Center mount ski size?

[whatsamonad]

I’m buying new skis. I’m 6’ (183cm) tall, 140 lb (yes I’m skinny I know). I’ve skied on 176 Armada AR7s for years since I was a teenager for some park some all mountain.

I’m getting a pair of On3P Magnus 90s. What size should I get? My current skis are 3/4 mounted so since these are going to be exclusively park skis I’m thinking 181 for a bit of extra length to balance out the center mount but I’m nervous it will be too long since I’m very light for my height.

I mostly do jumps and some rails, I throw a decent amount of 360s and 180s and like to do medium and some big jumps.

they have 176, 181, and 186. What do you guys think?

**This thread was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 9:12:35pm

**This thread was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 9:14:03pm

**This thread was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 9:14:17pm

**This thread was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 9:18:27pm

**This thread was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 9:30:51pm

 

[Non_State_Actor]

The biggest skis, always.

 

[animator]

What does 3/4 mounted mean? Also if you’re going center I’d go 186 because they ski short, and if you’re not spinning more than 360 you don’t need a shorter ski

 

[whatsamonad]

What does 3/4 mounted mean? Also if you’re going center I’d go 186 because they ski short, and if you’re not spinning more than 360 you don’t need a shorter ski

3/4 as in half way between center mount and regular mount

also, what do you mean they ski short? Like feel wise?

**This post was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 10:41:43pm

 

[animator]

3/4 as in half way between center mount and regular mount

also, what do you mean they ski short? Like feel wise?

**This post was edited on Dec 21st 2020 at 10:41:43pm

Yeah they feel shorter than their measured lengths because of the rocker

 

[whatsamonad]

Yeah they feel shorter than their measured lengths because of the rocker

Gotcha, thanks! In your opinion how much easier is it going to be going from an all mountain ski to a center mounted park ski in like nimbleness / ability to spin? Because I’m pretty light so I still can’t whip my AR7s super well but also I think they are much more heavy than these skis (plus the center mount) but I can’t find a weight for them so not positive.

 

[animator]

Gotcha, thanks! In your opinion how much easier is it going to be going from an all mountain ski to a center mounted park ski in like nimbleness / ability to spin? Because I’m pretty light so I still can’t whip my AR7s super well but also I think they are much more heavy than these skis (plus the center mount) but I can’t find a weight for them so not positive.

No the AR7 is most definitely not heavier than a Magnus 102. The center mount will help because you’ll have an equal amount of ski in front of you and behind you but they are by no means a light ski.

 

[whatsamonad]

No the AR7 is most definitely not heavier than a Magnus 102. The center mount will help because you’ll have an equal amount of ski in front of you and behind you but they are by no means a light ski.

Oh sorry I’m gonna get the magnus 90 not the 102

 

[animator]

Oh sorry I’m gonna get the magnus 90 not the 102

Ohhhhh my bad dude shoulda read the OP more carefully. The 90 is defo lighter than the 102, it will be slightly heavier than the AR7 but not a whole lot. Also again the center mount should make shiftys and spins and stuff easier

 

[Twig]

I'm gonna buck the trend here and say 181 for pure park. It's going to be easier to progress on a shorter ski and ON3P 181 is actual true length, not some randomly chosen number from somewhere in the ballpark.

That said, and this is obviously only my $0.02, I wouldn't buy the Magnus 90 for predominantly jumps. I'm a big fan of ON3P but that ski is far from the easiest ski to learn to jump on. They have a LOT of rocker and that just isn't going to be the ideal. You're pretty light so you might get away with it. If you're planning to learn to ski more rails, butters etc then sure. But if not I feel like a more traditional ski will serve you better.

 

[whatsamonad]

I'm gonna buck the trend here and say 181 for pure park. It's going to be easier to progress on a shorter ski and ON3P 181 is actual true length, not some randomly chosen number from somewhere in the ballpark.

That said, and this is obviously only my $0.02, I wouldn't buy the Magnus 90 for predominantly jumps. I'm a big fan of ON3P but that ski is far from the easiest ski to learn to jump on. They have a LOT of rocker and that just isn't going to be the ideal. You're pretty light so you might get away with it. If you're planning to learn to ski more rails, butters etc then sure. But if not I feel like a more traditional ski will serve you better.

