Here is a video compilation of my better helmet camera footage while skiing the Bibby 190 with the review immediately below:
09/10 Moment Bibby Pro (190cm) from Thomas Armento on Vimeo.
For the 2008-2009 season, Josh Bibby's Pro Model was only available in 186cm, but with growing popularity and demand for something more beastly, Moment will offer a 190cm length for the 2009-2010 season which adds 3mm to the waist for dimensions of 143-118-134. The Bibby Pro was their top selling ski this past season and for good reason. With its progressive design highlighted by tip and tail rocker along with taper that reduces drag and hookiness in powder, the Bibby Pro has become an excellent park ski for backcountry jibbing. The longer edition for next year differs in that it is much stiffer all throughout allowing for greater chargeability in big mountain conditions.
As expected, the 118mm waist and tip rocker gives you great float in deep powder making the tips virtually unsinkable. Of the 10-12 days I've been on these, once was in superb conditions at Monarch with more than two feet of fresh snow to play with. I had absolutely no problems keeping my large size afloat while carrying various speeds down the mountain. What I liked most about the Bibby 190 here was the ability to shut it down almost completely and get lost in the whiteroom while regaining speed quickly into the next turn. They slash with ease and the short running length makes the skis very maneuverable and agile in tight spots and trees.
Once the fresh lines start to disappear, the Bibby 190 still performs very well in tracked-out conditions. As alluded to earlier, the tapered tip design allows the ski to slice through soft crud and the added stiffness underfoot and in the tail give you the comfort of going fast with all the stability you could need. The tips are stiff enough that you don't need to worry about deflection or about being bounce around once it gets considerably choppy.
How these would handled crud was going to be the deal maker for me. Most of the rockered skis that have come out recently have been a total dream in soft snow, but haven't performed the greatest in firmer conditions. Last weekend at Loveland, I found firm snow on moderate pitches that offered a true test for how these would perform. Even at questionable high speeds, the stiffness of the Bibby 190 provided enough stability to not worry much. On hardpack, the slight amount of camber underfoot allows you to carve if you choose to. The rockered tail makes it easier to release out of your turns while allowing forgiveness if you find yourself in the backseat or on an off-balance landing.
Construction of this ski is top notch and you will be hard-pressed to find something more durable. I've hit numerous rocks over thirty-plus days on the Bibby 190 and there's only superficial scratches on the bases with no core shots at all. Overall, I think this is one of Moment's most versatile ski and one that has handled all conditions very well. As long as you don't plan on skiing much sastrugi, avalanche debris, or crazy wind-affected snow, you'll be plenty stoked on them.
Specs:
Ski length along topsheet with straight ruler: 188cm
Dimensions: 143-118-134 with tapered tip & tail
Turning radius: 26.7m
Effective edge with skis relaxed: 122cm
Effective edge with skis decambered: 114cm
Amount of tip rocker with skis decambered: 42cm
Amuont of tail rocker with skis decambered: 32cm
Suggested mount point for jibbing: between 4-5cm behind chord center
Suggested mount point for big mountain: between 5-7cm behind chord center
Weight: 9.8 lbs
bases on left and topsheet on right (click image to view in larger size)
rocker profile with skis relaxed (click image to view in larger size)
tip rocker decambered (click image to view in larger size)
tail rocker decambered (click image to view in larger size)
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