Goode XTR CC - Review

[Horton]

Intro
The Goode XTR CC is the 3rd refinement of the classic Goode Nano 1 (XT, XTR and now the XTR CC). The technological difference between the XTR CC and its predecessors is the ski’s construction. Since last year, all Goode slalom skis are built with Carbon Core construction. See http://goode.com/blog/tag/carbon-core/

The Carbon Core construction allows Goode to build the skis thinner, yet more durable. The thinner profile (thinner sidewall) allows the ski to ride deeper in the water when on edge. This thinner profile also allows the ski to roll onto an edge more freely.

General feel
The XTR CC is one of the fastest skis tested to date. It requires very little physical strength to get from side to side and achieves width easily. The ski performs best when the skier restrains aggression.

The XTR CC is stable in pitch and yaw, but loose in roll. This means the tip stays down and the attitude of the ski is relatively constant the tail does not seem to slide excessively around apex, but the ski rolls side to side freely.

The speed of the XTR CC and the fact that it rides deep in the water is paradoxical. Typically, fast skis ride high on the water and are twitchy whereas deep riding skis are slower and more stable.

Off Side
Off side turns on the XTR CC are basically foolproof. The skier needs to only stay centered and calm. This ski is particularly forgiving to imperfect technique approaching and through the Off Side turns. Since the ski is loose in terms of roll, the skier must avoid allowing their mass to move too aggressively to the inside. If a skier does move to the inside too aggressively they will exit the ball in an over-aggressive lean.

The fact that the ski rides deep in the water means that if the skier pushes too hard the tail is very unlikely to blow out.

On Side
On Side turns are smooth and predictable, but, as with Off Side, the skier should not let their mass move to the inside prematurely. If the skier moves to the inside too much or too early the ski will roll over excessively and result in a sudden and unexpectedly hard turn. Controlling the roll of the ski is much more critical on the On Side than the Off Side.

For the review, I found that if I emphasized keeping two hands on the handle extra-long my On Side turns went from inconsistent to very good. This technique stabilized my upper mass and delayed the ultimate roll of the ski until I was ready to finish the turn.

Wakes to ball
The XTR CC draws an early line and gains width from the wakes to apex automatically. The ski “moves out” with less resistance than most skis on the market today. As an example of this is a skier approaching a 1/3/5 turn will feel their feet move right sooner and faster than normal.

Unlike some other “fast” skis, the XTR CC does not carry more speed to apex than can be managed.

Ball to wakes
When ridden with restraint, the XTR CC makes buckets of speed with very little effort from the skier and remarkably little load in the skier's hands.

If the skier is overly aggressive into the wakes, the XTR CC will acquire excessive speed and load.

Conclusion.
When ridden with a little restraint the XTR CC is a joy to ride. Perhaps, the only thing not to love about the ski is that, once you make a major mistake and try to muscle the rest of a pass, the ski is less friendly.

Quirks
The ski is the least fin and binding settings sensitive Goode tested to date. The right settings are always critical, but small moves are not as apparent as expected. This is perhaps a result of the ski riding deeper in the water.

The XTR CC glides unusually free on the gate pull out. The ski requires very little effort to get wide on the boat and then bleeds that speed slowly. This is neither a good or bad attribute, but does require the skier to adjust their gate pull out timing and intensity.

 

[ballsohard]

A Goode XTR that's described as low effort will likely fly off shelves.

[The_MS]

Pitch and Yaw?

Was I supposed to read up on Denali to understand the review?

[Horton]

@The_MS for the people in Minnesota that means the tip stays down and the tail doesn't slide

[Not_The_Pug]

I rode the Goode XTR CC for the first time this weekend. I'm sure @dirt with give me a hard time for saying this, but @horton review is spot on from what I felt on this ski after a couple of rides.

[Horton]

@Not_The_Pug I try

[Dirt]

I don’t remember saying his ski reviews were inaccurate. In general, I try not to agree with Horton.

[Stathis Ventouris]

@Horton final settings and best practice/review score?

[The_MS]

4.5@39 is a good score.

[Horton]

@Stathis Ventouris

6.825

2.495

.690

8°

29.25

 

I ran 38

[BS74]

What length ski?

[pcmcon729]

@Horton ...you are in a very important tournament tomorrow! Which ski will you grab, XTR cc or C75? 1 month of income is on the line.

[Horton]

@BS74 67

@pcmcon729 I do not make enough money for a months income to make a difference.

[Stathis Ventouris]

Front Boot 28,25 from 29 1/16 factory? Back boot?

[Stathis Ventouris]

@Horton question on previous post for you.

[wawaskr]

@Horton you went from 29” to 28.25” on binding - what did you notice?

[MISkier]

@Horton, you should have said: "Both. One for the first round and the other for the second round. Can't leave anything to chance."

[BS74]

Goode tech data says 67inch bindings at 29 1/16 in. That's way up from where you had it!

 

[Horton]

sorry guys that's a typo should be 29 1/4

[Stathis Ventouris]

@Horton I am surprised my experience with the ski is that it does not work with the front binding forward of the recommended setting and 29 1/4 is a 3/16 difference. The length measurement 6.825 is with tips?

