another praxis review...

[jfost]

I finally got them out today at kirkwood...

reference stats so you know where I'm coming from:

5'11"
165#
better/more aggro in my mind than on snow
brown hair
taurus

past skis liked: PR's, b4's, XXX, Chubb - you get the idea - fat&soft

I knew it wasn't the perfect day for the first voyage of the uss praxis' - but I remember when I first rode the XXX, and everyone said they were too fat etc. so I gave it a shot today. This was my first use of rocker/reverse camber skis...

Today's snow ranged from slightly firm groomers to elmer's glue mixed with mashed potatos... rapidly warming from 35deg this morning to high 40's, maybe even 50 by the end of the day.

They were initially VERY squirrely on the groomed, and I instantly found out that the carved GS turns were not going to work, more on this later... I worked it out a bit and started turns with a skid, then rolled back on the tails to finish the turn. Done this way, they were actually quite snappy, and fun! The tips would kind of come up like a mini-ollie, and pop into the next turn. I played around with that until the off-piste warmed a bit (plus i was lost trying to get to c4) I stayed on c4 for the morning - dropped off "the wave" to test landing stability, they were great there! It seemed very easy to land right underfoot, as there was no ski tail (or god forbid tip) hanging down to get in the way. I'm never going to do any big drops, so take that into consideration... Now, back to the GS turn thing, my "safety valve" is to stand on an edge and scrub speed back up into the hill, so when I dropped the mini-cornice, that worked fine, as I would land underfoot, and roll to the tails... out on the runout, and on the groomed, this caused a couple of problems. As stated many times before, "setting" an edge with the front section of ski, especially the downhill ski, causes these to head off *just* a bit in the wrong direction. It didn't end up being too bad, but was a very disconcerting feeling. Perhaps this will go away with more use & experience. Just without thinking, I try to dig that edge in - must unlearn old habits...

Now, again, those problems only surfaced on "hard" snow, groomed or firm, and I think they are to be expected. On soft snow, slushed up groomers and the softening mank, these things ruled! It was literally the exact opposite of what happened above. There was no thinking about edging or weighting, they just floated right up to the top, and turned ANYWHERE I wanted... they literally felt like snowblades, but with float and control, they were that easy to turn.

All in all, honestly I was hoping (outside the box) for a more all-around success - I really didn't ever feel super 100% comfortable on the groomers or less-than-soft stuff, but I'm going to give them more time before I dub them "pow-day only"

One more note, that I think is related to my weight & skiing style (edge to edge roller, not a pounder) I really got knocked around on the firm bumps - I would describe it as an overly lively feel, not damp at all. The tips would just sort of pop up over the obstruction, I didn't feel like they were cutting through the chop, like the orig. XXX did. I ate it pretty good going fast over some firmish bumps, and don't think I would have lost it with a trad. shape there. It could be my ideal flex would be a bit softer, or just need more time to get the feel...

Again, I wouldn't now choose these for my everyday sticks - I couldn't really get lazy all over the mountain in the afternoon like I can on PR's or b4's - but I did really enjoy them and am happy with the purchase. I can't wait for an official pow day to take them back out. Actually, any snow that stays soft, e.g. no melt/refreeze cycles would be awesome on these - for spring conditions like they were today, I would choose a trad. shape, but it was great to finally try 'em out!

Thanks Keith, all-in-all a fun ski and a great soft-snow tool for the quiver

/stream of consciousness review...

[TahoePowShredder]

re write this review after you actually use these skis for what they are made for.....POWDER. not to say they aren't good for soft mush, but you'll be a lot more stoked when you rip the white waves with em.

[jerr]

Interesting review. I'm pretty keen on hearing how reverse - reverse go in 'not-so-ideal' conditions? Looking forward to up-dates.

Cheers brother,

[adimmen]

I've had nothing but positive experiences on my spats. While you can't lay trenches in the groomers, they ski like a dream in the soft stuff. They are truly effortless in powder. Where they really shine though is in the crud and breakable crust. Anything is fun in powder but the reverse camber and freakishly wide waist allows you to haul in the junk without worrying about plunging a tip. If you like tight trees, the reverse-reverse skis turn faster than anything I've been on.

[Lakelander]

it looks like the dude that won @ squaw was riding praxis.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

it looks like the dude that won @ squaw was riding praxis.

not the dude who won the entire comp, but the dude who got the Sickbird award (Kevin O'Meara)

[jerr]

Praxis and another Omeara? What are the odds?

[jfost]

ok, here's my rewrite after K-wood today:

siiiiiiick!

Yesterday would have been better I know, but today was still good. There were still some nice turns to be had, and the Praxis did not disappoint! Super floaty, ultra quick in the trees, and fun. Worked out a couple things from last week - pivot turns in moguls are very quick and easy, and more aggro style works great in choppy bumps. I will for sure take these out on any pow, or pow-aftermath day from here forward.

I want to spend a minute on what I think was an amazing moment on these skis... one turn today, and it was only one turn, my skis broke loose and slid sideways on top of the pow... the best analogy I can give is the feeling of a 4 wheel drift in a go kart (or car I guess!). It was awesome... I wanted to do it again, but never found another big untouched patch thanks to the slay3d conditions! In the chop, it was super easy to turn, but hard to tell if the slide was happening... so I'm going to read mental floss again before bed, and think it all over...

reverse/rocker kicks ass, I'm starting to figure it out. That is all.