The new BX ski is a great addition to the PRO RMK!
new BX ski from C&A Pro Skis in action on PRO RMK
- Thread starter colorado_matt
- Start date
The stock gripper is a tough ski to beat for boondocking. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the BX vs. the Gripper? in the video you say its a bit more aggressive but not too agressive, and more durable than stock... but did you feel it initiates sidehill as easy as the gripper, pushes through corners less than the gripper, and maintains the easy turning that gripper provides? Also what carbide are you running on the BX?
I will tell you why I am running this ski this winter. Overall I think the Polaris gripper is the best stock ski out there. However the ski can be a little on the soft side as well as the rubber bumper at the bottom of the ski spindle. Here is what I mean. Last year I was boondocking and headed towards a tree in front of the tree was a bit of a wind drift or channel of snow. As I approached I initiated a carve and blipped the throttle to bring my front end up a little to plow through the other (high) side of the wind drift. Instead of my ski powering through the drift, it loaded up and turned vertical due to the softer compound of the ski and rubber bumper. My sled stopped immediately and threw me over the bars. I did a complete front flip landing on my butt. Now if I had a tree in front of me, or just landed wrong it could have been a broken neck or something of the sort. Because of this experience alone I have chosen the BX due to it's greater stiffness of both the ski and rubber bumper. I think the bx would have power through that wind drift and not thrown me. Good luck.
I believe from my experience that the bx initiates a sidehill and directional changes just as well as the gripper. The inverted grooves may also help hold a line a bit better. I have always been a big fan of the gripper and I'm really excited and am confident that C&A built a better ski. What I meant by saying it's more aggressive but not too aggressive, is that it is a touch more responsive but not to the point that it requires more effort in your arms to steer. I've tried skis that required a lot of effort from me to move the bars, and i personally didn't like that feel. I am running the minimal 6 inch carbide. The mount as mentioned above, is better than stock and you will not have the ski catch and fold straight up unless you hit something very serious under the snow. The only disadvantage that I can think of is that the bx weighs a little more than the gripper. But that's the price of having a little bit stiffer ski built to C&A's standards.
In spring snow it likes to do the same thing. It's a quick JRA to WTF transition.
I may give these skis a try as well.
Just curiosity here, I'm not trying to bash C&A, as I was interested in the skis until I saw the $550 tag to get them.
Explain to me why these skis would be better than say, SLP Powder Pros, which are about $450.
Again, just curious is all.
Explain to me why these skis would be better than say, SLP Powder Pros, which are about $450.
Again, just curious is all.
I'm curious as well. It seems that the PP's are well known as one of the best options and you can get them for $320 all set up. Why is this ski $200 + more?
The 450 I quoted was from SLP's website, so yes, it's easy to get them cheaper from dealers if you shop around.
I was going to ask if anyone has Free shipping and a better deal than $550 pice tag. This is for the skis, loops, mounting kit and wear bars. Yikes.
I found some on e-bay for $350 and free shipping need to buy mount kit and bars but the kicker is that is Bright Yellow, any other color is $400 plus + mount kit and bars.
Grippers with C&A rubber might have to do this year if we ever get snow.
Hard to swallow that cost not being able to try first.
I found some on e-bay for $350 and free shipping need to buy mount kit and bars but the kicker is that is Bright Yellow, any other color is $400 plus + mount kit and bars.
Grippers with C&A rubber might have to do this year if we ever get snow.
Hard to swallow that cost not being able to try first.
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T
I just got my black bx skis. paid 387$ free shipping 34$ mount kit plus 6" wear bars 55$ so yea just short 500 but I'm happy
For me there are a few reasons why I choose the C&A's over other major brands such as the powder pro, first of which is material. The C&A is made of UHMW Plastic, by hand, in a high pressure mold for about an hour per ski. Other ski companies generally use a quick injection mold HDPE plastic. This is where the majority of cost difference comes from. The UHMW is a more durable plastic with significantly better distortion qualities before it breaks. This means the C&A ski will generally last a lot longer over time with repeated abused on objects.
Second, from what I have found C&A has the most durable rubber bump stops in the industry. I have a problem with the Polaris stock rubber bumpers busting all the time.
Third, I love that the C&A is similar to the Stock gripper in which the ski has a large tip that extends up high (about 10") off flat snow level which means it has more floatation and gets on top of the snow faster. Most other comapnies have a longer radius curve going to the point at their tip which makes it more likely to push when initiating a steep downhill sidehill as well as the fact that a lot of other companies dont have their tip come up as high, but rather just have the handle height tall, thus doing nothing for floation.
Hope this info helps.
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