Freeride Ski Help

e.littt

e.littt

Member
Hey NS fam, this season is wrapping up so I'm hoping to get some advice on a new pair of sticks for the next season (and hopefully many more after this). I'm not able to go demo skis so I'm trying to get an opinion formed based off of online reviews and hopefully personal input from this thread.

Based off the how to ask for advice thread I'll run through a bit a bio of myself:

I'm based in Alberta and I have recently been getting into the whole freeride scene. A major goal of mine is to do some competitions like FWT qualifications (hoping to make it to RED, Kicking Horse, and Lake Louise), I do diddle in the park occasionally but I wouldn't consider myself a full blown park skier. Although I have been learning some new stuff in the park and would at least like to try to get 270s on and off on lock next season as well.

So I am looking for a jack of all trades, master of none type of ski (sorry that's a super general statement, but it's the truth). I have ridden a pair of JSkis whipits in the past (still own it but the edges are destroyed because of parking lot antics), and I am currently riding on a pair of 2015 Line Mangum Opus. One thing I want to mention is that I absolutely love how the Mangum Opus rides, it's been amazing all over the mountain and I have been using it in the park. I learned how to blind 270 off of rails on them, and they just super playful skis which ties into what I would like to believe is my playful riding style. But they also allow me to really dig into deep carves if I'm more aggressive which is something I would like to have in my new ski.

I'm just under 6' tall, so I would be wanting to snag a pair that is at least my body height if not taller. The Mangum Opus's I am riding measure at 178 which works but I feel like I can really benefit from riding a longer pair of skis.

Currently I am eyeing up the JSkis vacation right now, partly because I also really enjoyed the whipit, partly because J offers a payment plan which would definitely help on the financial side of things. I have also kinda looked at the Moment Deathwish and the On3p Kartel 106 but I don't know anyone who rides them so they're only on my list because they share similar specs to the Vacation. I'm definitely open to other brands too!

Thanks!
 
You really can’t complain about on3p and quality. I own magnus’ and got 2 years out of them still going strong. And I ride hard on my skis. Also customer service is really amazing.
 
I'm 6' on the dot and ride a Kartel 108 in a 186 and it has become my daily ride at every mountain within driving range of Vancouver. So solid, stable, poppy and fun.

Should mention the Kartels ride very very differently than my old 182 line bacons from 09 (which might be more similar to your current sticks). Kartels are much less forgiving for riding lazy since they're significantly stiffer, which also makes them much more capable of blasting through uneven snow.

Their heft makes them feel less light and snappy, especially when going slow. They feel much more playful at speed.

I legit think they made me a better skier and I'm having so much fun riding harder and faster while more comfortable than before.
 
14020341:Kevski said:
I'm 6' on the dot and ride a Kartel 108 in a 186 and it has become my daily ride at every mountain within driving range of Vancouver. So solid, stable, poppy and fun.

Should mention the Kartels ride very very differently than my old 182 line bacons from 09 (which might be more similar to your current sticks). Kartels are much less forgiving for riding lazy since they're significantly stiffer, which also makes them much more capable of blasting through uneven snow.

Their heft makes them feel less light and snappy, especially when going slow. They feel much more playful at speed.

I legit think they made me a better skier and I'm having so much fun riding harder and faster while more comfortable than before.
Click to expand...

Where do you have your Kartel 108s mounted? I'm currently set at -2 back (Eric's suggested mount), on blister reviews it said the recommended mount is -4.6 back which a pretty decent difference.

How do they handle in the park? I'm assuming you'd be hitting up grouse as much as you would venture out to the mountains do some freeride stuff if you're living in Vancouver
 
14020413:e.littt said:
Where do you have your Kartel 108s mounted? I'm currently set at -2 back (Eric's suggested mount), on blister reviews it said the recommended mount is -4.6 back which a pretty decent difference.

How do they handle in the park? I'm assuming you'd be hitting up grouse as much as you would venture out to the mountains do some freeride stuff if you're living in Vancouver
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry too much about the mount point. The Kartel still very much feels like a freestyle-oriented ski, and it likes to be skied with a very centered stance. So coming from the Magnum Opus at -2, I think it'd still feel very intuitive.

That said, if you love how well the Magnum Opus carves and maintaining carving performance is a priority for you, I think there are better options. Namely, the Moment Deathwish and Wildcat 108 would be worth checking out if you want stability and solid carving performance. The Armada ARV 106Ti is also worth a look. The Kartel is awesome when it comes to its combo of stability and playfulness and is a ton of fun if the snow is at all soft / edgeable. For arcing turns on super firm stuff, it's not the best. But if you don't typically ski a ton of ultra-firm snow and / or prioritize stability over carving, the Kartel is still one of the best options out there for what you're describing.
 
14020413:e.littt said:
Where do you have your Kartel 108s mounted? I'm currently set at -2 back (Eric's suggested mount), on blister reviews it said the recommended mount is -4.6 back which a pretty decent difference.

How do they handle in the park? I'm assuming you'd be hitting up grouse as much as you would venture out to the mountains do some freeride stuff if you're living in Vancouver
Click to expand...

Mounted on the line. I always thought it was closer to -3 but either way Luke is right. It feels nicely centered and the ski is really designed to ski there.

Yeah I ride it at Seymour a lot which is sendy side-hit heaven with a fun park. Smaller mountain. Kartel still feels right at home. If I’m having a heavy rail day I’ll bring out another pair of skis I don’t mind destroying the edges of, but kartels would be well suited for it. If you wanna spin like crazy there are lighter skis for that but I have zero complaints for the type of park riding I do. Solid on bombed out landings too! Can make a landing out of anything with confidence.
 
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