Mr. Pollards Opus

The mpo is stiffer than previous ep pro iterations.....I'm 6'1" and 195lbs....I got it early spring and was only able to ride it on hardpack on crusty crud....and it absolutely killed it....it is my favorite ski of all time feel wise and I haven't even run it through powder yet.....but....let's get to what could concern you.....if you really get this thing cookin on hardpack you will get a touch of chatter in the front tips....but it's nothing like you would get from any other freestyle/pow ski.....the tails are noticeably stiffer than the tips which is a bonus for heavier skiers like you and I....this makes riding switch easier, especially in pow because the softer front compliments that forward lean.....while the stiffer rear allows you to maintain control while really driving the tails going forward....it's pretty noticeable on hardpack and I can only imagine this effect will be amplified in a good way in pow.....not sure if you rode last years bacons but imagine the "do anything" feel that those had but with much more freestyle dexterity......my best bud is 6'4" and about 240lbs....he demoed a pair of the opus and fell in love.....he jus bought a new pair of skis midseason last year and loved the opus so much that he's still talking about trying to sell his skis to get em......but he prefers a shorter ski for his size for maneuverability reasons like me so even though he should be on 190s he typically rides a 185 anyway.....I should also note that I know alot of peeps in the industry who got these things early like me and every one of them has been blown away by it....at least one of them is around your weight.....trust me when I tell ya that it's so good that this ski will hit legendary status by the end of next season and will be talked about for a long time much like the elizabeths.
 
^I need to go on vacation after trying to read your post. It made total sense, but please look into punctuation in the future.
 
But I did forget to include that the tip chatter I was talking about is slight and goes away as soon as you turn it up on edge. I only really noticed it going straight on super chop and again compared to other pow type skis that I've ridden, it is super minimal.
 
Sick! thanks man. I am having some difficulty deciding between these and the Moment Night Trains. It deffinitly sounds like these are more versatile though. I absolutley love the topsheets on this ski. I just wanted to make sure it was stiffer than the Ep pro, which i demoed last year and washed out a couple times while dropping some 15 footers. If its anything like you say it is, i think it would be the perfect ski!
 
I'm really leaning towards the MPO. Can anyone compare it to the Night Train? i think the NT's rocker profile might be a bit much, reducing stability at speed
 
I've never ridden the night train so I dunno.....but I will say that I doubt you'd be disappointed with the opus....it is sooo good.....soooo much fun....I cannot express how much I love this ski....honestly if your gonna compare two it should be between the opus and the bent chetlers....
 
the nts are stiffer, lighter, and more stable. they will have a way different feel than the mpos. the nts have a surfy yet playful feel. if you are bigger you'd prefer the nts
 
Really? Even with the NT's rocker profile its more stable? If im not mistaken the NT has a longer rocker than the MPO's. i would have thought that the MPO's would be more stable due to a longer effective edge. But i guess if its a stiffer ski it makes sense. im deffinitley bigger haha. My only concern with the NT's is their versatility, being a flat camber ski.
 
I demoed the 183 chetler last season and loved it. Are they a very similar feeling ski? And how are the opus's for dropping some cliffs?
 
I've only gotten a chance to do some smaller drops on some old spring backcountry hardpack crunchy super slop but yeah....trial by fire I guess....haha...the single most maneuverable and versatile ski I've personally ever ridden.....now I rode the last years chets a few times and they are different then the opus but equally sick....just in a different way....I'm def not badmouthing the night trains but IMO the two you should be comparing are the chets and the opus.....the opus now has some camber underfoot and the effin thing has perfect pop and playfulness...just enough to Ollie over stuff but not so much that ya get thrown around.....I'm not jokin when I say this ski is legendary....demo it if ya don't believe me.....and as far as being bigger and the length issue.....it has way more effective edge than somethin with a more dramatic rocker so it'll ski like a 190 with steep rocker yet will kill it on hardpack....make sense?
 
Seriously dude....I'm an admitted line and pollard fanboy type....been with line for a long time....since they started...and I'll be the first to tell ya that the ep pro was not my cup of tea....I loved the bacons...but the ep pros were only fun in serious pow....I tried riding em on hardpack and said nah and bought the bacons instead....so I was real hesitant to get the opus but a buddy of mine talked me into it cause I had a chance to get em early....as soon as they were in my hands I was in love.....it's like they took all the best things from last years bacons but made em even better than that....and once I skied em....legendary.....I swear I'm not sayin all this cause I'm a fan of line....dude these skis really are that badass.....love and cherish them and never ever sell them!
 
