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Head X-Shape MTX PR Ski Review (Part 4).

Philthy was in town for a week with his clan and one day we skied with him using my Head X-Shape MTX skis.  He found them plenty lively and snappy with lots of power.  He really wasn't able to let them loose (we were skiing on animal trails with his kids and wife) but he said he was impressed with them.  As I continue to ski them I do find them not as torsionally stiff as I would like but given my size and weight (especially when patrolling) I am not surprised I am overpowering them.  For skiers up to say 200 lbs they would be a great ski; any of the clydesdale set should consider the supershape series instead.

Head X-Shape MTX PR Ski Review (Part 3).

I have been reading some reviews of the Head MTXs on other sites and their reviews are midrange with no real standout features other than forgiveness.  I do find them forgiving but still pretty stiff.  I will say that after skiing them for several days the i.Supershape series is much stiffer torsionally and bigger folks are more likely to overpower the MTX, but that shouldn't deter you from buying a pair.  I do really like them and find they handle just about everything except very hard snow/ice.  Because Head skis are so bomber in their construction, I will likely ski these for several years.

Head X-Shape MTX PR Ski Review (Part 2).

With the new snow we have had in the last two weeks I can get back out on my new skis.  They are plenty turny and I can certainly make railroad tracks like nobody's business.  They are a bit softer lengthwise and torsionally than my Supershape Magnums so the edge hold isn't as good on real firm snow or ice (they remind me of the Xenon 9.0 i that Head came out about six years ago); they handle crud and bumps fairly well but I haven't had a chance to use them in powder to say how they would be.  I do find that they punch through on softer snow (not much ski holding me up) and with the low rise tip and fairly stiff construction skiing powder could be challenging so be careful.  If it was a good powder day with a consistent base underneath, you could use these skis.  On softer crud, you can easily submarine and do an endo.  I do like the ski and would recommend them for someone looking for a good all-around piste ski.  Score:  90 out of 100.

Hard to believe this is the 750th post.  I can't believe I babble that much.

Nordica Enforcer Ski Review Part 3.

After last weeks huge storm here in Jackson, I pulled out my Enforcers for a powder day of free skiing (no work = Yay!) and they rocked.  They handled the deep (up to my waist) snow with no issue and the tips have just enough flex to stay up and not submarine; they worked really well on steeper slopes where you wanted to make tighter turns and I didn't find myself working them that hard (or getting worked by the skis); and on the less steep slopes and groomed slopes with 8 inches of new snow they loved opening the throttle up and making big GS turns.  The heavier crud and mank in the later part of the day didn't phase them at all and they powered through the most nasty crud without a blink.  The only thing holding them back was the pain in my thighs in trying to hang on in the crud.  A great powder ski but powerful:  hang on and be centered or be prepared for an ass kicking.  I also should point out my skis are 177cm in length, not 185 like I originally thought.

Ski Reviews on Hold.

I would love to be posting a bunch of reviews on various skis I have in my quiver right now but with the lack of snow we have in Jackson right now, I don't want to trash my skis.  If, and when, we get more snow in Jackson and the rocks are more covered up, I won't be skiing some of my new skis for a while so no reviews, sorry.

Head X-Shape MTX PR Ski Review.

I got my new disco sticks a few days ago and after a little prep work (one degree bevel on base and two degrees on the side and a bit of fresh wax) I was able to ski on them a few runs in the new snow we got Tuesday afternoon/evening.  The storm was very short, perhaps six hours but we got three inches at Snow King and six at the village so it helped a lot.  Still nothing like last year or our average year but beggars can't be choosers.  As for those photos Philthy, I will have to ask my friends to forward them to me then I can post them.  Anyway, the MTX skis are a bit wider than my old Supershape Magnums (2mm wider underfoot, 73 mm) but a bit more shape so at a 177cm length the turn radius is 14 meters (hang on!)  They are a little lighter than the Magnums (maybe because the bindings are lighter) but certainly carve and hold an edge very well.  As I ski them more I will post more reviews.  On a side note, the bindings are really designed to interface with this ski because on the ski is a plate with siderails to engage the bindings, and they are pretty easy to mount.  In under ten minutes I had the bindings mounted to the skis without any tools.  CAUTION!  I am dumb enough to mount my own bindings; I certainly would not suggest this for anyone else and strongly suggest you visit your local ski shop to get the bindings properly mounted and calibrated.  I just happen to be an idiot savant and willing to accept the consequences of my idiot savantness.  The bindings (Tyrolia brand) also have a neat lever on the toe and heel pieces which allow the pieces to be moved along the rails to fit a huge range of ski boots so if your friend with the size 15 paddle feet or the tiny size four nubbins wants to try the skis, it is real easy to adjust them to the proper size.  I have an older pair of Head Xenon 9.0s that have the same setup and the bindings are easy to take off and remount so traveling with this setup is real easy.

Nordica Dobermann Spitfire Ski Review.

