Hmmm, where to begin.
188s w/ Dukes mounted on the line, me 210lbs, 6’ charger.
One line summary: “Here is your cape Mr. Superman.”
Just finished my 2nd season on my 08/09 ‘watts and I must say, I’m in love. They have quickly become my go-to ski no matter what the conditions are. My now backup pair are 184 mantras w/ FFR+, I used to loooove my Mantras, but now 99% of the time I’m on them, I wish I’d brought my ‘watts… The only time I don’t bring them is when I know it hasn’t snowed in over a week and there aren’t ANY leftovers. If you ski big out west, they could be a one ski quiver. Im of the opinion I’d rather have a ski that excels in good to perfect conditions, and is adequate in anything less, vs. something excels in blaah conditions and is just ok in great conditions…
Groomers:
Very surprising here. They rail SG/GS turns with ease. With the dukes they just need to be put on a more aggressive edge tilt and ones weight needs to be forward (as it should be anyways!). don’t try to keep your feet together like a bump skier, spread em out! These rail like my old college race skis, very stable at warp speed, the tips do bounce around a bit at high speed but that doesn’t affect the stability or edge hold, just sounds/looks very unnerving. Just step on the gas and hold on. They still do bite on the ice, just don’t expect them to hold like a 68mm waste SL ski. You lose edge contact length with the tip rocker, so don’t expect 188cm of edge. I’ve finally figured out shorter turns and can manage to carve short turns as well as long turns, takes a bit of playing around. Pretty much have to sway your hips side to side, it’s a lot more of a rolling motion, REALLY have to unweight/hop them in-between turns but then they come around quickly and nicely for short turns.
Pow:
Makes anyone a superhero. They go anywhere, at any speed. I used to fight to keep up with my friends on big pow snowboards, now it’s the reverse. High speed smears are easy, turn on a dime in the trees, you can try to touch the tips and they won’t dive. Stomp airs (just don’t get in the backseat) with ease. Not really much else to say here that isn’t already known… Straight line big lines, or sign up for a powder 8 comp, do it all.
Crud/Chop/Mank/Crust
Put on your hardhat and orange vest, because you’re hopping on a steamroller. Unstoppable at any speed. Whats the best way through an obstacle?...Go over it. De-tune the tips a bit so they don’t snag/hook. They make chopped up leftovers feel like untracked. You’ll find yourself making bigger and bigger radius turns in the chop, easier than making shorter turns.
Downsides:
Weight, they’re heavy, no doubt! But they will make you stronger on the up! Maybe try D-fits if you’re a weight wus. I’ll suffer on the up for unquestionable performance on the down.
Bases are a tad weak compared to other skis, but skiing where they’re designed to go, it shouldn’t matter.
If you’re on an icy or hard packed skin track be careful, I’ve found myself more than once having to get out of the track when it gets steep, with the massive tip rocker you lose a LOT of skin contact patch/grip.
Bumps, duuh… They’re not great unless they’re big, deep, pow pumps (then you can make SG turns across them!). They still work, but they’re not a lot of fun, depends on how tight they are. You realllly have to lean forward in the bumps and pivot/yaw them a lot. They’re just too wide for icy troughs.
They’re a tad weird in 6” of dust on crust conditions, when the snow isn’t that deep the tips/tails bend as designed, but not enough as the base underfoot hits the bottom layer of hardpack not allowing for enough ski flex/bend, hard to explain, they do well, but one just has to be aware and expect some tip hooking.
Tip:
Keep your seat backs in their upright and FORWARD position. I wouldn’t mount them any more than +1cm unless you tend to ski the backseat. They respond very well to weight shift, turns them into a different ski depending on where you’re leaning.
Hope this helps!
get 'em.
