Author Topic: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice  (Read 4720 times)

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Offline Guglianoh

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Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« on: November 21, 2011, 09:27:45 pm »
Hey guys I need some help picking out some new skis! this will only be my second set that Ive purchased so I'm very new at picking out skis.

Weight:
205lbs
Height:
6'1"
Experience:
this will be my 5th season skiing
Ability:
can ski double black, prefer trees and moguls (yes i love moguls :))

My current skis are a set of K2 Fugitives which i love! but I've had them for years now and when i started skiing as most kids do i started out in the parks. As I've matured i enjoy more all mountain skiing and rarely head for the park. As i mentioned these are my first skis so in 5 years I've managed to out grow these quite easily (there 159cm). these are great for groomed runs and hitting the park but if it snows even the slightest bit I'm screwed! seeing as I've stuck to the park my whole life powder is not my friend and have little experience maneuvering through it (i took a course last year at sunshine for deep powder but my skis made it such a pain i had to finish early). Pretty much I'm looking for suggestions for a good all mountain ski, something that can handle well in powder but still let me enjoy my moguls and tree runs. i tried the soloman shoguns late last year but wasn't too impressed... this is probably due to the fact that I've never skied a longer ski so i felt like such a noob trying to ski through trees with a 191cm ski. any ways anything will help thanks for your time guys!

PS I'm a noob when i comes to technical skiing terms like rocker angles and such so i may need a more in depth explanation if you guy start talking to me in that technical jargon  :-[
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Offline 93ScoobyD

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2011, 09:55:48 pm »
You'll get a lot of different opinions here, but you say you stick to park, do you ride switch? I know twin tip skis, not so much racer boi skis per say. But if you want something semi wide, that's an all mountain ripper that dips into park/pow. You have lots of options. Check out backcountry.com , they have a great online selection of what to look for and great prices if you wish to buy. But if I were you I'd look into the new K2 Kung Fujas, nice dimensions, has rocker, pretty much bombproof, and well priced. Or, The Line Blend, I was going to get this ski but I got something similar for cheaper. But this would be another amazing choice. One of the best all mountain freestyle skis out there I'd say, great flex, great dimensions, price, and of course material. I'd say have a look at both and see, those are my two choices for freestyle skis. They're a lot more forgiving then regular non-twin tip skis, so if that's what your looking for hopefully that helped. You can also pm if you'd like.

Edit: Rocker is basically early rise so you "float" ontop of the snow, like a surf board and if you do wish to get more into powder, and want a rockered ski, trust me, you will never ever go back.
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Offline Guglianoh

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2011, 10:25:14 pm »
yes i can ride switch but as i said i no longer head for the parks that's why i need help finding a more versetile ski, ill check out that link thanks!
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Offline soulindk

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2011, 11:57:39 am »
I don't ski but the other year I was looking at getting back into it so I was doing a lot of research. The skis I was looking heavily at were the Black Diamond Zealot, Megawatt, and the Gigawatt. They are well constructed, have some pretty good features and are really good all round skis (not determined from experience but from research). I'm a tech freak when it comes to snowboard gear so I understand most of the tech stuff and everything converts back and forth pretty between skis and boards in terms of technology and construction.

I agree with 93Scooby and check out backcountry.com for reviews and a wide selection. They do also have an affiliate site called steepandcheap.com and they have really good sales one deal at a time. If you keep your eyes on that site or the app you will see some skis come up and you might be able to snag a really good deal.

Hope this helps.
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Offline katalyst

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2011, 02:07:15 pm »
where's EDJ, haha he seems like he would be able to help you out most

otherwise, if you're in calgary.  i'd recommend going to techno sport just to check out what they have and ask their staff for their opinions, really helpful group there.

