Monster 88, Mantra M5, or Enforcer 93

[Edmond Gurdo]

I am an advanced-expert skier that likes to go fast. I am 5'11 and 170lbs, but very athletic. I ski east coast, mostly in Vermont on groomers. I currently have:

2019 Head Monster 83 177cm
2018 Head Monster 88 170cm
2019 Rossignol Soul 7 HD 180cm

I love the Monster 83s for the majority of conditions and the Soul 7s for the few powder days. However, I was looking to get something in the middle for those east coast afternoons that always seem to have ice patches with piles of bumps and crud. Would the Volkl Mantra M5 or Nordica Enforcer be better than the Monster 88s I already own in chopped up snow and crud? If so, which one of the two would be better? I want something with the dampness of metal, but a little easier to smear, pivot, and get through crud, but still have decent ice/hardpack grip for between the crud and stability at speed.

 

[Marker]

Hey from another local, I live just north of the PA/DE line and ski at Killington. The avatar is from last week's powder day on my Ranger 115 XTi. So you guessed it, I'm suggesting the Ranger 90 or 98 for you. I did demo the M88 and loved it, but it is too similar to my Elan Amphibio 88 XTi, both are very damp and not the easiest to smear and pivot, but the Rangers are great for this. I did not demo either of your other two. 6'6", 230 lb advanced intermediate.

 

[RikkiBobbi]

I'm like you but + 40 pounds. Love my M5 in 177, I do everything with it.

 

[Daves not here]

I have the Blizzard Bonafides and they are extremely damp and absolutely blast crud. I demo'd the M5 and liked it as well. I am looking at 83 for myself to pair with the Bonafides.

 

[Scotty I.]

If you are open to other suggestions, you might want to consider the Liberty V92 or the upcoming Evolv 100.

 

[Josh Matta]

Nothing better than your Monster 83 for that stuff...

Id avoid the V92 as the tip can spear those crud piles, and sometime get stuck into them.

 

[Scotty I.]

Id avoid the V92 as the tip can spear those crud piles, and sometime get stuck into them

My bad. I did hear that there's a global recall on those tips.

 

[James]

Yeah the Liberty tips I just don't get. Shame because good looking skis.

 

[DanoT]

I was all set to get a pair of Nordica Enforcer 93s to replace a long in the tooth Blizzard Bonafide, and then Head came out with the Kore 93--super light weight with no metal, but damp like a metal ski and stiffer than an Enforcer 93.

I have skied the Kore 93 about a dozen times in powder this winter ranging from about 3" to 10" deep and for me with its wide tip and tail the Kore 93 is every bit as good as a Bonafide in powder and with its more hour glass shape Kore 93 is a lot better on firm snow than a Bonafide.

 

[dovski]

Having skied the Enforcer 93 and the Mantra M5 I can tell you they are two very different skis. Enforcer has much more early rise and slight tail rise and is a much more forgiving ski. It has been my daily driver for the last two seasons. With this one my tip would be to go a little longer because the ski has so much early rise. I also recently skied the M5 which is a very nice ski. It is narrower so not as good in the crud and powder as the enforcer. I also found it to be a stiffer less forgiving ski - traditional Volkl. Both are great skis so you cannot go wrong. I will say that I like my Enforcer 110s much more than my 93s and am probably going to swap my 93s for a Stockli SR 95.

 

[James]

The Mantra M5 is 134, 96, 117mm
In all lengths. Because of that, the sidecuts are:
170 - 17.9m
177 - 19.8
184 - 21.2
191 - 23.3

Those are nice sidecuts, though sidecut is just one of many elements.

https://www.voelkl.com/en-us/products/skis/freeride/m5-mantra-3213/

 

[dovski]

James is correct for some reason I was thinking the Mantra was only 86 underfoot but that is my son's Mantra Jr. Regardless I still find the Enforcer has a little better float maybe because of the early rise.

 

[Edmond Gurdo]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. It seems as though the M5 is a bit more demanding than the Enforcer. I’ve also read the Enforcer 100 is much more liked than the 93. I wonder if the Enforcer 100 would be too close to the Soul 7 HD and the Monster 108 (I am likely selling these, they are very demanding at my size).

I do have to agree that the 2019 Monster 83s bust through just about anything, can do any turn shape, and the new shovel engages much nicer than the 2018 Monsters I have. I was just wondering if there was something even better that is less demanding and will really bust through the crud and be able to smear a bit more than the M83.

 

[Edmond Gurdo]

I was all set to get a pair of Nordica Enforcer 93s to replace a long in the tooth Blizzard Bonafide, and then Head came out with the Kore 93--super light weight with no metal, but damp like a metal ski and stiffer than an Enforcer 93.

