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05/06 Armada ARV (185cm) - I need your opinions please!

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C.R.420
Posts: 2441 - Karma: 28
Hey,

I am more than likely buying a brand new pair of 05/06 185 Armada ARV's for $400.

But, before I buy them, I wanted to learn some stuff about the skis. I am 6'2", 150 lbs. I ski 70% park, 30% all mountain.

Would these skis be a good choice for me? How well do they do in the park? I am sure they are awesome outside of the park. I plan on going to Alta, UT for a week this season, so I am sure they'd be nice there. I ski mainly park, so I am really looking for info on their park performance/reliability/durability. I plan on center mounting them, or 1cm behind true center, with p10's, p12's, or something similar.
My favorite things to do are jumps, but I also love hitting boxes, and I am learning rails. The skis I rode last season were 179 K2 Public Enemies.

Please let me know what you think about the ARV's. The waist on em is 95. Is this too big of a ski for me? Please post some replies. Thanks.

Oh, here is a pic of them (05/06 185 ARV's.)

Click for larger image
Sep 14 2006 8:28AM
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C.R.420
Posts: 2441 - Karma: 28
and yes, I used the search bar. I am trying to get additional information.
thanks!
Sep 14 2006 8:30AM
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Triple_Strum
Posts: 6384 - Karma: 953
They are a great all-mountain ski. I found them a bit soft for my liking because I am a heavy skier (195 lbs), but at your weight they are probably a good fit. I will say that they are VERY different than Public Enemies. They have a completely different flex and shape. If you like something stiffer, I would also check out the Big Troubles or Scratch BCs. However, if you have ridden other soft skis and enjoy them, this is a great ski for you.
Sep 14 2006 8:52AM
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Triple_Strum
Posts: 6384 - Karma: 953
oh sorry, respond before I gave some performance details:

For park they are sick, you know this. A wide platform for rails and hits and pretty soft.

On hardpack they are only pretty good. They are a bit soft at high speed and don't hold especially well on icy or very hard conditions. This is their biggest downfall. However, on soft snow they are pretty fun because they still have a decent sidecut.

Fresh pow they are awesome as you could imagine. Crud isn't their best area of performance because the very soft tips can get pushed around by hard snow.

Anyway, for your tastes it seems they are a good fit
Sep 14 2006 8:55AM
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xnick11
Posts: 1866 - Karma: 171
ARV's are sick in the park.Get them man.185 is perfect for you to.
Sep 14 2006 9:47AM
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evtic
Posts: 1713 - Karma: 16
I agree with this review, mine are sick in the park, great on soft stuff, but they wash out a little when i try and push it on the hard stuff. I also have mine at like +5 or something. Best park ski i have ever owned.
Sep 14 2006 11:09AM
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Osek206
Posts: 492 - Karma: 6
^ I need these in 175 badly
Sep 14 2006 3:46PM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12811 - Karma: 1,971
i'd mount them at -2 from true, they will still have enought tail for whatever you want, but you'll appreciate it when you do some steeps and pow.
Sep 14 2006 4:10PM
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C.R.420
Posts: 2441 - Karma: 28
bump. any more reviews? they sound good so far.
Sep 14 2006 4:10PM
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C.R.420
Posts: 2441 - Karma: 28
good idea
Sep 14 2006 4:11PM
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dorikin
Posts: 1914 - Karma: 16
For a park ski that are super sick, I love them in the park cause of the awesome flex and 90 waist. All mountain they are really good, but I would absolutely not want to ride them on the east coast, they aren't very good on ice. And in deep snow, they don't float as well as you would imagine.
Sep 14 2006 4:16PM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12811 - Karma: 1,971
that's cause you probably had them mounted center, and these are the 185s, which have a 95 waist, aka more surface area, more float.
Sep 14 2006 4:20PM
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Love_Wins.
Posts: 5536 - Karma: -1
Definitely a sick ski, buddy of mine had some he bought new last year and they are awesome, they are soft, as you've heard, but that makes them butter really nicely, they float pretty damn good, and they are pretty light too, good for park cause they're not too wide, but wide enough to be stable, he stomped cliffs on them all the time, 15-20 footers, nothing too huge, but they can hold their own for sure, overall a solid ski.
Sep 14 2006 5:34PM
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dorikin
Posts: 1914 - Karma: 16
no, not center, but I did mount mine a little farther forward then normal for better switch abilities. But hence, the do tip dive more than i would like. I also have the second version of the ARV, whereas the ones we are discussing are the third version. The 3rd ARV's are bigger all around which makes them a better pow ski, but the flex does feel different IMO. I would actually really like to ride the last and current ARV's to see how they compare, cuase if they are improved at all from mine they must rip.
Sep 14 2006 9:15PM
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