The Havoc is a beautiful combination of stability and responsiveness. The stability comes from the width of the ski and allows you to plow through any kind of condition you will find in the backcountry.

The quickness at which this ski turns really suprised me and has resulted in big smiles for not only me but for my pals who are watching.

My only complaint is when these skis do meet with groomed runs, the width underneath the foot makes them feel sluggish. Not a big deal unless this is your only ski and you plan to ski inbounds frequently.

My Havocs are mounted with Fritschi Freerides and are used as my out of bounds / deep powder days for the local area.

There is only one reason to buy these skis. Backcountry touring. I mounted these as AT skis with Dynafit bindings for an ultralight set up. I have skied them in a variety of conditions and have enjoyed them in all but deep mash potato snow. However, I would never dream of taking these into an area where they could encounter hardpack groomers.

My complaint with these skis is in their documentation. The specifications (lengths, widths...) are just plain wrong. My 188s are more like 193s and their width is 90+mm not 88mm as stated in their write up.

However, overall the added length and width actually make these boards more floaty and therefore more fun skiing the backcountry. They are excellent backcountry skis.

I use both the Fritschi Freeride and the Dynafit TLT comfort bindings (see Dynafit review for more info on them).

I like the Freerides for their crossover ability. I feel confident skiing them in the area down chutes and in steep trees.

Their hiking ability for shorter hikes (1 to 2 hours approach) is acceptable and their heel adjustment is quite nice.
I would give high marks for their ease of use. If you have skied traditional bindings, you will have no problem.

However, if you have a longer approach to reach your skiing these may not be your best bet. On flats the stride is not natural and the thud, thud, thud of the stride is not peaceful. I have had knee joint pain when I use these for longer hauls. I would not recommend these for longer backcountry trips.

I use both the TLT Comfort and the Fritschi Freerides (see the Freeride review for more info on them.)

My Dynafits are mounted on my pure backcountry skis to create an ultrlight set up of less then 4 pounds per ski total weight.

I love the natural motion of hiking in these bindings. My knees never hurt and the glide is as smooth as walking or telmarking. The heel adjustment works well but takes a while to learn the tricks that make it easier to adjust.

I would not take these into an area to ski due to not trusting them to hold with severe torque that hardpack area skiing can create but I have never had them pre-release while skiing in the backcountry.

The downside of these bindings are their ease of use. While you learn the tricks quickly enough, nothing about these bindings are easy to just start using. Your first day out with them be prepared for little learning curve issues all day. Be patient... they are worth it.

I have telemarked, downhilled, even snowboarded some and these are my favorite boots I have owned in my 31 years of skiing. The custom liner combined with a custom foot bed create a boot that performs and feels like the boot was built just for me. Most people under-estimate the effect of a perfect fitting boot. Forget about the comfort, just imagine that any power you put to the boot is instantly transferred to the ski. If you understand this last statement, you are ready to give up stiffness for comfort and a truly amazing fit.