No bullpoop dude....you think your stoked now?....wait till ya hold em....then wait till ya ride em....then wait till ya do that first switch nose butter....your gonna have a skigasm I guarantee it.....also....your a heavier guy right?....if your ridin a din of 10+ get the marker jester pro....yeah I said pro....even if ya think it's overkill....just get it.....it's only $20 more than the jesters....or if your not a marker guy get the look pivot 18s.....those are bombproof too and look pretty sick in chrome....I've got the jesty pros on mine mounted at the midsole mark which is -2 of dead center...I was back and forth on mounting dead center but I did a bunch of measurements and there's about a +1.5-2 difference in rise between the tips and the tails....so as far as actual riding surface the midsole mark is actually kinda dead center anyway if that makes sense......my buddy has his mounted with the look pivots at +1 of midsole or -1 of dead center.....and he still digs em so it's kinda a preference thing....now my '11 bacons are mounted dead center but their for the most part symmetrical in shape and flex....however as I said before the opus is stiffer in the tail and softer in the tips....it also has some sidecut and camber so it's not symmetrical....after exhaustive measurements it appears to me that the midsole mark really is the sweet spot in this case.....best of luck with em!....if ya have any other questions feel free to ask.
 
I would advise against it. I am 5 lbs lighter than you and last years EPs were simply far too soft. With that said I don't know how much stiffer the Opus's are, however if your sendin it particularly on big drops you may want to find something a bit stiffer. You have to land sooo centered on those things which granted takes alot of skill however can be frustrating at points. Go with something more along the lines of an AK JJ or Super 7
 
The opus is a totally different ski than the ep pro dude....I passed on the ep pro after ridin it because it was way too soft....it was all kindsa fun in pow but outside of that it was a chore....the opus however is a whole other bear....stiffer all around including torsionally, more effective edge, and it kills it on hardpack....being a 185 with a less dramatic rise and more effective edge it rides like a 190 with a more extreme rocker.....totally different ski.....it's like trying to compare the elizabeths to the bacons....both are wide underfoot but ones a noodle and the other can hold it's own on groomers....it's just not fair to compare the ep pro to the opus.....believe me I passed on the pros for the bacons last year and it was the best ski I'd ever ridden.....if the opus wasn't what I'm saying it is, I'd tell the OP to look into getting last years bacons or a different ski....honestly read some reviews....there's bigger guys who were blown away by the opus and I have yet to read a negative review on it....I have yet to read a review on it where the reviewer wasn't completely blown away yet for that matter.
 
if you loved the 183 chetler stop being a bitch and get the 193. face it bro, if you like to charge and weigh 210 the 193 chetler is going to be worlds better than a 185 ski designed by a man who weighs 150 pounds and loves soft skis that he can butter......
 
I often laugh at those who say go longer length and then proceed to add something like "manly length" or "quit being a bitch".......are these guys compensating for some kind of shortcoming perhaps?.....as i have said before....i used to ride 205s way back when for all mountain....now i wont go over 185s....and i'm not 150lbs either......but yes there is something to length and it has nothing to do with being a "bitch" or " manly" or "scared" or "unskilled"......essentially it is a trade off.....go shorter and you increase mobility and manueverabilty both on the snow and in the air......go longer and you gain stability at speed and its easier to land bigger airs......basically the preference comes down to what type of skier you are....it has nothing to do with skill or testosterone levels......if your 210 and cannot do everything on a 185 that you would can do on a 193, then you have no business messing around with either......end of story....wait no theres more....so the running surface on the 193 chets is only 2 longer than the running surface on the opus.....uh oh.....dont be a bitch now for that whole 2.....you dont want to be a bitch do ya?....uh oh.....LMAO
 
Well the opus is a 185 not a 183 and the running surface is actually longer than most 190 rockered skis....dude he only weighs a little more than me and I haul ass everywhere I go on the opus...even hardpack and groomers....I dunno....whatever....don't anybody listen to me.....you'll be the ones missing out, not me.
 
