Author Topic: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot  (Read 7860 times)

Gary

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #270 on: December 11, 2010, 01:17:06 pm »
Why the dirty little heart breaker....Mariella that is!

Come on TW....what did that smile represent? Is it Lynn or Mariella? A man must choose!!!   >:D

Perry

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #271 on: December 11, 2010, 04:21:42 pm »
I think Mariella is coaxing Jim into the woods  >:D

Gary

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #272 on: December 12, 2010, 03:07:47 pm »
Jim's comfortable there me thinks....!

Hope his 3 some is enjoying all!   >:D ::) ;D

jim-ratliff

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #273 on: December 12, 2010, 04:54:11 pm »
Quick summary of skis.

1. I like them a lot.  Really glad that I bought them.
2. Don't feel like I have given up anything on the groomed vs. the Watea 84's.
3. They have made me a MUCH better skier in the trees and in the skied up powder.
4. In a foot to 18" of skied up powder, they are wonderful.  The Watea's would buck as I would ski across anothers trail. the UC's just ski through it.
5. In the trees they float so much better and turn so much quicker, that my role and Lynn was reversed.  i was the one wanting to visit the trees.
6. Mariella can be a bit wayward, especially the left ski.  I was skiing the right edge of a trail and suddenly she just took off to the left. As I stood up and collected myself, I realized that I was standing in 18" of soft snow right along the edge.  Undetectable from the surface, but I assume that the outside ski edge grabbed the groomed snow as I started to turn left and really took off. 
7. Obviously, they ski better with a bit of edge than trying to ski them flat.
8. They hold an edge, but it takes some effort to get to that edge (but not that much more than my Watea 84).
9. I am also a better skier in the bumps than with the Watea's.  Not sure why, but that the way it seems.
"If you're gonna play the game boy, ya gotta learn to play it right."

jim-ratliff

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #274 on: December 12, 2010, 06:17:16 pm »
Jim's comfortable there me thinks....!

Hope his 3 some is enjoying all!? ?>:D ::) ;D

Yes, I enjoyed the threesome immensely, but Mariella had to spend her nights in the car.
Lynn wouldn't let her in the condo.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2010, 08:33:09 am by jim-ratliff »
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Ron

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #275 on: December 13, 2010, 04:38:09 am »
this has been the most anticipated review of the season!  YEAH..  So where are the pictures??????

So glad you are liking them

LivingProof

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #276 on: December 13, 2010, 06:37:48 am »
Well folks, after 19 pages, on the 273 rd post, we get the review and it's now officially a winner of a ski. ;D Good things come to a good guy who had the faith in a reviewer he trusted in selecting a ski to experience powder and trees. Only down side is now you'll be buying more DC to Denver tickets.

Once again, ya just got to get on something and experience it yourself. Peter and Jim put some skin in the game on that ski. I'm looking forward to the reviews as the season progresses. I'd love to do a demo, that list just keeps getting longer.  HMM, does bumps, pow, trees.....when does Ron jump on board?

I must have missed it but what happened to Elvira?


Perry

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #277 on: December 13, 2010, 07:28:52 am »
Add it to my list of need to demo, thx Jim

Gary

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #278 on: December 13, 2010, 12:17:26 pm »
Congrats Jim on many counts....1st being able to keep that other lady in the car...overnight.... in the cold....I mean...udaman

2nd.....what vitamins are you taking?

Finally....so happy the skis brought out the best skier in you.....technology can do that!

Best, G

Perry

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #279 on: December 13, 2010, 09:31:26 pm »
Jim, I am currious about what the ski feels like with respect to length.  There has been a lot of speculation about running length and how these may feel.  What's your take?  How stable at speed?

jim-ratliff

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #280 on: December 13, 2010, 10:14:29 pm »
A little bit more detail, now that I'm back and have Internet access again.

Powder:? In powder I've always struggled with balance in all dimensions. Fore and aft, laterally in getting equal pressure on each foot, and especially when skiing unbroken snow and crossing anothers trail.? We skied Game Creek Bowl at Vail (blues on one side, blacks on the other) after 14" the night before and about 40" for the week, and it had been windy so some places I couldn't find bottom with my poles and others were a bit windswept.? I was SO surprised by the UC's in this arena.? It was almost like skiing on a groomed surface.? No balance problems, no changes in speed as I would cross another's ski trail, and I could just tip and turn.? Absolutely amazed at "how good a skier I'd become."? And this is one of the reasons that my review is more focused on the effect on me as the skier rather than the ski itself.? I don't know what about the ski creates it, but in the conditions I was most wanting to improve it was just awesome.

An example.? There was a 3' snow shelf/drift that the wind had created in the lee of a bush (black trail) and I was across the hill from it.? Initially I assumed there was probably a buried log under it until I saw another skier go over it.? So I got my courage up and decided to ski into the shelf from below it, fully expecting to stuff myself into the snow.? It was a piece of cake! I built up some speed as I crossed under it, and just skied into the bottom of the shelf.? I went up the shelf, made a left turn, and skied back off the shelf.? No balance issues, no stability issues, just a little bit of adjustment as the ski tilted up and powered through the snow.? And there wasn't even any sense of suddenly slowing down or anything.? Just as smooth and supple as could be.

