My biggest pet peeve of skis with sidecut in any kind of three dimensional snow is the tendency for the tips or tails to hook and grab while drifting across the fall line. But the Exit World was smooth and predictable, never got grabby, and that was without any detuning of its tips or tails.
When transitioning into pockets of windslab at higher speeds, the Exit World continued to feel predictable and confidence inspiring in ways that fatter, more powder-specific shapes like the Praxis Protest, Praxis Powder Board, or DPS Lotus 138 do not.
It was also more manageable when hitting these types of transitions than more pintailed shapes like the original Black Diamond Megawatt or the DPS Lotus 120, which seem locked into much bigger turn radii when they hit hard snow than when they are flexed and arcing in softer conditions.
Crud
We skied a fair amount of tracked snow at the Canterbury club fields, which varied from fun, sun-softened snow, to the same stuff on days when it didn’t get quite warm enough, and it felt more like skiing over coral reef.
In the softer stuff, the Exit World was again fun and predictable. It doesn’t crush and rail like the 4FRNT Devastator that I skied in the same places, but it can support an angulated turn without washing out.
Compared to chargers like the 194cm 4FRNT Devastator, the 193cm Blizzard Cochise, or the 195cm Line Mothership, the Exit World is lighter and much more likely to be deflected. But those are all skis that have at least 300-400 grams of additional mass and more effective edge, and are far burlier skis.
Compared to skis more in it’s class like the Squad 7, the Exit World is a notch below hard carving crud performance but, as in pow, the Exit World is quicker edge to edge and easier to break free to slow down.
Unsurprisingly, it was easier for me to get lower and into higher edge angles on the days I was on skinnier skis like the Kingswood Archetype (104mm-underfoot), 4Frnt Devastator (110mm), or even the Line Sick Day 110. I could just push harder on those other boards.
But compared to the new 186cm Bibby Pro in sloppy crud and heavy fresh snow, the Exit World is markedly better. The tips on the 13/14 Bibby felt like they were going to fold in half when I hit heavy chunder, causing me to repeatedly and unexpectedly lurch forward, and I kept wishing I was on the Exit World’s that I had used the day before.
Jonathan and Will labeled the old Bibby a “playful charger,” and in my experience, that’s a pretty apt description of the Exit World. With heavier, burlier skis like those mentioned above (Cochise, Devastator, Mothership), direction change at speed often involves bending the ski into a turn or pushing it through the snow. The Exit World is reasonably stable on edge, but to me, feels more poppy and more likely to change directions with the ski leaving the snow between turns.
It is a bit more likely to get bucked around when running bases flat than those heavier skis with less exaggerated tip and tail splay, but what the Exit World lacks in bases-flat stability, it makes up for with a poppy flex that makes ollies easy.
In icy, refrozen crud, no ski I have ever used truly excels. The Exit World is predictable enough that it doesn’t skitter around too much, but it’s light enough that it’s easy to jump turn and pop around the really nasty spots. Skinnier skis are easier for me in these conditions because they get torqued around less by the extra leverage of the wider waist, but to me, the best ski for this stuff is one that is predictable, and the Exit World falls into that category. In general, the Exit World is more asset than liability in these difficult conditions.
Groomers
I didn’t ski any groomers on the Exit World in New Zealand, but on smoother, more consistent snow, it held an edge reasonably well (as I described above), and it’s hard to imagine that its performance on smooth, consistent groomers will vary too much from the old Bibby Pro.
Stance (Neutral vs. Forward)
In both soft snow and hard snow, I found the Exit World to be at its best when skied from a more neutral stand, applying more effort into loading the ski laterally than driving into the tips.
It can be bent into the top of a turn in soft snow, and it will engage and can be driven fairly hard (especially in soft snow), but it’s not my first choice for a ski to push hard from the shovels all day long, in all conditions.
And just as Jonathan and Will described the old Bibby, the Exit World has a supportive tail for those who weight their heels and steer a little from behind, and is quite forgiving of backseat driving, considering how capable it is in almost all conditions.
Moguls
New Zealand doesn’t offer many moguls, which is 100% fine by me. But in bumpy inbounds snow, the light weight and smooth rocker profile made for quick, poppy direction changes. Beyond that, I’ll let Jonathan weigh in when he gets a chance to ski some bumps this winter.
