Cage Match Comparison 2019 Cage Match Requests

[Superbman]

head monster 83 vs liberty VMT 82

 

[markojp]

+1 and since the Monster line ends at 88 for 19, that width interests me the most.

Monster 88 vs. Experience 94 (which measures 92, so a pretty reasonable comparison, IMO).

Old Monster 108 vs. any e-bike on the planet. Kidding.

Thanks!

Oh! E-94 vs Black Ops 98? Completely different, but will certainly be a ski wall question for Rossi dealers, or the Black Ops 98 vs about anything in it's width segment. It's a pretty interesting ski in and of itself.

Or E-94 vs Vantage 97ti

M-88 vs Legend 88.

E-88 vs Navigator 90.

Kore 99 vs Tracer 98.

M-108 vs Caterpillar D9..

 

[Viking9]

Phil I think for the good of this comparison thing is to just go ahead and “ COMPARE “ all the 90 somethings to the E94 , I really think it will be better for everyone involved.

 

[ski otter 2]

The Faction 2.0 (102/r. 16) compared to the Blizzard Rustler 10 (102/r. 17.5).
Each a favorite for many. Both playful and quick-turning. Both seemingly standouts. (And which one is damper?)

 

[Scotty I.]

I'm really on the fence between the Blizzard Rustler 9 and the 2019 DPS Foundation Cassier C2 94. I was really struck by your review of the DPS. If you think that this is a fair comparison, I'd love to hear what you think.
Thanks!

 

[jmeb]

~100mm all-mountain skis with some metal in them and a not-too-stiff flex:

JSkis Masterblaster vs Blizzard Rustler 10 vs 4Frnt MSP 99 vs Moment Commander 98

 

[ski otter 2]

That Moment interview reminds me: for a while I've been thinking of a cage match between three highly versatile, to me related skis: the Moment Deathwish 112, the Volkl V-Werks Katana 112 and the Faction Candide Thovex 3.0 108. All three seem versatile, playful, yet rock solid - for starters.

As much as I've wished I could demo the Deathwish, in part due to favorable experiences by folks on this website, I have skied the other two, and the C.T. 3.0 reminded me of the Katanas, in spite of their obvious differences - which to me is a very good thing.

 

[Eric Edelstein]

Citadel vs Alchemist 106. I think you know how I mostly love my Z90 and I'm hoping the Citadel measures up. For me, the Alchemist 106 was my favorite demo ski last season. I was lucky because it was available here in CO to ski so I ended up with several days on the Alchemist.

Here's my 2 cents-worth on riding both the Renoun Citadel for many days in every kind of condition over several weeks and the DPS Alchemist 106 over several days of various conditions at the Stratton demo days last Spring....

The Wailer 106 Alchemist drives like a charging ski with civilized slow-speed manners added in for civilians to widen its appeal, and it really comes alive when driven athletically. The A-106 delivers rock-solid, powerful grip and stability and plenty of energy underfoot with active feedback along its entire length. The faster you drive it, the more you should pay attention since it can project quickly when loaded under tension, and it is addictively effective to cut through nearly anything, yet can surf pretty well for a semi-charging ski. I love this latest DPS Wailer 106 in Alchemist layup. It is a superb one-ski quiver for Western daily driving if you like an athletic, sports-car-like ride that begs to take you for a workout if you're up to it. You might work a bit in bumpy terrain since the A-106 can feel a bit stiff in mogul-filled terrain, but its authoritative on-edge tracking and crud-crutting prowess is intoxicating.

