Armada ANT vs. other big skis

[Dug]

-9 in this thread means -9 from chord center. The factory line is supposed to be at -7.

[lax]

added to list

[teleposeur]

Ie. Remesure factory line?
sooo -3 from factory is -10 from ski chord center, and thats what everyone is talking about when they give mount points, right?

Thanks for the beta, appreciate it.

[fritt_liv]

I've skied 5 days now with Rottefella NTNs on the 07-08 Ants. I originally mounted -3cm from Armadas line. And that is mid-sole. The problem is that it's just to much tail. I have to lean back even to get them to float in the powder, and trying them today on 3cm of windpacked snow with pow underneath was pure agony. Hooking and falling forward all the time. Does anybody have any experience with tele-skiing on the Ants?

[addict]

I have mine -12 from centre and they enjoy diving quite a lot. Maybe it's because I'm used to my blowers and I ski quite forward. They're not nearly as stable at speed as the blowers, but they're an ok ski.

[focus]

Lots of camber + stiffish flex = less than ideal powder skis. We've been over this.

Could it be that mounting them SO far back decreases stability w/o really improving pow performance much?

[RagDoll]

/\/\YES. My current experiment is to mount a bit forward, as in on the line. (I think this is -7 from center). I've given up on them as a pow ski, but since I can't sell them and kinda liked them for what they were good at, I think a more forward mount is in order. My theory is that for tracked/crud and straightlining this will still work, and on top of that in tighter situations they will become a bit more maneuverable. I'll be sure to post on new mount vs. old mount.

[klar]

bump for advice from the all knowing maggots:

i need new do it all skis, which i would be mounting tele. i could get a good deal on 188 jp vs juliens or ANTs. neither would be my ideal choice but i have to take what's cheap. are the ants comparable to the blizzard titicaca crea pro (same as old titan pro) but maybe ski shorter because of the tail? i have been on 190 explosives and big daddies, which seemed ok. i have 189 made'ns which are too soft.
dilemma: jp too soft/short because of huge tail, ant too much to handle. thoughts? anymore input from telemarkers, the ones who have posted in this thread do not seem very thrilled. help me pleeeeaaase.

edit: 1.83m, 75ish kg. fairly aggressive skier, maneuverability is important.

[hemas]

bump for advice from the all knowing maggots:

i need new do it all skis, which i would be mounting tele. i could get a good deal on 188 jp vs juliens or ANTs. neither would be my ideal choice but i have to take what's cheap. are the ants comparable to the blizzard titicaca crea pro (same as old titan pro) but maybe ski shorter because of the tail? i have been on 190 explosives and big daddies, which seemed ok. i have 189 made'ns which are too soft.
dilemma: jp too soft/short because of huge tail, ant too much to handle. thoughts? anymore input from telemarkers, the ones who have posted in this thread do not seem very thrilled. help me pleeeeaaase.

L. Ant feels pretty much the same as old 107mm waisted Big Daddies... Titicata Sole c.cesjghjbdfhv is a lot forgiving ski...

And Jp ain't soft because of its tail... it's soft, because the whole ski is a freakin' noodle... Fun in ze soft, though.

Oh, and I'm a bit smaller than thou... And had no probs messing around with BDs... well, 'cept the thickest Scandihooligan forest... but skiing such stuff is more like bushwacking and thicketeering than treeskiing.

[cooltsi]

I'm 5'8" 180 Ibs. ANT is a stiff ski with a fair amount of camber, stiffer than the first generation big Daddies I've owned in the past (IMHO). Great in the spring slop and in crud. Not a powder ski and not ideal on the spring morning ice. I've only had mine a month and no real fresh snow of any substance for that month so....... Honestly I'd think they would be a bit much for a tele ski unless your a big dude.

[hemas]

I'm 5'8" 180 Ibs. ANT is a stiff ski with a fair amount of camber, stiffer than the first generation big Daddies I've owned in the past (IMHO). Great in the spring slop and in crud. Not a powder ski and not ideal on the spring morning ice. I've only had mine a month and no real fresh snow of any substance for that month so....... Honestly I'd think they would be a bit much for a tele ski unless your a big dude.

Which gen Ants? The brown ones were stiffer, the rest are softer than 1st gen BDs.

[klar]

And Jp ain't soft because of its tail... it's soft, because the whole ski is a freakin' noodle... Fun in ze soft, though.