Thank. Fuck. For. That.
I can stop lamenting the loss of the Bibby now!
Haha. Glad to hear, Clarky. I was worried we were going to have to talk you off the ledge or something.
Awesome review as always! I’m sorry if I missed it, but mounting point on these? What about a touch back for those of us that like to drive the tips? Thanks!
Paul and I skied them on the line. And I never skied the old Bibby behind the line, but I wouldn’t be too worried about going 1 or 2 back if you typically prefer a more traditional mount. In tight trees, though, I wouldn’t care to back up.
So…head to head with the old 190cm Bibby, what are the big differences other than a few grams of weight?
Or stated another way: which would you rather buy today given the choice, the old 190 BIbby or the Exit World?
Hey, Chris – the differences (you can decide how “big” each is): different core profiles, different tip and tail splay, different tip shape, and weight.
Paul hasn’t skied the old Bibby, which is actually one of the reasons we wanted him to review the Exit World: let him weigh in on how it skis in its own right, not merely as it relates to the old Bibby. To really tease out the differences, we’ll need to A/B the two skis this winter, and we will.
Given that I wasn’t using the Bibby to tour, and so wasn’t looking to shave weight, I’d still opt for it over the Exit World. Given that Paul would be touring a lot on the ski, he’d likely opt for the Exit World over the Bibby.
Hi Chris, As mentioned I’ve never skied the Bibby Pro and agree with Jonathan’s comments above.
great review – i can see why you said wait for this and the Billy goat reviews after the BIbby one…
Thanks for the write up Paul.
I’m interested in using the Exit World as a both an alpine resort ski and AT with a SollyFit plate — but first wanted to get your 2 cents specifically on that type of use for this ski. Moment says it’s specifically an AT ski, that so from your experience with it?
Also, sizing: I am 5’11” 173lbs. 184 seems a little short, but okay for a touring length. 190 is a bit larger than I like, but am open to your suggestion.
Thanks!
Gabe F.
Hey Gabe! Thanks for reading. I think the Exit World is a great choice for what you have in mind. Just keep in mind that our pair is significantly, about 100grams per ski, heavier than Moment advertises. Other than that, I think they’ll kill it as a touring/resort combo with the Sollyfits. I stand by the claim that if I had to have one pair of skis for resort, touring, and hell/snowcat, these with 916’s and tech bindings would do the trick better than anything I’ve skied on. Regarding length, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble skiing the 190cm ski especially if you’re mostly skiing in bigger, more open areas. While I never got to ski them in trees in NZ I don’t think the 190 will be that much work in those situations either. I have no personal experience with the 184, but suspect that everything that Jonathan and Will have said about the 184cm Bibby Pro will generally apply.
Fantastic review. Was on the fence about these because I’ve never skied them and now I think I’ll go with these, slap a tech binder on ’em and effing shred! Stoked!
Thanks! Glad it was helpful. I think you’ll be very pleased with the Exit World.
Did you guys take the new governor to NZ? I am really interested in comparing the 190 exit world with the new 186 gov. I am sure the gov is going to be considered more of a charger but at 186 and a smaller turning radius than the exit world, I am interested to see how their respective maneuverability compare.
Sorry, Tom, we only took the Exit World and the new Bibby with us to NZ.
I thought the entire point of this ski was to be a lighter, touring friendly bibby pro? Now we have a ski that isn’t better, although might not be worse than the original bibby…and is only 130 grams lighter? Pointless.
Thank GOD I purchased the 12/13 bibbys on clearance last April. Bring them back Moment. Bring. Them. Back.
So, back in June I sprung for a pair of last season’s 184 Bibby Pros in hopes of finding a ski that charged crud, but still had the energy and pop that’s often lacking in big mtn skis. I’m reading this review – which is great, btw – thinking to myself that maybe I’ve chosen the wrong ski. I’m 5’11 and only weigh 160lbs, and one of my looming concerns is that the Exit World might be a better ski for me given my weight. Do you think this concern is founded?
Nope.
