After reading Horton's initial impressions on the 68" O'Brien G5, I had been trying to lay my hands on one all season. I was finally able to do so, and these are my impressions of the ski.
However, first, a little background. I'm a 60+year old, 170lb skier who typically runs mid to deep 28off at 34mph. In past years (on a good day), I could ski into mid 32off, but my back and knees have begun to degenerate and 28off is now my new "normal". The skis that I have ridden this season include a highly modified 67" O'Brien Elite, a full Kevlar (not carbon) soft 67" O'Brien Elite and a few weeks on a 67" 2015 RADAR Vapor Lithium. My best scores have been achieved, until now, on the Kevlar Elite. Each of these skis has demonstrated a particular characteristic that I have really liked, but not a complete package. The highly modified Elite carried huge speed cross-course, the Kevlar Elite turned on a dime, and the Vapor was amazing on the pull-out for the gates and the minimal energy to get from ball to ball. But they all had other, less positive, characteristics that left me wanting for more. They just didn't necessarily suit my style of skiing and the limitations imposed by my "more mature" body.
So, back to the G5.
To replicate what Horton had skied on, Pete Surrette (O'Brien SeniorVP/GM) provided me with a 68" G5 to try. I set the fin and bindings up with Horton's final settings (front boot at 30", Depth=2.525", Length=6.841" , DFT=0.7265 head, 0.759 slot) and gave it a go. Hmmm..not so good. I was getting a lot of "hunting" on the pull-out for the gates and the turn-in was a matter of catching the ski on the right oscillation. In addition, I was getting a reasonable off-side, but the on-side turn was a real struggle. The ski just didn't want to come around before the line loaded up. So, after contacting Horton's "Yoda" ski set-up master and describing what was going on, the following settings are what I ended up with: Front boot at 29.75", Depth=2.485", Length(tips)=6.885", DFT(stem flat)=0.768"
The ski no longer hunted during the pull-out for the gates and I could consistently time the turn-in. In addition, I was now getting very consistent on-side and off-side carving turns. I would finish a turn, edge change, and then be in the next carving turn. There was no sensation of an intermediate cross-course pull. It was just one smooth turn after the next. Unfortunately, unlike Horton, I was finding the 68" to be too big for me. Course width wasn't an issue, it was just that I couldn't get the ski to turn in a tight enough radius. I just ended up later and later for the subsequent buoys.
I reported this back to Pete Surrette and his Sales VP Ed Lavin and the next thing I knew Pete was handing me a 66" G5 to try. With a grin, Pete told me that I would probably like this one a whole lot better - and he was right!
I took a look at the fin settings that O'Brien had on their website (2.510", 6.730" and 0.735") and tweaked those on the basis of my skiing style and past experience with the O'Brien Elite family of skis. My fin settings ended up being fairly close, but were 2.510", 6.830" and 0.745" respectively. With these fin settings, I equaled my current season PB on my 4th pass. What a revelation. The more committed I was to the pass and the harder I worked the ski, the more I got in return. There wasn't any adjustment required in my (neutral stance) skiing style - unlike other skis that have required more tip pressure at turn initiation, such as the Vapor. In addition, the "communication" between my brain and the ski didn't seem to get filtered - what I wanted to do, the ski responded. And, lastly, I was not getting as much of a "kick" up through my spine and knees on wake crossings as I had been getting with my Elites. (This is a big deal when you have a bad back and knees.) I had been worried about fore/aft sensitivity with the shorter ski, but actually found it to be more stable than the 68".
One thing that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews is the improvement in the O'Brien fin block over past versions. The current "Insight" fin block is one of the best that I have encountered in terms of the minimal amount of time to adjust it to a desired setting.
Bottom line: I don't want to give the ski back!!
If you get a chance, and are close in weight range to me, try a 66" G5. I don't think you will regret it!