Offline DRAGON

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2011, 05:50:52 pm »
i have the line blends and i really really like them. they have 100mm waist ( 100mm wide under your foot) so decently fat which will help you float in the powder. they are not rockered, at least mine aren't this years might be. if you want versatile for binding there are the marker schizos which move your foot up and down the ski, so you can be dead centre for switch or far back for powder. my bro has volkl gotamas and they are even fatter with slight rocker great for trees and stuff. you should not be on a 191. thats huge try a 170s, the shorter the more manoeuvrable. thats my .02 hope it helps

Offline THE EDJ

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2011, 06:04:00 pm »
where's EDJ, haha he seems like he would be able to help you out most

otherwise, if you're in calgary.  i'd recommend going to techno sport just to check out what they have and ask their staff for their opinions, really helpful group there.

Heh, I don't really know squat about skis, at least nothing about specific models :)
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Offline Guglianoh

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2011, 07:51:41 pm »
i have the line blends and i really really like them. they have 100mm waist ( 100mm wide under your foot) so decently fat which will help you float in the powder. they are not rockered, at least mine aren't this years might be. if you want versatile for binding there are the marker schizos which move your foot up and down the ski, so you can be dead centre for switch or far back for powder. my bro has volkl gotamas and they are even fatter with slight rocker great for trees and stuff. you should not be on a 191. thats huge try a 170s, the shorter the more manoeuvrable. thats my .02 hope it helps

That's what I thought! 191 felt huge! especially when my current skis are only 159 I felt like such a noob lol, the techs there said the shoguns had some fancy new rocker technology that made longer skis ski like shorter ones. 171 seems more reasonable I'll have to give that size a shot I'm gonna head to ski cellar this weekend thee staff seem very know ledgable, I just hate how u can't really "test drive" ur skis before u buy them.
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Offline canehdianJ

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2011, 02:29:21 pm »
Hey,

So i have 3 sets ofskis

2008/9 volkl gotamas in a 176 with a 105 waist
2012 rossi s7 in a 188 with a 115 waist
2007 dynastar contact 10's with a 76 waist

So i hear what your saying about an all mountain, ill start a background.

5'11", 155 lbs, double black skier, will hit mild drop ins, cliffs and my favorite terrain is exposed super steep bowl skiing and my second favorite is glade skiing.  I dont really enjoy tight trees

I always ski with a two ski quiver, because even with my weight i chatter on the s7 without fresh snow.

I LOVE my s7s.  but contrary to what most people say i wont ski them as an all mountain find that justlike winter tires and summers, one ski just cant do it all.  I picked up my contacts for days with mother nature isnt kind and they work wonders

If your dead set on a one ski quiver i would check out volkl mantra, the dynastar legend 85 and 94 and the fisher watea 84, 88 or 94.

My dream quiver would have a set of dynastar contact 4x4 and my rossi s7 with a mantra as an inbetween ski.

All this said though my s7s only need an inch of snow to be awesome.   but yes they are very long

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Offline canehdianJ

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2011, 02:34:36 pm »
Also of note, if you get a ski with a decent amount of rocker add 8-10cm as your useable edge goes down substantially

My 188's turn just as quick as my 176 gotamas

Edit - keep your current skis and get some fatties, 95-115 waist and if you have no new snow ski the skinnys and if the gods love you bust out your fatties and youll love pow.  I went through the exact same thing you are now going throug 4 years ago.  Only one set of skis that had a 70mm waist, had a pow day and hated it.   Bought pow skis the following year and never looked back.

For the record, your current ski sounds uber short. My dynastar carvers are 172cm and i am shorter and lighter then you, but, if they work for you then awsome!


Offline REX

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #10 on: November 27, 2011, 06:07:46 pm »
i've been a racer for the past 12 years but have skied  in fernie every weekend  for basically my whole life (I'm 18) so i'm a good overall experienced skier.

basically there isn't a perfect ski. for groomers i'd take my volkl GS skis, for super deep pow days i like my armada JJ's or Faction 3.zero , for days when everything is skied out and bumpy shitness i like my armada TST's. if i were to pick only one that can do everything semi-well (exept carving) i'd go with the TST's simply because they're like a mini JJ. they have a tight turn radius because of the early rise tip and they aren't ridiculously huge underfoot (100cm's i think).

honestly you have to go demo a bunch of skis to see which ones you like the best, theres no way we can tell you what skis to buy, its just personal preference. hope this helps.