Aaron, just cant think of a better response than Jonathon’s to your question. I have been on the 184 Bibby Pro and just can’t think of a better ski to fit your description.
I am hopeful that the Blister guys get a chance to demo/compare the new Gov and Exit World to the old Bibby as my dilemma seems similar to many this season on how best to replicate the old Bibby. I am on the 184 and could have probably gone either way 184 or 190 as my all purpose one ski quiver. I ended up mounting the 184 2cm back and seemed to have found the perfect compromise for those that found the 184 a little short and the 190 a little long. Now the imminent question ….how best to replicate moving forward?
Without the options to demo the Moments locally and make the comparisons it seems the next purchase will be based on which compromise appears most subtle or rather slanted in the direction of preference (ie. chargabilty vs maneuverability). On paper it would seem the 186cm Gov would provide more chargability and less maneuverability relative to the old Bibby Pro while the Exit World may be just the the opposite (lighter core resulting in less chargability/dampness with possibly more maneuverability). Personally I did not want or need more maneuverability with the 184’s mounted 2 back. They seem perfect as is. So the paper preference (for me anyway) would appear to slant the decision toward the increased chargability of the 186 Gov in hopes of maintaining maneuverability rather than a loss of chargability and increased maneuverability of the 184 Exit (neither of which are desirable from my standpoint)….unless of course the lighter core behaves quite similarly to that of the old Bibby’s in which case maybe the Exit’s and the old Bibby’s are really pretty close to being apples and apples.
But….if the assumption comparing cores/shapes is correct and the 184 Exit’s lighter core does feel does feel/act lighter and less stable than the 184 Bibby Pro then maybe the closest apples to apples would be bumping the length up the 190 Exit in hopes that the extra length and mass would compensate for the lighter core while maintaining a similar maneuverability of the old Bibby. Ahhh the choices…..
Anyway, seems like at some point us old Bibby fans are going to have to make that choice…switch to 184/190 Exit World or the 186 Gov in attempt to replicate the old Bibbys. Blister’s input would be great on these comparisons as it seems so many are in this boat.
PS – As always…Blister maintains the best reviews around. Don’t know what we would do without you guys. Keep up the great work!!
Craig
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Those tradeoffs did cross my mind. What also crossed my mind: my light(ish) weight of 160 lbs and a 7-day skinning trip I have coming up this winter – may’ve forgotten to mention that. I might be nuts for not going w something more touring specific, but most of my skiing is west coast resort/sidecountry so I’m hoping to capture it all, even if I’m hyperextending the scope of this ski.
I spoke w Moment, and their feedback on the Exits was pretty much spot on w this review. Extremely similar to the Bibbys with a slight tradeoff with the Exits between weight and security in crud. Eager to see the old Bibby, Exits and Govs A/B/C’ed.
Jonathan – Thanks, as always, for all that you do.
Aaron, Again, I can’t say for sure having not skied the 12/13 Bibby but I would be shocked if the difference (if any) is significant enough to justify the extra cost and trouble of swapping out. I think the Exit World is a great ski for what you’re describing. Nope, it’s not a superlight touring ski but it’s a great choice for a do it all ski if you find a way to set it up with a binding or a binding combination you like for touring and mechanized skiing.
Craig, Thanks for reading and for a great comment. It’s tough for me to say as I’ve only spent half a day on the 12/13 186cm Governors and have never skied the 184cm 12/13 Bibby Pro. If I get my hands on either of them this winter I’ll let you know. I would say that if you love the 184cm Bibby Pro and want another pair, you might try contacting Moment to see if they still have some.
Hey guys, thanks for the great reviews.
Curious if you guys have skied the 186 2013/14 Billy Goat tours (or even the regular Billy Goats)? I am wondering how they compare to the Exit World for a goto soft touring chargey / playful ski for soft conditions. Also can you make any comparison to the 186 Lhasa Pows?
Cheers,
Shane
Hi Shane, Thanks for reading. We had a pair of 186cm Billy Goats on our trip to New Zealand and I spent 3 days on them. Due to the conditions on those days, I’m not ready to do a fair comparison at this point. Ignoring any differences in the way they ski, the billy goat has a lot more heft to it, and I wouldn’t want to drag them around all day. If you have to make a decision now, I would be surprised if you didn’t have a great winter on the Exit World and I don’t think you’ll regret it. If you’re intention is purely for a touring ski, keep in mind that the Exit World really isn’t that light of a ski compared to what else is out there. Weight is obviously just one attribute of a good touring ski. We hope to have reviews of several other “fat but light” touring skis later this season. Have a great season!
