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Help Me Find a Rockered Ski

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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
So for a while I've been bent (no pun intended) on getting K2 Hellbents, but I've heard things about them that make me think twice. Several people have told me that Hellbents are pretty fucking heavy and well I hike and billy goat around often so that would be a disadvantage. One person even said they're stiff which is unlikely from what I've seen people do on them. I haven't heard anything bad about the Line EP Pros so they seem like a likely candidate. And the Salomon Czar is only rockered in the tip so that's out of the question. Anyways I'm confused on which ski to get. So if you can help me out then +Karma for you. If you know of any better rockered pow skis for my height and weight which are listed below, than just throw it out there.


I'm...(Still Growing)
- 5'11
- 130 lbs

Ski I'm looking for...
- Rockered
- Soft
- Fat Waist
Jul 17 2008 2:23PM
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chickenwang
Posts: 5639 - Karma: 40
bluehouse is coming out with a rockered ski this yar, not sure on dimensions quite yet tho.
Jul 17 2008 2:46PM
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AALT
Posts: 1775 - Karma: 60
Hellbents arent stiff. They might be heavy but i havent really picked them up. Their pretty soft not as soft as ep's though.
Jul 17 2008 2:50PM
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
So EP Pros would be a great choice for me?
Jul 17 2008 4:43PM
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joly.sp
Posts: 2305 - Karma: 585
Possibly Moment Bibby Pro's? They are fat and rockered but they are a medium/stiff flex, still it's gonna be a sick ski and worth taking a look at.
Jul 17 2008 4:51PM
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Klick_2_klaim
Posts: 3396 - Karma: 25
http://www.momentskis.com

lots of rockered stuff there.

Hellbents arent that heavy though. Ep pros would be a good choice too, but why not support your industry? Go with the independents. Armada has the JJ... its rockered too.



Jul 17 2008 5:05PM
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SHastatahoe
Posts: 3414 - Karma: 20
Hellbents are not stiff.  and they are not heavier than they have to be.  They are a bomb proof ski, and they are like 122 underfoot and just gnarly planks of radness.  the JJs are sick too though.   so are the EPs.
Jul 17 2008 5:35PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
Armada isnt that much more "independent" then line is... why slander?
Jul 17 2008 6:16PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
well hell bents are really sick. and they are a stiff ski, underfoot is stiff, which is the part of the ski that you are really skiing.

im a big fan of it, the stiffness under foot allows you to bomb and go fast while still being stable, they seem very weird at first when you go fast because your tips are chattering every where but you feel solid as a rock.

your first run or so might feel a little weird because you have to ski that underfoot section, its a little different because you cant ski backseat(which you probably know) but its awesome the soft rockered tips float up over everything, i love them because u can drop a cliff and land leaning forward in a normal skiing position with out tip dive, so it helps to ski out with a lot more control. its amazing how well it skis in pow because you dont have to lean back. go for the bents





Jul 17 2008 6:30PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
i feel the same way about my ep pros... and im 5'11 180.... except i feel that most of the bombing stability comes from the width of the ski...
Jul 17 2008 7:03PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
ive also been looking into ep pros, but i never got to demo them.
ive heard that the ep pro can be unstable once you really start going fast, i dont know if thats really a substantial claim but thats just what i heard. However, i was talking to a guy at mammoth in line for the gondola and he told me he loved them, great pow jib ski and really fun, i cant remember if he said anything about stability.

just from flexing the skis, if your going to be charging a little harder and going faster i would go with the hellbents. the hellbents and ep pros both have very soft tips, but i the hellbents feel alot stiffer underfoot from the hand flex. they are heavier and feel like they are way more bombproof, the weight i think also helps with the stability,

i could feel it alot in the air and on landing big jumps. the stability off of cliffs i hit some 10-15s on them and mammoths showcase jump which was about 65 and they felt great in the air and were stable straightlining into the jump despight the chattering tips, but they still  maneuver quite well for how big they are
Jul 17 2008 7:27PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
Hellbents may be stiff(er) underfoot, but they are really soft in the tip and tail and they feel like a soft ski. They are my favorite ski that I have ever skied on, and I ski them anytime the snow is soft now... from as little as a few inches of powder to a sloppy spring day.
Jul 17 2008 10:35PM
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
You've almost got me sold on the hellbents but that other kid said the same thing about his EP Pros so its still a toss up.
Jul 17 2008 10:51PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
im sure you would be happy either way, it just depends on what you want.

Ep pros are definately lighter, but from the guy i talked to with his ep pro he said he could feel them flex throught the ski, but he seemed to like them alot. from what ive heard, Eps can be a little sketch once the powder starts to get tracked out or in crud, because of the soft flex throught the ski

hellbents are heavier, and feel like tanks. they charge through anything you throw at them. but they are still fun, at your weiight i would rather get a hellbent just because of the strength of the ski and im sure you could handle the weight since your a solid guy (i weigh about 200-215 i fluxuate in weight alot).




to the guy who was saying the hellbent feels like a soft ski, i agree but dissagree at the same time, while the hellbent feels like a soft ski when you are jibbing around, when your bombing you can really feel the stiffness, you just feel so solid on everything no matter the speed.

but ya butters and backseat landings make me think of a soft ski, but just skiing around and charging it feels more like a stiff charge ski. i dont think id want to take it on anything to extreme but it can charge anything at mammoth with ease





