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Location: Snowbird
Conditions: Everything, variable
Mount: Center
The Allplays are great option if you are looking for one ski and are a freestyle oriented person. I did not ski any park on these. I was lucky enough to save up enough money to fly out to Utah and ski at Snowbird for 4 days. I was skiing all mountain on these and jumping cat tracks, finding tranny, laying down gs turns, and playing around on the mountain. The first day we had about 8 inches of fresh that got chopped up pretty quick. The next 3 days were everything from ice to moguls to chopped up dense snow to spring slush.
Terrain: Some people like wider skis for the park, I went through that phase. If that is your thing, give these a look. They are definitely more of a true all mountain ski. They float pretty well even mounted at center. If you are looking for that all mountain performance, the recommended mounting position at 4cm back is probably best, but I love a center mount and that is how I mount all my skis. They did not get sucked under the spring slush, but they were not that great in the crud. I'll get more into that later.
Durability: Just like my HG's (made in the same factory), these skis have the thickest edges I have ever seen. I did not get any core shots or any serious base damage while skiing them, but that takes longer than a few days to occur. Sidewalls are good, and the topsheet is mostly great. I got a giant chip on both tips the first day skiing them, and I have no idea how. I never had a bad crash or anything that would have made a chip like these on any other skis. The edges held up great, didn't hit anything to warrant any damage.
Weight: They are a nice medium weight I would say. The demo bindings make them a bit heavier obviously, but the swing weight was about average. I am not a fan of light weight skis anyway. A ski with some weight to it will hold a nicer edge and won't want to jump off the ground (all the carbon skis I have been on weren't fun on anything but champagne powder or a fresh groomer). The Allplays have a nice feel to them.
Style: Lucky for you Jlev has thought this one out. That is why he makes the same ski with different graffics.
Flex: These are not 2x4 stiff nor are they Lizzie soft. They are smack in the middle. Definitely a nice flex for a park skier that rips up the whole mountain. Now, there is much more to a ski than flex. There is the factor of how lively it is. I love a damp ski, basically a ski that is dead and does not react to anything. Super snappy skis respond to every little thing they tough and you can feel it. They are also more likely to chatter. The Allplays are slightly towards the damp side, but not much. I have never been able to butter as well on another pair of skis. They are soft enough that you can press them really well, stiff enough that there is no folding point, and damp enough that they are predictable (my HG's are the snappiest and poppiest skis I have ever been on, very unpredictable when buttering). I did a nose butter 3 in some soft spring mash potatoes and the tips drove through it at 180 where it was like water skiing. Absolutely amazing.
Camber / Rocker: Camber underfoot, a small amount of rocker in the tip and tail (3mm high, 28mm long). This allows them to carve well while having a loose feel in the tip and tail without worry of hooking. Nothing new or exciting. I personally like a full rockered ski, they are much more maneuverable and fun, but they can lack that grip and stability on firmer conditions.
Pop: Not as poppy as my HG's but you can definitely boost on them. I was sending some lofty 3's off of cat tracks. You can ollie over anything if there is even a tiny lip, but it's tougher if you are jumping from flat. Still very fun.
Stability: Here is where I was not impressed. Many it was due to the conditions, but they were fairly chattery on ice (it was sheer boilerplate, not much isn't chattery on that) and they were a lot to handle in the crud / chop. Then again, this is not a charging ski, and I did not expect it to be a beast in the crud. Super fun in the bumps and if you like finding tranny, these will ride them out really smoothly.
Overall, if were to narrow down to one ski again, I would definitely pick up a pair of these. I would enjoy more rocker in the tip and tail for more float (due to my center mounting preference). Also, I had multiple people ski by and give me shout outs for being on a pair of J's which was sweet. If you are an all mountain jibber, this ski will suit you well.
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