Such a revelation required closer examination.
But the rocker length is fairly symmetrical tip and tail.
And while there is more splay in the tip, there is a lot of tail rocker splay too.
Were in Vishnu/ON3P territory here, shape-wise.
They feature sintered bases, plenty of fiberglass and interestingly, a poplar/polyurethane core.
Edges are pretty standard (around the 2mm mark).
The resulting ski feels stiff to hand flex, probably in the ballpark of the K2 Poacher.
They soften slightly towards the tip and tail but feel relatively stiff throughout with no obvious hinge points.
The flex also feels relatively symmetrical.
They definitely prefer to pivot than carve.
It’s mostly a lack of energy in the turn that makes them fine but somewhat dull on hardpack.
Of course, there are float limits to a 99mm waist.
P: Chris Foote
Steeps:
The MFree 99 is equally at home in steep terrain.
They seem relatively damp too, so there isnt much chattering going on.
The one potential downside here is the relatively short effective edge.
Crud:
For me, crud was a bit of a mixed bag.
But in hard chop and post-avvy grimness, they deflect a lot because of the large tip splay.
The MFree is as good as any of the more traditional park options for this.
These skis also do decently on jumps because of the solid underfoot platform.
The MFree tick that box with aplomb.
They aren’t a jump ski but they certainly hold their own.
But they are on the stiff side for pushing into legitimate presses, etc.
I didnt put them through hell because rails were few and far between in the time I skied them.
The edges are fairly standard width-wise.
I dont have calipers but I would guesstimate they are a standard mid-fat edge (around 2-2.2mm).
The finish on the skis was great and they feel like they will certainly last.
Comparisons:
ON3P Jeffrey 98/102:
The MFree line very much recalls the ON3P Jeffrey line in my mind.
The skis feel pretty similar and have similar shape profiles.
The 98 was stiffer but a bit more energetic thanks to the bamboo core.
I suspect the same is true of the 102.
The 102 has a wider footprint overall, so will likely float better.
I like both skis very much though.
But it has a very different profile and way of going about it.
But the MFree is much better in soft snow and to me, its just more fun.
They are probably my two personal favorite skis in this space, despite how different they are.
Conclusion:
One of the most fun things about reviewing skis is when a ski totally surprises you.
In fact, these skis are a blast for pretty much everything and they offer plenty of fun too.
They can work as a stiffer, heavily rockered park ski, a narrower touring ski.
and pretty much everything in between.
The only thing that lets them down a bit is the somewhat lackluster groomer performance.
I guess they arent the most charismatic of skis either.
They might be as close to a jack-of-all-trades all-mountain jib ski as I’ve tried.