Gettin a big woodie for these things. I was already planning on getting them with the look pivot 18's. so stoked. I would like to ask though, what would you say if I'm a hard backcountry skier but I like fucking around on the hardpack and want something that i can still spin with and maybe something a little shorter for the trees. I'm 5'11, about 150 lbs and am not totally sure on the 85's or even going a little smaller with the 78's? I hear the edge is a lot longer on these sticks than your average pow or rocker ski?
 
Yeah still get these....that's how I ride em....last year I rode park on my bacons....I rode everything on my bacons.....this season I will do the same on the opus....I've only ridden em on crunchy hardpack so far and they went beyond my expectations....if ya think they're too much ski go with the new bacons.....this year their like a crypto/bacon hybrid and are supposed to kill it in the park.
 
Mr. Mountain viper, first and foremost that was a GREAT review you wrote. I thought it was AWESOME!!!!! I thought it was awesome for many reasons. 1. Although I haven't personally been on these skis since I didn't get the chance late in the season, I have been doing countless hours of research on these skis. I have talked to at least 12 people who have skied these and other skis and I thought your review encompassed all the things I have read and heard about these skis. I have gone from comparing these skis with the Volkl Katana, Bent Chetler, Francis Bacon, Armada JJ and Rossignol S7. And the Opus measures better than all of them for me because i want to put on a turning fest coming down the mountain in powder, crud, and groomers. So manuverability and versatility are what i need. And thanks to the radius turn of 17 on these skis, amount of camber underfoot, early rise tip and tail, and longer edge as the result of shortening the tapper, i think i have found what i have been looking for.

Your review gave far more details and comparison than other reviews I have read which really helped me finalized my decision once I read yours. So, hands down man, your review was simply AWESOME and don't mind and ignore the few who didn't seem to appreciate it because simply they didn't seem to know much about these skis. One of them, the measurement was off by 2 cm (he thought the Opus was 183), the other one's comparison was totally off and this is despite you emphasizing your point about maneuverability. I know how annoying it is when you're trying to help someone and your good intention is encountered by lack of appreciation. And just to further support your argument (as if it needed any) that these are legendary skis, Backcountry.com is already sold out of the 185 Opus. They had 3 of them in and all 3 are already gone (it's only September). So I couldn't agree with you more about these skis being something special.

On the other hand you should know that with your in depth review, my 1 month research about these skis is finally over thanks to you because I'm pulling the trigger on these skis. So I hope you know how much I valued and appreciated your review.

I'm about to place my order and I wanted to get some of your wise advice on bindings and mounting position. I'm debating between Look Pivot 14, Jester pro, and Rossi FKS 140. I'm about 5'10", 178 lbs and I looking for a binder that will maximize and capitalize the manuveribilty potential of these skis. Simply, which one of these bindings do you think with the combination of these skis will translate into more and easier turning?

Please let me know. Thank again dude. You're awesome!
 
Well I originally mounted mine with griffons but had the option to switch them out with the jester pros. I have mounted them at the midsole mark. There is a very good reason for this. After alot of tinkering and measuring it appears to me that there is a 1.5 difference in the tip rise as opposed to the tail rise. Now the midsole mark is -2 from true center. So based on the running surface, the midsole mark is actually only -.5 from center. So the midsole mark is essentially the sweet spot even if you typically mount dead center. Also of importance is that once you get up on edge you are actually using more of the tips than when running flat. So what does that mean? It means that midway through the turn you actually end up being -2 from true center which allows you to drive the tails out of the turn and maintain quite a bit of stability compared to other pow type skis.
 
Also thank you very much for enjoying and taking something from my advice. Again, all I want to do is share just how amazing this ski is.....I really hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!
 
Believe me you made my decision a lot easier, so,thank YOU!... I think I understand Where you recommend the mounting position should be but what I'm gonna do is I'm just gonna forward what you wrote me to the person who is gonna mount the bindings. To tell you the truth, I dont have much mounting experience. I just know on a pair of skis there are pre-drawn lines by the manufacturer as to where the bindings should be mounted lol...

So which one of the binding do you recommend for me? Jester pro, Look Pivot 14 or Rossi FKS 140?

What do you think boss? Don't forget I'm interested in a turning fest on powder, crud, and groomers and all there is in between lol

Thanks again for your feedback and your prompt reply. Much appreciated!
 