Yeah 181 is what I’m thinking since it’s about true length and I don’t wanna go longer than true since I’m quite light. What would you recommend instead? Is there something from On3P that’s more appropriate for jumps? Also, is it just a ski with more camber less rocker you’d look for?

I can already hit medium jumps pretty comfortably and do 3s on small jumps so I’m trying to do more spinning on larger jumps and hit bigger jumps without spinning and I also do a decent amount of jib stuff even when I’m skiing out of the park.

**This post was edited on Dec 22nd 2020 at 1:27:15pm

**This post was edited on Dec 22nd 2020 at 1:28:01pm

 

[Twig]

Also, is it just a ski with more camber less rocker you’d look for?

I can already hit medium jumps pretty comfortably and do 3s on small jumps so I’m trying to do more spinning on larger jumps and hit bigger jumps without spinning and I also do a decent amount of jib stuff even when I’m skiing out of the park.

This is obviously a personal opinion and not everyone shares it, but to me the short answer to the first question is yes. The Magnus 90 is a great ski, and I think ON3P is an amazing brand, but for me, they are more of a jib oriented ski and a very different ski to what you currently have.

The reason people say skis with rocker 'ski short' is because in hard snow conditions there is less ski touching the snow (obviously). That makes things like turn initiation and pivoting the ski easier but it provides less stability on landings. ON3Ps, even the Magnus 90, are pretty solid flexing skis, so that does somewhat counter this, but a ski with more significantly more camber will still usually be more stable. When you are learning that can really help, because you probably don't land 'bolts' all the time.

There's a reason you rarely see comp skiers riding heavily rockered skis, and that's because they reduce your margin for error in terms of landing front seat/backseat. Some rocker is certainly a good thing, because it makes scrubbing landings easier if you don't fully rotate or whatever, but too much can make it harder to land without backslapping. The same is generally true of extremely soft skis.

The other thing to factor in is that while a heavily rockered ski feels shorter on the ground, it still feels the same weight in the air. So the 186 will feel like a 186 when it comes to spinning it. For the 1s and 3s you can already do, you'll get used to that quick, but it can make progressing harder.

I guess my starting point for what to recommend would be what you like/don't like about the AR7. You probably do want a fairly narrow ski and probably do want around a 181, which limits the options somewhat. If you definitely want an ON3P then the Jeffrey 96 could be a stiffer, more stable option despite the same rocker profile.

 

[whatsamonad]

This is obviously a personal opinion and not everyone shares it, but to me the short answer to the first question is yes. The Magnus 90 is a great ski, and I think ON3P is an amazing brand, but for me, they are more of a jib oriented ski and a very different ski to what you currently have.

The reason people say skis with rocker 'ski short' is because in hard snow conditions there is less ski touching the snow (obviously). That makes things like turn initiation and pivoting the ski easier but it provides less stability on landings. ON3Ps, even the Magnus 90, are pretty solid flexing skis, so that does somewhat counter this, but a ski with more significantly more camber will still usually be more stable. When you are learning that can really help, because you probably don't land 'bolts' all the time.

There's a reason you rarely see comp skiers riding heavily rockered skis, and that's because they reduce your margin for error in terms of landing front seat/backseat. Some rocker is certainly a good thing, because it makes scrubbing landings easier if you don't fully rotate or whatever, but too much can make it harder to land without backslapping. The same is generally true of extremely soft skis.

The other thing to factor in is that while a heavily rockered ski feels shorter on the ground, it still feels the same weight in the air. So the 186 will feel like a 186 when it comes to spinning it. For the 1s and 3s you can already do, you'll get used to that quick, but it can make progressing harder.

I guess my starting point for what to recommend would be what you like/don't like about the AR7. You probably do want a fairly narrow ski and probably do want around a 181, which limits the options somewhat. If you definitely want an ON3P then the Jeffrey 96 could be a stiffer, more stable option despite the same rocker profile.

