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Individual Review 183cm Amarda TST - a skinny powder ski

Josh Matta

Skiing the powder
Pass Pulled
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Posts
4,123
Reviewer

Age 32
190lb
5'10
PSIA Ed Staff
like it all but lives for tree skiing.

Ski

183cm Amarda TST

Dimensions (mm): 120-133-103-124
Radius 16.8 meter

First let me see that this ski has been intriguing to me. 100mmish waist which is just about as wide as I cna go with out hurting my knees on hardpack. bigfat tip and lots of tip taper. The really turny sidecut had me worried about its performance in weird snow but more on that later.

Groomers - If you can think of this ski as basically a 170cm normal full cambered ski that is actually quite stiff and has a ton of sidecut. this ski rails turns on groomers, its not a GS skis but does nice arch to arch mini GS turns even on steep groomer very well. The edge hold is superb assuming edge to edge, even on really hard groomer. With that said if you are not a precise and slide sideways into an edge set this ski will feel awful and bounce around quite a bit, but for the accomplished expert there is ton of grip here, some pop at the end, and it will finish a turn really well due to it tight sidecut.

Once the groomer get cut up though, the ski if on edge will still do the work needed but running flat or not pressuring the tips will cause tons of vibrations. This ski is lively and not damp.

Bumps - pretty freaking good, even on hardpack bumps. The ski is stiff but never overbearing and the sidecut is not as catchy as you would imagine. If anything I would say its stranglely uncatchy. Gsing and smashing bumps even soft ones not what this ski was made for. Dancing over them and popping some doubles seem to work best. FUN FUN, more fun the softer it is, but workable in even really hard bumps.

Powder - best 100mmish skis I have ever skied in powder. You remember how I have been saying how its 170cm full cambered ski? Now its a 183cm and has tons of tip rocker. The tip doesnt sink, its floats better than its waist width would ever let you believe. Its nimble and quick but doesnt like doing longer turns or going really fast. I guess the sidecut does have some limitation. For the powder tree skiing we do here at Stowe its pretty great. Last year at the gathering I am pretty sure this is all skied for the stowe day with @Qcanoe had his pair out as well. Its ski that will ski deep powder with out ever feeling like liability when things get skied out. I think a lot of people will like this ski in powder and could see the design working really well for touring as well.


Crud - well the tight sidecut had to rear its ugly head somewhere, it workable at slower speed but not point it and smash it ski like a straighter metal laminate flat tail skis like Enforcer, Q lab, or Bonafide would be.
 

Ron

Seeking the next best ski
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@Josh Matta did you feel the 183 length was the right choice for you? I ask since almost every review says go longer for folks your size. i have not skied the TST but always wondered about the effective length
 

Jake M

AKA Gunnerbob
Skier
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
66
Location
near Toronto, Ontario
I believe @Ron was saying these are popular in Steamboat. I recall seeing several while I was there. Seems like a perfect fit for the trees, soft groomers and bumps, not big hucks and such.

Interestingly, I did see someone show up on a pair of TST's at our local icy hill (700' vert) and I was thinking, "WTH is someone doing on TST's here?!" Obviously, this guy had some skills though. He made them work. I was impressed.

Not my particular type of ski, but a good review, thanks!
 
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Thread Starter
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Josh Matta

Josh Matta

Skiing the powder
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4,123
@Josh Matta did you feel the 183 length was the right choice for you? I ask since almost every review says go longer for folks your size. i have not skied the TST but always wondered about the effective length

it short on packed snow but fairly true to length in powder. If you are getting this ski and expecting to charge crud at speed this isnt your ski and going to 192 I am not sure but I can guess just makes the ski longer and doesnt really add to its high speed stability.
The reality is high 180 + lengths here at Stowe become liabilities in some places where its impossible to ski, and you need to side step into. At Steamboat I think the 183 would be the right length for me, at Snowbird it would be 192 or I might not even want it there.

for my purposes, skiing trees the 183cm would work most places though.
 
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Ron

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They were very popular here a year or back .I am not personally looking but I think your insight is great info for anyone else who had read up on this ski. Great job!
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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The TST is kinda like the Soul Rider in that it has been around for a while and people have either forgotten about it or it has fallen through the cracks but it also has stood up to the test of time. Armada has been pigeon holed into just being solely a park ski but it is just not the case, they are making some very good all mountain products.
 

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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I agree with your thoughts. Been skiing this ski as my one ski quiver here in CO for 2 yrs now and haven't had more than a few days where I wished I had something else under my feet. I ski the 165, it's possibly a bit on the short side but still handles all I can throw at it well. I could ride the 175 but probably wouldn't like it so much in the tight trees and steeps that I prefer. My style of skiing (light, playful, poppy) really jives well with this ski.
 

