Her er en test jeg har funnet på nettet, ganske informativ:
OK, a lot has already been said about these skis, and I expect that some of my fellow pioneers in trying this new ski will contribute as well. I don't like to review a product quickly, and with only about 100,000 vertical on this, I consider this somewhat premature. But here goes.
I have had the opportunity to ski the Mantra on spring corn, slush, colder groomed granular, boilerplate, plain old ice, and finally 33 inches of new powder, chowder, crud and sierra cement. Terrain includes blue groomers, black diamond ice bumps, boilerplate trees, sun soaked blues and blacks, steep powder headwalls, tree glades, rock bands to steep runouts and most categories in between. No breakable crust experience yet.
The setup: Mantra 184 cm with Fritschi Freeride AT bindings. Accessories include Glidelite STS skins. Ski vital staistics: 130-94-113. Intention: Resort skiing 80% off piste and backcountry alpine touring in California's Sierra Nevada. The Mantra is a conservative looking ski. If you want punk graphics, look elsewhere. Dark gray with fine irregular lines a black base with large Volkl graphics set aft an an orange logo in the tip. Nice fillet of metal in the tip (see pictures); orange sidwalls. The skis are light for a wide-body metal laminate. The skis (pair) weight 8 lbs 14 oz. the Fritschi Freeride DIN 12 bindings add 4 lbs, 9 oz, and there are lighter AT bindings available. This is a respectable AT setup. Rider, well you know, you can see for yourself below. The ski is a wood laminate with titanium top sheet and makes a classic V-Explosiv clink when brought together or skidded on ice. Nothing damp about it; silent and responsive in soft snow. Rebound? Who cares, this is a soft snow ski; you want rebound, buy a carver.
The Mantra is the heir apparent to the V-Explosiv. That is a big reputation to live up to. I have previously said, that Explosiv owners, will probably not be compelled to buy this ski. I stand by that. The Explosiv remains a great classic ski with most of the capabilities of the Mantra. The Mantra is a relatively stiff ski, but slightly more flexible than the Explosiv. The tip is wider, more rounded, and the turns it produces are more shaped. You can carve a Mantra with nice round turns. You can also release the tails and slip this ski. That is an essential quality for extreme steeps and tight trees. When the Mantra is put on edge and directed to take a line, you wil go exactly where you intend, regardless of crud, bumps, tree holes or whatever. This ski can handle speed confidently and directionally. These are qualities to admire when you life depends on it. In deep snow, I found it could be skied with weight on the fronts of the boot and the tips would still float.
Just when I thought this ski could not be made to dive, I took it through a deep roller to catch some air, and did. But I was missing one ski. I marked that up to a premature release. It was a clean heel release with no pressure to the leg at all; and I managed to clear about 7 feet of air before having to go back and retrieve the buried ski. In soft conditions, this ski absolutely rocks. On ice (think of temps in the 60s for a week falling to the teens with high winds), they could be skied, but it really wouldn't be my first choice. In soft bumps the ski flexes easily and is easy to run in the trenches or over the top. On groomed or hardpack, this ski can be laid on edge and carved. Irregular snow does not deflect the ski, but bigger bumps are easily absorbed. Easy tail release on demand. Nice landings from air. Don't try to ski the tails, it will run out from under you and leave you sitting. So far I am very impressed with these skis. My experience has been limited on wide skis, and these are certainly a pleasure in deep snow and any soft conditions. I do not recommend these skis for ice and hardened moguls. I know what a good firm condition ski is, and this is not my choice. Anytime there is some snow to be pushed around, these are the tool of choice. Intermediate and on-piste skiers need not apply.
The Fritschi bindings have a very secure attachment to the ski. Other than some noises from the boot/binding interface, and a fairly significant lift off the skis, it is just like any other downhill alpine binding. Ok, you have read what I think, some "real life" pictures follow. The rider was having another bad hair day, but he claims to have a few years of experience that contributed to the condition. Please ignore the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the left hand, and yeah, thats another big pile of snow at Sierra, different location than January.
Signed Cirquerider
