Ski Trab Neve 104 Ski

Well, I caved once again to my Ski Trab addiction, and bought a pair of these. Here are my impressions since this is a new ski on the market, and there isn't much out on them!

The Neve 104 is stable, damp, and easy to ski. It is the opposite of what people mean when they say a ski is "hooky." It has long, low rocker lines in the tip and tail, and low camber - just enough to provide great edge engagement and good skinning performance, but not so much as to make the ski grab in weird ways. My intended use for this ski was 50% powder ski and 50% variable-snow-destroying beef ski, so I'm very happy with this profile.

The long turn radius of this ski is immediately obvious when you ski it (and when you look at it). It isn't a carving ski. The long radius makes it very stable, and gives it excellent, predictable edge engagement on firm snow. In powder, it's happy to ski straight and fast, but it still turns easily, thanks to the rocker profile. It's a remarkably forgiving ski for how stiff and straight it is, but it is worth noting that it does not float from the shovel as much as a typical 105mm ski might - the shovel isn't as wide, proportionally, since the sidecut is so straight. It likes to be skied from a neutral stance, with plenty of speed, in deep snow.

Finally, the construction of this ski is very damp. My second outing on it involved jump turns on steep chalk and an apron full of old, refrozen tracks and breakable crust, in the dark. This ski handled it shockingly well. On edge, it was smooth and secure, and in the apron, it was extremely predictable and did exactly what I told it to, blowing through the crust. In deep, blower powder, I'm happy to report that this ski is great fun - as most skis are in those conditions.

I'm pairing this ski with a Dynafit Ridge boot most of the time, and that feels like an ideal combination. I also ski it with my F1 XT in soft conditions, and that feels like an adequate pairing as long as the terrain and snow are straightforward and consistent. I'm skiing the 181cm at 5'10 and 150lbs.

Oh, and like all Ski Trab skis - buy the precut skins, they're the best, etc.

Will be getting any more 188s in?

I am 165 lbs, and although I am sure the 180s would be fine, I am wondering about 188s because these will be mostlly powder-hunting skis. I'm also considering the Dynastar M-Tour 108s, but I'm in love with Trab skis and I also suspect the Trabs will be more versatile. I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

How stiff are these? I've been struggling to find something that doesn't fold up at 200 lbs and skiing with some speed unless I use 50/50 or actual inbound skis.

Hey guys, what's the prognosis for getting these in before the end of January? Looking at getting them for a mid Feb. ski trip.

And can you ship to Canada without customs hassles (at least, in your experience so far -- I realize you can't make promises about what customs people will do)!

When will the shorter lengths be available for purchase?

I see "a progressive mount point" listed in the description. What is it numerically? Thanks