I'd say go jester pros mounted at the midsole mark or -2 of dead center. I like the look pivots and they're a great binding but there's a reason I say go marker. If you think about it, pollard rides for marker as does most of the line team and employees. So when they were developing these skis and most importantly when pollard was dev/testing them, he was using markers.....so to get the optimal feel on the ski it would seem to me that you would go with the binding that has the same base footprint as the one they were tested for right?.....when I rode mine late spring I had griffons mounted but had the opportunity to swap em out for jester pros and did.....I haven't skied them yet with the jester pros on there but shy of a touch more weight in the spring I doubt there will be much difference.....other than the piece of mind that I have a top notch binding on my ski. That said though I think the pivots would be fine as well and they look sick this year in chrome. I think the biggest deal though is that mounting point. I was back and forth on where to mount but after alot of measurements and such I found that the midsole mark actually is the best place to mount. Even if you typically mount center. So good luck and enjoy.
 
Thanks a lot dude, I now know exactly where on the ski you're talking about to mount the bindings. I know exactly what you mean now. If the tip Rise runs 1.5 cm longer than the the tail rise, then the midsole mark, being that -2 cm from the actual center of the ski, would be the sweet spot since it should give us the best weight distribution on to the ski. I also think mounting the bindings at the midsole line should give us GREAT results in the powder, no? Because the tip of the ski should remain above the snow even if our weight is shifter a bit forward while turning.

Good looking out dude!!! Let's just pray for some early snow so we can take Mr. Opus out for a ride as early as possible. By the way, HOW SICK is the graphics and the artwork on these skis?!?!? Not only they are great skis, but they really are the best looking ones out there too. To be honest with you, that's how I came cross them. When I was on the website(backcountry) I saw the opus on the suggestion box of similar skis to the Katana and since they looked so good, I clicked and I was blown away with the tech specifications. What I was reading, was exactly the type of skis I was looking for. So, if it wasn't for it's looks that got my attention, who knows if I would've come cross these skis. I bet a lot of girls were giving you compliments on them lol

I checked out this year's Jester pro, they have them in green. The Look pivot 14 looks really good and since it's chrome, it would match these skis. But I'm gonna try to see if I could find the Jester pro in different color and get them since that's what you're recommending.
 
Yeah I was a little worried about lookin like a christmas tree with the white and red skis with the green jester pros....haha....but a "little birdie" told me to get the pros and lo and behold now that's the setup pollards rockin....as far as I know green is THE only color for the jester pros but I would love to talk to marker to see if they could make a matte black pair....those would be sick!
 
What type of skier are you? Are you more of a traditional style skier? do you do a lot of switch? I'm only asking to see whether or not the mounting position that worked great for you, will also work as well for me given my type of skiing. I would appreciate your insight. Thanks again
 
Yeah I ride switch everywhere....trust me on that midsole mark....that's where it's at....I went through the same insanity too....usually companies will put the midsole mark in a place where they "think" the average consumer wants it....not so on the opus....it's right where it's supposed to be a rides switch just fine.
 
I hope I don't disappoint you lol. I'm a bit of a traditional skier. I don't do that much switch. But I still think the mounting position you suggested should also work just as well for me. Maybe -1 cm off the midsole could be ok since my current skis are 192 cm and I'm 5'10" (about 176 cm). Anyhow, thanks again Mr. Viper

Btw, have you thought about designing your own skis? Lol. Give it a shot. You definitely have the passion for it. And thats all it takes to make something great.

It would have a cool name too, MountainviPER lol
 
Seriously I wouldn't mount -1 of midsole if i were you....here's why....the way the ski is constructed and the way it flexes....it already puts ya naturally backseat when need be....I'm not kidding....has to be the flex combined with the rise in the front....but while going forward I never found myself too far forward....just for further confirmation, give line a call and explain to them how you ski and what they suggest about mounting position....they know the ski much better than me but honestly in my time on it I never felt like I had to lean back....
 
I see what you're saying. I was thinking about the symmetric flex on these skis. Midsole it is! Done! Thanks again dude!
 
I am the same weight as you and I think I would have trouble dropping larger cliffs on the Opus. Have you considered going with something like the AK JJ from Armada? Comes in a 195 nowadays. I ride a 205 which is more ideal for guys in our weight range. I just think that the Opus is a bit short. If you want stability at high speed and the ability to tailgun when you need to the AK would be a bit better than the OPus.
 
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