picking between two help

[harddock]

I have a boy outgrowing his 65 Senate Alloy. We have a chance to get a Mapple T3 or buy a Radar Pro Build Vapor. Priced the same. Mapple 66" Radar 67" or a 66 Radar?. He is 17,5'10, 140lbs. skiing 34 and moving to 36. Which would be the better choice for him?

[Orlando76]

I would say 66” Radar Vapor. At 140lbs and 34/36 67” seems big. But heck that last time I saw 140lbs I might’ve been 10. I always skied 68” Mapples but the 68” T3 was too big for me for some reason. Remember there’s a big difference between the Senate and Vapor even with the same length.

[Chef23]

Having seen Ray I would say probably a 66 Vapor. Matt is about the same height but is 180+ pounds and rides a 67" Vapor. If you think Ray is going to fill out fairly quickly you could put him on a 67. I haven't seen him ski in a few years is he running short line at 34? Ray is welcome to try Matt's 67 (not a pro build the older green ski) and see how it feels. If you think Ray is likely to put 20-30 pounds on and is running 34/15 right now you could look at the 67. The 67 ProBuild probably has not a ton more support (I hesitate to use surface area) than a 65 Senate.

 

I am not sure that helped.

[harddock]

Blake, had a green Lithium 66. He skied ok on it. I think that ski got him into 34, @ 15 and maybe even a 22 off. He took a good wipe out and after that went back to his Senate. He was either intimidated or scared of the Vapor. This was 2 years ago. He is ready for something to progress again. I spotted the Mapple in his size and heard on good about those. I was told that at 15/22 off 34 the 67 would be ok because of his height and if he did spring up over night he wouldn't instantly out grow, I am basically got it down to between Mapple T3 and 66 Pro build.

[Chef23]

@harddock sorry not sure why I said Ray I knew it was Blake. He is built kind of similar to Ray Chevailer I have no idea what size ski Ray is on but he might be a good data point if you know how to contact him. The wider Senate is going to be more forgiving than the Vapor and at his current size he isn't too big for the 65 Senate. If the Mapple T3 is wider in the front he might feel better on it. I haven't skied the Mapple.

 

A few years ago there was a Boys 3 skier in our region who ran 28 off at 36 mph on a Senate so it can run those speeds.

 

Coming back from a hard crash is tough. When Matt got concussed on a Nano 1 he jumped to a Vapor and just had more confidence in it. The fall had nothing to do with the ski but he felt better on something else. If Blake has negative feelings about a Vapor it might make sense to look at something else.

[TFIN]

@harddock At that height and weight, definitely the 66”. I can’t say enough good things about the Pro Build; incredibly balanced, requiring super minimal input to turn and accelerate. Feel free to DM me for set up assistance if you choose to go that route.

Trent Finlayson

[6balls]

66'' Vapor. I'm on a 67'' Vapor at 195 lbs and it's amazing at 36 mph when I bump it up from 34. I've taken it into 38 off there. I would think the 66'' would be great for your son at 36 mph.

My bro also told me @TFIN is "the man" on setting up a pro-build. He dialed in my brother's ski...which by tradition I have stolen once properly set-up.

[Jordan]

FWIW, last year at the Radar Nation ski day at Mcclintocks both JMac and Brooks suggested my 5'11" 170 pound son should be on a 66" Radar Pro Build. I had originally thought maybe a 67...we went with the 66 and it is plenty of ski for him at 36 mph.

[ballsohard]

Definitely the 66" Probuild!

[Deanoski]

Radar

[MDB1056]

Radar - 66

[BraceMaker]

I would go for radar just in case he loved the mapple and you can't replace it.

[lpskier]

Well, I disagree. While top end Radar skis are fantastic if they fit your style (just watch how well Jamie Calhoun’s ski works for him), in my view they either work for you or they don’t work at all. Unlike say, D3 (or for that matter the Radar Senate) that pretty much everyone can ride reasonably well, the Vapor has to suit you or it can be a bad choice.

 

I skied on a T3 for two years and loved it, but it can take time to get it set up the right way and you have to know what you are doing to get it right. Fortunately for me I had plenty of help getting it right. To a degree, maybe that is what I see with Radar skis. But I haven’t seen many T3’s where I think that it just isn’t the right ski for the skier.

 

Since you want your boy to have fun on his ski, and therefore enjoy his time on the water (and with his dad), I wouldn’t buy either ski for him without trying it first to make sure it’s the right ski for him. If it’s just a choice between these two, I think the T3 is the safer bet. Since the T3 was manufactured by Radar for Mapple, you are supporting Radar either way.

[lpskier]

@BraceMaker Well, just you wait. It won’t say “Mapple,” but the next generation is not far away.

[BraceMaker]

@lpskier great to hear! I've just seen the "broke my ski and looking for replacement" type threads - will the replacement still be fabricated by Radar?

[Chef23]

I haven't skied on the ProBuild but I never got along with the Blue Vapor. I spent a season struggling to get consistency on it and wound up going back to a Goode and felt comfortable right away. I don't have any experience with the Mapple so I can't comment on it. I do know my son looks much better on the older green Vapor than I ever did on the Blue one.

[harddock]

Problem in the Northeast is there are very few opportunities to try before you buy. Most of the time we buy used. The green Vapor Lithium is the ski he had a bad fall with and just never felt right on that ski. The Mapple T3, and all the 2018+ Pro built's in 66" are disappearing faster than a magic trick. At his age distractions are plenty making time short on a already short season. I was hoping to start on something new. We may just have to go another season on the Senate.

[Chef23]

@harddock there are some 66" D3 Arcs on SIA that would likely be a very safe bet for Blake. I sent you a message about a way you might be able to find one locally or at least get him on one to demo.

[lpskier]

@BraceMaker No. They will be built in-house. FYI, Andy was just about to break ground to build his own “factory” to build Mapple skis when he passed away.