I would have to totally disagree with your review, maybe the night train is too much ski for you. My son who is 5″-6″ and 145lbs just picked up a pair of 186’s and I took them out for a spin. Now I ride 2012 Hellbents and 2010 E.P pro’s as my everyday skis and found the Night Trains to be an awesome every day ski, they railed hard icy groomers with no problem and had no speed limit, once it softens up you could just turn them sideways all over, They were not as playful as the bents or ep pro’s but where super stable with no speed limit with no catching or hooking at all, I think they could easily be a everyday ski for the Tahoe area.
Willie, I definitely agree with your sentiments. The hooking up I discussed was a function of the snow conditions and attempting to drive the ski hard. The main qualms I have with the ski revolve around their crud/variable snow performance — because they are difficult to drive, they are difficult in those conditions. I certainly agree that the ski can rail on icy groomers and is quite stable at speed. Unfortunately I have never skied in the Tahoe area and can’t comment there.
Im interested in these skis.. Definitely need a new pow jib ski to replace my old JJs haha. But anyways about the crud performance, I find this review unreliable because of your size and the size of the ski. I don’t know your ski background, but I’ve had a competitive racing background as well as weighing 175 lbs. Most advanced skiers weigh more than 130 lbs so this ski will perform completely different for them than it would for you.
Hi Adam,
I definitely agree, I am a smaller guy and the ski can/will ski differently with a heavier skier. I feel however that much of crud performance was due to the shape of the ski (rather than the flex) which contributes to the neutral stance that the NT favors. This ski will plow and float with the best of them, but when it comes to driving the ski in variable conditions, the shape gets in the way.
Jonathan Ellsworth also wrote a bit on this ski. He is much closer to your weight and had this to say in his review/comparison with the Bibby’s: “The Bibby is a fairly burly ski, very stable, yet still remarkably playful. The Night Train feels lighter, is more center mounted, has a super balanced swing weight, and wants to spin and air. You can drive the shovels of the Bibby; you’re better off staying more centered on the NT. The Bibby charges, the NT, not nearly as much.” You can find the rest of that review here: http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/2011-2012-moment-night-train-186cm.
The main issue I had with these skis is that you can’t drive them. It is hard to ski tough snow conditions (ie, crud) when you can’t really drive the ski. That being said, as a pure jib ski, I would go to the NT’s almost every time.
I would have to totally disagree with your review, maybe the night train is too much ski for you. My son who is 5″-6″ and 145lbs just picked up a pair of 186’s and I took them out for a spin. Now I ride 2012 Hellbents and 2010 E.P pro’s as my everyday skis and found the Night Trains to be an awesome every day ski, they railed hard icy groomers with no problem and had no speed limit, once it softens up you could just turn them sideways all over, They were not as playful as the bents or ep pro’s but where super stable with no speed limit with no catching or hooking at all, I think they could easily be a everyday ski for the Tahoe area.
Willie, I definitely agree with your sentiments. The hooking up I discussed was a function of the snow conditions and attempting to drive the ski hard. The main qualms I have with the ski revolve around their crud/variable snow performance — because they are difficult to drive, they are difficult in those conditions. I certainly agree that the ski can rail on icy groomers and is quite stable at speed. Unfortunately I have never skied in the Tahoe area and can’t comment there.
Im interested in these skis.. Definitely need a new pow jib ski to replace my old JJs haha. But anyways about the crud performance, I find this review unreliable because of your size and the size of the ski. I don’t know your ski background, but I’ve had a competitive racing background as well as weighing 175 lbs. Most advanced skiers weigh more than 130 lbs so this ski will perform completely different for them than it would for you.
Hi Adam,
I definitely agree, I am a smaller guy and the ski can/will ski differently with a heavier skier. I feel however that much of crud performance was due to the shape of the ski (rather than the flex) which contributes to the neutral stance that the NT favors. This ski will plow and float with the best of them, but when it comes to driving the ski in variable conditions, the shape gets in the way.
Jonathan Ellsworth also wrote a bit on this ski. He is much closer to your weight and had this to say in his review/comparison with the Bibby’s: “The Bibby is a fairly burly ski, very stable, yet still remarkably playful. The Night Train feels lighter, is more center mounted, has a super balanced swing weight, and wants to spin and air. You can drive the shovels of the Bibby; you’re better off staying more centered on the NT. The Bibby charges, the NT, not nearly as much.” You can find the rest of that review here: http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/2011-2012-moment-night-train-186cm.
The main issue I had with these skis is that you can’t drive them. It is hard to ski tough snow conditions (ie, crud) when you can’t really drive the ski. That being said, as a pure jib ski, I would go to the NT’s almost every time.
Hope that clears things up for you Adam!
Sam