2015-2016 Praxis MVP, Part Two

My second day on the MVP was an exceptional one. Jonathan, Ryan, and myself decided to skin/boot our way over to Cerro Torrecillas for a run down South 3800.

Here we found exceptional settled powder at the top, a bit of wind/sun effect through the middle, and a rough, slough-swept choke at the exit. To say South 3800 is an incredibly beautiful run is doing it an injustice, and when you’re down in Las Leñas, I strongly advise making the hike (avalanche and weather conditions permitting, of course).

Since I dropped in first, I wasn’t totally sure what I would encounter on the way down, and my only regret is not putting more faith in the MVP. Again, the only place the skis felt nervous was while aggressively controlling speed in the firm and very bumpy conditions found in the choke at the bottom; the MVP isn’t a bump-erasing Blizzard Cochise or 191 Volkl Katana. To be clear, this is felt only when forcefully skidding turns, as opposed to when carving through the firm and rough where I found the MVP to be exceptionally stable, especially for a ski of this weight.

My last day on the MVP was also our final day in Las Leñas. It was a hot day; the snow was very slushy with thick mashed potatoes in some places. With a shorter window of time since we still had to pack and catch a bus that afternoon, I ripped around the lower mountain for a few hours. The best run of the day turned out to be El Gasex off of the Carris lift.

El Gasex provided a fairly steep pitch with excellent corn early, which slowly gave way to stickier, thicker snow as the day progressed. Again, the only gripe I could find of the MVP occurred during aggressive braking (basically throwing the skis sideways) in variable snow. I particularly noticed that the tails were not providing much support, so even when in a balanced stance the tails provided less breaking power and support than the tips. I personally like skis that feel very balanced tip to tail, and I might be able to resolve some of these sensations by playing around with the mount point, which I plan on doing as soon as I can get back on snow.

Before I conclude, I do want to return to the topic of length. As I hope you can tell, I really enjoyed this ski and I definitely think there are a lot of people who will as well. My only concern for some is length. I am fairly tall at six feet, but I only weigh 160 pounds. For my friends closer to 180-200 pounds looking for the perfect all-mountain ski for the big West Coast resorts, I know their main reservation is going to be the 184.8cm true length. I think this is a valid concern for bigger skiers, and unless Praxis decides to make the ski in a true 188-190cm length, those who are quite a bit bigger than I am may need to look elsewhere.

For now, I think the Praxis MVP is perfect for lighter, aggressive skiers looking for an all-mountain ripper. I’m looking forward to spending more time on the MVP in Utah to explore different mounting locations and take the skis into different conditions. I want to see just how versatile the ski is and see the sort of balance I can find between making the ski feel “jibby” yet still comfortable being pushed in difficult terrain. I also want to get the ski into the backcountry and see just how capable it is when the snow gets deep.

Stay tuned.

Read Jason Hutchins’ Update on the Praxis MVP

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