taylor

Offline canehdianJ

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Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #11 on: November 28, 2011, 11:18:02 am »
i've been a racer for the past 12 years but have skied  in fernie every weekend  for basically my whole life (I'm 18) so i'm a good overall experienced skier.

basically there isn't a perfect ski. for groomers i'd take my volkl GS skis, for super deep pow days i like my armada JJ's or Faction 3.zero , for days when everything is skied out and bumpy shitness i like my armada TST's. if i were to pick only one that can do everything semi-well (exept carving) i'd go with the TST's simply because they're like a mini JJ. they have a tight turn radius because of the early rise tip and they aren't ridiculously huge underfoot (100cm's i think).

honestly you have to go demo a bunch of skis to see which ones you like the best, theres no way we can tell you what skis to buy, its just personal preference. hope this helps.

taylor

Problem there is getting demos on jj's and s7's is pretty rare.  I never see the demo tents around. 

But I agree with everything else. The reason I use two or more sets is well described here, as my skinnys rock groomers and skied out days and my s7's rock chop crud and pow.  There is no real all around ski.  The best you can find is a set of all seasons haha

Offline Guglianoh

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2011, 11:55:42 am »
this is starting to become apparent to me that you can have just one pair of ski.... hmmm this is a lot harder than i thought haha
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Offline canehdianJ

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2011, 07:35:35 pm »
this is starting to become apparent to me that you can have just one pair of ski.... hmmm this is a lot harder than i thought haha

I have a set of 2009 volkl gotamas that were lightly used and was throwing around the idea of using them as a touring ski...  if your interested.  tokyo nights graphic 176cm long and 105mm waist

They are drilled for marker jesters but currently have no bindings mounted

Youll find my review in the review section. 

<---  they are the skis in my avatar haha


Offline REX

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #14 on: November 29, 2011, 02:24:28 pm »
Problem there is getting demos on jj's and s7's is pretty rare.  I never see the demo tents around. 

you're right, the JJ and s7 are popular skis, i know in fernie there are shops that usually have pair of demo skis you can take out for the day for like $5 (plus a deposit on the skis obviously). maybe theres something like that in banff, monod's maybe?

Offline Guglianoh

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #15 on: December 24, 2011, 11:27:34 am »
The ski that I chose is the K2 Kung-Fuja



Exactly everything I wanted! Handle great in the trees, rule moguls and overal 1000x times better than what I have right now. Thanks for all the input and info guys I really appreciate it
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Offline katalyst

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #16 on: January 04, 2012, 04:47:23 pm »
OPs question has already been answered but if i was to look into getting a set of armada TSTs, what size should i be considering?

weight: 140lbs
height: 5'6
ski ability: mainly blues and single blacks, moguls and more complex terrain are fairly challenging for me to ski on at the moment.  i'm not much of a backcountry skier.  right now my skis are just basic volkl AC10s which are 163cm, also have a pair of salmon 1080s at 161cm.

also, binding recommendations? 

Offline canehdianJ

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Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #17 on: January 04, 2012, 04:57:34 pm »
Are they the origional yellow 1080s? 

Questions.  Tst has rocker and camber correct?  Twin lifted tips?  Take your normal size and add 10-15cm if it's your powder ski. 

Everyday dynastars contact 10 - 172cm
Rossi s7 - 188cm

But a lot of this is personal preference.  Usually the rule is at your chin for carve, eyes for all mtn and top of head or above for pow



Also- I like my marker griffins and am so fond of px series bindings. Marker is my choice at the moment

Offline katalyst

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2012, 08:02:06 pm »
thanks canehdianJ, the 1080s...mine are green and white, from a few years back.  i mainly trash them in the park on rails and boxes, maybe for some early/late season skiing when conditions aren't that favorable.  they're kind of a mushy ski and the response is mediocre imo, terrible in powder and i feel like i get tossed around a lot in crud.

the TST, according to the armada website has "progressive tip rocker and no tail rocker" so is a bit of a combination.  and it does have twin-lifted tips.  if i were to get them, it would primarily be my powder ski, but after reading several reviews on them they seem to have a lot of versatility across the mountain as well. 

i'll def consider the bindings you mentioned as well.