I have skied the Kore 93 about a dozen times in powder this winter ranging from about 3" to 10" deep and for me with its wide tip and tail the Kore 93 is every bit as good as a Bonafide in powder and with its more hour glass shape Kore 93 is a lot better on firm snow than a Bonafide.

I considered the Kore, but it’s too light for the crud and the Monster 83 and 88 outperform it there. For hardpack, soft snow, and light-medium powder, the Kore 93 is incredibly enticing.

 

[trailtrimmer]

I was just wondering if there was something even better that is less demanding and will really bust through the crud and be able to smear a bit more than the M83.

Nimble, soft, easy to smear or rail, playful but a crud buster is the holy grail of skis, let me know if you find it.

In all sincerity, in most cases, less demanding, softer skis don't do well at crud as they get deflected. It's not easy to get a ski to do all the above.

 

[James]

Kastle fx85 is pretty good. Playful? If you make it. It's more neutral.

For $200, you could get this Dps Cassiar 82 or 87 ski. It might do what you're looking for. Marshall could talk all day about its qualities sunce he worked at Dps.

 

[Chubb]

I am an advanced-expert skier that likes to go fast. I am 5'11 and 170lbs, but very athletic. I ski east coast, mostly in Vermont on groomers. I currently have:

2019 Head Monster 83 177cm
2018 Head Monster 88 170cm
2019 Rossignol Soul 7 HD 180cm

I love the Monster 83s for the majority of conditions and the Soul 7s for the few powder days. However, I was looking to get something in the middle for those east coast afternoons that always seem to have ice patches with piles of bumps and crud. Would the Volkl Mantra M5 or Nordica Enforcer be better than the Monster 88s I already own in chopped up snow and crud? If so, which one of the two would be better? I want something with the dampness of metal, but a little easier to smear, pivot, and get through crud, but still have decent ice/hardpack grip for between the crud and stability at speed.

The 2018-2019 Blizzard Brahma 88, in 180cm or 173cm, meets all of your requirements. With a softer flex and more tip and tail rocker than the Monster 88 it will be better in bumps and for slithering through crud and trees, but the two sheets of metal and moderate weight still give it decent stability and grip.

 

[dovski]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. It seems as though the M5 is a bit more demanding than the Enforcer. I’ve also read the Enforcer 100 is much more liked than the 93. I wonder if the Enforcer 100 would be too close to the Soul 7 HD and the Monster 108 (I am likely selling these, they are very demanding at my size).

I do have to agree that the 2019 Monster 83s bust through just about anything, can do any turn shape, and the new shovel engages much nicer than the 2018 Monsters I have. I was just wondering if there was something even better that is less demanding and will really bust through the crud and be able to smear a bit more than the M83.

I have owned the Soul 7 and now own the Enforcer 93 and 110. If you found the Soul 7 demanding I do not recommend a ski with two sheets of titanium. I got rid of my Soul 7s because they were to soft and floppy, this makes for a very forgiving ski as compared to any of the enforcers and definitely the M5.

Personally I prefer the Enforcer 93 over the 100 as it is a more versatile frontside ski that does well in powder and crud. Enforcer 110 is amazing in deep pow but also fun in moguls and bumps with its varied flex profile.

The real question is what are you looking for? A wider ski for PoW and off piste? A do it all front side ski? Or something that is very relaxed and easy to ski? Recommend you demo a couple pairs to dial in what you like that best suits your level and style of skiing

 

[ARL67]

For $200, you could get this Dps Cassiar 82 or 87 ski. It might do what you're looking for. Marshall could talk all day about its qualities sunce he worked at Dps.

^^^ I didn't know that Marshal selling those Cassiars was "that Marshall" from DPS.
He was a great dude in the early days of DPS Wailer 112RP on the TGR forums.

 

[Edmond Gurdo]

I have owned the Soul 7 and now own the Enforcer 93 and 110. If you found the Soul 7 demanding I do not recommend a ski with two sheets of titanium. I got rid of my Soul 7s because they were to soft and floppy, this makes for a very forgiving ski as compared to any of the enforcers and definitely the M5.

Personally I prefer the Enforcer 93 over the 100 as it is a more versatile frontside ski that does well in powder and crud. Enforcer 110 is amazing in deep pow but also fun in moguls and bumps with its varied flex profile.

The real question is what are you looking for? A wider ski for PoW and off piste? A do it all front side ski? Or something that is very relaxed and easy to ski? Recommend you demo a couple pairs to dial in what you like that best suits your level and style of skiing

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to the Monster 108 being a bit too demanding and likely selling. The Soul 7 HD even in their most aggressive 3rd revision which I own are not aggressive enough for me in firmer snow and at speed. The HD was a big improvement and the Air Tip 2.0 was another improvement, but still floppy as you state, but great for powder and I will keep them for those really soft and snowy days. I am looking for a great frontside ski for crud.