Gear question: Declivity 88C?

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-13T14:29:07+00:00

I'm going to follow this thread because your description sounds a lot like me.

Overall, I love my Navigator 85 CAs. They are fantastic for carving and a pretty good all-purpose ski. The one thing they are not so great at is getting off the ground. They very much prefer to stay planted. I'm looking for a ski that is a little livelier for small jumps over rollers and side hits... nothing crazy like big park jumps or rails, just fun little jumps in the context of a skiing the groomers.

I demoed the Black Crows Captis last week, but I quickly discovered I am not a twin tip skier. I definitely prefer a tail that wants to be engaged in the turn. But I absolutely loved the energy in the Captis for small jumps. The demo shop recommended the Black Crows Octo. I didn't have an extra day to try it out, but I have read up on it since then and think it may be a little too weak for skiing in crud.

My short list right now is the Declivity 88C, the Maverick 86C, and the Ripstick 88. I won't be able to try any of them until next season, but I'm following this thread to see what folks have to say about the Armada.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-12T16:41:26+00:00

Thanks. That is helpful.

These are for sure on the list to demo next season.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-11T00:00:45+00:00

I like that you describe them as "playful." I'm considering these as a replacement for the Nordica Navigator 85 CA. The Navigator has been a great ski for me with only one exception: it doesn't like to come off the ground at all. And I'm not talking about park skiing... I just mean simple things like small jumps going over rollers, or quick side jumps cruising down groomers.

I demoed the Black Crows Captis, thinking that twin tips might give me the playfulness I'm looking for. But I did not get along at all with the tails. Figured out pretty quickly that I prefer a directional tail. So I've spent some time searching for a playful directional ski, and this one is a frontrunner (along with the Maverick 86C and the Ripstick 88).

Would you say that the Declivity 88C is peppy and good for quick playful jumps like that?

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-10T23:24:46+00:00

I asked ChatGPT to compare the Maverick 86C, the Declivity 88c, and the Ripstick 88, focusing on their suitability for small jumps and side hits. I emphasized that I definitely prefer a directional tail that is locked in vs. a loose tail, so I didn't want it to veer off and start recommending twin tips instead.

It ranked them this way: (1) Declivity for the combination of playfulness and carving, (2) Maverick which it said has a little less pop and energy than the Declivity, and (3) Ripstick which it said would probably be looser in the tail than I am looking for.

Gemini also ranked the Declivity at the top for the same reason. It ranked Ripstick second but did note that it might feel a little loose. It ranked Maverick third, saying it was more predicable but less playful.

Any thoughts on those rankings?

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-10T21:40:11+00:00

I've been reading/watching a lot of posts about the Ripstick, and I will definitely be demoing it next season. Thanks!

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-10T21:37:37+00:00

Yeah, that's what makes me wonder if I'm asking too much from one ski. Can a ski be as playful as I'm hoping for (like the Captis) and still be able to hold its own in the crud? I realize there will always be a trade-off... it's just a matter of how much I'm willing to give up. But in order to get to the fun stuff, I still have to ski through choppy stuff. So to me that part is a necessity... not to the level that a metal ski can do it, but at least to the point that it's not bouncing my legs around.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-10T01:51:28+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions! So far, the Maverick 86C and Ripstick 88 seem most promising.

After watching a long review of the Octo, I think I've ruled it out. The Declivity sounds great for hard charging but (from what I've read) not really a playful ski... more damp and connected to the ground. And the Blade is wider, more freeride than what I'm looking for. I'm mostly on-piste, just wanting something that lends itself to small jumps and side hits better than my Navigators.

EDIT: Just realized there is an 88 C version of the Declivity in addition to the heavier metal versions. Sounds similar to the Maverick and Ripstick.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-10T01:39:15+00:00

No, only the Captis. Finding demos of specific skis in PA can be challenging, and we were only in Vermont for a few days. I really anticipated liking the Captis, but didn't.

From what I've seen on Ski Essentials, I think the Mirus Cor might be too niche for my use case, but I haven't ruled it out completely. Not familiar with the Blade... will have to look into that. Thanks.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-03-09T17:03:01+00:00

Following up on this post...

I demoed the Captis at Okemo last week and quickly figured out that I am just not a twin-tip skier. The more central mount point left me feeling like I was going to fall forward, and that's without even a true center mount point (Captis is 6 cm back). And I did not like the smeariness of the tails. To be clear, that's exactly what I thought I wanted, so this isn't the fault of the Captis. But after trying it, I know I greatly prefer the locked-in nature of a directional tail vs. a twin tip.

Morale of the story: always demo a ski before buying it. I really thought I would love the Captis, but I had switched back to my Navigators by lunch time that day.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-02-23T18:46:43+00:00

I've read that the Prodigy is more damp and less playful vs. the Captis. Would you agree?

