I know skis change a little every year, but the basic premise of the Cantika is going to be the same- your one-ski-quiver, solid, all-mountain ski. The Cantika may very well be my all-mountain ski forever, until I get a chance to ski on something else that pleases me.
PROS:
- True twin tip for total backwards-skiing compatibility. I taught on this ski (aka many hours of backwards pizza). I mess around in the park on this ski. It's pretty much always in my Fat Cats when I head up to the mountain, just in case. I have yet to experience issues attempting to ski any direction on the Cantikas.
- Wood core. I'm pretty sure it's poplar. Whatever, it's wood, and is light, springy, and absorbs vibrations like a champ.
- Not too 'girly' of a design. You'll learn very quickly that I absolutely despise when outdoor companies slap pink on something to call it 'women's specific.' Actually, you'll learn I absolutely despise pink in general. Yes, I'm a female. Yes, I want people to know it when I have my hood up and my helmet on and my most mirrored goggles on. I have been called 'sir' in liftlines before. Not a fan. HOWEVER. I'm not what you might call a 'girly girl.' I'm not saying you can't be a girly girl and shred like a champ, but I actually enjoy being taken seriously right off the bat. Of my three pairs of skis, only my GS skis are men's skis, and that's because I need something a little heavier to keep up (I weigh 125 pounds on a good day, shut up).
- Positive camber. When I see people in the liftline with reverse-camber skis on a bluebird day, I just have to laugh. I'm sorry, you can disagree all you like, but unless you're skinning out into the slackcountry, there's not going to be powder deep enough in resort boundaries to warrant a ski like that. If that's the only pair of skis you own, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure you made the best choice. Positive camber, especially if it's your only skis and you're going to be in-bounds 99% of the time, is going to help you enjoy yourself MUCH better.
- Good amount of sidecut. I have the 164, which is 119-83-109. Not so much that it's going to throw off your landings in the park, but enough that you aren't having to grit your teeth every time you want to turn.
- 83 underfoot. Not SO fat that you look like you're on waterskis, but fat enough that powder days are enjoyable- especially if you're good enough to handle them.
CONS:
- It's a one-ski-quiver kind of ski. This is the biggest con for me, and for some people, it's a pro, but it's definitely something to consider, with ANY all-mountain ski. The Cantika pretty good at everything, which means it's not GREAT at anything. Yeah, it'll carve, but not like a GS ski. Yeah, it can handle powder, but not like something 100+ underfoot. You can mess around in the park, but it's not as light or easy to throw around as a more 'park specific' ski.
- The base is a little soft for me. I'm by no means a "who cares if there are rocks, I want to ski it anyway" kind of gal, in fact, I'm very protective of my bases and rocks upset me. But I swear I have to p-tex this ski every time I take it out. (Before you tell me "you're skiing wrong, dude" keep in mind that this will be my 20th season skiing, and I'm a PSIA certified ski instructor.) It's not a big deal, especially when you're me and have access to great equipment that can easily rectify soft-base issues, I just tend to get lazy sometimes.
- The base is white/clear. This is a pretty dumb con, but I use quite a bit of base cleaner trying to keep these lovelies looking beautiful, especially in rough winters when the snow gets a little dirtier than we like. This goes back to me being lazy, but also very vain.
Really, I love the Cantikas. They're a great go-to ski that can help me enjoy really any terrain, especially if the weather is changing or the snow is weird or whatever. For the hard-packed groomer bluebird days (my absolute favorite) I've got my Atomic I-can't-remember-what-they're-actually-calleds; the waist-deep Snowbird powder, the Surface My Lifes. Everything else, I've got my favorite Armadas. Going on my third season with them and still just as pleased as the first day I got them.
Grade: A-
No comments:
Post a Comment