I found the same behavior later in the trees.? When Lynn and I ski the trees, there are usually lines already packed down through the trees.? Due to my desire not to ski all that fast, I would usually like to make bigger and more turns than the existing lines, but skiing across an other's line has the same problem as in powder, acceleration as you come out of the powder followed by a deceleration as you cross the packed snow and back into powder.? The Ullr's Chariots eliminated this - more consistent speed and no acceleration/deceleration. It's difficult to explain how smooth and supple the ride is, and how much easier it is to make the turns from atop the snow. It's also hard to believe how much faster I was skiing in both chopped up powder and trees.

Similarly, I did bumps astoundingly better. I don't really have a bump technique other than not to go too fast. I drift down some, I turn in the troughs some, I turn on the top of the bump some. In the past I would often take a wild pony ride across the hill while I get the speed under control. With the UC's, I got to the bottom of the hill faster with MUCH more control (and I haven't the foggiest idea why). And a couple of these were on near 30 degree slopes on the front face at Vail that were pretty intimidating.? This was probably the first time that I was EVER able to consistently make better progress on a bump slope than Lynn and stay under control (and that's not the result of any change in my skier skill).

The biggest negative that I noted was a tendency to have my weight on the inside foot. I think I get lazy and initiate the turn with my feet and then counter with my body as I drop more into the fall line. That works with the SuperShapes, with the UC's I found myself inside ski heavy every now and again, and I started trying to pay more attention to getting more weight over the outside ski at turn initiation. The recovery, however, was easy.? Just relax the inside leg and extend the outside leg and the skis come back together. (just like at camp).

Comments about the skis. They definitely don't feel stiff when on the snow. The words I would use are probably "supple but always in contact with the snow". They have considerable camber built in, so I guess that just flattening them on the snow loads the tip and tail. Even at 20 mph or more (enough that I was at the upper edge of my comfort zone) on trails that were covered in texture from having the powder skied off all day, they always stayed in touch with the snow and never deflected or did anything other than just track true even though it was a pretty bumpy ride. The Watea 84's would not have handled this terrain (and I wouldn't normally try to ski that kind of snow that fast). I never had any concerns with stability or wanting more length. Never felt any deflection in ski when skiing crud or hitting piles of powder, no matter whether I hit it while turning or just coasting over the top of it.?

I was skiing them one notch forward on the Power Rails, will play around with that some to see where I like them. Obviously, you have to be comfortable with a lot of sidecut. The Ullr's Chariots have 44mm difference between tip and waist (145-101-xxx) and while that's less than the 51mm on my SuperShape Magnums (122-71-xxx) its still a small turn radius. It worked very well for me.

Overall. I wanted a ski that would be a one ski quiver for western skiing, but never in my wildest dreams did I think one ski would make me that much better in so many different ways and terrain.

« Last Edit: December 14, 2010, 08:51:56 am by jim-ratliff »
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jim-ratliff

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #281 on: December 13, 2010, 10:51:25 pm »

I must have missed it but what happened to Elvira?


I don't really like the name Elvira because of the association of the late night television hostess.
Lynn wouldn't let me call them Lynn-Ze-Belle's, so I decided to call them "Mariella's" which is the name of the Ski Logik art director.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2010, 03:54:57 pm by jim-ratliff »
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Perry

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #282 on: December 14, 2010, 11:13:51 am »
Jim, from what I am reading, I am not sure I would want or need to go up in length.
What say you.

Gary

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #283 on: December 14, 2010, 12:33:05 pm »
Technology is a beautiful thing Jim. Glad you found yourself so much more comfortable with the off piste type conditions. Makes skiing the whole mountain a dream.

Happy glades!

G

jim-ratliff

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Re: Ski Logik Ullr's Chariot
« Reply #284 on: December 14, 2010, 12:42:15 pm »
Jim, from what I am reading, I am not sure I would want or need to go up in length.
What say you.

Dr. Perry:? I would say that in spite of our concerns about the "running length" it never felt like a shorter ski and in fact felt more stable than the similar length Watea 84 (that you skied last year). ?However, if I remember correctly, at Aspen you said you would probably prefer the Wateas at a longer length -- if that memory is true then you should do the same with the UC. ?My personal opinion is that the UC's are so stable that you could ski the 178's and be fine and give up some flotation, but I'm a bit hesitant to have someone else spend THEIR money based on MY "personal opinion" at a time when I'm still glowing from the recent experience (but we did get a very diverse set of snow and terrain in during the 4 days).

My Super Shapes, Watea 84s and UC's are all in the same 175-179 range and that feels right for me. ?By the way, I actually think that, on groomed slopes, the UC's feel a lot like my SuperShapes (except requiring more effort at tipping them).
((EDITED at 5:29.? MY Super Shapes are 170's, not 177))

And I miight ask what the disadvantage/cost of going with the longer length would be? ?What is the length of your Super Shapes, and do you think that is the right length for you? ?Certainly wouldn't hurt to email your height and weight to Ski Logik and ask their opinion.

« Last Edit: December 14, 2010, 03:32:48 pm by jim-ratliff »
"If you're gonna play the game boy, ya gotta learn to play it right."