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laine

I ski like a girl. Fast.
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I was quite intrigued when Phil reached out and let me know he had an Augment 77 in an 159 (121.5/77/107.5, 14m radius) available for testing. I've only read about Augment on Pugski, but have yet to see one in the wild in Tahoe. And I have a 2018 Stockli Laser AX in a 159 (123/78/109, 13m radius) - so close in specs, so I was definitely curious to see how they compared.

Conditions: Spring-like sunny day at Alpine. We haven't had any fresh snow in a while here, so I knew it would be a zoomer groomer day and I planned on taking the AXs to the mountain.

I took my first run off Roundhouse on the Stocklis, and then switched to the Augments. Wow. There is a 1mm difference in the waist between the two skis, but the Augment was noticeably faster edge-to-edge. It also skis a bit longer with less tail and tip rise. It is a fantastic ski that needs to be skied hard. I was reading on the Augment website that a purchaser can select a stiffness from 1-10, 1 being a steel beam (my interpretation) and 10 being "flimsy", and I believe these were an 8. For a 159 ski, these were plenty stiff. Now I'm curious what the hell they think flimsy is.

This ski wants to carve. That quick edge-to-edge transition made experimenting with turn length really fun. I tend to prefer short and medium turns, but I was making long arc turns as I headed down Sherwood. and I loved it! The ski loves being on edge. It was like slicing through butter on the soft corn snow. I don't know how the ski performs in Sierra cement chop, but I'm guessing quite well. On the groomers, corn, and a little mashed potato, they ripped. I also skied through those mushy moguls that form at the end of the day with no problem. I think they felt faster than any ski I've skied. (I've never skied a legit race ski.)

A shout out to the factory tune as well. The skis were smooth as silk.

Have I made it clear this is not a beginner ski? Or an intermediate ski? This is not a forgiving ski. As the day went on and I started to get a bit tired, it did not like when I made mistakes, made a sloppy turn, or slarved a turn. This is not a ski for the lazy. This is a ski that must be skied at all times, and preferably on edge. If you are an aggressive skier, who skis into your ski, likes to turn and go fast, this is the perfect ski for you.

After 15 runs on the Augments, I took my Stocklis out for my last run. And I loved how they felt. I love those skis. The Augments were like going on vacation where your senses are heightened, but the AXs felt like coming home for me.

  • Who is the Laser AX for: Intermediate to expert skiers looking for a joy-inducing front-side ski that can help you conquer the whole mountain.
  • Who is the Augment 77 for: This is a serious ski for the advanced skier who lives to carve. You see a ski run and you want to carve. You see a Thanksgiving turkey, you want to carve. You see a slab of marble....you get the picture.
  • Insider Tip: Don't demo either of these skis if you aren't ready to drop some coin. They are both at a higher price point and both will put a huge smile on your face, so then you will have a dilemma.
Some comparison photos and my glory shot (though yeah, I know I'm dropping my shoulder back - gotta keep working on that):

tips.JPG


tails.JPG


IMG_3131.JPG
 
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textrovert

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@Philpug had a 77 last season at the Mt. Rose season ends Pug Meetup. I skied it in firm conditions and it was super damp. Zero chatter. Great grip. I initially thought the snow has softened up. But when I switched to another ski for the next run, all the lack of grip and chatter was back. Great ski.
 

Plai

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@Philpug had a 77 last season at the Mt. Rose season ends Pug Meetup. I skied it in firm conditions and it was super damp. Zero chatter. Great grip. I initially thought the snow has softened up. But when I switched to another ski for the next run, all the lack of grip and chatter was back. Great ski.
I concur with @textrovert assessment. Tried the same skis at the same event love the smoothness.
Also concur with @laine about needing to be "on" all the time.

And like @laine, the AX just felt like home again.
 

Paul Lutes

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The AX is the one ski I would pick if I could only have one ski; fortunately, that will never happen. I haven't been on my AXs in almost a year, mainly due to finally (after an embarrassing amount of time) I've figured out the right skis for the right conditions. The Augments sound sweet, but too wide, for hard and fast groomers.
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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I'll be interested in how the AM77 compares to the AM88. I'll be turning the 77 at Mt. Rose or Diamond Peak tomorrow. 88 was last week at Mammoth.

@Paul Lutes, I haven't been on the WRT-ST but the Sport Carve is awfully nice...
 

Andy Mink

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So, some quick thoughts on the AM77 Titanal Carbon. Conditions at Mt. Rose were fairly hard early, then sugary on top of hard, especially at the top of Northwest chair. Bumps were building but were super soft. Shade kept the snow hard, and in most places even the sun didn't soften it much.

