Skitesting! 2014 Black Pearls (159 & 173), 2014 Armada TSTw, 2014 Nordica Wild Belles, DPS Nina 99

[Liquid Yellow]

Here you go:
https://www.rampsports.com/
Rapidly up and coming USA-made brand, nice line-up.
Overall, re: Idyll, I'd say you're right. Very versatile skis. Old saying: "If it ain't broke..." etc. Frenzy wasn't dissimilar to the Idylls I previously had (and sold - full camber), just livelier/less damp..

Thanks MSL, they look great!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Best ski of the demo. And just something I randomly grabbed, didn't know Jack Squat about it. Rep said, "Here you go" (based on conditions, which were typically hard pack for this early Dec demo). DH tried a wider model, liked those. It had a lot of rocker, though. Frenzy was full camber. Ah, the good old days....: )

 

[Skisailor]

Me too. Perhaps those of us that do not carry a lot of weight have a different reaction to their use for hardpack conditions. As MSL mentioned, the tip was a problem. Rather unruly and less than confidence-inspiring. And so many other skiers experience the opposite. In soft snow I'd be willing to demo them again just to be fair and maybe even enlightened.

Took me awhile to warm up to the BPs, but I like them well enough now . . . Yes - that tip thing. I was used to earlier edge engagement with my Auras and had to adjust my stance a bit with the BPs. But I'm using them here in my avatar pic . . . so I think they are fine on the groomed after adjusting my stance forward just a bit. Of course, I haven't had them on East Coast hardpack yet . . . but they seem more versatile to me than just the soft stuff. They do western "firm" conditions just fine.

 

[shima]

^ good point!

I've read a topic on here where everyone LOVES the TSTws, it's funny how what one Diva loves, another just doesn't get on with. They were OK, but out of my league.

Yeah the comment about them not being ideal for bumps and being stiff I found pretty amusing, I have TSTw's from 2012 and I love them on the bumps and they're wayyyy less stiff and easier to control than my Kenjas which I avoid using on the bumps due to stiffness. Everyone likes something different for different reasons though

 

[MaineSkiLady]

They do western "firm" conditions just fine.

Western firm conditions = Eastern packed powder. But you knew that. Try them on frozen chicken heads over formica (i.e., rough re-frozen groomed over solid base) - and try not to watch the tips.

There are certain conditions in which tip rocker isn't the best choice.

 

[contesstant]

Took me awhile to warm up to the BPs, but I like them well enough now . . . Yes - that tip thing. I was used to earlier edge engagement with my Auras and had to adjust my stance a bit with the BPs. But I'm using them here in my avatar pic . . . so I think they are fine on the groomed after adjusting my stance forward just a bit. Of course, I haven't had them on East Coast hardpack yet . . . but they seem more versatile to me than just the soft stuff. They do western "firm" conditions just fine.

Yes! My first two runs on the BP's (and they were loonnng runs) I quickly realized I needed to get forward! I found this to be a GOOD thing as they reward for better technique. But I didn't find them to punish for poor technique, more just give me a gentle reminder to get forward.

 

[badger]

Western firm conditions = Eastern packed powder. But you knew that. Try them on frozen chicken heads over formica (i.e., rough re-frozen groomed over solid base) - and try not to watch the tips.

There are certain conditions in which tip rocker isn't the best choice.

Yes, frozen chicken heads over formica. Pretty much what I was skiing the day I demoed the Black Pearl.
Kind of like going on a blind date to the Billy Goat Tavern---cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger---.
One type of snow and no Coke to go.

 

[contesstant]

Yes, frozen chicken heads over formica. Pretty much what I was skiing the day I demoed the Black Pearl.
Kind of like going on a blind date to the Billy Goat Tavern---cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger---.
One type of snow and no Coke to go.

I'd be so...

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I'd be so...

Ha! Well, as a disclaimer, all the runs I skied that day weren't like that. However---once one crests the head wall, there's no real turning back. Gotta ski it. Ordinarily a run I love, but---not on these.

