For people with the Armada Halos

B

bob1233456

Member
Hey everybody,

I was going to get some new skis this year and I was thinking of the Armada Halos. I Am 5 9, and 140 pounds. Im an advance skier but this is my only my second year in the park. I think that the Armada Halos would fit me well, and I was just wondering what everybody's experience is with them. Im mostly going to be skiing park (85%) and pow and groomers for the rest of the time. I was also wondering how well the halos performed in the powder considering it is basically a thinner version of the Armada JJ's.

And I wanted to know the best place to mount these skis. I would get them center mounted, but I wasnt sure with the side cut. I was looking into the Jester Schizo bindings so I could have them at center for some park, mounted 2.5 back( factory recommended) for groomers, and further back for powder. Anybody have any experience with these bindings?

and yes, I did searchbar and find some answers, but I wanted some more with my other questions.

thanks a ton NS
 
bump because i love my alpha 2's also about them performing in powder i feel that they are just like every other park ski. i really dont noticed the rocker too much in deep snow. i have the jj's too and i would say that they ride very similar on hard pack just the jj's stand out in pow with the width. i would def recommend them to anyone like you that will spend most of the time in the park.

Here is some links:

http://www.evo.com/skis/armada-alpha-2-2010.aspx#utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine

http://www.ski-depot.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=0910SKI-AL2&Category_Code=clotwntps&Store_Code=SDO

Hope this help!
 
yeah thanks a ton. So even with the rocker they dont perform to well in powder?

and what size do you guys think i should get, im 5 9 and 140. I was going for the 176, but wasnt sure if that was too short because of the rocker.
 
I'd get the 182's. They ski like a 170. And the early rise is pretty minuscule, definitely not something that you would really notice in powder.
 
from what i hear on here is the they fall apart in the park if your not really doing alot of park then i might suggest them. but DO NOT quote me on this one for i have not skied them
 
^this^and also the halo/alpha1 rocker isnt doing much in powder, if youre sinking go faster.and go longer than shorter.you wont regret it.
 
bump, so you guys think 182 would be better?

and im still looking into more personal experiences with the shizto bindings, help is reward with karma.
 
Just picked up a pair for this season... And so far the skis have held up great!

There super poppy and very very light, It doesn't even feel like you have skis on.

The ski is a 182 cm and it's a small 182. The ski has great swing rate, very sharp turning radius, very stable at high speeds. and are very stable on jumps.

At first It was weird ski to get used to because of the rocker. But after about of day of riding i got the feel for the ski and it preforms great on everything, from going switch, to buttering off anything. With these skis you just dont catch your edges ever, you can be going down the run buttering 360's on the ground and not catch a edge.
 
riding the alpha 1s with griffons, which is pretty much just a stiffer halo i guess. im 5'6" with the 176, so the tip is about 3-4 inches above the top of my head, but with the rocker, it rides like a 160. i love these on jibs: switch ups and surface swaps are sooooo easy b/c of the swing weight. you can still land pretty far backseat (why I like the alphas as opposed to the halos--minimal difference though), but not as much as a normal camber ski.

Not chattery on groomers, unless its ice or really dense hardpack at a high speed, but even then its not noticeable unless you actually look at the tips. They arent too quick to turn, however (skied Dumonts for the past few years, and those carved a lot faster than these), but thats not a big issue.

In the deeper snow, the rocker does help a little, but really not that much. I still have to lean back in pow almost as much as i did with my Dumonts last year. I think I will be getting a cheap pair of pow skis anyway (since my alphas are my comp/park/pipe skis).

As for the schitzos, I have heard a few bad things about them, but I have also heard that Marker has redone the piece that holds the toe and heelpiece together, so the durability (especially with the Jester version) should be greater. That being said, this binding will be a bit heavier, and the fact that there are moving parts on the binding sketches me out a little.

Overall, it has been a really fun ski, and it sounds like it would indeed fit you well with mostly park but a few days of deep snow as well.

Hope that helps
 
agree with the part about the bindings, if it is a park ski, mount it in one place and dont worry about it. if you are an advanced skier you will still be able to ski pow anyway, and as that is only 15% of your skiing, it shouldnt be a big deal
 
alright thanks a ton to the people who posted their experience. plus karma.

I was thinking the same thing with it being a park ski, but since it was rocker i thought it might be better in pow. and having the ability to put them at around -5 would help it even more for those once in a while pow days. not as good as a pow ski, but better than an average park ski.
 
well, yeah, being able to move the binding back would be great for those deep days. But you just need to decide whether to sacrifice a little durability for convenience or vice versa. if you're not going super hard in the park--doing small to medium sized jumps, a good amount of jibs-- then i would say the schitzos would be fine. but on the occasional pow day, this ski isnt impossible (i have 1 cm back from true), but i figured that the little extra effort was worth the little extra durability.

It's hard to go wrong at this point--both bindings are nice, and with the improved schitzo, the durability could be much greater than previous years.

Good luck :D
 
Had a chance to ski my Halos for a few days now...I can say that i LOVE them.....great all around Park ski....im light (120 pounds) and its the perfect stiffness for me....also very fun all around the mountain as well....i love them everywhere the snow is firm.....i ride hellbents everywhere else....Halos are 176s.....very fun ski
 
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