The Renoun Citadel has a different personality. Quiet, understated feel underfoot with a surprisingly high-performance personality across a wider set of terrain conditions than the A-106, but in sheep's clothing. The Citadel is super easy to ski at slow speeds and many radii in all kinds of snow, yet roll it up on-edge and get your GS-pressure game on, and it trenches hardpack like no other ski I've tried in the 106mm underfoot class...all while feeling feather-light. Cyrus claims the Citadel is "the most stable full-carbon ski. Ever."...and I agree. The responsiveness is instant, yet not as abrupt as the more high-strung DPS A-106. The Citadel rips and grips groomers with authority like the A-106, but requires less effort and vigilance at the helm. While the A-106 cuts crud on an infallible trajectory under power, the Citadel surfs the same surface conditions with an unwavering line. Same results, different ride personalities. The Citadel has a better ability to pivot and smear on-demand than the A016, feeling more rockered and smeary when desired, while the A-106 has a preference for on-edge directional changes and being driven rather than passively ridden like the Citadel.

Both the DPS A-106 and Citadel 106 surf powder at slow and high speeds really well, with the CItadel feeling more surfy in these conditions, yet rock-solid stable at high speeds in fluff, even with garbage under the surface. The A-106 feels more directional in fluffy snow, but can smear across the snow if you get the angle right and weight yourself properly amid-ships. Neither ski feels darty in soft snow conditions.

The DPS A-106 is one of my favorite skis this season, and generates really exciting rides with secure authority across a wide range of conditions and terrain with high-end performance and balanced handling. It will make experts super-happy and can up the game for advancing intermediates looking for an upgrade to a high-performance ski unlike the mass-produced models out there. The Renoun Citadel is probably the most impressive ski to me for this season because it excels at doing so many things so well, hardpack, crud, fresh powder, trees, open terrain, bumpy terrain, you name it. It feels soft and friendly at first, but as you begin to drive it instead of passively ride it, it delivers high-end response in carved power-arcs, crud-surfing and powder flying with way more performance than most other skis can muster in their sweetspot terrain conditions along, much less across the wide spectrum of the Citadel's wheelhouse.

Personally, I would probably devolve into a babbling mess of quivering, incoherent nonsense if I was forced to make a choice between these two 106mm skis. They are both addicting and superbly refined. If I wanted a one-ski-does-all solution, the new Citadel would be my choice because it has a wider performance envelope into the powder realm than the more directional DPS A-106. If I wanted a more directional, frontside-trenching 106mm ski, I would probably pick the DPS A-106.

This is a great time to be a skier since we are forced to pick between an nearly endless supply of superb skis in nearly any category or waist width. Good luck. I'd love to hear what other people think who have skied the DPS Wailer 106 Alchemist back-to-back with the Renoun Citadel 106.

 

[markojp]

Not to get too off track, but after skiing the Alchemist Wailer 106, I kept hearing the "one of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same" compared to all the other Wailers. It's NOT a 5 point ski, and as a personal preference, that's a very good thing. Honestly, IMHO, for a stronger skier it's by far the pick of the DPS litter in the greater than 98 DPS ski department. I could happily own a pair. Very versatile off piste in mixed funk and crud, chalky steep bumps, skied smooth pow well (what doesn't though?) and no trouble with just-on-the-verge-of-breakable-crust. And if you're at an area with any long sidestep traverses to access the off piste goodies, it'd be a great choice. Again, IMHO, one of the 10'something picks of the whole category litter if you have enough to cover the check. I think Eric's experience with them echoes my own pretty closely. Anyhow, back to your regularly scheduled thread.

(A Wailer 106 and Kore 105 would be a good cage match.)

 

[mikel]

@Eric Edelstein Thank you for the comparison. That was a great read for me. I also experienced some of the qualities of the Alchemist 106 you described. It was good to get a feel on how you compared it to the Citadel. Not sure if it was because of how happy I am with my Z90s or brand loyalty or some combination but my Citadels are on the way.

 

[ScottB]

Here's my 2 cents-worth on riding both the Renoun Citadel for many days in every kind of condition over several weeks and the DPS Alchemist 106 over several days of various conditions at the Stratton demo days last Spring....

I'd love to hear what other people think who have skied the DPS Wailer 106 Alchemist back-to-back with the Renoun Citadel 106.