 

[Skisailor]

Western firm conditions = Eastern packed powder. But you knew that. Try them on frozen chicken heads over formica (i.e., rough re-frozen groomed over solid base) - and try not to watch the tips.

There are certain conditions in which tip rocker isn't the best choice.

Agreed! Don't think the BPs would be my choice for an everyday ski in the east.

 

[Liquid Yellow]

Yeah the comment about them not being ideal for bumps and being stiff I found pretty amusing, I have TSTw's from 2012 and I love them on the bumps and they're wayyyy less stiff and easier to control than my Kenjas which I avoid using on the bumps due to stiffness. Everyone likes something different for different reasons though

It's weird, they felt so heavy and unresponsive - and they were so hard to turn! I just don't get on with long skis.

I do think I'm not a good enough skier for them though, which was probably the issue!

 

[snow addict]

I have Bushwackers (same as BP) and find them very decent on ice. Well, another option I have for icy conditions is 100mm-wide Armadas with Fritschi bindings...

 

[maggie198]

Western firm conditions = Eastern packed powder. But you knew that. Try them on frozen chicken heads over formica (i.e., rough re-frozen groomed over solid base) - and try not to watch the tips.

There are certain conditions in which tip rocker isn't the best choice.

Some great comments here! Frozen chicken heads over formica, I agree with Contesstant, not something I really want to ski on any skis. MaineSkiLady, you are a diehard (and I mean that in the best possible way), and my ski heroine!

The Black Pearls ARE my everyday ski for the East Coast, and like Snow Addict I get along well enough in most conditions I encounter. A new tune greatly improved their abilities over the factory tune for icy conditions. I just look for a little snow on the sides and they are happy enough. Like Contesstant, I found I had to get a little more forward on them and they respond quickly.

As for tip flapping, the softer rockered skis do seem to do this more easily. I tried the Dynastar Chams recently and the tips flapped at relatively low speeds. What I would like, though, are great crud-busting skis. The Black Pearls are way better than my previous skis, but as I get older I find that crud intimidates me more. I think a heavier ski would cut through better.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Kind thanks, but certainly no heroine - just someone who, by geography, is relegated to skiing snow surfaces that are often <ahem> less than ideal, a euphemism - and which some western divas would scarcely call snow.

Seriously, don’t totally mind the chicken-head stuff beyond the brain-rattling, tip-flapping aspect of it as much as the formica beneath, which sometimes is the singular available surface in spots, thus testing one’s resolve to remain upright/uninjured/alive. Yikes, all 3 of us in this family encountered a run like on xmas day, we all appeared to have gotten down intact, but it was a scenario, after which we all looked back up and declared, “And this run is OPEN??”

Re: Dynastar Chams - which width? All require a further measure of forward pressure, not unlike the Pearls, to fully engage tips. Oh my, they did fare and perform well in softer snow for me late last March. But, again, this is not the norm for conditions in these parts.

Now ISO front-side carver, preferably with FULL camber, no early-rise anything, thank you. Narrower also. Back To Basics!

 

[maggie198]

Re: Dynastar Chams - which width? All require a further measure of forward pressure, not unlike the Pearls, to fully engage tips. Oh my, they did fare and perform well in softer snow for me late last March. But, again, this is not the norm for conditions in these parts.

The 87s. They were kinda fun, and turned easily, but didn't seem to be as precise as the BPs. I think a result of all the rocker. And yes, more forward pressure was needed, similar to the BPs. Plus, I had the women's version, wayyyy to much pink for my liking!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

^^ Indeed, I have read reviews of "loose" re: the 87. As to color, so much snow that day, all I ever saw was white! > ha! The 97's were a bit more solid and stable, very good in that kind of snow situation, which is atypical in the east (as you know). Nary a patch of ice that day! Just can't buy a ski based on those terrific conditions until they've seen "the hard stuff!"