Trying to understand the Warp - a prelude to the review.

[Horton]

It would be totally dishonest of me to claim I am sure about what makes the Warp so special. As I am racking my brain for the words for the real review the following idea has come to mind. One of the things about the Warp that is so bazaar is that the more you press forward into the off side turn the smoother and rounder the turns feel. When I say rounder turns I do not mean down course I mean fast arcs with a lot of water speed and a $h*t load of angle.

 

Factor # 1: The tail of the Warp is relatively narrow compared to other skis the same size and the widest part of the ski is relatively far forward. 12” from the back of the ski it is 3.90” wide. At 38” the skis is roughly 6 7/8” wide. The width of the ski from 38” to 46” is roughly constant just less than 7”. (I do not have real calipers with me as I write this so the dimensions are rough but close enough to express my idea).

 

Based on the outline of the ski alone one can assume that the ski will ride somewhat tip high with the tail deep in the water. The fact that the ski does not start getting narrower in the front until 46” means the skier will feel support even if he (or she) really gets over the nose at the ball.

 

Factor #2: The Warp appears to have continuous rocker. If there is a flat spot I cannot see it visually.

Continuous rocker means the ski simply does not have a flat spot in the rocker. It can result in a condition where if the skier gets slightly too far forward the ski bites off too much or if they are slightly back the ski does not turn at all. The skier is more free to literally rock forward or backward on the ski. The Warp does not display any of the typical negative continuous rocker issues.

 

Most skis do not have continuous rocker and have a flat spot in the tunnel and / or the bevels between a 3” to 12”.

 

Factor #3: the bevels are simply round. There is no bevel to speak of. What this means is the ski will sit deeper in the water.

So what do these three factors mean? This is all supposition but here goes:

 

I think that because of the narrow tail / wide forebody plus continuous rocker the skier can drive forward as hard as they dare without ever reaching a point where the ski bites and goes too hard. The skier is free to go forward and the width of the ski forms a back stop. I have tried deliberately push too hard on the tip at off side and the result is always and unexpectedly good turn.

 

The round bevels only augment the effect making the whole ski sit deeper in the water.

 

I am not sure I have expressed this super clearly …. Anyone follow where I am going?

[rq0013]

I smell what you're stepping in

[ozski]

@Horton - Riding deep gives it a very secure feel - when compared to other skis I still think it washes off more speed at the ball. Maybe it was the setup I was running?

[Than_Bogan]

I think I understand about 75% of that. I hate to admit it, but those characteristics could really work for me. I like to step on the front on my offside, which the N1 also likes.

[Horton]

@ozski‌ might be setup. On my ski if I push from the tail I will dig a hole but that is more likely at on side. If I am any where near the middle I feel like it holds a lot of speed through the turn.

[Horton]

@Than_Bogan‌ no no I am sure this ski would be bad for you. You need a LeeSki or maybe a Maha.

[Horton]

@Than_Bogan‌ okay seriously. Imagine the amount of pressure that you push forward is met with an increasing amount of resistance.the continuous rocker allows you to continue moving forward but the width of the ski prevent you from going too far.

[SkiJay]

It makes me wonder how stiff the ski is. Ski tips generally get narrower to avoid tip-grab. If the Warp's forebody stays wide longer, it should contact the water sooner than a tapered tip, making it grab easier. But, if the ski is really stiff, it will resist flexing into too much dynamic rocker and biting. So maybe its construction makes it stiff enough to avoid folding under pressure, and the continuous rocker is how they keep it turning well with less flex than most skis. If it turns well without having to flex, then it would turn really predictably. Do you know if the Warp is stiffer than usual @Horton?

[Horton]

@SkiJay‌ I do not have flex numbers handy but I think the flex is pretty normal.

 

My thinking is 180 from yours. The tail rides deep but it is easy to move forward because of the rocker. Because the ski does not start getting narrow until way forward there is a constantly increasing resistance as you drive forward. If the ski started getting narrow sooner you would get to a point where there was suddenly less resistance and you would engage too much all at once.

 

Heck I am speculating.

 

As a side note: the folks who think I only give good reviews to advertisers are going to have to eat their hat when they read the Warp review. I ran by far the best 38 of my life today and got deeper into 39 than ever before.

[Horton]

@rico‌ I love you like a brother but you can have my Warp! when you pry it out of my cold dead hands.

[ForrestGump]

I will say this......... I tried and could not blow the tail out no matter how hard I drove my core mass up over the ski. It just ripped back under me and took off for the other side.

[gsm_peter]

Have you notice any difference in the de-acceleration phase?

[Horton]

@gsm_peter‌ I am not really sure what you are asking. I can say for sure that with the wrong DFT setting the Warp "feels" too fast into on side. Thanks to the man known as "Yoda" I understand with too much fin or the fin too far back I have more load than I can deal with at the second wake going to on side. The result of too much load is that I get separated and lose outbound direction => feel like hair is on fire. DFT .010 or so forward fixes this.

 

I think that some skis are more sensitive to this than others or perhaps it just seems that way as I am learning more about that specific adjustment.

[Brady]

@Horton what pros are on this ski?

[Texas6]

I keep hearing how much this contraption costs; what are we talking about on the price?

[Horton]

@Brady none and that means nothing

@Texas6‌ $2,650ish

[Texas6]

Dohhht

[OTF]

@ms told me that it is simply a 06 Monza with a paint job, therefore a great ski.......lol

[thager]

Hmmmm, Warped mind on a warped ski?