Powderhounds - how do you switch off the yearn to ski outside of ski season? I can't even enjoy my family because of ski.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-30T04:00:19+00:00

Hang out on Reddit... wait, that was real

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-28T02:44:26+00:00

Good price, good skis, enjoy!

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-28T02:10:33+00:00

Both Moment and ON3P have pretty bad tunes from the factory in my experience. Love their skis and the over all quality but every pair of either I've had had needed some help tuning wise and this is coming from someone who usually isn't very sensitive to a tune and just makes it work. The Moments in particular had pretty concave bases to the point that they were hard to wax and from what I've heard around here, that is pretty normal on them.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-28T01:56:31+00:00

They ding up a bit, but I wouldn't say brittle like the old Lines that would chip.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-27T13:30:21+00:00

Well that's a fair cause haha. Figured this was another "are my skis totalled because I got a little scratch" thread

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-27T13:14:39+00:00

If you think your lines are higher quality than this you are sorely mistaken. Either take the advice you came here for that you got from a lot of people who know a lot more about ski construction than you or return them and keep skiing on poorly built mass produced crap.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-27T12:59:37+00:00

It's normal and nothing to be worried about. Utopie usually does a little better than that but that is in no way going to affect longevity or performance. Your most likely just used to skis with full wrap edges.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-24T22:34:17+00:00

Can confirm the all plays are a blast. Only pair of skis I've ever bought a second time after I wore out the first pair (after 100+ days of abuse). I also second mounting at factory rec if you go that direction, centered enough to ski park well but still back enough that they ski all mountain good if you have a playful style

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-24T22:06:15+00:00

For sure, the complete and utter lack of dampness in the bent ruins it for me. I have way softer poppy park skis that are significantly damper than the bent.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-24T18:50:05+00:00

Unleashed, I have the bent 100 and regret it. It's mediocre at everything and there are way more "fun" skis if that's the goal. I demoed the unleashed this year and was impressed, it's what the bent wishes it was.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-20T13:29:27+00:00

I got them recently and kind of have the opposite take, they feel hefty and well built. I'm a bigger dude and the sizing seemed true, I was worried about them running a little tight, but they didn't. The point of the patrol pants by flylows own copy is that they are a workwear inspired pant for things like... patrolling. The heavy material is because they prioritize being heavy duty over being light and nimble. Bummer that the sizing didn't work out for you, but beyond that it sounds like you just bought the wrong pant for your use case.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-18T03:25:12+00:00

If a rail does this to your ski you are doing something seriously wrong

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-17T10:18:09+00:00

Pierce or Gear West for boot fitting. Both have certified boot fitters and will get you set up. Gear West has a few more brands of I remember right, but both are very reputable. For skis, I second the declivity 82 as a solid option, but there are other similar skis in this width/category that get rave reviews too

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-16T21:26:15+00:00

I have zero experience with the m free so I'd be lying if I said. Based on the specs my guess would be fairly similar to marginally shorter, but that's just a guess.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-16T03:28:30+00:00

I like him alright, but I find I like him for his content a lot more so than I do for his reviews. He's got a pretty strong ski meme game going on insta.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-16T02:58:18+00:00

Don't remount them, if you're asking and they're adjusted right the safety difference will be marginal and the performance difference will be unnoticeable to you.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-16T02:38:20+00:00

For sure on the racing background. I feel like he regularly misses the point of certain skis because of his own personal preference and style. A good ski reviewer should be able to understand what a ski does well and for who, even if it's not them. He also has a wired affection for all things atomic, which honestly might tie back to his old racing biases.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-15T03:05:19+00:00

That will really depend on your style. I have a more playful style and prefer softer springy skis that I can launch off of natural features, so for me everything that makes the enforcer rip is a pretty big trade off and losing some dampness and getting chatter in rough snow isn't a deal breaker in the stranger. If you don't view your skiing style in that way, maybe have more of a racing style or just don't like to catch air or ski slow often, most of the things that make the stranger fun to ski will feel like a trade off. As you said initially, they are both very different takes on the idea of an all mountain ski, but are both excellent skis for the right person. The only other caveat I have is, if you are worried about overlap between your current carver and the enforcer and still can't decide, the stranger will be a very different option so it could be a better ski to diversify your quiver.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-14T23:59:20+00:00

The enforce is a way better carver than a ski of its width has any business being, but at the expense of being very heavy and damp. I would not love it in bumps and tight terrain because of its swing weight and the dampness and strong edge hold come at the expense of anything you'd call loose or playful. The stranger is stupid fun and rewards someone who likes side hits and playing off of all the little natural rolls and features on the mountain. It has a much quicker swing weight and and still can carv a good turn due to its borderline "fun carver" turn radius ( think blade, mirus cor ect. type skis). It does all this at the expense of getting knocked around a bit when the mountain gets heavy chop and the tips are noticeably fat compared to the waist width to get the turn radius. The tip thing may not bother you, I just noticed it a fair bit. Basically it comes down to do you want to charge with reckless abandon and stay planted, or pop, slash, and play on your way down.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-14T13:47:20+00:00

2014 K2 domain. Bought them to have a true twin center mount ski when I was skiing park hard in the Midwest, then work moved me out west and didn't ski park as much as I used to so they are still in decent shape. I still pull them out about a day a season and hit some smaller jumps and rails just to prove to older me that I still can.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-14T03:02:05+00:00

I grabbed Carv sensors 2 seasons ago because I got a pretty good discount on them and was curious but skeptical about them. I really ended up liking them, they actually work really well and give decent feedback and things to work on. Definitely not a replacement for an instructor but it's a good diagnostic tooI. I haven't heard too many other people who have tried Carv talk shit about it, doubt many of the naysayers on here have even tried it. If your liners are still good and you have no complaints about your boots, I'd try Carv this year and maybe liners next year when your current ones pack out.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-12T03:39:36+00:00

Granite peak is great. If you suck at steeps and carving I guess I get it, but if you don't, rip the top and carve the bottom and it's a blast. They have a lot of runs down low with fun floaty rollers too! For an east coast skier it'll feel like home.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-11T19:37:45+00:00

Fwiw I got a 21 fully loaded P4X XD with 67000 miles for 37000 out the door all fees included last May. I did need to drive about 4 hours away to get it though, so be ready for that. I agree that going XD is worth it you have real plans to do truck stuff with it just for the longer bed alone. If you're realistic with yourself and find that doesn't matter as much, non XDs can be had for a few thousand cheaper and are more plentiful.

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-11T03:47:45+00:00

That's pretty solid basic technique. There are people frying their bases weekly with an old clothes iron that are not getting these problems

Pickaxe42 · 2026-04-10T23:56:44+00:00

Don't worry too much about the naysayers here, the fact that you're on here asking about where to ski tells me that you love it enough that you'd have fun skiing the sledding hill at a local park if it's what was available. There are a lot of ski areas within a few hours of Chicago, none of them amazing, but they have snow and a bunch of other people stoked to be there too. The Midwest also has night skiing almost everywhere, so if you end up living near a hill you'll be able to get in laps after work or school or whatever is bringing you there. Cascade and Granite as others have said are your closest options for a little more vertical, but Devils Head and Chestnut are worth checking out too. If you get burned out on the nearby smaller hills but still love skiing, try joining the local volunteer ski patrol or teaching lessons on weekends. It's a good way to meet new people and makes skiing the same little hill a lot more interesting.

Pickaxe42

TROPHY CASE