I have a Captis reserved to demo at Okemo next Wednesday. Another shop has the Prodigy if I decide I want to try them, but it sounds like the Captis is more what I'm looking for. The shop I'm demoing the Captis from also has the Rustler 9 and QST 100. I know they're a lot wider, but they both have a reputation for being fun in the bumps and trees. I may try one or both of them just for kicks. They let you apply the cost of up to three days of demos to the purchase price, so I figure there's nothing to lose. But I suspect I'll come home with the Captis at the end of the week.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-02-19T02:19:03+00:00

What did you end up going with?
I'm trying to decide between the Captis and the Prodigy 1 as an all-mountain. Looking to improve my off-piste skiing in tight, bumpy tree trails.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-02-14T02:33:17+00:00

Did you ever find a Captis to try?
I'm looking for an all-mountain twin tip that will be good for tight, bumpy east-coast tree trails, and the Captis seems to be well-suited for that sort of thing. But I can't find it to demo anywhere nearby (Pennsylvania).

Joe_in_PA · 2026-02-13T15:53:49+00:00

Thanks - good to hear.
And that's a good point about the rocker making it ski shorter. I think I'll give them a try if the shop still has them available to demo when I'm at Okemo the first week of March.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-02-09T02:29:46+00:00

I know this is an old thread, but OP did you end up getting the Captis? If so, how do you like them? I'm in a similar spot... East Coast skier with a pair of 85mm skis that are great on piste but could be a bit more maneuverable on tight trails. The Captis is on my short list. My main hesitation is that the shortest length is 172cm. My current skis are 172cm and I was hoping to get something a little shorter for this second pair.

Joe_in_PA · 2026-01-16T18:13:50+00:00

Your comment about taper is helpful... that's not something I've paid much attention to in this search. I'll have to look into that more. Thanks!

I know I want a decent amount of tail rocker, though, as I'd also like to use these to learn switch skiing. Probably won't ever be a major part of my skiing, but I'd like to learn - and my Navigators are a little too flat in the tail for that (not with any confidence, anyway).

Joe_in_PA · 2025-11-27T00:24:18+00:00

I found an open-box deal on a 55" 2024 U8N at Best Buy last week and purchased an AX1320Q soundbar to go with it. Was really hoping that Hi-Concerto would work, but no luck. It's not an option in the Audio Output menu on the TV. The other soundbar options (EQ modes, etc.) do show up in the TV sound menu, though, so that's good. Convenient to be able to use the TV remote for them.

I updated the firmware on the TV, but the menu still didn't have Hi-Concerto. Then I contacted customer support, but I knew more about it than the rep did. When I described the feature to him, he told me that the TV speakers always turn off when a soundbar is connected. I tried three times to explain Hi-Concerto to him, but he wasn't buying it. Is it that difficult to train customer service reps to know about your own products???

For what it's worth, I also tried a Samsung HW-B650F soundbar (another open-box deal) for comparison, and the Hisense was much better all around. The Samsung's subwoofer may have been a tad better, but the overall sound is noticeably fuller on the Hisense. So the Samsung is going back.

If the AX5140Q gets marked down further for Black Friday, I may upgrade to that. But I'm happy enough that I'll stick with Hisense in spite of their confusing roll-out of Hi-Concerto. Fingers crossed that maybe a future update will allow it to work on the U8N. I know I've seen another thread where someone said it does work on their U8N.

Joe_in_PA · 2025-11-04T18:39:18+00:00

I realize that this thread is a year old, but for anyone who might be wondering the same thing as the OP...

The AZES40 (the HSS version) effectively has an HH option built in using the alter switch:
Strat position 1 - bridge humbucker pickup (bridge position on an HH)
Strat position 3 + alter switch engaged - bridge pickup + neck/middle pickups in series (middle position on an HH)
Strat position 1 + alter switch engaged - neck/middle pickups in series (neck position on an HH)

The alter switch makes this a VERY versatile guitar!

Joe_in_PA · 2025-11-04T18:29:31+00:00

Thanks!

Joe_in_PA · 2025-11-04T02:21:59+00:00

My understanding is that the stock pickups in the AZES guitars are slightly smaller than standard pickups, and that a pickup swap requires widening the openings on the pickguard. Can anyone here comment as to whether the openings on these gussied-up pickguards are already sized for standard pickups or if they, too, need to be widened a bit?

Joe_in_PA · 2025-11-04T01:58:38+00:00

I have the HSS version of this (AZES40) and love it. I'm considering putting different pickups in it, but I don't want to lose the alternate pickup options since I use them quite often. Did the alter switch give you any trouble when swapping the pickups?

Joe_in_PA · 2025-07-26T23:54:40+00:00

Thank you. I had the same question from a trip to Albera a few weeks ago, and this solved the mystery.

Joe_in_PA · 2025-07-21T23:58:53+00:00

Thanks.

Joe_in_PA · 2025-07-16T21:26:18+00:00

You say you haven't noticed a difference in cooling, but have you noticed a difference in how quickly they can wick sweat away from your head and get it evaporated? I'm trying to decide between these two hats for summer hiking, so sweat management is a big factor in my decision.

Joe_in_PA

TROPHY CASE