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Overall I give the TNK a 9. It is by far the most fun ski I have had in a long time and I am really enjoying my time on them. The reason I don't give them a 10 is because I just hate giving up the advantages of a soft ski. Obviously the stiff ski has it's advantages too, which is why I ride them! I am keeping my softer park skis for some fun in April though, but for now I fucking love these TNK's!
Performance
I'm going to separate this into each respective category since I am sure there are some poor kids out there who can't afford the ridiculous quivers that a lot of us have (I was there a few years ago and I know that sometimes a park ski needs to float!) Oh and just so you know I have a pair of FKS 120s on them, but I would recommend either the STH series or the Deadbolt as a great substitute. Here goes:
Park:
All around a great park ski. I would give it an 9/10 in this category simply because the stiffer flex is not as desirable in some aspects of park as others. For jumps all I can say is holy shit. These are amazing. Very stable and very light, and the nearly symmetrical design is amazing for switch (something I didn't think would make much of a difference). The swingweight is downright minimal. The race base makes jumps a breeze. If your landing is a little sketchy, you should be able to hit the rest of the line even after losing some speed. The speed was much faster than any other ski I've been on, so be a little conservative on the first run. Another nice thing about the sintered base is that it is much more dense than a regular park ski so it seems to be much more durable so far. The ski loses a point when it comes to rails and such just because I like a more flexible ski in that area (personal preference, I just think it's fun). Will rails still be a great time? For sure, and the extra speed is nice if you don't have much room to get it- it is just a little harder to do those nose butter 270s on (but a kid riding these seemed to butter the shit out of them with ease, I wish I was that good).
Pipe:
This is what the ski is designed for, so obviously it gets a 10 in my book. The speed makes anything possible and the stability is awesome when your boosting up the walls. The info I have for pipe is similar to what I talked about above in the park section.
Groomers:
Probably not a more fun park ski for getting where you want to go. When you want to do some lapping and straight line your way down the race course, these are FAST!!!! One of the most fun skis I've had and I love buttering around to carve switch on these bad boys. Once again, nearly symmetrical/symmetrical is money for a park ski.
Pow:
Had my first whack at pow on these yesterday since I decided to take a smaller ski for fun, and this is real Colorado snow for reference. Let's be honest though: Park skis are not going to compare to a true big mountain ski (anyone who tells you different hasn't ridden real pow or big mountain). As for it's performance as a pow ski I would say it gets the job done better than any other park ski I have tried it on. It was fun to be able to throw some effortless 3's, and the 89 waist definitely was beneficial. I would get a second pair of skis for pow if you can afford it, but if you have to settle for one this is probably one of the better park skis to take in the pow.
Design
I personally love the design. I'm into the ninja look and I usually like simple stuff the most. If you buy skis for how they look I don't think you are even reading this so I don't think I need much here...
Value
The price of this ski is about average, so the value is good. Since I got mine for much cheaper than most it doesn't apply to me as much as others, but hey I might be able to get you a pair for cheap too. Just depends really.
Fit
Not much to say about the fit really. I got the 180 is perfect or my 6' profile. The ski actually comes in a pretty vast array of sizes which is nice for those smaller people. They have a 155, 165, 175, and the 180. I mounted these at 1.5 back from center but you could easily move the mount forward or back a few. I believe recommended is 3.5 back from true center.
Characteristics
The reason I went with the TNK over the STL was the fact that I needed a stiffer ski at 6' 185 lbs. These are designed to be a park and pipe ski specifically, so obviously the flex is relatively stiff. To put it in perspective, I can nose butter on them with a little effort, but landing backseat on a jump is no problem. I rode away from a jump today after landing so far back that I was confident I was going to wash out. Going up the walls of the pipe is very nice with a solid plank under foot. You can set the edge and boost it like a pro (that race base put me a little higher than I was used to but I was loving it!).
Durability
I've had these for a month so I don't really thing I can give an awesome description of durability. I consider a ski durable if it last a calendar year without anything ridiculous happening to them, so I guess if you ask me next December I can let you know!
The nicest aspect of the durability of these skis in the "Bomp Top". If you have ever had a sidewall ski that chips (My old AR5's are wrecked on top) you can really appreciate this feature. The topsheet isn't chip-proof but I have yet to have any chipping so far. When your edges hit the topsheet it just makes a sliver (like a hair) come off the top. You can't even tell. It's nice to keep the graphics looking sick so I am happy about it.
As far as what I have seen so far, the dense race base seems to be holding up better than the standard extruded base most park skis have so I am happy about that. The edges just have normal rounding over from rails, nothing groundbreaking.
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