Last year I purchased a pair of the Nordica Doberman Spitfire skis as a replacement to a pair of Head Supershapes I used to own.  While not as turny (14.5 m at a 175 for the Heads vs. 15.5 m at a 178 for the Nordicas) as the Head Supershapes, the Nordica Doberman Spitfires are plenty turny.  I ordered them and had them in hand within a week (fast delivery service).  The skis used a propriatary Nordica plate on the ski and Nordica ski binding which interfaced with the plate.  Most ski manufacturers are now offering a ski/binding combo throughout their product lines, and there are only a few stand alone binding manufacturers out there (Marker and Salomon to name two).  Anyway, I got the skis and bindings and immediately thought damn, now I have to get these mounted.  Surprisingly, there were no instructions included for the shop monkeys to follow, and after looking at the skis and bindings, I thought why not try to mount them myself.  Well, I did, and the skis worked perfectly.  It was a simple matter of sliding the bindings onto the plates, tightening down a couple of screws for the toepiece and heelpiece, turning a knob to set the bindings for my boot sole length, and tightening the bindings to my preferred DINs.  NOTE: do not attempt this at home unless you are prepared to accept the consequences (ie: having a pair of skis/bindings that may not be covered by warranty, are not checked out by a certified ski shop for imperfections and problems, and not properly assembled).  Me, being a perfect idiot, did it anyway.  My dumb luck I didn't screw anything up.  They were an eyefull too with a sort of garish combination of electric blue and yellow paint with a lot of hot pink thrown in.  This year's model is a bit tamer in the paint scheme.

I took them out several time later in the season (once I knew all the rocks were covered) and let them run wild.  They have a huge amount of snap and liveliness to them, and if you can stomp on them and hang on, you will be rewarded with a FUN ride.  These skis like speed and firm (if not icy) snow, riding both edges hard, and rocketing you from turn to turn down the hill.  They don't like crud, slow speeds, bumps, or powder.  A pure pair of rockets for slicing and dicing the pistes.  A perfect ski for old racers looking to hook up and ride the railroad tracks all the way down the hill.  Like many super turny race skis, these things demand your full attention otherwise you will have your head handed to you.  I find them super stiff both lengthwise and torsionally, and never had them chatter or skid out of a turn (unless I made them skid) no matter how hard the snow and no matter how hard I was stomping on them (and I can stomp the shit out of skis considering I weigh close to 300lbs + with all my patrol crap on).  These things are bombproof.  If you are looking for a pair of super carvers for your local club races, pure carving enjoyment, or just a pair of fun disco sticks, these skis are for you.

The Spitfires have a rather large carbon fiber cap extending from just in front of the toepiece up to nearly the tip of the ski and it is attached by four pins to the ski.  This allows pressure from the ski boot to move up to the front of the ski and adds to the torsional rigidity of the ski overall.  The bindings can flex on the ski plate so you don't have a "dead" spot under the boot when the ski is flexed in a turn, and these things carve.  The Spitfires have a wood core so they should keep their liveliness for several seasons.  Between the EDT carbon fiber cap, the xbi plate, and the wood core these are super snappy fun skis which should last several seasons (designed in Italy and made in Austria so excellent quality control; no crappy made in China skis these.)

The really fun thing about these skis is there is a binding adjustment tab which moves the bindings in or out along the xbi plate, and I mean it really moves it a lot.  No more telling you friends with size 13 or size 6 feet, "Sorry, I can't adjust the bindings enough for you to try them."  Just twist the tab until the numbers match the boot sole length in question and hey presto, you buddy can try them too.  Cool stuff.

One downside is the price of the skis: $1350.00 with bindings retail.  Thank god for the NSP and the pro forms.  Another is these skis really are meant for carving on groomed slopes; taking them into bumps, powder, or crud is just asking for trouble (like bringing a rock to a gunfight.)  Another could be the garish paint job (me, I like it.  I also don't spend my time skiing around looking at my skis, I'm looking around for shit to get done.)  Lastly, forgiving they ain't.  Be on your toes and be ready.

In short, a pair of great disco sticks to play on the groomers with no top end for speed and carving.  The will take whatever you put into them and hand you back change.  Super powerful.  I like them so much I will probably buy another pair next season.

Nordica Enforcer Ski Review Continued.

    It has been a while since I posted a review of the Nordica Enforcer ski, and thought after using it in Italy this past spring perhaps I should make an update.

    I used the Nordica Enforcers for 12 days at the Monterosa ski area in the Aosta valley of Italy and they handled most everything with flying colors.  Deep corn snow, groomers, unconsolidated mank, avalanche debris, bumps, and high speed cruising were all handled with ease with these things.  The only conditions that weren't great on these skis was ice and very firm snow.  If these skis were a touch more torsionally stiff, they would be a fantastic ski.  This is my only complaint with them.  Other than a few mornings where it was still icy, these skis were great.  A very nice addition to your ski quiver, or a great all around ski too.

    If I had my druthers, I would design it so it was a lot stiffer torsionally, more camber, and a bit more sidecut so you had a 17.5 or 18 radius turn with a 178 (mine have a turn radius of 19 with 178cm length).  Then they would really rock.

Nordica Enforcer Ski Review.

I have had a pair of 185 Nordica Enforcer skis for two seasons and thought perhaps it was time to write a review of them.  They are 98 underfoot and at this size the turn radius is 21 meters so not so bad as far powder boards go.  They are not rocker skis but they sure don't have a lot of camber underfoot.  They handle mank, crud, and groomers with no problem.  I do find they don't handle ice or really firm snow too well as the torsional rigidity is not on par with a race ski or one of Nordica's Hod Rod or Doberman series skis, nor are they as stiff lengthwise as the Hod Rods or Dobermans but they are certainly stiff enough to plow their way through crud and broken powder.  I used them last year in Chamonix and I had no problems with them at all.  Even though they don't hold an edge to the level I want on real firm snow, they are a great all around ski.  As a powder ski, they are great.  The tip pulls up a bit so it doesn't submarine.  Overall a great ski and certainly one to have in your quiver.  If you were moving to Jackson for a season, this would be a great ski to have if you couldn't afford anything else.  Score: 8.5 stars out of 10.