Under the FWIW category, I wanted to give my thoughts on the 175 vs 182 AX. I’m 60 years old, 6’4” tall and weigh 240 lbs. I’m fairly fit, I’ve skied for about 45 years, and usually ski 20-25 days a year. I ski at a pretty advanced level on most terrain. Until this year I was skiing a Volkl RTM 84 in 182. Last summer I bought the AX in 182 and was excited to try it. Then a friend who had to quit skiing sold me his year old AX’s in 175. I had both skis tuned and skied a half day on each for several trips to compare them.
The 182’s on the line required really driving the tips to make them turn the way I wanted. If I wasn’t driving the tips, the skis actually felt a bit squirrelly . On the line the tips felt heavy and they were a lot of work on steeps and bumps. They did feel like they skied longer than 182. I played with the mount point from + .5 to +1 to +1.5 to + 2 to +2.5. I ended up settling on +2. At +2 the skis became much more fun, lighter feeling tips, and enjoyable on all terrain except tight areas or tight bumps. As the season progressed, they became my ski for fast skiing on groomers or days with a lot of crud / chopped snow. Even at +2 I can feel them in my legs at the end of the day, whereas that was not the case with the 175 AX’s.
As for the 175’s, at my height and weight, I really debated whether to even get them but took the chance. I was concerned that I would overpower them or they wouldn’t feel stable at speed. On the line they were good, but I tried them at + .5 to +1 to +1.5. I settled on +1.0 and they became amazing. They can do anything anywhere. Even at my height and weight they never felt as though I was overpowering them. Edge hold was amazing even at fast high angle turns. These skis became my daily driver when I wanted to ski everywhere, including tight bumps, trees, etc.
So since I own both the 175 and 182, am I glad I have both? In a word “yes.” They are both great skis. The 175’s can do almost everything the 182’s can, but are not as tiring at the end of the day. In hindsight, if I had to do it all over again, and had to pick only one, it would be the 175’s without question.
I hope this helps those who find themselves debating the 175 vs 182.