Can you tell me more about the V-Works Mantra, i.e., your weight and height, the size(s) you tried? Do they ski short or true to length? Do they have the typical stiff carbon feel? Any chance of a comparson to the light and playful soft snow ski but capable on edge, gets somewhat knocked around in heavy cut uo snow, Volkl 90eight I have would also help.
Asking because I've come across a few deals on V-Werks M and don't know much about the ski to seriously consider them when I already have the 90eight. I'm currently 140.5 LBS 5'6.5" on a 170cm 90eight, nice in bumps and trees, probably would prefer the 177cm everywhere else.
Hi. Whew, here goes.
I'm 5'10"/145-150lbs. Older. But I'm on the Front Range, Colo, so still like to charge some (GS and between GS and SL dynamics).
(Back East, not sure.)
Maybe like you, I'd prefer a 170 (up to maybe 174?) ski in bumps and non-deep snow trees, but longer everywhere else.
I typically ski 175-178 skis for all mountain here in the Rockies (old snow groomers and some bumps), and 182 to 190 skis for powder/crud (not in tight trees much anymore).
I skied the V-Werks Mantra at SIA in almost ideal conditions, 2-4" fresh (somewhat mildly windblown in places) on a bluebird day. The snow was wet, and thus felt deeper; but still a relatively small amount - in some places maybe up to 5" at most, including drifts.
I only skied the W-Werks Mantra in 178 (and in a comparable length M5 Mantra before that a week or so earlier), regretfully. It was my standout of the two day demo, and I just kept skiing it, twice as many runs as the other skis I tried. I skied it in soft snow bumps and groomers, shallow powder, chop and crud - and also pure groomers. I liked that particular length so much that day I forgot to think of the other lengths. Practically speaking, I might want it for deeper powder/crud also, not just a bit more than the mild amount that day, and thus might have preferred for practical reasons, that ski in 186. But the 178 fit me so well, fun.
Would love to try both in more varied or deeper conditions, to answer my own questions regarding length.
The 178 skis both short (for ease when turning fast and in bumps) and longer (when wanting stability carving), but overall, either true to length or slightly short, in terms of gauging length to buy, depending on how used to carving on edge one is. The ski can either slarve, run flat or carve really well - your choice. (I'm a ride the edge and carve kind of guy, but love the particular slarve/play of the V-Werks skis.)
On "typical stiff carbon feel" - To me, "carbon feel" varies from brand to brand, even ski to ski: I didn't like early DPS carbon feel; but do like recent versions, more dialed in - but still, not favorites as yet, of the ones I've tried. Also, I don't like, relatively, the carbon feel of the Kore 105, but like better the carbon feel of the Kore 93. A bit better is the carbon feel of the Faction Primes, 2.0 and 3.0 - enough that I prefer them to the Heads. And then there's the V-Werks Katana 112. My favorite ski. "Carbon feel" very different, more dialed in still. The V-Werks Mantras are as good - maybe better, since their 99 width may be better for more people, and, as little as I've experienced them so far, may be just as good for me.
Compared to the 90eight: I've only skied the 100eight, and your description of the 90eight fits the 100eight also, to me (See below.); so I have to extrapolate, forgive me: V-Werks is damper; a crud killer, no weakness here; not as mind-boggling quick, but still quick and easy, incredibly forgiving (more so than the 100eight). The V-Werks Mantra's light weight, more so than with the Katana's, makes it even better in trees, just a tad slower, maybe, than the 90eight, I'm guessing, but about the same in quickness though different as the 100eight in a good way, to me: no chance at being nervous, or of getting tossed in crud, or one overpowering the things. (You see, I very much preferred the Katana to the 100eight, though I know many love the 100eight also, and it's more economical.) I tend to prefer powder/crud skis, rather than powder skis that get tossed in crud, if there's a choice.
Last, with the V-Werks Katanas 184, there is a fore-aft sensitivity: moving the ski forward or back of suggested line doesn't get you much, past moving it back about 1/2 to 1 cm, maybe a bit less than 1 cm. Too far back and the tails drop too much; but at the line, for me, the skis do a hesitation when they hit drifts or sudden crust resistance in deep powder, especially heavy and wet. (Once the snow is mostly chop and crud, the skis don't have a problem.) The longer 191 skis have no such problems at all, for me. They become true resort powder skis.
Relating this to the V-Werks Mantras, I'm not sure what the 178 ski I tried will do in deep powder or such transitions in wind drift, etc. as described. At a resort, this will effect unbroken but more difficult powder conditions only, probably, not crud. If you plan on using the Mantra only as one might any other good ~100 width ski, and only ski it up to, say, 6" of good powder, then things might be fine. But not sure once things get deeper. Then the longer 186 might be a good idea, even for lighter skiers like myself, or maybe you - not at all sure.
Note: I have not skied the 90eight, but I have skied the 100eight, and briefly reviewed it in a Loveland Basin Demo Day thread from a year or two ago.
For me, it was a super light and super quick ski: yet surprisingly stable for such sensitive fast edge to edge carve, great on edge on groomers, even though I kept watching for it to be over-sensitive or twitchy. Nope. But to me, it was a bit too quick, almost but not quite nervous. (I tend to prefer damp, super-stable skis that are easy crud busters also.) I never found a speed limit or overpowered it, though. Still, to me, it was too quick, too close to nervous - and, for me, too tossed in problem crud. And at the time I already owned the 184 Katana V-Werks 112s, and
had those as my reference ski of that sort. I'd have had to own the 100eights to really find out first hand what that ski could do more thoroughly, as it was unlike other skis I've tried that are that sensitive and fast.
And, again, I preferred the Katana V-Werks by a lot.
But I may.