Eric,
I did exactly that at Sunday River, Maine and Okemo Mtn in Vt late last spring. I got the Citadel's from Northern Ski Works in Ludlow and skied them in spring conditions for the day at Okemo. It was frozen at the top in the AM and transitioned to a mtn of slush by the end of the day. I skied the 106 AWailer on a spring day that stayed frozen all day at Sunday River. The moral of the experiences is you ski the "tune" and both skis had issues with their edges which caused their hard snow performance to be off. The Wailers were dull and slid more than they should. I did like them as they carved well until they lost grip, and the tips did a good job of intiating the turn for you. They weren't overly damp on the frozen surface, but they weren't bad either. Pretty impressive for thier weight and carbon construction. I concur with your description of them as you skied them in better conditions and probably a much better state of tune.

The Citadels had a 2 deg. base bevel (measured with a SVST bevel meter back at the shop) and were mounted too far forwarad for me. They only had edge grip when rolled to a high edge angle. By the end of the day in the softer snow, I was really enjoying them as they could handle lots of speed and were very stable and I didn't need the edges to supply the grip. Their light weight made them easy to pivot and toss around and the few tree runs I did were quite impressive. Considering their weight (significantly lighter than the A106) they were pretty amazing. Hard to say much more about them because of the base bevel being so high it really affected the edge grip on the firm AM frozen conditions. They did stiffen up when I pushed them faster and harder. I really liked this on the groomed, but didn't appreciate it as much in the moguls.

I would really like to try both skis again in better conditons and with good tunes. I especially want to get on the Citadel again because I think that ski has a lot of potential and I agree it seems to be very versitile. Your next to last paragraph is a very good summary of the two skis.

 

[peterm]

Black Crows Atris vs Elan Ripstick 106

 

[fatbob]

Here's my 2 cents-worth on riding both the Renoun Citadel for many days in every kind of condition over several weeks and the DPS Alchemist 106 over several days of various conditions at the Stratton demo days last Spring....

Thanks Eric. How would you compare them to the current Whitedot Director Carbonlite (which is the ski I have most current mileage on in that size)?

 

[Poolskier Vinny]

How about a Western Powder Big Mountain Playground/Freestylish Cage match:

Icelantic Nomad 105 vs ON3P Kartel 108

(I run the 105 Nomads in a 171 cm length as a "1 quiver of ski" out here in Alberta/BC...steeps, trees, bumps, pow,...and a bit in the park....and would love to see how the Kartel's stack up)

 

[firebanex]

Phil I think for the good of this comparison thing is to just go ahead and “ COMPARE “ all the 90 somethings to the E94 , I really think it will be better for everyone involved.

Agreed, I personally want to see a comparison between the Enforcer 93 and the Experiance 94 Ti.. I've read all the reviews for both so far and I still don't know.

 

[Analisa]

Pandora 104/Santa Ana 100/Blizzard Sheeva 10.
Atris Birdie/Stella 106/ON3P Jessie 108
Black Crows Atris v. Corvus
Rustler vs. Sheeva line (especially since the men's line gets small enough to work for a lot of women)

Bonus if there's any notes on the men's cage matches about whether the same comparison applies to their women's counterparts.

 

[Tricia]

Pandora 104/Santa Ana 100/Blizzard Sheeva 10.
Atris Birdie/Stella 106/ON3P Jessie 108
Black Crows Atris v. Corvus
Rustler vs. Sheeva line (especially since the men's line gets small enough to work for a lot of women)

Bonus if there's any notes on the men's cage matches about whether the same comparison applies to their women's counterparts.

I will be getting some of these cage matches done soon.

 

[Jtlange]

Atomic Bent Chetler 100 vs Faction Candide 2.0

 

[MattFromCanada]

The Elan Ripstick 96 vs the Elan Ripstick 96 Black?

 

[BC.]

ON3P Wren 108 vs Blizzard Cochise vs Volkl 100eight