ORLY? i meant that maybe it is short because of ze tail. i am also pretty sure the ANTs would be too much work. meh.

[cooltsi]

I can't tell the difference between the first year ANT and the second. Haven't skied this years. The reviews I've read on here say they've softened the flex on the second but no one could feel the difference. Stiff ski for sure. I couldn't image tele on these, at least not at my mass and level.

The one I've had for the past month is the second year with Anthony smoking.

[hemas]

ORLY? i meant that maybe it is short because of ze tail. i am also pretty sure the ANTs would be too much work. meh.

RLY...

Oh, steal Wille's BDs, unscrew those stupid bondages, plug ze holes and install some nice tele's on 'em (mount according to boot center)...

[hemas]

I couldn't image tele on these, at least not at my mass and level.

Interesting... I'm 5'9ish and ~155 lbs, can't tele at all, and had fun with ze original BDs for two seasons... Not the sharpest tool in tight technical terrain, but manageable...

[focus]

Which gen Ants? The brown ones were stiffer, the rest are softer than 1st gen BDs.

There's conflicting info about this. I was told 1st gen weren't significantly (if at all) different from subsequent generations.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=72553

[hemas]

There's conflicting info about this. I was told 1st gen weren't significantly (if at all) different from subsequent generations.

That might very well be the case. My info is just from the local Rep/importer. But from skiing this years Ant and my first gen BD, the BD had a stiffer flex underfoot and in the tail. The tip of BD was a tad softer though, and the flex of the Ant was more even.... Ants do have a lot more camber though.

[gramboh]

Which gen Ants? The brown ones were stiffer, the rest are softer than 1st gen BDs.

I've skiied a fair number of days on the 05-06 (brown), 06-07 (smoking dude) and 07-08 (yellow). They all feel the same to me, if the 06-07/07-08 is softer than the first gen, it is only by a tiny amount.

I've never tele'd before, and haven't skied the 107mm BD's, but from feeling them, I'd say if you like those (193 107mm BD) you will be fine on the ANTs. I think the JJ gives up too much on hard snow performance if it is your only ski, the ANT is better with the camber and stiffness.

[focus]

Maybe I missed it, but since this is the ANT clearinghouse thread.....

Anybody know if the 2009 ANTs have changed at all?

As a side note: My 06-07's are holding up fine, and I probably have 60-70+ days on them. I don't know what I'll replace them with when I do, but I can't really justify replacing them with anything this year unless something catastrophic happens..

[arewolfe]

I've been on & off considering these. Seeing the photo of the ANT next to the 183 Goats really puts it in perspective.
I'm 130 lbs and fairly scared off after seeing that picture.

I know we're nearing the end of winter, but I read through all 10 pages and this is a pretty epic thread, seeing everyone so stoked on this ski in the beginning pages.

Anyone care to report back on what you currently think of the ANT? The last review was like 2 years ago, figured I'd bump it.

[khyber.pass]

I still put quite a few days on my 07/08 ANTs, mounted about -5cm from true centre. It's a solid ski at speed. Not great in the pow but it rails in chop and crud. It's meant to be a b/c booter ski and here it shines: it has good spin weight and is solid in the landing. Overall it's a very dependable plank which can hold an edge well, execute jump turns in chutes, and carve like hell. The shape is predictable and so is the performance.

That said, I find with the new rocker shapes (S7 style) that the ANT is finding itself outgunned & outclassed, unless you really just want to use it to hit booters, or you really don't like rocker. That said, rockered skis are still a tad unpredictable and when hitting steep chutes, I want effective edge, and this is where this ski shines (like the Gotama, imo).

[Dug]

Like khyber said. Amazing in chop and crud. It's not a powder ski.

[uncle crud]

Could it be that mounting them SO far back decreases stability w/o really improving pow performance much?

yes, yes, and yes.

but try to tell that to a "Mount 'em Back Maggot" and you'll hear sobby tears and wicked keening for days.

this fad of the past 5 yrs or so, playing with mounting, has been amusing to me. I guess it's how a poor hacker no-talent pseudo-skier pretends he is a ski designer...

Mount 'em Back Maggot: yeah I know you guys designed the ski for people to stand on it HERE, but I think you're wrong.

Ski Design Team: Whatever, genius. Don't go blowing an ACL now.