So, the ski. Giggle factor 11. So easy, but not for those still at lower levels. How fast do you want to go? Hard hard do you want to carve? Like the AM88, it's soooo smooth. I was on a 7 flex in 175 (16.5m Radius, 121.5/77/107.5) I skied the 88 in a 10 (the softest) at 179cm at the Mammoth industry demo last week in similar conditions minus the deeper sugar. Honestly, I don't think the difference in one flex number would be very noticeable; the 77 in 7 felt a little stronger but just as smooth. The shorter turn radius was very noticeable. I would be perfectly content on either ski unless there was a lot of fresh snow and, even then, I think the 88 would be fine. Remember, all our powder skis were skinny at one time! I found the 77s willing to slide and slarve, though they preferred being on edge. I think the flex, length, and skier weight are a definite factor in how playful the ski is perceived to be. A lighter skier on a stiffer ski may not get the same results.

The AM77 really is a special ski. I'm guessing most mere mortals would be fine in the 7-10 range. Clydesdales and strong, technically proficient skiers might chose the 4-6 range. I'm not sure who the 1-3 would be for. Maybe racers looking for a daily driver that makes them work. I've not flexed anything below 7 but I can't imagine being very happy on a 1. That might be akin to a 2x4.

All in all, my feeling on the AM77 Titanal Carbon were very similar to @laine's on the AM77 Titanal. A bit of a build difference with some carbon, but otherwise very close. It's buttah!
 

Ron

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long term test forthcoming... in the meantime, the 77 Carbon is a special ski, there's something that just feels good about this non-rocker-ed traditional cambered ski. its beyond silky smooth. exacting precise and unshakable at speed, The tip engages very easily but its not an "On/Off"ski, you can ease it on edge or lay it over. I have a little different experience in that I have skied it in tracked out 10", large piled up crud and found it excellent, You do have to bring some skills to the game though but you are rewarded with a superb ski. And, the factory tune is unparalleled.
 

Paul Lutes

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I'll be interested in how the AM77 compares to the AM88. I'll be turning the 77 at Mt. Rose or Diamond Peak tomorrow. 88 was last week at Mammoth.

@Paul Lutes, I haven't been on the WRT-ST but the Sport Carve is awfully nice...


I should have looked at the Augment web site before demanding that cage fight mis-match: two completely different beasts. I withdraw my previous request and would like to replace it with WRT-ST vs Augment SL World Cup pro. Still not a perfect comparison, as there's really nothing like the tweener WRT-ST, but this would work.
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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I was on a 7 flex in 175 (16.5m Radius, 121.5/77/107.5) I skied the 88 in a 10 (the softest) at 179cm

Andy, do you mind sharing your height and weight?
 

Andy Mink

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Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Dakine

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These skis are so different that this cage match isn't much.
Testing the Augment 77 against the Blossom White Out which is also a 77 would be very interesting.
This would give some data on Augment's flex ratings as compared to a very good 77 carver.
Several of Pugski's best skiers have White Outs in their quiver and love them.
Mine have Marker Piston Plates on them and they make a difference.
What binding setups did these skis have?
 

ski otter 2

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I have a a pair of Blossom Whiteouts (176) also (with Pivot 18s) that I like. AT SIA, the Stockli AR 174(?) reminded me of them, more than the Augment AM 77s (flex rate the softest, 10), which I also skied there, same day. A cage match of these two would be a close one.

The wider (Whiteout and AR) tips (and to a lesser extent, tails) lend themselves to some powder, crud and bumps with both versatile skis, in addition to groomers, and thus they excel at a wider range of conditions. I couldn't tell if the Augment 77s do that or not, maybe under the circumstances of when I demoed them, possibly.

I happened to get on the Stockli ARs at the start of a bluebird groomer day (with 1-2 day old snow off piste), whereas I was on the Augment 77s at the end of that day, with snow falling in the dusk at that point, on groomers-plus-light powder, a lot skied off with ice patches and bump build up, and crud piles too. For me, perhaps as a result, I liked the Augment 77s - very precise and strong for such a ski, but I liked the ARs better, and liked the most the next of the Augment skis I got on, the Augment GS Pro 185/25 with race plate (flex rate 7, tried right after the 77s).

With the 77s, I noticed I would like a bit stiffer ski. And I thought I was just getting too tired for the conditions, after all day, first to last bell skiing. Nope.

The GS Pros ended that tiredness quickly. They were so spot on, easy for those conditions, in low light, low visibility, unpredictable uneven surface conditions: it just didn't matter: those GS Pro Augments were and are my Augment favorites, so far. They were so smooth and strong. A relief. (I might like the FIS 188/30s even better, but those would probably not be so relaxing.) Augment skis rock.

My favorite skis out of 23 in two days at SIA: Stockli AR, Stockli WRT ST (with both race plate and non-race plate binding setups), Augment GS Pros 185/25, and K2 Mindbender 108/186 @ +2. (A range of skis.)
 

Philpug

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These skis are so different that this cage match isn't much
these two have enough in common to warrant a Cage Match.

Both premium skis? Check
W/in the same waist range? One MM, check
A comma in the price tag? Check
Expectations for comparison? Check

As far as getting a direct comparison to the Blossom? Well, when Blossom gets their house in order and starts distributing skis here, we are limited to it as an also ran in the 80mm Glorious skis comparison.
 

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