These are two fun and pretty similar skis. People have asked for a review/comparison so I figured I’d write my thoughts out in their own post. I’ve been a fan of blades since their launch. I replaced my sakanas with blades, for me they’re better in every way (I also am a huge fan of sir francis bacons which are very similar to sakanas but with the tails filled in). First up some info on the skis for those who don’t know what they’re about (they’re both “fun” carving skis from more all mountain/freestyle companies):

Blades:

• 181cm
• 154 tip / 95 mid / 124 tail
• “tight” turning radius (13ish)
• 6mm camber underfoot
• some metal (it’s not solid, line calls it “gas pedal metal”)
• enough twin tip to ski switch but it’s very late/far back and a quick turn up, this ski carries it’s camber more like a traditional ski than freestyle/all mountain skis
• recommended mount point is -7cm, mine are at -6cm

TLDR;

Blades are the better groomer ski, MCs are the better all mountain/freestyle ski. But it’s not that simple…

Slightly longer version, if you’re coming from all wider skis and/or are a tip it over and stand on it carver, MCs are better for you. If you’re coming from any other actual carving ski, the blades will be better for you. If you have a budget just buy the blades and learn how to ski them if you’re in the first group.

Blades: The tails are much stronger which makes sense as they’re fully cambered. It’s not a hard ski to ski -vs- a real slalom ski, but it’ll kick your butt if you don’t know what to expect. If you like airplane turns (edge transition in the air) these are the skis for you. Powerful tails with a ton of pop coming out of a turn. Also there’s no taper (we’ll get to why this is good later). These shovels are massive and will pull you into turns. They will hit each other when skiing bumps but it’s not really an issue. I’ve hiked with these and skied tight technical runs, 6″ of powder no problem and spring laps with half bumps half groomers (to get back to the chair) are fine. I wouldn’t buy these for non groomer skiing or a quiver of 1, but they CAN go off groomers and be fun. Switch is OK but the massive shovel can be twitchy. These are lines, so they’re built like crap. This is season 3 on mine and they’re fine, but just know going in you might have to buy another pair. They’re also less than half the price of the MCs… People say the blades have a higher speed limit. Kinda. Yes it’s a higher limit while carving hard.

Mirus Cors: The lack of camber and the added rocker in the tail makes these a different experience for sure. I read somewhere that the notch/swallow tail was because the tails were “too stiff” and if that’s the case I really wish they’d left the tails alone. These are MUCH easier to wash out on “ankle deep corderoy” (again I’m spoiled, sorry). I’ve skied center mounted park skis so the mount point wasn’t a huge adjustment for me. The tips are basically the same length on both skis, the MCs have a longer tail but more rocker so it’s not a huge change there really. Once you adjust to the tails, it’s a very relaxed experience for a 13m radius ski. Which is kinda bizarre! The slight disappointment for me is the tails have MUCH less pop -vs- the blades and even -vs- my strangers. So while most people come to these and say they’re a great freestyle ski, I have two pair with far more pop out of the tails. Now, the shovels are ~20mm skinnier which makes bumps and varied terrain “easier”. And not so much easier, you just don’t hit the shovels together as often (which happens more but doesn’t effect my skiing with blades). The tails are also the same width as the blades so much less different than their shovels (blades are 30mm skinnier at the tails vs tips, MCs are 10mm). Switch is easier because of this. We don’t have a park built yet so I’ve only skied some switch and not spun much on them yet. I’m sure they’ll be slightly better than blades in the park but I LOVE my blades in the park FWIW. The construction is much better with the MCs over the blades. 6 days on them and they still look practically new. Yes then need a lot more days to catch my blades but you can tell it’s just a much better build. People say the blades have a higher speed limit, they do when carving hard, but if you back off your edge angles a bit on the MCs and just stand up a bit, you can ski them fast if needed. Both skis can easily/lazily ski larger radius turns. It’s kinda funny following friends with carving skis in the 16~20m range that are really working hard on a groomer and you can be super lazy and easily stay inside their line.

