nollies, ollies and presses, these are gonna be more up your alley. That's why I got them.

The Halos are gonna be less playful but way more solid on jumps and such. They're stiffer, they're narrower... So, if you like doing big jump tricks and lots of switch ups and spins on and off, these are more in your direction.
 
a few of my friends ride halos, and they swear to them. The only guy who I know who rode a domain, which was a few years ago, completely snapped off the tail.
 
Yeah my 11/12 169s are definitely longer than 169. 173 sounds about right. They measure by the running length, I believe. If I were OP--and I have the same body dimensions--I'd go with the 174 they're offering this year. For an advanced park skier, the extra length will help on jumps while still retaining the fun. If I had the money, it's exactly what I'd have done.
 
It's probably because K2 list them as being flat underfoot? That said I also have a pair in front of me right now and they do have a little camber underfoot.

@OP: Domains definitely sound like the skis for you out of the two, just a case of size choice. If you basically ride indoors I'd get the 169, if you hit up the mountains alot, get the 174 (or the 178 Travelling Circus which is what I would get).
 
Size should be fine, they're rockered and flexy so going longer will make them stable.

I personally prefer 90 underfoot, I went from my rossginal s4 jibs to domains and it was a fantastic decision. Not as fun carving but it's to much fun on jibs, knuckles, jumps, etc.
 
im 5 10 and i got the 174 this year it messurs out to a 179 so its perfect for you !!!! DOMAINS FUCKING SHRED
 
I guess they've always done that. I have Hellbents from year 1 which they kept banging on about having 0 camber under foot but they have a mm or so.

Who cares if they're dirty little liars though, their skis are fun fun fun.
 
Thanks everyone, gonna grab last years Domains in 169 (173ish) guess they didn't offer the 174 last year but I'll be good. you all get a 10/10 from me. I'll do some nose butters in your honour.
 
sorry to thread jack kinda, but any of you who has/had halos, what did you get them mounted at? i got mine at factory setting (-3) when i bought them towards the end of last season but now I'm thinking i want to move them forward a bit..
 
I had mine at true centre, they are great for park there but they do turn a bit weird. they turn better at -2.5 which is factory i think.

also @blindside, edit was cool and real stylish but it still looked radder when you were on hellbents, just saying!
 
Just noticed you mounted one ski backwards as far as K2 say the graphic goes. Exactly what I'm planning to do. Nice job. Nice edit too!
 
Haha ya actually the shop made that decision for me, but it worked out obviously.. And thanks!

@Twig I agree, more fun too. That's why I picked up another pair of bents for this season!
 
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