[SoulMan]

Is this a tele or alpine ski: Tele or AT
Length: 190
Tip width: 128
Waist: 97
Tail: 119
Weight in this length: 8.2 lbs for 175cm
Boots used: Garmont Prophet
Bindings used: NTN
How many days on the skis: 1
Resort or backcountry: Backcountry
Geographical region: PNW
Tell us about the terrain you ski: Groomers, Sides, Sidecountry
Do you know how the skis were tuned (bevel): Factory
How long have you been skiing: 15 years
How many days a year: 35
Previous ski that you liked: G3 Rapid Transit
Previous ski you did not like: Anything Atomic
How big are you: 5'10" 200 lbs.
Mostly tele or parallel: Mix it up 50/50

Comments:
This was my first ride on these G3 Infidels. I got them for $186.00 and they looked like they were only used once or twice. They did have some rock damage on the bases but nothing deep and nothing I couldn't fix with my p-tex iron and repair tape.
I tried them out for 2 runs in Summer corn at Hurricane Ridge, WA and they absolutely rocked the house. HUGE sweet spot, but firm enough to support my weight and make quick turns to medium turns. So far, I'm pleased.

I bought these as my daily drivers to replace my aging G3 Rapid Transit skis, which have lost some of their pop. Hopefully I made a good choice, but I looked at these as an "all-mountain" ski for most conditions except big dumps, where I will use my G3 Highball skis.

I will update this post with more impressions next season after I get some more runs on them.
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)

[SoulMan]

UPDATE 12/2012:
I have taken these Infidels out for a couple more trips now, one in 8-10" of new snow, and one just yesterday on a bluebird groomer / skier packed "powder" (?) day.

On the new snow day, these skis handled all that new stuff with aplomb and flair. As I thought, they have a HUGE sweet spot, and are very forgiving when I get in the back seat. They churned through the deep stuff, felt floaty and even "surfy" and kept me near the surface on every run.
On moved around snow, piled up stuff and soft bumps, they bashed right through and kept on going with minimal vibration. They seem to be well dampened.

On the groomers, it took a bit to get used to smearing turns with those fully rockered bases, but once I got the hang of it I was carving trenches. Off in the skier packed "powder" they handled the piled up stuff, and did fairly well in the bumped up stuff mainly due the fact that the snow was soft and forgiving.

All in all, I'm very happy with these skis, and they are going to be my daily drivers from now on, except perhaps, on the hardest groomer days.

My advice, is, go long on these fully rockered skis. I am 5'10", 210 lbs. of 'cajun food and beer-fueled 60 y.o. sleekness, and I'm very glad I went with the 191 cm length. For reference, two ski websites recommend that you go long with fully rockered skis, and/or if you are (ahem) overweight for your height. Also for reference, I had a pair of G3 Highball skis in 185 length, and due to a delamination problem, I sent them back and exchanged them for 191 length. With that fully rockered design, I REALLY liked the extra 6 cms of length. They ski smoother, give me a little more float, and are more like an SUV than a lowered sports car as far as ride.

FWIW, I like the graphics on these skis too. G3 refers to these Infidels as a "smile factory": I'm happy!
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)

[SoulMan]

Update for Monday, January 14:

Full-on Groomer day, which I had not fully assessed on these Infidels, so I had not put in an update. No new snow for several days, with Skier-packed bumps in the fluff, which are umm challenging to me, so I avoided off-groomed.

The Infidels absolutely railed on the groomers. I was laying down trenches, even on the harder packed groomers with small ice balls left from the groomer machines. I love how quick these skis are edge-to-edge, their response to input, and their stability. As stated before, they have a huge sweet spot and are quite forgiving for a ski of their size. Again, I am quite glad that I went long with these fully rockered skis. That extra length gives a nice ride, but isn't so long that they are unmanageable.

Not too much chatter, which I attribute to the rocker tips with early rise. The rocker tips and tails seem to dampen the vibrations, which is confidence inspiring in itself.

I haven't hit their speed limit yet, but at 60 y.o., I'm not real keen on ending my ski season early. I've hit 50 mph on them according to my ski app on my phone. Even at that speed, they felt stable and solid.

Okay, I'm out. Happy Winter!
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)

[skeezits]

Hey Mr Soulman... great review. Sounds like a fun ski. Any more news since last time? Any conditions where they feel weird, shakey or unstable?

I'm about to order a pair... find out what this full rocker business is about.

[SoulMan]

Update for week of Jan. 20

I just got back from a week at Big Mountain, MT and I rode these Infidels hard on groomers in bright sunshine for 4 days with occasional forays off into the used up fluff. I also rode them for a day of new snow, and then switched out to my Highball skis after the bigger dump later in the week.

