Hey guys, well I have about 2.5 months of riding on my C&A BX Backcountry Skis and wanted to throw up a review of them on the PRO chassis.
As most would agree Polaris has by far the best stock ski on the market, though it does have its downsides. I think C&A really capitalized on the stock skis weak points and produced something thats amazing in all conditions.
Design:
The first thing I noticed when I got the BX's is how short the tail is. Initially that made me think it might try to ride with the tip too high in the pow and may create resistance. After one quick rip in a couple feet of fresh, it does nothing of the sort. In fact the shorter (2" less than stock) tail makes initiation of a side hill easier to get on edge, by having less ski jabbing into the snow when you counter steer.
The next thing you'll notice is the Polaris gripper inspired knobs on top which aid in traction when digging the sled out, we all know these work, and it's great to see them continue this solid design.
Materials:
C&A uses a pressure molded UHMW plastic which is extremely resilient to big hits off solid objects. The nice thing about this material as opposed to a cheaper injection HDPE is the elasticity of the plastic before failure. The last thing I want is a busted ski in a gnarly spot 20 miles from the truck. I've been on C&A's for 4 years putting them through the ringer and they haven't failed yet.
The Ride:
This is obviously the most important part of the whole deal, and the reason to get them in the first place. As soon as I got onto the groomer I was in disbelief...a mtn specific ski that can rail corners and has no push on the trail!?!? Huge thumbs up here. I come from a trail riding background and like to cruise an aggressive pace to get into the backcountry and right into the action, these just plain work.
The second test the skis were put thru was hitting early season logs to see if the tip would fold and "stuff" me, stopping the sled dead in it's tracks like the stock grippers do. As I originally guessed they did nothing of the sort. The tip of the BX is quite a bit stiffer than the grippers, as is the amazing oversized rubbers that don't catastrophically fail like the tiny Polaris units. This is also a plus when heading downhill and trying to initiate a hard turn to go back uphill. I've had my grippers more than a few times hit an old track or steep spot and practically fold backwards, stuffing me, and if you have any momentum it usually results in high siding the sled.
Last but not least I like that C&A makes their tip broad and tall. They do not use the loop to provide a false sense of height which results in zero additional flotation. If you take a look at other brands, their tip usually has a taper that starts way further back increasing push when initiating a downhill carve. I like starting a carve and having instant bite...the C&A does this!
Negatives:
From the get go these skis are aggressive, theres just not other way to put it. In reality though you get used to it extremely quickly, and I would take stout any day over the doughy stock Gripper ski.
Tips:
The biggest tip I can give is set up. If you ride predominantly off trail do yourself a favor and put the tip position into the hole closest to the spindle. This will minimize the aggressive feel and make the ski float easier in the pow. If your a midwest rider and do most of your riding on trail, I would put them in the middle hole. If you think you need the forward most hole, choose a different ski that C&A makes for that, because obviously your a snocross racer with a 600 short track lol
Here's the hole positions:
I fixed my buddy's skis for him and this is what I considered the easiest way to move the loop (it has a ton of pressure on it)
Hope everyone finds this helpful. Let me know if you have any questions!!
As most would agree Polaris has by far the best stock ski on the market, though it does have its downsides. I think C&A really capitalized on the stock skis weak points and produced something thats amazing in all conditions.
Design:
The first thing I noticed when I got the BX's is how short the tail is. Initially that made me think it might try to ride with the tip too high in the pow and may create resistance. After one quick rip in a couple feet of fresh, it does nothing of the sort. In fact the shorter (2" less than stock) tail makes initiation of a side hill easier to get on edge, by having less ski jabbing into the snow when you counter steer.
The next thing you'll notice is the Polaris gripper inspired knobs on top which aid in traction when digging the sled out, we all know these work, and it's great to see them continue this solid design.
Materials:
C&A uses a pressure molded UHMW plastic which is extremely resilient to big hits off solid objects. The nice thing about this material as opposed to a cheaper injection HDPE is the elasticity of the plastic before failure. The last thing I want is a busted ski in a gnarly spot 20 miles from the truck. I've been on C&A's for 4 years putting them through the ringer and they haven't failed yet.
The Ride:
This is obviously the most important part of the whole deal, and the reason to get them in the first place. As soon as I got onto the groomer I was in disbelief...a mtn specific ski that can rail corners and has no push on the trail!?!? Huge thumbs up here. I come from a trail riding background and like to cruise an aggressive pace to get into the backcountry and right into the action, these just plain work.
The second test the skis were put thru was hitting early season logs to see if the tip would fold and "stuff" me, stopping the sled dead in it's tracks like the stock grippers do. As I originally guessed they did nothing of the sort. The tip of the BX is quite a bit stiffer than the grippers, as is the amazing oversized rubbers that don't catastrophically fail like the tiny Polaris units. This is also a plus when heading downhill and trying to initiate a hard turn to go back uphill. I've had my grippers more than a few times hit an old track or steep spot and practically fold backwards, stuffing me, and if you have any momentum it usually results in high siding the sled.
Last but not least I like that C&A makes their tip broad and tall. They do not use the loop to provide a false sense of height which results in zero additional flotation. If you take a look at other brands, their tip usually has a taper that starts way further back increasing push when initiating a downhill carve. I like starting a carve and having instant bite...the C&A does this!
Negatives:
From the get go these skis are aggressive, theres just not other way to put it. In reality though you get used to it extremely quickly, and I would take stout any day over the doughy stock Gripper ski.
Tips:
The biggest tip I can give is set up. If you ride predominantly off trail do yourself a favor and put the tip position into the hole closest to the spindle. This will minimize the aggressive feel and make the ski float easier in the pow. If your a midwest rider and do most of your riding on trail, I would put them in the middle hole. If you think you need the forward most hole, choose a different ski that C&A makes for that, because obviously your a snocross racer with a 600 short track lol
Here's the hole positions:
I fixed my buddy's skis for him and this is what I considered the easiest way to move the loop (it has a ton of pressure on it)
Hope everyone finds this helpful. Let me know if you have any questions!!
