2012 Connelly Prophecy Review

http://www.ballofspray.com/images/stories/DSC_3924.JPGThe 2012 Connelly Prophecy can trace its linage back to the Connelly F1 and earlier versions of the Prophecy. While its predecessors were radical in terms of skiing attributes, the new Prophecy is more user-friendly and mainstream. With a top graphic that is a mix of carbon fiber and hard wood, this ski lets you know that it is not too conventional.

General Feel:

With a revised tunnel, bevels, rocker and flex from the original Prophecy, this ski is more stable and much faster. In terms of skier effort and technical skills needed to get wide at short rope lengths, this ski is a vast improvement over previous versions.

The personality of the new prophecy becomes even more apparent the first time you round a buoy.

Toe Side (Off Side) Turn

When approaching the off side and standing on the middle of the ski, the Prophecy draws a dependable and smooth arc wide of the ball. As with previous high end Connellys, this ski requires that the skier focus on keeping their shoulders level approaching the apex. Past the apex, this ski will continue to acquire substantial angle provided the skier does not prematurely rotate their shoulders toward the wakes. Patience is required exiting off side turns on this ski.

Heel Side (On Side) Turn

Many of the current high end skis will not turn on side well without substantial front foot pressure. The Prophecy does the exact opposite. It will carve a smooth on side turn, much like the off side turn, with the skier pressing on the front of ski, but it will also crank out abrupt changes in direction from the back of the ski. It is wonderful to be able to make a major mistake at off side and then crank a huge backfoot turn at on side and be right back in the pass.

From Second Wake to Ball

It is impossible to say what the step bottom design really does, but ample width is easily achieved. Compared to the original Prophecy and other deeper riding skis, this ski does not require advanced handle control skills to get wide of the ball line.

The ski does require that the skier be careful to not move to the inside early. Outbound direction will be lost if the skier’s hips and shoulders rotate or lean towards the wakes prematurely.

From Ball to Second Wake

The Prophecy rolls over and holds angle easily upon exiting the ball. If the skier leans a bit extra, the ski will respond with a burst of speed. Skiers working to be lighter on the line will find the ski simply goes where it is pointed.

http://www.ballofspray.com/images/stories/DSC_3022.JPGQuirks & Notes

A skier who keeps their shoulders level and constant will get the most from this ski. As noted above, turns on this ski can be quite asymmetrical: smooth on one side and radical on the other. Radical on side turns may not be technically desirable, but it's fun and it will get you out of trouble when you want just one more buoy.

Binding settings are unusually critical. I rode the 67” at 29 1/4”, which felt great, and then I moved back to 29 1/8”, and I found the ski to be very hard to ride.

Final test fin settings were 2.495 depth, 6.860 length with tips and .770 with head of caliper

Conclusion:

In comparison to Connelly, most other ski companies have been making cookie cutter skis for a long time. This ski is less of an outlier but it is still not in lockstep with the rest of the industry. If you are looking for a new ski to shake things up, I cannot think of better ski than the 2012 Connelly Prophecy.

My personal best ever tournament scores and practice scores are on the 2012 Prophecy. I believe that I ran more smooth passes on other test skis this year, but at my hardest pass, the Prophecy proved its place among the best skis in the industry.

Does radical on side translate somewhat to stuck or does the ski keep moving well. My greatest flaw is sticking the onside. However, one thing that increases the chances that I will stick it is if the ski will not turn quickly enough onside. Thanks for the review.

Ski keeps moving. Not sure I understand "stuck"

For me, stuck means: Finished the turn with no speed.

 

I used to do this constantly on my (so-called) on-side, but it's really gotten better this year with an obsessive focus on handle-control, and a less-obsessive focus on skiing all the way back to the rope handle.

 

Great review. I really appreciate the level of detail. In this particular case, it allows me to determine that this ski is most likely not a match to my style. (I would completely mess up this ski's off-side finish, as I very often close my shoulders quite badly there, though I usually fix that before I start loading too much.)

I moved the totally non-Connelly chatter to another thread http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/3995/ski-test-chatter

 

I took two sets on this ski tonight. First set was messy but by the end of the second set I remembered why I love this ski. Forgiving off side and HUGE on side turns. I had forgotten how much space you can build in front of the ball and how good the ski is after you make a mistake.

I think it is deceivingly "fast"; it really gets going cross course when you are in trouble and lean on it. I feel it continues to build angle through the wakes.

Sort of. I mean this ski is more work than most of the other high end skis but it does get way out in front of the ball.

 

Yes for sure it is always looking for more angle. I love how I can totally screw up and then re-point the ski across the lake.

 

What kills me is how automatic the turns are if you are just a little patient and stay centered. More than anything this ski is just fun.

It is a little more work; which I don't mind since I am used to skiing on D3's (which tend to be a little more work). I think that is the trade off for stability and the feeling of being glued to the water. I find it stays down nicely through the wakes too. The more I ride it; the more I like it. It has the missing elements I have been looking for out of my Nomad RC. I need a ski that doesn't punish me for poor technique or being late in the course; and, this one is very forgiving while still giving you the ability to push on it when needed.