Monday, January 7, 2008

Freedom Factory – Revolution Pro Comp Monoski


After a couple years of learning how to ski again after I broke my back, I graduated from the now-extinct Shadow Monoski to the much more advanced Freedom Factory Revolution Pro Comp. Thanks to this monoski, I am now an expert skier again and having more fun than I ever did standing up!

Overall Rating: ***** 5 Stars

Pros:

Very durable
Adjustable for different ability levels
Affordable replacement parts

Cons:

Shock is not strong enough for advanced skiers
Monster Binding

Review:
I bought my monoski used (barely) and from the first day I could see a huge difference in my abilities as a skier over the Shadow that I had learned on. The first 700 days (about 8 years) that I skied on the Revolution Pro Comp this rig was incredibly durable taking nearly every beating that I handed it. I skied bumps, powder, steeps, and trees, as well as taking it off its fair share of jumps and drop offs and the only regular maintenance I had to perform was to have the original shock rebuilt or recharged every other year or so.

What I really liked about the Revolution was that as my level of ability increased I was able to make minor adjustments to lengthen the struts to leaned me forward more. From my experience, the more you are leaning forward, the stronger you ski – faster, tighter turns, and more control. After more than 700 days of skiing, and as parts started to wear out and/or break, I found that replacement parts for the Pro Comp were actually pretty reasonably priced through the family-owned factory (Works Performance).

What I liked least about the Pro Comp is the durability of the stock shock that comes with the rig. The first few years, as I was learning and not really testing its limits, the shock performed very well. But as I got better and started pushing the limits of the shock by skiing bumps and hitting jumps, I found I had to take the shock in often for rebuilding and/or recharging. Now in its 9th season, even after having the factory (WP) rebuild it and replace some parts, I get hardly any performance, play, or length out of the shock and it’s just basically time for a new one. Unfortunately, they aren’t as cheap as the rest of the parts I’ve had to replace.

I also had a chance to try out Freedom Factory’s Monster Binding that is built specifically for the Revolution Pro Comp and was not satisfied with this accessory at all. Even after mounting the binding to the exact specifications recommended and then again after several adjustments by professional ski technicians, I could not get the binding to hold my rig in while skiing.

Overall, I would recommend the Pro Comp to beginner, intermediate, or advanced level skiers. Once you are an expert however, I think its time to look elsewhere for better durability (stronger struts, bigger bolts and rods, etc) if you are skiing frequently and really pounding out your bumps and turns.