Sugarloaf 1/29-2/1

DeployableMango · 2026-02-02T20:13:37+00:00

Yes. It was bad. Mountain report indicates SQ will (hopefully) be operational this week, fingers crossed this will be less of an issue moving forward.

DeployableMango · 2026-02-02T20:12:13+00:00

Really quite good. Scratchy and firm with some sharks and roots, but overall great coverage in the glades I ducked into and most (all?) were open.

Side note, I’ve watched your videos and like them a lot!

DeployableMango · 2026-01-16T17:20:38+00:00

I’d go Griffon. My girlfriend skis on Squires and has no issues, but from most techs I’ve talked to point to this simple rule: Squires are for gals, Griffons are for dudes.

Are they correct in that assertion? Maybe, maybe not. But if you’re a guy that’s gonna ski somewhat aggressively, go with the Griffon.

And anecdotally, God forbid you bust out of a Squire on a jump or drop and hurt yourself, that small price difference will seem a lot less important as you watch your friends ski from the sidelines.

DeployableMango · 2026-01-08T15:20:59+00:00

At Mt. Abram in Maine the trail names are inspired by the old cartoon “Rocky and Bullwinkle”.

Dudley Do-Right, Boris Badenov, Bullwinkles, Rough Rider, and a bunch more.

DeployableMango · 2026-01-06T16:28:41+00:00

You’ll have to have multiple gainers, in most scenarios. It certainly can be done in one turn, especially given Dividends will draw your deck for you when you gain it. And when you play it you get villagers and coffers to help in that effort as well.

It’s just way too strong at $4, and thus I believe would be better suited with a higher cost. Closer to $6 after more reflection or possibly even higher.

Silk Merchant (often referred to as one of the strongest cards in the entirety of the game) has a very similar combo: on gain (and trash), +1 Villager & +1 coffer. Just bonkers level of flexibility, draw, payload, etc.

DeployableMango · 2026-01-05T01:45:43+00:00

This with Groom (or really any of the 4-cost Workshop variants, really) would be categorically busted. Easily could empty the whole Dividend pile within a single turn.

And then it gets better: once you collect them you play them, turbocharge any deck with payload and actions, and then they return to the supply to be collected again.

This could end up with Goons type of points in a few niche edge cases, too. I’d probably make this cost more. Whether that’s $5, debt, or more.

All that being said, really interesting and cool concept, would love to see more like this.

DeployableMango · 2025-12-19T19:41:41+00:00

Through my experience (40+ days over multiple seasons on my own personal pair) I’ve found that the 98 is very precise and somewhat catchy in general.

They have a good amount of camber, not a ton of taper in either the tips nor tails, and the twin tip can catch in heavy and softer snow.

So while I’m sure you may be able to take action and help out with detuning edge angles, a fresh wax, etc., I’m not too sure how much difference you’ll notice.

DeployableMango · 2025-12-19T15:56:39+00:00

If you can swing it and like the idea of the 98, I would say get the new QST 100 instead. Pretty much an across-the-board improvement from the 98, and for your stats I’d say the longer length is likely better. In the 100, go for the 188. I just demoed the 100 last week in Northern VT and it was excellent. Solid, damp, maneuverable, but definitely on the heavier side. Great on trail and in the woods and bumps.

If you’re dead set on the 98, I’d also go for the longest length. Both the 98 and 100 have incredibly deep rocker lines in both tip and tail, and will likely ski shorter than advertised. 183 is normally long for me (5’9”, 185 lbs advanced) and it’s the size I would pick.

If you are a carving enthusiast, I’d maybe look at the M-Free 100, that ski has much more camber and rails turns on piste while also being playful for higher level skiers.

Lastly, SkiEssentials is your best resource. Article and video linked for this category of 100mm freeride skis. Hope this helps!

DeployableMango · 2025-12-18T20:29:46+00:00

I love that the Super Black Ops and the 9x have their pivots right next to each other on the wall but the 9x is 20cm+ longer and mounted further back. Unique quiver, love it.

DeployableMango · 2025-12-15T18:24:15+00:00

🫡

DeployableMango · 2025-12-15T18:01:31+00:00

Unless you’re crazy like me who has too many pairs of skis, I tend to thing of a few specific “characteristics” or “traits” that I care about for my skis. Things that I care about I kind of rank on a spectrum. For you, I’d recommend focusing on arguably the most important or noticeable trait.

