[freedan]

Is this a tele or alpine ski: Mounted tele
Length: 180cm
Tip width: 121
Waist: 96
Tail: 110
Weight in this length: 7lbs
Boots used: Garmont EnerGs
Bindings used: Voile Switchbacks
How many days on the skis: 5
Resort or backcountry: BC
Geographical region: ADKS
Tell us about the terrain you ski: Slides, streambeds, woods
Do you know how the skis were tuned (bevel): Factory spec
How long have you been skiing: 35years, 21 tele
How many days a year: 50
Previous ski that you liked: Voile Asylum, Karhu BC 100, BD Verdict
Previous ski you did not like: DPS Wailer 95
How big are you: 5'10, 160lbs
Mostly tele or parallel: whatever works with backcountry conditions

Comments:
I mounted these up and at first the rockered tip was a bit weird coming from traditional skis. The point of contact is quite a bit farther back than any previous ski. However, they ski well even in hardpack conditions and hold an edge. I have never had a problem with tip dive and I can't see these ever submarining on me with the tip rise. I chose the Vectors over the Charger as they weigh a bit less and I have a fat powder ski when conditions warrant. I have done some long tours with big vertical and the Vectors never feel heavy. Very tourable. The raised tail is useful for falling leaf technique down steep hiking trails that are no wider than the ski. They feel stable at speed, even with the tips not in contact with snow. They aren't stable like Verdicts but certainly more stable at speed and better at skiing crud than the DPS Wailer 95s. I bought these primarily as a long tour, firm conditions, spring conditions, touring ski and have been very happy with them. I installed inserts and I mounted them with Switchbacks on boot center line moving the mount back a bit so closer to ball of foot on the boot center line marked on ski. Might put another set of inserts in a bit more forward just to see how they ski and have a firm and powder binding mount. Great skis should be my touring go to for several seasons.

[hhtele]

I just got back from riding these in the resort- Sunday river.
Dealt with windblown, hardpack, boilerplate, and water ice. Tomorrow will be some low/moderate angle fluffy (I think) snow.

These skis just work well.

[freedan]

[freedan]

Add some more days skiing corn both resort and bc. Icy, early morning firm conditions warming to corn. These skis just keep getting more and more fun. The can rip turns every bit as well as my Verdicts and are a lot more fun. These will be my quiver of one for the east (except those really deep or early season no base days where I'll ride the Asylums). Very impressed with these skis.

[Trapp]

Thanks for the reviews guys. I'm looking for a long tour/mountaineering type ski and leaning towards the vector.
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[Chenault]

Super subjective question: how short do they ski?

[tOMfLOUNDER]

vey subjective answer: I'm 5' 10", 155#, dynafit w/f3's(softer boot) and went with the 170. In trees ect. they ski shorter than anything else I've ever been on, but somehow still seem stable at some fairly fast larger radius turns. I am sure I could have gone with the 180's but wanted lighter & quicker for spring chutes ect. They did take some getting used to at this length. Otherwise I'm on 175ish standard cambers & 182's in my volie drifters. I'm very happy with my Vectors .

All the best, tOM

[Chenault]

Thanks Tom, you're about my size, and faced the exact same choice. I'm leaning toward the 170s for the trees and weight.

[freedan]

5'10, 160# and I had the exact same conundrum. I went with the 180s, thought they would be too long for tight woods at first but now I've got turns dialed in I'm happy with them.

[_Uli]

I'm using them now since early in this winter, having skied them may be 60/70 days. More or less, i agree with what has been said before. Me too, i'd problems in the beginning with the rocker which made me feel the inner ski damned "short".

May be when it comes to ski in pist (with artificial snow or very icey snow conditions or conditions like that off-pist) it does not perform like other touring skis (i still have the Karhu Storm BC which in that conditions does better). But, as a compensation:

The Vector surfs great in all softer snow conditions, even in ugly wet and heavvy fresh snow - and i think it does so thanks to the rocker. And it's performing very well even on hardpacked and irregular snow.

Eventhough the Vector doesn' t have any more inserts (i was a bit concerned by that since i'd some problems with ripping out the bindings with the white Insane without inserts) like the Voile people promised: the bindings don't rip out! Well done Voilè!

Anyway, i'd have the wish of a Vector with a flat tail and an indentation for the tail fixation of the skins

I'm 173 cm at 68 kg using the Vector 180 cm.

[hdiddy]

Is this a tele or alpine ski: Both
Length: 181cm
Boots used: Crispi Shiver
Bindings used: NTN Freeride
How many days on the skis: 6
Resort or backcountry: BC (resort in the future)
Geographical region: Selkirks, BC (but I normally ski in Tahoe)
Tell us about the terrain you ski: Everything
Do you know how the skis were tuned (bevel): Factory

How big are you: 150lbs
Mostly tele or parallel: 90% tele

Comments:
Used these skis from the getgo on a hut trip to Battle Abbey. Conditions were just about perfect ranging from boot top pow to knee deep.

These things have been the most fun I've been on. Very playful and nimble. They feel short, like I'm skiing on 174cm skis. Get them up to speed and the rocker kicks in big as the tips float easily to the top. If the snow gets deep, just ski faster and let them do the work. At higher speeds they generally felt fine, and only maybe a hint of hesitation. At 6+lbs a pair, the up was easy and offered plenty of grip due to the girth at 95mm.

Mount was -1.5 cm but I might even go further back another 1cm to the rearmost NTN detent (-2.5cm total).

Very very happy with these skis and very much consider them as a quiver of one for BC in Tahoe and most conditions. Can't wait til ski them here and see how it handles on the hardpack. Updates to come.
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[harpo-the-skier]

Tom F. let me ski his 170 Vectors for a few runs in early season firm conditions, and they felt too short for me (5'10", 185lbs). I felt like I had very little fore/aft stability. I was skiing them with Dynafits and Titans.

[Biff]

I have to say... they do take some getting used to. In fact, every time I get on them I need to do a run or two to get dialed back in. As mentioned, they ski short and can feel pretty squirly at first. But once dialed in... they ski powder beautifully. Quick turning and the rocker keeps them on top. For me they did not perform as well in firm chop or crust on firm powder, getting tossed about quite a bit. My heavier powder ski, the BD Justice was a much better choice for that stuff. I've got Axls on the Vectors and they make a banner BC ski.
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One's real life is often the life that one does not lead.

[hdiddy]

Just spent a couple of days on the ice we've been having in Tahoe. Agree with Biff, they're pretty squirrelly and mounting near boot center mark, they feel like the tips really want to hook up quickly (I thought Rocker was supposed to avoid that?!?).

I moved them to the rear NTN detents (-2.5cm) and they're far more predictable but you lose some of that turny magic. I'm going to put them back in the middle at -1.5cm. They skied some nasty icy/choppy moguls pretty well with that detent. The turny-ness and lightweight made it pretty fun.

This is going to end up being the daily driver for the time being.
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[jas]

Hey man just a thought here re the hookiness on hard pack. Have you tried detuning them back to the contact point or a little past. There is a long thread on TGR about the DPS wailer 99 (which is pretty much the same shape and seems to be a very similar ski) and the trick reported there is to detune. I have been using my vectors on soft snow so detuning not needed yet and been using narrower boards for the days with hard snow. Re my vector review in soft and chopped up snow, as reported by everyone else, a really solid and super fun ski, mine mounted with X2s at -1.