Seems weird the skis appear to be for all practical purposes the bibby replacement yet are only being marketed/labeled as a touring ski. With the weights and performance being so similar to that of the old bibbys it is difficult to understand why this ski is not being marketed as a inbounds resort ski as well. The reads and comparisons would indicate this ski serves the purpose for both inbounds and out of bounds yet moments descriptions lead one to believe the only inbounds substitute for the old bibby is essentially the Governer. Thoughts anyone?
Craig, I appreciate the point you make about the exclusive marketing on the Exit World as an AT ski and that all reviews lead us to believe it will serve well in many applications. I would feel silly mounting alpine bindings on this ski solely due to how it has been advertised, but am hearing it could be a mistake to overlook these as a killer in-bounds boards.
Anyone else?
Hi Gabe, If you like the sounds of the Exit World as it’s described in the review, I don’t think you’ll regret buying them to use as an inbounds alpine ski with alpine bindings. I wouldn’t worry to much about the marketing aspect. It’s a good all around ski that’s been built a little lighter. Cheers, Paul
Hey Paul,
Thanks for the response. Maybe you can help steer me a bit then: I’ve had a pair of 186 Lhasa Pows for the past 2 season and they have been great, but I ripped out of them last season and am looking for a replacement pair with a lower price tag.
These will be strictly touring soft snow skis, I also have a pair of Manaslus for spring / crud conditions. I like to ski alpine and big lines, but realistically mid season in BC I also ski a lot of trees, so need a chargey / playful ski that is pretty light. If Exit World and Billy Goat Tour aren’t that light, any other thoughts? Wailers sound like the don’t have enough variable conditions performance, Megawatt carbon sounds good but is fatter than I would have leaned towards, where would you go next, Blizzard, Ski Logic?
Thanks for help
Hi Shane,
Your question about touring skis is a good one. For me, my top priorities on touring skis are powder performance and weight. Skis like the DPS Lotus Series make sense for me, even though they aren’t the most fun for me in crud or for tracked up snow, because they are amazing powder skis, handle variable backcountry conditions predictably and are light on the uphill. I like touring skis in the 120mm+ class and feel like the better pow surfing is worth the extra snow on the top sheets and weight of bigger skins. I presume that the Carbon Megawatt will be in that category as well but haven’t yet skied it. I am looking forward to reviewing as many skis in that category as possible this season. From what I’ve used thus far, I do think the Exit World 190cm makes a good compromise of all-around performance and price at the cost of being more than a pound heavier than some of the ~8lb per pair fat skis. I only wanted to point out that they’re not amazingly light for their size. Most of the lighter fat skis out there will also be at least $200 more expensive with a possible exceptions being skis from Dynafit (Huarascan) and Voile (V8) but I haven’t tried those yet. Thanks for your comments and best of luck with your choice. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these skis.
Paul, Thanks for all the hard work on Blister, we really appreciate it! Any idea of where to mount an NTN freedom set up on this ski. I’m 5’11 and weigh 170lbs, I have a pair of 188cm Megawatts and ski them pretty far forward as they have so much rocker, rarely tip dive and it gives me a little bit more quickness edge to edge in the trees. In the past, I’ve mounted most of my skis with my TX Comp right over alpine boot center. I’m tempted to so the same for the Exit World. Let me know if you have any thoughts,
Thanks,
Tyler
Hi Tyler, Thanks for the kind words and for reading. I haven’t skied the Exit World tele but have spent a lot of time on the older megawatt, and NTN/Tx comp. As I’m sure you’re well aware, philosophy’s on tele mounting positions are wild and varied. A good friend who is one of the best tele skiers I’ve ever seen, and who has won the telemark world freeski championships, skis on Moments exclusively and almost always goes -4cm from recommended. That seems a bit too far back for my liking and I usually go -1 to -3 from alpine recommended. I think the Exit World has a relatively large sweet spot and you’ll probably love them wherever you go. If I had to guess what I’d like best, I would go recommended or -1 if I was going to ski in a lot of trees or -2 to -3 for big terrain and deep snow. Please let us know what you decide and how it works out for you.
how would you compare to Line Skis Sir Francis Bacon ? i know these are directional but what im saying the compare for the tip not tail to francis..
