A3 - Mid Review Report

[Horton]

My skiing has been disjointed for the last few weeks. The A3 review was not really going well because I was not getting many good rides in a row and I was frankly lost on the settings. This was mostly a result of my schizophrenic ski life. I was starting to doubt the ski. I had some big practice scores but I was not happy with the feel.

 

Last Monday I made another tweak that was pretty good and then today thanks to @ripa38 I made one more change and POW! I get it now.

 

Holy Crap I am sorry I ever doubted this ski.

 

The lessons are simple and there are two of them.

1) Skis with continuous rocker may be more sensitive to fin and binding adjustments.

2) Don’t do everything with the fin. The ski went from wacky to awesome with a 3/16th move of the bindings.

 

I am tempted to tweak more but I do not think I have ever run 3 38s in a single day before. 6 tries and 3 full passes in a day is pretty good for me.

 

Now that I have the settings I need ride it enough to really understand it to write the review… that is still a bunch of rides.

 

[Horton]

Settings are

 

29.5

8°

2.511

6.850

.774 head

.770 slot

 

[Skoot1123]

@Horton - would you think tide settings would work on the 2013 A3 as well or would they be a bit different due to minor tweaks for the 2014 A3?

[MrJones]

Horton. Did you move forward or back to get to 29.5"?

[SkiJay]

@Horton What size is the ski you're testing, and is it the 2013 or the 2014 with the textured bottom?

[KcSwerver]

His is a 14

[Horton]

@SkiJay

I am on the 14 version

 

@MrJones

I moved forward. When I first got the ski I moved back 1/2 a hole to make on side snappier. Looking back that was a huge goof on my part. With the bindings back a tiny bit the ski was not initiating the turn and then BAM! 90 degrees all a once. With the bindings at 29.5 the ski arcs in a earlier and makes a much more controllable turn.

[ForrestGump]

@TFIN told me back at Cottonwood in early June that he's running 29 1/2 on both the 66 and the 67 A3.

[MrJones]

My text history shows I told you 29.5" on July 24th. Just sayin...

[Horton]

@MrJones yes you did. Some one sort of very famous tried to get me to go back a little.

[jwr]

I've have the same issue getting this ski set up. I had the fin all over the place and basically made the ski unskiable. Moved the binder to 30" and the ski turned fantastic, but I couldn't even get out to one ball at 35. I was at the point where I was either going to move up to a 68 or switch to another ski. Went back to stock fin and binder settings and made a few small fin adjustments and I love the ski again. Haven't missed a 35 since. I haven't run a 38 yet, but that is because I'm butchering my gates.

 

29.5

6.845

2.505

.760

7

[bkreis]

Trying 66 '14.. So far really diggin' 29.5 reflex front, .0772, 2.495, 6.837 8 deg

[Horton]

Man I hate when this happens. Now that I should be wrapping up this review I am just hitting my stride.

 

I ran 35s last night and the last one felt so darn good. The key to off side on this ski may be level shoulders and calm at the ball line.

 

On side turns are a no brainer but I do not think I am carrying as much speed back to the inside as I would like. I think I am digging a bit of a whole. My on side turns are messy no matter the ski but I can always ask for a miracle.

 

My confidence for the tournament this weekend is high. Might have just jinxed myself.

 

[thager]

2 ball!!

[Horton]

@thager at 39 is the target

[thager]

@Horton Ed Zachary!!

[Horton]

I loaned out my A3 to a 22 - few at 28 off skier to night. Was not sure how it would work. He set a new PB of 1 @ 32. That tells me a lot

[rockdog]

@horton, that's about my level. You're confusing me now, Prophecy or A3?

[Horton]

one of each