Review: Bluehouse Maven production model
I had a chance to get out for the first time on my Maven's today, and boy was the snow DEEP :)
Me: 5'10", 207 lbs, usually ski fast, aggressive, with medium to very long turns. I love the trees, though, and that is where I usually will make any short turns. I almost never tail gun it, unless I am trying to.
Boots / Bindings: Nordica Speedmachine 12 and Jesters
Ski Specs: You should know them, but 154-139-151, tip and tail rocker.
(Mounted on the -.5cm mark, pretty damn near center)
Other Fatties I have ridden/owned: Prophet 130's, EP Pro's, Volkl Kuro, etc
Conditions: DEEEEEEEP Snow at Loveland after 60" plus on a nice base of rock and log. Some light, some heavy mank, all windblown except for the tree lines I was able to find (and was shown, :))
First Impressions: WOW, these skis are super light and fat. The rocker profile in the tip and tail looks to be exactly what I am looking for. The tip and tail being wider 1/4 of the way in from the ends with the narrow "points" should cut through the crud, and I should have no issues with tip dive and will finally have an effortless pow experience.
Now, Reality...
First run off of Chair 1 at LL was pretty sick. The skis did what I thought they would, and they kind of smeared turns, and carried decent speed in 12" to 20" of fresh on the trail and down the side, but felt better in shorter turns. As the trail rolled over and picked up some steepness, I was probably the 15th or so person down the trail. I tried to open them up a bit and really push them (yeah, first run, no getting used to them :)) and it went something like this:
First turn, faceshot..second turn, more speed...third turn, faceshot...fourth turn, over the handlebars and a ski popped off.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but I chalked it up to the first big pow day of the year, and some new skis.
I proceeded down the trail, and every turn I found myself REALLY having to press the heels and almost lean back to fight the constant feeling of falling forward. I HATE leaning back in pow, and with a big, fat, rockered ski, I was not expecting this.
As I started to do some laps, I mixed it up off of Chair 1. Duck the rope, hit some trees...WOW, these are pretty nice, but nothing special. They felt like a pair of slightly longer Prophet 130's.
They did "pivot" better, and I will say that the trees were the highlight of this ski today for me.
Cut back onto the trail and hit Nix Nox which was getting to be a field of boot deep, rutted out pow. Same thing...first turn, mini face shot, second turn more speed, third turn TIP DIVE as I started to lean into my turns...over the handlebars again.
At this point, I begin to feel that it may not just be me on my first day out in deep pow this season.
I hit chair 6 once, got some nice fresh, but had to really hold back in order to avoid the tip dive I was experiencing, and my quads were killing from having to also lean my mass back over my heels.
Did a few laps on chopped up, medium pitch stuff, and they felt ok, a little squirrelly, and fat (as expected with such minimal sidecut).
I was standing waiting when they dropped the rope on the South Chutes, and as I rolled over the edge into some completely untouched, they almost came alive for me...but AGAIN, after three turns, and starting to pick up speed, I pushed them hard to see what they could do and they IMMEDIATELY dove and dug in as I went flying into my third or fourth facewash of the day on my trip over the handlebars. I seriously had time as this was a slow motion type fall to feel the tip on my left ski FLEX, as if folding like a piece of NY style pizza, and then it just buckled and dove as it kicked me forward.
I did a couple of more laps on the South Chutes, and with a new and improved Tail Gunner approach, navigated my way down, but it was NOT fun. It was more work then fun, and I was pretty much cursing the behemoth's on my feet left and right.
By this point, I had about had it, and I went back to the car and got my 195 Motherships to blast through the chop and haul some ass, but my legs were pretty much jello at this point from leaning back all fucking day. Needless to say, the Motherships got me a few runs before I called it a day.
I have had some decent luck with the 130's in chopped up, boot to knee deep pow, but always wanted more rocker to really alleviate the need to ski totally or slightly back. I imagined a 130 type ski with more rocker, basically, when I saw the Maven design. I also enjoyed the EP Pro in untouched, and although SUPER soft, had decent success with the tips taking some weight and planing for me.
The Maven, at least today, was NOT that ski.
I am very aware that I should probably be farther back on the ski. The mounting lines, as mentioned, are ALL over the place on multiple pairs of skis.
I have skied center mounted skis, skis way back, and skis farther forward then recommended. The Mavens at -.5cm felt as if I was hanging ten on a surf board. I am going to re-drill them and give them one more chance based on Core Shot's measurements.
I agree, that the balance point seems to be back, WAY back, from the suggested mounting points on the ski. The sidecut even appears to be farther back.
The one plus from my horrible day is that I was actually impressed with the stiffness of the tail. Right behind my heels felt like the stiffest portion of the ski, and that supported my 200+ pounds way better then I thought. No wheelie effect at all. Perhaps if I am actually mounted back where I feel these skis should be for "all mountain pow", that spot would then be more under the foot.
Synopsis:
Pros: Fun, but not special, ski in COMPLETELY untouched and bottomless, turns great and pivots in the trees if it is also untouched and bottomless. Good Graphics, Interesting shape. Price during preseason launch.
Cons: Mounting positions are all f'ed up, the ski DIVES and DIVES if you pressure the tips and flex deep into your boots and go anything over 15 to 20 mph when mounted at -.5cm. Ski is an absolute nightmare in anything that is not untouched and bottomless, and actually made pow skiing not fun for me after the first two runs of anything being open. I know they are suppose to be soft, but this soft in the tip for someone my size was NOT fun.
The ski actually seemed to be better if I slowed down, and busted some short turns. I know the turn radius is small, but going slow is not usually my style. It frustrated me to not be able to open these up without eating shit and almost dying.
There are many other skis out there that are great in untouched and bottomless. But to be realistic, at resorts even on the biggest days, you have to be able to ride pow that is still deep, but maybe a little tracked, and be able to at least navigate comfortably.
I will give them another chance, perhaps...but as I stated many times, these are going BEHIND the -2 mark on the skis. I am afraid at that point I will feel the wheelie effect, but only time will tell.
These may work out for guys lighter and smaller, or even for big guys who don't plow into the noses of their skis when going fast :wink:, but I was completely disappointed today
Overall grade mounted at -.5cm = C- for effort