Jul 17 2008 11:10PM
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coolhandluke
Posts: 4465 - Karma: 153
id concur with this review.  hellbents seem huge until they're on your feet skiing.
Jul 18 2008 2:33AM
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schmies
Posts: 2032 - Karma: 511
They are called Hellbents and they will change your life:) They might scare a parent or child or two in the lift line as well.
Jul 18 2008 2:55AM
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
I love you Schimes and your artwork. Tyler Ceccanti made the Hellbents look so enjoying but I was detoured by others comments.
Jul 18 2008 3:33AM
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coolhandluke
Posts: 4465 - Karma: 153
this has actually happened to me.
Jul 18 2008 10:16AM
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skiRay
Posts: 7558 - Karma: 926
i think the ski you're looking for is the 09 Jp vs Julien (JJ). its much fatter that all the previous models, it has rocker in both the tip and tails, and early taper? i think. at least thats how it looks in pictures. not to mention that armada has a reputation of making lightweight and durable skis.. i dont think you can go wrong with it
Jul 18 2008 10:50AM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
im not quite sure how you could suggest a ski that you've never ridden before... i mean i know for a fact that the jp vs julien is stiffer than both the bent and the eps.... not anywhere near as much rocker...   pluss, for its size, i dont really think any ski can beat the ep's when it comes to weight... (they are a crazy thin ski)
Jul 18 2008 10:55AM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
ON3P.
Jul 18 2008 11:34AM
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funk.
Posts: 2679 - Karma: 33
From what I've felt of the bents they are pretty heavy.. Also they are soft in the tips and tails but not as much as most people seem to think.  Because of the enormous rocker they ski like a really soft ski and when you see pics of people flexing them it looks so ridiculous because it already has early rise.  EP pros on the other hand.. are just god damn noodly things.  The Bibby pros are going to be a lot less soft and a lot more solid as a ripper.  They are by no means a stiff ski though..
Jul 18 2008 1:49PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
im still going to stand by my original suggestion of the hellbent, im sure you would enjoy the ep pro also it just wouldnt be as versatile i dont think, more of a pow specific ski while bents are pow specific but they were more solid and felt more able to charge than an ep.
Jul 18 2008 3:58PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
ill race you...







jokes...






but seriously...
Jul 18 2008 4:14PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
im sorry if im wrong on the ep pros, because ive never road them, all the info is from people i have talked to in person and from handflexing the ski. it is probably some what off, but from my knowledge it seems the way i stated.

just a question, how much do you weigh?
becaues i way about 210 pounds and depending on our weights the skis could be completely different
Jul 18 2008 4:19PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
like 185... i feel as though i might be at/close to the limit for the ski though... and your right, in the end, the bent is still stiffer, but i feel like as long as you can stay on top of your shit, and your an above average skier, you should be able to hold your own on either pair... but in the end, dropping cliffs and backseat landings are probably a little easier on bents...


and since your 210, im assuming you have the 189, which are sort of incomparable, the flex on those feel a bit stronger (just because its a longer ski)... but id have to say that the 179 (same length as the 186 ep) is pretty comparable (when compared to other rockered skis even) when it comes to flex..
Jul 18 2008 4:32PM
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schmies
Posts: 2032 - Karma: 511
Hellbent is a stiffer flex than the EP Pro. Not sure torsional flex with the EP, but the HellBent is for sure solid underfoot on firm snow.
Jul 18 2008 5:12PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
as well as the ep... and i realize its stiffer... all i was saying is that both skiers are comparably softer than other rockered skis
Jul 18 2008 5:40PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
the bents are soft in the tips and tails but they are definitely stiff underfoot, and this being the part that you are skiing i feel makes it a stiff ski. however the soft tip lets it be playfull, i guess you could think of it as a butter zone type deal, with the stiff under foot and the "butter zone" (start of rocker)

i think we all are saying the same thing and get it and it seems like we are arguing just to argue.

but ya, each should be great but the hellbent, especially at 189, is going to be more burly than the ep pro. all my reviewing is coming from the 189 hellbent. i would suggest the 189 to anyone 180+ or anyone with pretty strong legs
Jul 18 2008 5:48PM
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coolhandluke
Posts: 4465 - Karma: 153
whats that?  another young upstart ski company with lots of ideas, a fancy website, and no product?
Jul 18 2008 6:49PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
if i had the money, i would buy a pair of 189 bents... they seem more suitable for jumps and huge cliffs/gnarly straight lining... but for just playing around, spinning off cliffs, buttering like its your job and all around just having a shit ton of fun, the ep pro is where its at..
Jul 18 2008 8:51PM
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tjski
Posts: 5859 - Karma: 44
you hit the nail right on the head... ON3P aint got shit!!

Jul 18 2008 8:54PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
Eps might beat the hellbents a little on butters but im not sure because i think the rocker on the hellbent may be a little more dramatic, but the Ep's are probably easier to throw around off cliffs so i think if you are a bigger guy(185+) 189 bents would be good for you, and if you are like 175-185iish 179 bents would be good, and if you are under that you should get an Ep unless you are quite stron

im sure a great deal of it is personal preference though



Jul 18 2008 9:03PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
i have personally compared the two skis unmounted and the are almost identical (179 and the ep) in size and rocker (the point at which it starts to rise and the height of the rocker)... only major difference is the thickness (stiffness/weight) and the shovel shape on the tip/tail.... the bent may have 1-2 mm of extra rocker at the very end of the tip/tail...
Jul 18 2008 9:10PM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
o, well i havent compared the 179 so my bad, but i still think the ep is better suited for the smaller rider but i think someone up to 185 would probably still have fun on ep it would just be less stable maybe
Jul 18 2008 9:16PM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
agreed... like i said, i really feel im about at the weight limit for the ep at around 185... but its nice becuase they seriously feel like 150's in deep snow.... so damn easy to throw around..   
Jul 18 2008 9:18PM
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