Philpug

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I agree with your thoughts. Been skiing this ski as my one ski quiver here in CO for 2 yrs now and haven't had more than a few days where I wished I had something else under my feet. I ski the 165, it's possibly a bit on the short side but still handles all I can throw at it well. I could ride the 175 but probably wouldn't like it so much in the tight trees and steeps that I prefer. My style of skiing (light, playful, poppy) really jives well with this ski.
It is one of those skis that can be skied in two lengths depending on how you want them to react. :thumb:
 

mogsie

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I bought the tst in 192 after talking with the guy at the store... and returned it yesterday... It is really really nice on groomers and bumps ( don't feel like a 192 but then, when I went into trees ( must say the snow conditions were a little crappy), it suddenly became a 192... It was not unskiable but since I expressly pointed out that I wanted a dead stupid ski in really thight trees that could still be nice on groomed, I decided to return it... But now, I don't know what ski to go to... The guy told me that the 183 would be way to short for me (215 ponds; 6 feet)...They were so nice in bumps and groomed that I'm even thinking of going back and take them back... Maybe I could get used to the lenght in thight trees...even if I skied them 2 days now...Any thoughts?
 
Thread Starter
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Josh Matta

Josh Matta

Skiing the powder
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well the deal is the 183 is short on wide open places. I really tight places I think it would be what you are looking for. but for crappy condtions in hte trees it still would not be ideal.

I would never own this ski and expect it to be charger in wide open slopes . Nor would I expect the ski to shred really hardpacked trees. going from the 192 to 183 would help in tight trees and especially tight trees in hardpack but it would never be an ideal choice for tight tree in hardpack IMO. For that role my Brahmas are much better fit.

If I was going out to ski woods on day with no fresh snow out of my huge quiver the only skis I would consider are my 177cm Nordica Soul Riders and my 180cm Blizzard Brahma, if there any float to be had anywhere from left over or fresh snow then the 183 TST comes out to play.
 

mogsie

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well the deal is the 183 is short on wide open places. I really tight places I think it would be what you are looking for. but for crappy condtions in hte trees it still would not be ideal.

I would never own this ski and expect it to be charger in wide open slopes . Nor would I expect the ski to shred really hardpacked trees. going from the 192 to 183 would help in tight trees and especially tight trees in hardpack but it would never be an ideal choice for tight tree in hardpack IMO. For that role my Brahmas are much better fit.

If I was going out to ski woods on day with no fresh snow out of my huge quiver the only skis I would consider are my 177cm Nordica Soul Riders and my 180cm Blizzard Brahma, if there any float to be had anywhere from left over or fresh snow then the 183 TST comes out to play.

Thanks Josh!
I'm guessing that with 25 pounds more than you, I'll feel the 183 even shorter... Most say that the 192 don't have much to envy to the 108 Brahma except shorter lenght in thight places...:)

I must say that conditions were kind of bad: maybe 4-5 inches of fresh snow over crust and denser snow under crust... Maybe I didn't gave these skis the best chances... But at the same time, I cannot go past the 192 lenght...maybe it's in my head...:huh:

I could have a pair of 184 BBR 10.0 for peanuts and when I saw them , I couldn't help but see some similarities between the BBr 10.0 ( not the others bbr) and the TST: big shovel, thin curl up tail,... but when you read about their sidecut, there is no real similarities...
 

tromano

Goin' the way they're pointed...
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Dust over Breakable crust in the trees? That is nasty.

My proven solution to this is a very fat ski with good rocker and reverses sidecut in the tips. These mitigate the risk of punching through the top layer and will not hook if they do punch through. I have a pair of original Praxis powderboards that I am holding onto for really yucky condition days that fill this slot for me.
 

mogsie

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The TST has all that on the tip and I cannot say that they were really bad... In fact, they were better that a lot of ski I can think of... It really is the lenght that bother me in those thight places...
Bought the BBR 10.0 today (230$ can.; new)...Will see how it skis soon...

Have to choose something for exchanging the TST... Thinking of a playfull 105-106 mm ski... Have to choose mainly between a Pinnacle 105 or a Soul 7(180 or 188?) because they have them in stock but could maybe go for an Automatic 109 or maybe a Volkl 100height...
 

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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Nov 12, 2015
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There have been very good reviews of the RMU Apostle and it seems a similar ski to the TST. Of course, they are all but sold out because they went like hotcakes this season....
 

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