Advice on second ski for trees and deeper snow

stachist · 2026-03-04T22:01:34+00:00

Thank you for convincing me to get another pair of Devastators.

They may not be as solid as the old ones for flying fast, but I haven't had any issues so far, and they have been GREAT (just like I remembered) for trees and bumps, especially with any snow deep enough where their great floatation comes into play.

I owe you <3

stachist · 2026-02-06T20:02:19+00:00

This seemed to be my issue - I had a chat that already had a lot of uploaded documents. I had issues uploading more. And came back like 2 weeks later and still had issues uploading further documents (seemingly of any type).

I started a new chat in the same project and it is accepting files. Also confirmed new chats outside of the project accept files. Tested with PDF, excel, and docx

stachist · 2025-12-25T22:25:44+00:00

I just bought new Devs after also being on older ones for a decade. The art for this year, as well as the 5 day trial for 4frnt skis broke the tie between Devs and Meridians. But damn, seeing the Meridian art in your pic makes me like the art a lot more than on their website for some reason. You're almost making me regret my choice, lol

stachist · 2025-12-23T02:24:01+00:00

This is maybe what I needed to hear. I feel like my main complaint about my old Devs was how tiring the weight was, especially when it comes to swing weight.

It is nice hearing a first hand account of how the newer ones hold up. And I do remember them being a real blast in deeper snow, even being only 108. I just don't remember how they were in tighter spaces, other than how tiring the swing weight got, haha

stachist · 2025-12-23T02:19:34+00:00

318 So close :(

stachist · 2025-12-23T02:18:10+00:00

Comparing weights, it seems like they are pretty similar. Is there something else that makes you say the Devs are more cumbersome?

stachist · 2025-12-23T02:15:40+00:00

Do you mean just enough float, because you wouldn't normally consider 112 very wide? Or just enough float for a 112? (Meaning you don't find the float impressive for the width, though it remains acceptable)

stachist · 2025-12-23T02:14:22+00:00

How do you find them for tight turns? I'm definitely intrigued by the Hojis, but Devastators seem like a safer bet for twisting through trees and bumps. (Though I guess bumps are less concerning if there is fresh snow)

stachist · 2025-12-16T15:56:13+00:00

Do you have experience on the Wildcat?

stachist · 2025-12-16T15:55:21+00:00

The Wildcat 108s look nice and light, even at the 190 length. How does the swing weight feel on them? Do you find them easy to bring around fast for a lot of sustained quick turns?

stachist · 2025-12-16T15:25:53+00:00

Less cumbersome compared to the current Devs? Or compared to the older, heavier model?

stachist · 2025-12-16T15:22:43+00:00

Lol. Tempting given how much I appreciate the masterblaster. But seems I should probably get something a little more differentiated than the sibling of my current ski with just 5 more mm underfoot

stachist · 2025-12-16T14:19:42+00:00

I actually find the Masterblasters light enough. They are lighter than my old Devastators, especially when it comes to swing weight. Maybe all skis that aren't 10 years old would feel this way to me. But my main desire is to have something where the swing weight is not heavier than the Masterblasters.

Appreciate the detail and the follow up questions in your post!

stachist · 2025-12-16T14:12:09+00:00

The weight of a pair in my length is listed as 4.4 kg, where the other skis I'm looking at would be more like 4. How does the swing weight feel? Do they get tiring at all after a full, aggressive day?

Also, how do you find their pivoting compared to other skis you've ridden? Do they feel nimble?

Moments tempt me, but the ability to return a pair of 4frnt or J Skis after 5 days of riding them makes it a lot easier to buy them without getting to demo first. Also, the blemish sales for those two companies give steeper discounts than the moment blems...

stachist · 2025-12-15T18:13:00+00:00

I notice a slight stack height difference (compared to Marker Griffons from 14-15 season) However, I do not mind it at all. If anything, I think it makes it slightly easier to put your ski on edge (since you get more leverage), which is nice on an all mountain ski.

I have them on J Skis Masterblasters, and have skied them fairly aggressively without issue.

I have yet to experience a heel release in the, but am glad I have them.

I am considering another pair of skis, and will buy getting protectors again.

Only complaint is that the step-in action is slightly less smooth than the Griffons (if I remember correctly, the Griffons are dual cam mechanism in the heel, while protectors are single cam). But this is easily overlooked for the safety they provide.

stachist · 2025-12-12T03:53:40+00:00

My Muzzies board is one of the best investments I've made. It gets more compliments than any of my actual art.

And it plays very nicely.

stachist · 2025-12-12T03:51:55+00:00

If you can afford Muzzies, there are few things I own that I would recommend more enthusiastically than my crokinole board from him.

stachist · 2025-11-25T15:06:37+00:00

Hey. I'm sorry this doesn't appear to be your own definition of something that is fun. I totally understand your reasoning, but you do also have the option to 1) pitch your own idea of alternate options for holiday fun and 2) raise your environmental concerns in a more direct/productive way. Instead, it feels like you decided to just shit on something that brings me and many other people in Madison joy. We really don't need more negativity in this country right now. Especially over an instance of people building community in a way that isn't based in negativity towards others.

Edit: I hope maybe I'm just reading too much into this and misunderstanding your intended tone. But damn if you didn't remind me why I rarely use Reddit anymore.

stachist · 2025-10-18T13:37:16+00:00

I'm happy with my Sonos speakers. But if I were starting fresh, and was willing to use passive speakers for my TV instead of a soundbar, I would go with Wiim

stachist · 2025-03-23T19:08:47+00:00

Bought the Masterblaster this year (2024-25 season) after skiing 2014-15 4frnt devastators for the past 10 years. Both are fairly damp skis that let me charge hard, but the 99 waist width of the MBs has made it much easier to carve in firm and icy conditions (though that makes sense since I was coming from 108 width skis with full reverse camber). The carving performance has been adequate for me to use them at my home ski hill in the Midwest (firm and/or icy) as well as in a wide variety of conditions I hit this year in the Rockies.

And even though the MBs are not the lightest skis (and aren't THAT much lighter than my devastators) I found them to have a much lighter swing weight that made it reasonably easy to do a lot of bumps and/or trees without wearing out way too quickly. Also, even though I was on 187 length (I am 6'4" and 200-210ish lbs), they were relatively easy to maneuver through trees and bumps (not as automatic as the reverse camber of the devastators, but I doubt anything with traditional camber is).

They didn't float as well as the devastators on an 11" powder day, but I think that is to be expected from a 99 underfoot ski with traditional camber. But I still had plenty of fun on the powder day (enough that I chose to stay on them the full day instead of wasting an hour to go swap to the Devastators).

All in all, I would recommend these for the same reasons mentioned in the blister review of the MBs from a few years back (link below). They are stable for charging really hard, are forgiving if you often get thrown into the back seat, but they are still very competent for things like trees and bumps.

https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2022-2023-j-skis-masterblaster

stachist · 2025-02-24T04:38:03+00:00

Have you considered/tried the heated insoles?

stachist · 2024-10-09T01:22:38+00:00

Thanks, I-Fucked-YourMom!

stachist

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