Offline DRAGON

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2012, 01:47:13 am »
+1 for market bindings. I have the schizos and there great. Just don't get a pair of cheap markers... They break

Offline canehdianJ

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #20 on: January 05, 2012, 07:53:31 am »
thanks canehdianJ, the 1080s...mine are green and white, from a few years back.  i mainly trash them in the park on rails and boxes, maybe for some early/late season skiing when conditions aren't that favorable.  they're kind of a mushy ski and the response is mediocre imo, terrible in powder and i feel like i get tossed around a lot in crud.

the TST, according to the armada website has "progressive tip rocker and no tail rocker" so is a bit of a combination.  and it does have twin-lifted tips.  if i were to get them, it would primarily be my powder ski, but after reading several reviews on them they seem to have a lot of versatility across the mountain as well. 

i'll def consider the bindings you mentioned as well.

consider going wider then if its your pow ski and you already have two other sets.   Something 110-120 or so.  I can honestly say that the S7 is the best ski I have ever been on, and i have heard similar responses from people skiing the JJ (even with its weird side cut)

The interesting thing about the S7 is that i only need about 2 inchs to bring them out.  They are the best crud busting ski I personally have ever skiied.  Another nice thing is that they are not twin tips.  the tail lifts slightly in the back but they are directional skis, and the tails are skinnier then the tips so that they sink.  My two days riding them have been in 30cm, and last weekend in waist deep.

Im getting kicked around a lot on my dynastars and for what i like to ski when there is no new snow, they are not the right choice.  I am planning on switching to something more of a 85mm slightly park inspired ski to take more of the mogul bounce.  No new snow means i go mogul bashing all day long and i want something that will absorb energy and not transmit it to my knees.

TST does look pretty sweet though.  For you being that your 167cm tall, this is a softer ski, etc.  Unless you like tight trees i would say go for 174.  And if you dont go for the TST try and find something around 174.  Should be just right.

Offline REX

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #21 on: January 05, 2012, 10:46:10 pm »
OPs question has already been answered but if i was to look into getting a set of armada TSTs, what size should i be considering?

weight: 140lbs
height: 5'6
ski ability: mainly blues and single blacks, moguls and more complex terrain are fairly challenging for me to ski on at the moment.  i'm not much of a backcountry skier.  right now my skis are just basic volkl AC10s which are 163cm, also have a pair of salmon 1080s at 161cm.

also, binding recommendations?

i skied the TST's everyday for the past 2 weeks. love em, they're awesome in the pow, and not to bad on the groomers, i have the 183's but they actually ski more like a 170 because of the early rise. i'm 5'10 180 pounds.

Offline katalyst

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #22 on: January 08, 2012, 02:00:38 am »
TST is def a top contender for my next set of skis, while i probably could get a little more out of a pure powder ski....i just feel like there are not that many days in a ski year where i could use them to their full potential.  also i'd still like to have enough confidence on the lower groomed trails when returning to the lift or base, which is why i've been leaning more towards a more multi-role ski. 

anyone have experience or heard opinions about the AMPerage ski from black diamond?  also a possibility that i'm considering.

as a side note, why are black diamond products so exorbitantly priced?  are they really that much better? 
(having said that, i do have a pair of black diamond gloves that i received as a gift and they are probably the warmest and most water resistant ski glove i've ever owned.  very well designed.)

Offline katalyst

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Re: Seeking expirienced skiers for ski choice
« Reply #23 on: February 22, 2012, 08:07:05 pm »
well, after much contemplating, i've decided to go with the TST from armada.  i've ordered them in the 174 and got marker squire bindings with them.  i was going to get the griffons but the shop i was purchasing from is out of stock on them, and they said the squires should be fine for me since i'm relatively light and i'm not exactly the 3++ skier who's dropping off cliff faces.

will post a review in the other thread once i give them a whirl.  thanks for the suggestions from evreyone here.