Alrighty... here's my review, the first. Please forgive me or correct me if I'm using terminology incorrectly.
I am an advanced (wannabe expert) skier, age 51, 5'4 1/2", 180 lbs, former bodybuilder so yes overweight but athletic and strong for my size and age. My nephew thinks I am an "aggressive" skier, whatever that means. I ski all the blacks all the time, all conditions, and will ski double-blacks but not by myself. I ski solo most days so don't get on the expert runs much.
I skied these all day long (20 runs in total at Sunshine Village), as many different blacks as I could get on (steeps, moguls, chutes, glades, drop-ins), a few blues and greens but no groomed runs. It was soft snow, some but not much untracked powder lines, lots of crud, a bit of ice where the resort gets the howling winds (like top of Goats Eye), and then in light falling snow all afternoon. Not the conditions I bought the skis for, but a good day to put them through their paces. I read another review by a Diva who said these skis inspired her to catch some air. Same here, more than usual for me, but that was partly due to the nice soft conditions. Note: We are not talking big air. lol.
My other skis are: Blizzard Sheeva 10 (164 cm) and Rossignol Temptation 80 (160 cm)
K2
Mindbender Alliance 88 Ti
163 cm
All Mountain
1=Poor 2= Fair 3=Average 4=Very Good 5=Excellent
Short Turns: 5
Medium Turns: 5
Long Turns: 3.5 (didn't really have the right terrain to test this ski's carving ability but they are very "turny")
Rebound: 5 (not entirely clear what this means, but they were great in the moguls and a little less flex-y than the Sheevas, which I appreciated, because I could Hulk Smash my way through them if I wanted or needed to. The harder I pushed them, the better they skied, if that makes sense).
Stability: 4
Forgiveness: 3.5 (are not overly stiff but need to be pushed, not just ridden--again, I'm not 100% sure what this means, but I would not recommend the skis to someone just learning or a lighter intermediate skier)
Grip: 5 (compared to the Sheeva 10)
Steeps: 5 (super confidence inspiring)
Crud: 5 (both smash through and float over, just awesome and no hookiness)
Powder: 4 (surprisingly floaty for a narrower waisted ski...)
Ice: 5
Overall Impression: 4.5
Tested Length Felt:
Just Right (Once I got use to the aft position of the bindings, around the second run, I REALLY liked the feeling. As a result, I am going to move the bindings back a couple of cm on my Sheeva 10s.)
Ski Sidecut Felt:
Just Right (a nice break from a "fat" ski. Not going to lie, folks, wider skis can be fatiguing if you're over 40. haha)
Ski Flex Felt:
Just Right (a bit "damper" than my other skis.)
Best Described As:
Balanced/Burly (might not be as enjoyable for lighter weight ladies but good for a burly girl like me)
Notes: I think this might be an excellent all-mountain ski for anyone used to skiing narrow waisted skis but who wants something with a bit more ability off groomers and in varying conditions. I also found this ski to be extremely easy to get on edge. It wants to be on edge, even in crud, and I felt confident keeping it there. The Sheeva 10s by contrast like to be skied "flatter" and while they can be put on edge, it doesn't feel like the ski's happy place.
Here's what I texted my nephew (who sold me the skis) at lunch:
So, having some lunch after 10 runs. There is more snow here than I expected and nothing is groomed so kinda laughing about that since I didn’t buy these skis for this kind of snow. That said, I REALLY like them a lot. They really want to be pushed and are super fun when you do, not easy to ski but not difficult, either. And boy do they smash through crud, and no, I mean no, tail hookiness. I even found some small lines of untracked powder and they are way more floaty than I thought they would be. Again, just super fun. And they have a more solid, damp feel than my other two pairs, even though they are not super heavy. It’s very cool and makes me super confident on narrow steeps. I can’t wait to see how they are when I open them up. I am thinking they will be super fun again. I noticed that the bindings are mounted quite a bit further back than my Sheevas, and now I think I want to remount the bindings on those as they ski a little “short” and the tails are definitely hooky in loose snow. What do you think? Is that a good or a bad idea? I don’t know how much they could or should go back, but figure you guys could advise me. Can you guys do a remount even though I didn’t buy them from you? Anyway, thanks again for getting on these skis so fast. Really really pleased with them!! I skied some bumps and glades this morning, too, but will be doing more of that this afternoon as the light is crap now. Later!--