Hi Rikos, I have not skied the Sir Francis Bacon yet and can’t provide you with a good comparison. We had a pair of 190’s with us in NZ but I didn’t get a day on them. Check out out the current review of the 184cm SFB and stay tuned for our review of the 190cm. Best, Paul
Hey guys,
I just got my exit worlds in the mail and they are weighing in lighter than yours, closer to Moments rating. 4173g for the pair.
-Shane
true or false…one is a major tool skiing exit world’s without a touring setup. i’m about to pull the trigger either 190 Exits, 192 new Bibby’s or 190 old Bibby’s. I have a pow specific ski already and want something that will just handle everything especially as I have a number of trips this year where I just want to bring one weapon. I don’t have many friends who ski in the backcountry (or many friends at all actually having recently moved 3k miles) so that will no be my primary concern. so…which ski and if it’s the exits will you all snicker behind my back when i rock up to the lift line on exits with rossi FKS bindings on them???
Disregard the alpine binding part of the question…i see someone has asked that. the other question still stands: 5’10” 175#…expert…one ski quiver i can jam in the bag whether i’m headed to snowbird, squaw, jackson or chamonix.
False. And No. (Answers to the questions in your first post, Christopher.)
Can you please give me your thoughts on the Blizzard Gunsmoke vs. Moment Exit World, with the idea that this will be my dedicated touring ski for use in Colorado, both mid-winter touring, and spring time bigger lines skiing.
What’s the difference between Exit World and Armada JJ? I’m looking for wide touring ski for variable conditions – spring and winter. It’s 90% powder and spring snow I ski but there is ALWAYS some hard snow and ice in steep places when touring mountains. I need a predictable ski in each conditions that is so versatile as JJ but much more stable in high speeds and not hooky.
Actually I tour on 4FRNT Renegade 186cm that I love – but it’s a quite heavy ski for longer touring… It’s seems that Exit world 184cm is 1kg lighter than Renegade 186cm
I have skied the 1,90 EXIT WORLD, on march 2014 in Revelstoke, BC and July 2014, Las LeÑAS, Argentina.I changed them for my old 1,85 JJ ARMADA. I find them much, much better.Firstly, as they are longer and have less rocker, they are much stable.Also, they are 2mm thicker in the width.Secondly I find them much smoother in powder, and they are great for long turns and are not hooky at all as the armada jj at Hi speeds in powder.Regarding groomed runs they are stable and predictable, but I dont spend much time in groomed runs.The only point where the ARMADAS JJ could be a littte better is on trees as you need shorter runs and a lot of quick reaction.But the EXIT WORLDS can be also as good, but with more work to do.Regarding jumps I found them better also, as they are more stable.No doubt they are much better if you like the BACKCOUNTRY. ALL THE BEST!!
Federico
Great review guys thank you !
Do you have any information on the new 14/15 model, I read they have tweaked it quite a bit? Thanks a lot for an answer!
Going up to AK to ski several days this year. Wondering if there is one good ski to cover Alyeska and cat/heli skiing. Spend most of my year skiing MT and would like a ski that would work down here as well. I am 6′ and 185 and a directional skier. I spend most of my days skiing the Tram at Big Sky. Any thoughts?
Hi Mark, I think the Exit World (little lighter, more touring oriented) or the Blister Pro (heavier, possibly a little more stable inbounds) would be great choices for Alyeska and the surrounding backcountry, regardless of conditions. I also think they’d be both be fun at Big Sky/Moonlight. If you’re skiing with CPG during your trip, ask for me when you get there. Maybe we’ll get to ski together and you can tell me how you like the skis. Hoping for a great winter! Best, Paul
Thanks Paul! I am definitely going to use CPG, so I will ask for you for sure. I am leaning toward the Blister pro for now. What bindings would you recommend?