Line Afterbangs or K2 Press skis?

bbishop93

Member
Hi, I am a beginner in park/pipe. I have been skiing for quite sometime now and as far as mountains go i can do like all blacks and ive even been out to Colorado, breck and copper, and i can handle the blues and some easy blacks. But ive been doing mountain for so long im bored and im really into freestyle now. My skis atm are just carvign racing skis, and im trying to do park/pipe with them and as u can imagine it sucks. There only 75mm wide and. Anyway i can kind of ride switch on them but its difficult them not being completely twins and i can also do small/medium jumps and boxes. I am 6'0 and weight about 195 lbs. Ive been doing a lot of research and this is what i have narrowed it down too.

Im in a budget for like tops 500$ for skis + bindings. And i cant decide between Line Afterbangs or the K2 press skis. Ive heard that the abangs are not too durable and they get waterlogged and they are heavier than the k2s. As far as the k2's ive gotten mixed opinions, some say they suck, others say there awesome, so i really have no idea. If anyone has used these and could give me some insight id appreciate it. Also if theres another ski out there for me in the price range thats better than these im deciding between, please suggest them. Thank you.
 
The presses are a super jibby ski, a little bit too jibby if you ask me. I weigh 185 and they were simply too flexy. I switched to the chronic and its a lot more stable while still being flexy enough at the same time. I would definitely recommend the chronic over either of those two.
 
Thanks thats good to know, but the chronic may be a bit out of my price range, its at 500$ without any bindings and I'm just looking for a fun park/all mountain ski that's cheap, but will last me at least 2 years, until I can afford a better ski.
 
Bump...anyone have any other suggestions? What about the line masterminds or the anthems? Do they hold up any better than line afterbangs? Im open to anything really at this point that i could get for max 500$ with bindings.
 
get these instead of the a-bangs: http://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/line-stepup.aspx#image=33263.Size.LengthCM_184_Image.jpg

If you're a solid skier the length shouldn't be an issue.

or if you're looking for stiffer and shorter the double times would be a good option, I have this pair and love them (I'm a pretty decent skier, 5'10ish and 140 and they've worked great so far for me) http://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/surface-double-time-2011.aspx

The a-bang and press are both price point skis, and both of these would be better options because they are higher build quality being skis that were previously in the 500-600 range.
 
Thanks for the suggestions i think the 184s are a bit too long, i mean right now im riding 161s lol and yeah there short, i need bigger but idk if i wanna launch from 161s to 184s and on top of that switch from mountain to park. Im really interested in the double times if u could provide a bit more info. How is the pop and the butters on that ski? And would 170 be too short? Ive been looking mostly at 177-179s.
 
pop is god because it's fully cambered, but butters are a bit more tough as it's relatively stiff. However since you're heavier they might be easier, but they are by no means buttery skis. They shred all mountain though. And 170 wouldn't be ridiculously short, but it would be somewhat. you might be able to find a 180 on another website (here's one that's like 100 bucks more though http://www.trusnow.com/Surface-Double-Time-Skis---Men's.asp)

I wouldn't rule the step ups out, they would be more buttery and park oriented than the double time (though the double times perform in park pretty well) and twin tips ski a bit shorter than traditional skis because they have another tip making the effective length a bit shorter, I don't know if you took that into account.
 
True true. But also how is the durability of both of these skis. Cuz while im not some crazy park skier, im just a beginner, but id like to get a solid 2 years out of these skis. Also which ski is lighter? Im looking for a light ski too. And what do you think of the Armada El Reys as well as the Line Blends 201150. And my final question would be what are some decent freestyle bindings that could hold my weight. Im looking for bindings like no more than 150$ so i can try and save more of my budget on the actual skis if necessary.
 
El Reys would work and are somewhat stiff like the double times. I believe blends are more buttery but I don't know much about them, however they would probably serve your purpose too.. The durability from what I've heard is great on Double Times, I haven't had a problem but I don't have many days on them yet. I've heard of no outrageous durability issues with any of these skis, however the number of years you get on them directly relates to how many days a year you get out.

As far as bindings go, these would probably work well for you: http://www.evo.com/outlet/alpine-ski-bindings/look-px-15-racing-medium.aspx

however, the brakes might be a bit skinny for some of the skis you're looking at (specifically the blends, they're ~100 in the waist if I remember right?) There's no real such thing as a freestyle binding, so don't worry about that.

Hope i helped!
 
yes ofc you have helped a lot and i have narrowed down my choices. As for skiing, i try to go as much as possible definitely like at least every other weekend. This year has sucked so far tho and ive only gone 5 days out in colorado and only 1 day here on the east coast so far. I'm now between the two times, the blends, and i just did some research on the Scott Punisher jib 2011 ski, which actually seems like the best choice atm. Its relatively stiff so its not fully restricted to park, and ive heard its pretty durable and has good pop. Also not to mention Tom Wallisch used to ride these. Idk if u know anything about them but if u do im definitely interested in ur opinion.
 
I've heard that they have durability issues, that could've been just one person though. Don't know much about them though, sorry.
 
Np you have helped out a bunch, thanks. Ive done some more research and i think its come down to the Double Times 2011, Punisher Jibs 2011, and the K2 Press 2012. Cuz lines just arent the durability i want. Between these 3 lol, i cant decide like the double times are great ive heard great reviews but there only 170cm and could be a bit short. As for the scott jibs, ive heard good too, but also they are a bit thin and idk how durable they ar. And as for the k2 press ive heard good stuff too but the fact that it might be too buttery or too soft for all mountain, and i dont want to be restrained to park only. Tough decision here but i really appreciate your help.
 
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