Now, 2 things with the MCs. I’ve been taking them down a few runs that aren’t groomed. Steep technical fun stuff. I’ve skied the blades in the same terrain and it’s possible to ski either here. The blades want to hook up and carve even on steep lines. You can manage it but it’s a different approach. You have to adjust your skiing to match what the blades want to do. The MCs ski like your normal all mountain skis. Yes with a tighter radius and shorter ski, but you can pivot the ski easily. It’s much more “surfy” if you will. I was able to easily shed speed after ducking through a narrow ~40′ section on something steep where the blades would have made it harder. Again, I can ski either ski in this terrain but the MCs are just better at this. The other thing (and I’ve seen this with fatypus M5s specifically as well) is the tip taper and “ankle deep corderoy”… If you’re skiing on super soft groomers with a ski with noticeable tip taper, and you have some sort of unevenness in the terrain (a roller, or where 2 groommer lines aren’t perfectly flush), when that causes tip “chatter”/the tips come down onto that snow, the taper on the tip of your inside ski will “catch” and since it’s a taper (that tip is pointing “in” towards your outside foot/ski) it’ll push that ski out towards your outside foot. It’s manageable on the MCs (it’s not really on the M5s) and worth noting. This requires soft snow, high edge angles and uneven terrain that’s groomed so it’s a very specific situation. For me it meant M5s were a solid no thank you. With the MC’s and their more laid back/fun carving style, it’s not a massive issue, it doesn’t ruin the ski, but again it’s worth mentioning. In 6 days on the skis it’s happened only one time. With M5s it’ll happen a few times a day.

If you’re carving ski curious and looking at getting either? DO IT. I can not say enough how having either of these pairs of skis added to your quiver (if everything you have is long wide and 20m+) is a game changer to how you look at crappy days on the mountain. There will be days you wake up wanting to go ski groomers over more fun/varied terrain. Either ski will allow you to do this and it’s amazing how fun they are. I bought my wife blades last year, she’s a great advanced skier and as a woman her all mountain skis are like ~15m I think? And even she loved the difference switching the blades. FWIW the womans version has a narrower shovel which makes them a bit better for bumps etc. I’m not sure what their radius is (line never posted specs originally instead calling the radius “tight”). If you’re a parent and skiing with your littles, these skis are PERFECT for letting you have fun on those lower angle runs at slower speed. You will not regret getting either pair.

So what’s my conclusion? For me the MCs might be the perfect blend between the strangers and blades? For just a fun groomer ski (if I have strangers) the blades are more fun. If I wanted a 2 ski quiver then MCs and one bigger ski make more sense for me I think. It’s just really hard to give up on blades when they’re a better groomer ski. I will say when I tested them 1 on each foot I thought there would be a bigger difference than their was. I think part of that is subconsciously I skied the pair like I knew the MCs want to be skied, not pushing harder like the blades can handle and the MCs can’t. In 6 days on mixed groomers that aren’t perfectly groomed, the MCs have been great. It’s only when going back to back with the blades that you really see where the blades are better. Which is to say they’re pretty close. Real carving skis are a BIG step above blades. Blades and MCs are in this fun little niche of freestyle all mountain carvers with a tight radius. I don’t teach on blades and they’re not good for PSIA crap due to the massive shovels. MCs could be used for both of those roles. The MCs cover more roles in my lineup if I’m reducing N+1-1 (but that’s no fun).

My 2 ski quiver:

• m-free 108s: ridge, freeski with buddies, hard and fast skiing, lift served pow
• mirus cors: freeski, groomers, teach ski, PSIA

My 3 ski quiver:

• m-free 108s: ridge, freeski with buddies, hard and fast skiing, lift served pow
• armada stranger: teach/psia ski
• blades: groomer/fun ski

Also, if this matters for you, BOTH skis get a lot of attention/comments in lift lines. Doesn’t matter to me but the shovels on the blades make them stand out, the color and tails on the MCs make them stand out.

Obviously I have many more days on blades than I do my MCs. I’ll add more to this as I feel I have more to share. I like both skis a lot. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer.