How forgiving is the 08 Monza?

[Skoot1123]

So in reading the comments on the new Goode N1 I have to wonder how forgiving my ski is. (HO Monza '08) It seems to have a decent/ good amount of rocker on it thereby making the tip rise/wheelie if you come out of the turn wrong (or just grab the handle too quickly). When we say forgiving it would seem to apply mostly in the turns? Not sure I'd be able to describe forgiving ability behind the boat. Thanks in advance!

[Horton]

08 Monza =1950 Chevy

Any 2012 ski = BWM

 

[ForrestGump]

About as forgiving as a 2x4.

[The_MS]

@skoot I skied the Monza for 4 years and it is very forgiving. I brought it back out this year and skied it for a month while I was trying other skis. After coming off a 66 and 67 Strada, I tried the Fusion, A2, S2, Goode 9960 and Monza. The Nano 1 was the only ski that felt better then my Monza.

[Razorskier1]

What @MS is saying is, "the Monza rocks"!

[Horton]

@Skoot1123 don't listen to @MS he means well but has no idea. The Monza was one of the first fast skis. Almost anything new is better.

[Horton]

Bolivian works motor? Yea yea i should not post with my phone.

[The_MS]

Thats all you can do is try one and compare it.

[BraceMaker]

BWM is something not to type in the Craigslist personal ads section.

[AggieSkier]

I was in FL at the PanAm games last week and saw a skier riding a Monza. He was from Columbia not Bolivia.

 

Also noted that U21 Women from South America ski in very high cut bikinis.

[FrankS]

I am on a ho system 8 and have been told that it is the same shape as the monza, just different materials like the vice is to the strada. is this true?

[Horton]

@JayG80 pictures?!?

@FrankS yes that is correct

 

[AggieSkier]

@Horton Sorry no pix. Just imagine Surf Expo with a tan and 30% smaller!

[eleeski]

@FrankS True BUT!!! The System 8 felt quite different than the Monza. I liked the Monza (a lot) and hated the System 8. Maybe it was the weight or stiffness difference but the feel was noticeable to me. Subjective data from one of the ski tests of years past. Upgrade to a Monza.

 

The Monza is a great value in an older ski. There are lots of them around at reasonable prices. A brand new ski is better but your skiing can progress quite well on a Monza. After a while the Monza will advance you until you absolutely need the new ski!

 

Eric

[Wish]

Italian record men 35+ was set and then reset this past yr by the same guy on the same ski...Monza. into 41 off. He tested an HO-CoX while skiing with me in FL. Liked it. Bought it and ran 5 at 39 a few sets in. Monza is now a shelf.

[Ilivetoski]

Think of it this way... "the monza was one of the first fast skis" when new technology comes out thats when it takes off the fastest. So while the Monza may be a great ski, a current ski like Strada, A2 or A3, Fusion will ablsoutly blow away that ski.

[Skoot1123]

All good things to know. Now just to convince my wife of that!!!!

[andjules]

@Horton (or whomever wants to take a stab at it) there is an underlying suggestion here (and on other threads) that we've had a real revolution (or fast-evolution?) in ski design between - let's say -2008/09-2011/12... how would you characterize it? What are the design elements that are so different?

 

@Wish, between @Horton's review and that anecdote which you shared earlier in the summer, as well as a few other comments here-and-there, I think I've settled on a CoX SL for my new stick this fall.

[estrom]

Heck, I'm moving from a 20+ year old Obrien Competitor X to an RCX I just bought. I'm ecstatic, even if the RCX is 3 years old!

 

[Horton]

There are really two things going on in the last 10+ years. I am sure I am going to screw up some of the chronology but the Ballers will fill in the blanks.

 

First there was the carbon fiber & light core revolution that was started by Goode. The 9100 was the first noteworthy light all carbon ski on the market. In the mid 90s O’Brien made the Sixam that was the first non-Goode ski that was remarkably light and fast. Soon after that HO made the Monza and since then pretty much all high end skis have been all carbon with light cores.

 

Second is the evolution of ski shape. With year round development by a handful of skiers, shapes are simply getting better every year. Currently we are seeing designers looking a lot at ski widths and torsional flex.

 

Not all of current skis are fast (depending on how you define fast). Assuming that materials are all the same, speed is more about the shape of the ski than anything else. More speed is not always better.

 

Speaking very generally a faster ski is less forgiving and a slower ski is more dependable. Perhaps the fastest ski I have ever personally ever ridden is the hardest ski to ski on. A big part of speed is how deep the ski rides in the water. If I ski rides really high it will generally be finicky in the turn.

 

There are a few all carbon skis that I think of as being pretty slow that are also all time classics. The D3 X5 and the HO A1. The trick that I think some designers are working on is how to make a ski fast across the lake but ride deeper (slower) at the ball.

 

[estrom]

Good summary @Horton. Thanks for the info.

 

[Skoot1123]

@Horton - awesome to hear a short and concise summary of what ski's have done in the past number of years. I'm sure my current ski will out perform me, but your always looking for that something special/different to switch things up,

[Chef23]

I know it works for @MS but I moved from an 08 Monza to an A1 and the A1 is much easier to ski on than the Monza for me. This seems to be the general consensus.

[Ilivetoski]

I think that there is something to be said for style in this. I have skied on my RS-1 for two seasons. As fast as anything I have ridden (includes GOODE) and feels 100% natural around the buoy. I have never skied anything this stable and fast, and my scores have gone way up because of that. I feel the same way about the Strada. Very fast, very stable. I run my bindings all the way forward (according to Radar's insert pattern with radar universal plate) and it is still extremly fast. I fear for my skiing if Radar ever goes under.

[FrankS]

@eleeski what do you like in the monza that you didnt see in the system 8? I am actually looking to maby purchase a new ski because the system 8 is actually my dads. I am in high school and still live at home so that isnt a big deal and I am in no rush to get a new ski, but it would be nice to have my own ski. How much would a monza cost me? Would it be worth buying one or could i get a more modern ski for a similar price? I am still skiing at -15 but am hoping to considerably improve these coming summers so would the monza be "too much ski" for me?

thanks,

Frank

 

[Horton]

@FrankS you do understand that @eleeski posts from a California Institute for the Insane. He means well but is totally wacky.

[Horton]

@FrankS System 8 was not really a great ski. Any HO from the A1 on is 1,000,000 times better.

[Wish]

@FrankS, don't know your size but this is a good deal on a ski that would cover your abilities up through shortish line lengths. -35 at speed.

 

http://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?topic=Search&category=Slalom&postid=21019

[tfriess]

@Horton im guessing the same might be said for the HO Phantom Truth?

[Wish]

Hate to speak for @Horton but he!! yes. Those were worse.

[FrankS]

anyone know if I could get some deals if I bought 2 skis at the same time

[FrankS]

also now that i know that my ski isnt so great, how about the monza compared to say a CoX or a vice or a senate or senate c

[tfriess]

@frankS why do you need 2 skis? combo pair?

[FrankS]

@tfriess haha you know why I am looking for two

 

[FrankS]

how about this?

http://www.perfski.com/Waterskis/Slalom-Skis/2012-Radar-Senate-C-Ski.html

[tfriess]

just a little info, @Horton were 15 offers mostly freeski, are starting to get into the course more, we are struggling to run it at 28mph

[Chef23]

@FrankS that Senate C would be a great ski. If you are buying two give them a call and see what they would do.

[The_MS]

Jeff Rogers just set the record on a 9500 that was out before the Monza.

[Horton]

9500 was one of best skis ever. Monza not on that league. At the time Monza was a pretty good ski...

[eleeski]

@Franks Buoy count was the main difference. The System 8 felt sluggish and unresponsive and kept me from being where I wanted to be. The Monza was a comfortable ski. Subjective differences that translated to real performance variations. The Monza will take your skiing to a higher level. So will many of the new skis.

Eric

[MJE]

@FrankS I've skiied the System 8 and the Senate C. Get the Senate C. You won't be disappointed.

[tfriess]

@MJE thanks for the input