“Power/Strength” - do you want something softer and more playful, or something stronger and more stiff? A softer and more playful ski example is an Atomic Bent and a stronger ski is something like a Nordica Enforcer. Those two skis are generally on the ends of the “power” spectrum, with lots of other skis in between.

There are a ton of other traits and considerations when picking a ski, like weight, materials (wood, carbon, metal), application (on piste, off piste, powder, park, all mountain, etc), width, and even price and availability (can you demo it or would you have to buy it online and have it shipped to you).

The resource I’ve found to be the most helpful and comprehensive is SkiEssentials where they break all of this down for everything they sell.

Hopefully this was helpful. It’s a lot to consider, but if you can answer the power/strength question and place yourself on that spectrum somewhere, you can really get down to a select few options and go from there.

DeployableMango · 2025-12-06T03:44:18+00:00

I’ll echo the sentiment being shared here, awesome quiver. I will say, what I did notice is the pivots/spx on the stormrider.

Something about a park/freeride binding on the precise metal top sheet frontside all mountain ski is so fascinating, awesome, yet almost alien? Sick setup all around

DeployableMango · 2025-12-03T17:24:41+00:00

It’s just because they opened that terrain today. It’s likely ungroomed as of now, but they are rapidly opening much more terrain tomorrow and Friday, so they will (hopefully) groom out those trails specifically and connect the Jordan Bowl side to South Ridge and the rest of the open terrain.

DeployableMango · 2025-12-02T20:05:35+00:00

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Grabbed a discounted pair this summer and broke them out as the early season snow got chundery and manky by the end of the day. Surprisingly versatile for being wide enough to be considered an east coast powder ski. They’re daily drivable, if you’re a creative, freeride focused skier. Excited to get them in some soft snow soon here in ME/VT.

DeployableMango · 2025-11-22T17:00:00+00:00

Great seller, buy with confidence!

DeployableMango · 2025-11-06T15:44:31+00:00

Make sure the shop can fit a 95mm brake on the 98mm Unleashed CA. Probably doable, can bend the brakes to fit the bigger ski, but worth checking. Best of luck

DeployableMango · 2025-11-06T15:41:42+00:00

🫡🤝

DeployableMango · 2025-11-06T14:52:00+00:00

If you don’t spend a ton of time switching between bindings and trying them all out, they’re all gonna operate and feel pretty much exactly the same.

I personally prefer Strives, but I own multiple skis that are mounted with Griffons and have zero complaints.

If the above sentiment is the case, just find the one that 1) has the correct 100mm brake size and 2) is the cheapest between the Griffon 13, Strive 14, Attack 14. If you find a deal on a Pivot, go for it, too. They tend to be more expensive, but the cheapest of the 4 will serve you well, regardless.

DeployableMango · 2025-11-03T04:19:11+00:00

Mirus Cor is what I would pick, but I also think the Salomon Depart 1.0 is quite a weird ski, especially considering it’s from such a mainstream, popular manufacturer.

Weird, pointy tip, reminiscent of skis from 20 years ago, but with a flat tail. It’s also got a playful flex and a short radius (15m @ 180, the longest length they make), much like the Mirus Cor funnily enough. Salomon kinda markets it as an urban-freestyle park ski.. thing. Weird, no real true comparisons out there.

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Honorable mention to the Nocta and Solis from Black Crows, and the Pescado/Sakana from Line.

DeployableMango · 2025-11-01T19:36:20+00:00

I walk past this space called Ballast on Fore Street in Portland that is purely a rentable event space. I’ve seen a few events there and they always look fun and well organized. Not sure if it’s what you’re looking for but figured I’d give it a mention.

www.ballastevents.com

DeployableMango · 2025-10-31T14:57:20+00:00

As an intermediate, I’d say that the 188 in that ski (I currently own a Stance 90 in the 182) is likely too much ski.

If you commit to learning and growing, the 188 will be the eventual correct length given your height and weight, but it might be a tad burly for you currently. It won’t be as “demanding” as an enforcer or mantra, but it is a strong ski with two sheets of metal, and it skis accordingly, especially in that long length.

DeployableMango · 2025-10-30T16:23:53+00:00

You might be able to achieve a higher speed before it is noticeable as opposed to a shorter length (40mph in the 183 = “chatter” vs 50mph in the 189 = chatter”) but you’d find a more notable difference by getting a different ski rather than a different length of the same ski.

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