[Horton]

tip yes. NOT jaws

[BS74]

Is the 67 in measured across the bottom or the chord? I bought a 67in XTR early in the year and it felt small for 32mph. I measured it against my Nano 1 66 3/4 and the xtr was an inch shorter! Anyone's thoughts for xtrcc or xtr at 32 mph? Skiing -32

[skialex]

@BS74 XTR 68” is same length as N1 66.75”, 67” is same length as 66” N1 or XT

[Jordan]

@BS74 Good switched a few years ago from measuring ski length with the chord measurement to the industry standard bottom measurement. That makes an old chord measurement 67 larger than a new measurement 67,

[skialex]

Well... yes kind of... a revo cc 67.25” is the same length as a revolution or a Rev6 67.25” so you need to do some research first. Length mumbers are not straight forward like in other brands yet, but they are getting there. Bit confusing for some...

[ALPJr]

Which one of the Goode carbon core skis would be considered as having more surface area or recommended for women and men skiers in the 32 and 30 mph tournament age group brackets?

[ALPJr]

Bump - Goode model with increased surface area for women men 6-7 and up?

[mbabiash]

Where’s Scott Chipman when you need him. Good old surface area dilemma.

I wouldn’t look at surface area. The bevels, rocker and concave together really dictate how high a ski rides. My guess would be RevOcc would ride the highest.

[ALPJr]

Thanks @mbabiash

[The_MS]

Got my XTR cc late last week and after talking with @Chad_Scott I set it up to the same numbers as my N1. Felt a bit twearky at -38 so I backed up the fin a bit.

29 1/8

2.499

6.849 tips

.700 flat

Love the same solid controlled feeling that the N1 gave me and this ski moves out and holds speed much better. Nice offside and it feels like you can stand on your head and still turn buoys. At 173 the 67 is sized right for me.

[robbieracer]

@The_MS Sounds great, I'm about the same weight as you and this ski is on my shortlist. Thanks for sharing.

[Deanoski]

@The_MS Have you been on the 9970 to compare?

[The_MS]

@Deanoski no I have not.

[RAWSki]

@Deanoski I went from a from a 68" XTR to a 68.5 9970cc. Happy with the switch. The ski feels really fast and quick. Reminds me of when I first rode a Goode 9100 so many years ago.

[pcmcon729]

I am very anxious to hear more about the 9970! I loved the early Goode models and owned the 9100, 9200, 9300, 9500, 9700. The 91,93,& 97 were my favorites. My current ride is a very tired '17 XTR. I recently tested C-75, XTR cc, D3 ion, and Vapor. The Radar was the winner for me. But I can't proceed until I ride (unlikely this year, I'm in NH) or read good reviews from the masses on the 9970.

[Than_Bogan]

Somebody get pcmcon729 a 9970CC! His review would be fascinating to all!

[pcmcon729]

@Than_Bogan hahaha, I would also need a trip to Fla to test it as well. My favorite skis of all time, @36-9300 and 34-9700.

 

[RAWSki]

@pcmcon729 never skied 36 but have to agree loved the 9600 and the 9800SL! That is why I took a chance and went from the XTs to the 9970. FYI Goode can also make you a traditional construction 9970. With the savings you can go to FL!

[jeidmann]

@ALPJr Goode just came out with an XTR CC wide ride

[pcmcon729]

Addendum to my Oct 20 post about the Goode 9970cc interest. I ended up buying one about a month ago. Still early season in NH, but up to -32 @ 34mph is so much easier than the XTR. Effortless skiing and far less drag and work than the XTR. The perspective from those in the boat, "You don't even look like you are trying". It's interesting that with what appears to be far less surface area (much narrower ski), it can be so much faster.

[bparson]

@pcmcon729 How do you feel about the 9970cc now? Give us an update.

[pcmcon729]

@bparson I like the 9970 more than the XTR. I'm on a 67", weight 172, and ski 34 mph. I rode several traditionally constructed XTR's since the models release in '17, and also rode an XTR cc for 1 month last fall. I honestly didn't notice a whole lot of difference in how the XTR and XTR cc felt. My 9970 is set up to the exact specs that Goode recommends. This has always worked for me with the many Goodes I have owned. The ski is very sensitive to wing angle adjustments, and I'd made these adjustments due to water temp changes. Cold NH water feels fast in the spring, so I had adjusted the fin to 10 at that time. Goode recommends 9.5 +/- .5. Currently at 9.5. The 9970 cc rides much more level and not as tip high as I felt and also see with most others riding the XTR. Far less drag and work to get wide as compared to the XTR. It turns a sharp but smooth off side that is predictable. For the onside, I can easily adjust the radius of the turn as needed on the fly, and it always finishes well. This ski is great in less than perfect conditions, that being head/tail, light chop, or backwash. It also performs flawlessly when in panic mode. Perhaps this is because the lower side wall making it ride deeper. That said, riding deeper is not at the expense of speed, on the contrary. I judge a ski by how it feels, and not how many buoys I run out of the box. Those come when a ski is a good fit. Speaking for my own skiing currently, it's very consistent. I am somewhat limited to 4 sets weekly, and when I increase that, my body pushes back. I need to ski 6-7 sets weekly to break through to the level that I used to ski at. No fault of the ski. The 9970 is a great fit for me.

[Deanoski]

@pcmcon729 You are on a 67 not a 67.75

 

I’m the same weight

[pcmcon729]

@Deanoski Correct, 67", as recommended by Goode.