UPDATE: 2015-2016 Praxis MVP

Off-Piste Hard Pack

Skiing fairly smooth off-piste, to nicely shaped moguls on “chalk,” is much like skiing a groomer, and the best technique is to stay on top of the ski and attack with short turns. Our particular version of the MVP has a fairly stout flex that definitely rewards a forward/aggressive stance, and will punish any slip-ups to the rear.

Lengthening turns out to a medium-radius smear provides similar results to that on groomers. They require lots of rotational steering and effort from turn to turn as the skis grant little reward for any flex you’ve managed to put into the ski.

When taking longer-radius turns into nicely bumped-up terrain, or when using shorter-radius turns in steep terrain, where irregular shaped bumps typically form, this pair of MVPs turned into a pretty rough and demanding ride. The stiff flex provided very little forgiveness and the combination of the flex, lack of dampening, and lack of camber led to a very harsh feeling ride.

On hard pack, the MVP absolutely demanded very aggressive, solid skiing.

Shallow Crud

Moving to shallow, soft chop, with a smooth base, the MVP found its stride. In up to 8” or so of soft chop, the MVP’s tip and tail rocker worked well with the overall sidecut shape and flex to deliver perfectly smooth sailing. In these conditions and with a balanced stance, I could smear the MVP into most turn shapes I wished. It definitely preferred medium- to longer-radius smears, though with some effort (due to the stout flex) I could bust out a quick slash turn. The ski worked equally well in steep terrain like that found throughout the left side of Alta’s Eagle’s Nest, as it did in lower-angle stashes like the early skiers’ right side of Ballroom.

The only problem I ran into in shallow crud turned out to be when the new snow density was very light, and the base layer was very bumpy and hard. Here, much like in off-piste hardpack, the MVP tended to deliver a very harsh ride, seemingly transmitting every little bump up through my legs and back.

Deep Crud

In deep chop on lower angle terrain (like early Ballroom) where you can just let the skis run, the MVP worked well. Its shape kept the ski from feeling super darty, and the rocker and flex allowed a calm, balanced stance with few surprises.

In deeper crud and moderate to steeper terrain, however, the MVP gave the sensation that there just wasn’t enough ski out front when trying to rally hard. This led to the ride feeling like a balancing act: the skis like to be driven from the front seat, but a deep pile of snow felt like hitting the brakes, making me feel like I could be thrown over the bars.

The flex of the MVP is more than strong enough to power through deep crud, but the narrow-ish tip profile—while keeping the tips from being deflected around—also made the tips feel like they wanted to dive into soft piles rather than glide over. Unfortunately, even with the bindings as far back as -2cm from recommended, the MVP just didn’t feel stable and confidence inspiring to me through deeper chop.

Slowing the speed down didn’t really help the MVP, either. Due to the light weight and relatively narrow overall shape for a 110mm waist, the ski felt very inconsistent as I plodded along trying to smear short- to medium-radius turns. Here I felt like a slightly softer flex might really help the MVP by providing a slightly less responsive feel.

Comparisons

Praxis says the MVP is their “one-ski quiver,” equally capable of charging hard or playing with the mountain.

Unfortunately, I believe the lay-up of our specific MVP greatly reduced its play-ability, while also taking the easy and forgiving shape and turning it into a fairly demanding and unforgiving ride.

Just how demanding? I’ve been riding the 192 Black Diamond Zealot recently as well, which has similar dimensions and a similar target market (if anything, a more “charging” market in the 192 size). I can honestly say I have had much more fun riding the monster 192, which certainly feels better at speed, and is surprisingly more agile feeling. It also offers a much larger sweet spot and less demanding ride than the 7cm shorter MVP. Of course, the 182cm Zealot is more similar in size to the 187 (185 straight tape) MVP, and as you can read in my review, the Zealot impressed me with both its attacking ability, as well as its playfulness.

Compared to my all-time favorite one-ski quiver, the 11/12 Rossignol Sickle, our test MVP just didn’t come close. The Sickle conquered any condition, and provided an effortless ride that instilled confidence. It also felt as comfortable on Wildcat jump lines as it did rallying technical lines through Eagle’s Nest.

Bottom Line

Keep in mind that Kevin O’Meara built this specific pair of MVPs that we’ve been testing as his comp ski, so the only thing that matters is whether or not Kevin is happy with this design and flex pattern.

I definitely believe that Kevin and Praxis are on to something with the MVP. I haven’t found the stiff flex to work well with the shape and rocker profile, but if you’re like me and like the shape of this ski, I would consider ordering it in a medium (or even medium/soft) stiffness. I believe that a softer, more progressive flexing MVP may perform much better, and I’d be very eager to try it.