Once again, the huge sweet spot on these babies didn't let me down at speed. According to my iPhone app, I was doing 57.4 mph one day, and I felt stable, sure and at ease with just enough Alpha Waves banging around in my brain to juice me up! I tell the Family Activity Coordinator that I still have it at 61 y.o. and she just rolls her eyes.

Off in the used up bumpy, ice crusted fluff, they did better than I felt, but due to a lack of fun factor, I shot back onto the groomers. On week old new snow in a different aspect sheltered from wind and sun, the Infidels were stable, and quick edge to edge going around obstacles and trees.

In 3-5" of new snow, these skis were rocking the house! I shot out ahead of my ski buddy and dropped the hammer for a nice long run and once again they were stable, solid and yet lively to ride.

They are quick to turn around bits of rock showing through, easy to do what I call "wiggle turns" on narrow lanes, and can twist around little tree stumps in thin cover with ease and aplomb. All done at speed with little nervousness on my part.

All in all, I am thrilled with these Infidels, so much so that I'm looking at the 2013 Manhattan skis as a new model to bridge the gap between them and my Highball skis.

As I said in a previous post, go long on these rockered skis for a sweeter ride.

Skeezits, pop on these, I think you'll love them!
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)

[skeezits]

Thanks for the update.

A pair of 190s have been ordered. Curious to find out how they work for some touring as well, reverse camber and all. Skinning might be weird on harder packed tracks. Should be fun to find out.

Ah, the Manhattan... one of my favorites, I call them the "monster truckers". Jump in and hang on.

[SoulMan]

Hey Skeezits,
Post up a review after you make a few turns on the Infidels. I'd love to know how they do for you.

(and Ya know, judging by some of the pics posted in the last year, MITCH rides these, so they can't be all bad...)
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)

[skeezits]

Well, I've skied these a few times, and hoped to get more time on them before writing too much, but I'll start anyway...

Two days of lift-served, groomed and 15cm fresh. Also two days backcountry, 25cm fresh and some previously tracked snow.
Me, 6', 220lbs, intermediate. TX/Freedom.

First of all, these skis are fun to ride and easy to manage. Reverse camber is new to me, the thing I noticed is how effortless it is to start turns, in almost any type of snow. Drop into the turn, angle them up and around they go. The skis feel loose, a lot of underfoot pivoting. Weird at first for a full rocker newb, but soon realized they aren't going to wander off in separate directions or catch an edge. They're definitely stable when on edge, with good hold and ability to easily change radius or direction. The skis felt best when most of the edge was engaged, either high angle edging or snow 2-3" or deeper.

In the backcountry, they handled the deeper snow (25cm) really well. Enough float for a fun surfy ride. Easy to snake around trees and navigate bumpy/variable terrain. Sun/wind crust is no problem.
Not having camber to bounce on was unusual but easy to adapt.

Skinning was ok, better than expected overall. Plenty of contact pressure underfoot for grip. Full rocker skinning is a breeze with less snow friction, making the skis feel light and easy to slide uphill. Sometimes on steeper, icy, post-holed, snowshoed, boot-packed uptracks, it takes some attention to ensure good ski placement for pressure distribution to avoid spinning out.

As fun as these skis are for most conditions, including backcountry, they may end up being my resort skis. They are slightly scary traveling in some icy bc conditions, sideslopes, steep climbs... too loose feeling. Also, they are stiff and seem to work best at higher speeds. In the BC, I prefer going a lot slower. They're not lightweights, but not overly hefty for shorter bc trips. The twin-tip... I dunno about that... no plans to ski backwards, not exactly sure how they help going frontwards.

Fun skis. I like them.
but... I prefer the Manhattans

[SoulMan]

FWIW, Since I mounted these Infidel skis with NTN, and I ran them all season mounted at boot center on the AT boot mark indicated on the ski.

I was satisfied with the skis' performance in all conditions, but I occasionally had this feeling that I was going to go over the bars, especially in junked up-pushed around new snow or in deeper stuff. Not always, but sometimes, so I just attributed it to bad skiing form.

I was in an experimenting mood this past weekend, so I moved the NTN bindings back to the rear detent on the mounting plate and ran them that way yesterday. WOW! Just that little bit made these babies sit up and roar. Now I'm thinking of moving my binding plate back to give me even more adjustability.

They ski even more lively, and seem to respond a little better to input. That was just one day, but I left the hill very impressed! Shoulda done this sooner. Doh!
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)