Thanks so much for the reply, that was super helpful! So overall I like my AR7 a lot, but I used to be like 30/70 all mountain/park, now it’s about the opposite so I spend most of my time in the park and the rest hitting groomers or just skiing around all mountain. I’m gonna keep the AR7 Since I can use em if I’m doing a day with much less park, so I want a mostly dedicated park skis for the other days.

AR7 in the park is a bit heavy for me. I checked and it looks like the 181 Magnus 90 would be about 50 grams lighter than my 176 AR7 which is not a ton. Also my AR7 aren’t mounted center but I think it’s pretty close. Although I am not sure whether I would get my next park skis mounted true center considering they might be asymmetric like the Magnus 90. Idk where recommended is for those.

so basically I like my AR7 but I’m keeping it in my quiver so I want a mostly dedicated park ski for like 75% park which is lighter and more playful as well than the AR7 since I’m looking to switch that up. I have read that the Magnus have a ton of rocker, but are still pretty stiff so that may balance it out a bit.

**This post was edited on Dec 23rd 2020 at 12:00:22pm

 

[whatsamonad]

Update for anyone who comes across this thread:

Emailed on3p and they also recommended 181 which is what I was leaning towards anyway. I got em mounted right before I went up to Killington so I had the Magnus 90’s for a solid 4 days of 50% park.

I’m glad I went with 181. I think it’s definitely the right size and that weight does matter. 186 would have been a bit much. I absolutely love them in the park, they just feel so balanced and the rocker lets me ski out of things I couldn’t on my old camber skis. They felt great on jumps even with the heavy rocker etc. I even felt that they were about the same carving wise as my old skis, so I was pleasantly surprised how well they performed all mountain. Still slid on ice but the detune for rails is worth. Super satisfied overall with these skis. The edges even have held up very well after a lot of rails. They definitely chew choppy snow better and feel ever so slightly harder to turn but I think most of that is the tail which I’m still getting used to being long from the increased length and center mount.

**This post was edited on Jan 8th 2021 at 8:28:49pm

**This post was edited on Jan 8th 2021 at 8:30:20pm

 

[MaimHelp]

Update for anyone who comes across this thread:

Emailed on3p and they also recommended 181 which is what I was leaning towards anyway. I got em mounted right before I went up to Killington so I had the Magnus 90’s for a solid 4 days of 50% park.

I’m glad I went with 181. I think it’s definitely the right size and that weight does matter. 186 would have been a bit much. I absolutely love them in the park, they just feel so balanced and the rocker lets me ski out of things I couldn’t on my old camber skis. They felt great on jumps even with the heavy rocker etc. I even felt that they were about the same carving wise as my old skis, so I was pleasantly surprised how well they performed all mountain. Still slid on ice but the detune for rails is worth. Super satisfied overall with these skis. The edges even have held up very well after a lot of rails. They definitely chew choppy snow better and feel ever so slightly harder to turn but I think most of that is the tail which I’m still getting used to being long from the increased length and center mount.

**This post was edited on Jan 8th 2021 at 8:28:49pm

**This post was edited on Jan 8th 2021 at 8:30:20pm

I’m glad you like your decision, I am 5’11 170 and I got the 186s this season and I love them, I’ve always skied real heavy skis anyways so I may have been used to it but the extra length lets me charge when I’m going to the park and I haven’t noticed much difference on rails either, I can swap and spin in and out just as fast as I could with my arv 96s in 177s.

You would have been happy with either decision, they are dope skis

 

[whatsamonad]

I’m glad you like your decision, I am 5’11 170 and I got the 186s this season and I love them, I’ve always skied real heavy skis anyways so I may have been used to it but the extra length lets me charge when I’m going to the park and I haven’t noticed much difference on rails either, I can swap and spin in and out just as fast as I could with my arv 96s in 177s.

You would have been happy with either decision, they are dope skis

Hey glad to hear it man! I really like the skis, they are amazing and exceeded expectations outside the park. For me it was definitely my weight. Since I'm so light, the longer ski affects me more so I can't always go as long as someone heavier could. That's the same reason ON3P recommended me the 181s which ended up working great!