What's the Best Ski?

[Bad Bob]

"Which ski is the prettiest?"

The red ones.

 

[Philpug]

"Which ski is the prettiest?"

The answer is always "The Ski"

 

[heather]

The answer is always "The Ski"

Yaaay for The Ski(I have the red 180s). They really are gorgeous looking.The pom reviewers on the Ski Club of GB love The Ski to death and I'm not quite sure why.I bought them thinking they'd be good to teach on and then ended up using my aging 2011 Volkl Tigershark for my NZ instructor exams. Having said that I skied The Ski a lot this season(in NZ) and they were quite suited to the conditions we had this year but not as much as the Volkls but that was all at Mt Hutt(east coast of the southern alps). Then again when I was skiing at our club fields(further inland and very different) I skied the Rossi Savory 7 and really enjoyed them but would have liked something with a bit more punch at times.But then that was the difference between fluffy goodness in the am(for NZ anyway) and the sticky mounds of gloop in turns into in the afternoon.It's a bit of a holy grail thing searching for the perfect ski and maybe I think I'd be better occupied improving on the skis I have. The hardest thing for me is choosing which to take away on a trip overseas.At home its simple but this year I'm off to Colorado for the first time and its a choice between The Ski and the Rossis.....or maybe my old but still fun as anything Zag Golds...aaarrrgggh choices.

 

[Jimdh]

I have a somewhat related question: How do you all select ski length, when the options all ski well? I'm 60, 5'7 and 230. Everyday drivers are cheater GS skis (Dynastar (177) & Stockli (184)). Also like my Fischer cheater SL skis (165). Been skiing for around 55 years. Don't know where I fit on the 0-10 skiing scale, but can ski most everything, and sometimes very quickly.

I recently demoed Nordica Enforcer 93's and love their playfulness and ease. Soft tips are a hoot in bumps. Rocker lets me easily snowplow with the granddaughter. My problem is I like the 185 and the 177. 185 was demoed in powder and 1 run on groomers; 177 was demoed on groomers with some old skied up powder and little bumps. Is there a general rule of thumb on selection? I know the best option is to demo both pairs on the same day, but don't want to sink another $40 (x2) into the process.

Thanks,
J.

 

[cantunamunch]

Powder or bumps? What is it you ski more?

TBH, at your size I think you can get skis that are better at the combination of pow & groomers than the longer E93 - whereas it might be difficult to find skis that work better for you at granddaughter visits, cut up soft snow remainders, and bumps. So the shorter would be my bias, especially if there was any possibility of acquiring a big mountain powder-capable ski in addition to the E93.

 

[Philpug]

Bump for the newbies.

 

[Started at 53]

Interesting thread. Glad it got bumped

I'm a newbie who has been bitten by the ski bug. I have been scouring the "other" and this forum for a couple of months now trying to gain knowledge.

Bottom line, I'm getting boots from a top fitter in Park City prior to our next trip. My first ski trip was 2015 at Deer Valley and also skied Italy this year with our local ski club. We are headed to DV again this coming December, but this time we are going for 8 days. 8 Days of ski rental is a big number (and that's just for the first trip), so I have decided to buy instead as this will be one of 3 trips we make for the 17/18 season.

I'm 6'3', 190 lbs and a beginner. Bob Barne's scale shows I am a low level 4 skier. I can make parallel turns on the flatter slope, but still wedging on the steeper areas. I currently ONLY ski on Greens. I am althletic and should learn/progress pretty quickly, thus far in the 6 days I have skied, I have taken a 1 on 1 lesson 5 of the 6 days. I also recently read Tim Galloway's Inner Skiing book which I found really good and informative. Certainly a different perspective on learning. I read his Tennis book in the late '70's and applied it to golf and it was very helpful.

So, skis..... will ONLY be skiing groomers, typicall first thing in the morning until about 1:30-2 and that's it. Then it is time for a nice red wine and a hot tub

I have zero illusions about my ability, so I am/have been looking for a ski to help me learn to carve and become a good technical skier. My goal is to be able to ski Blue runs by the end of the 17/18 season.

I have come to the conclusion that the Atomic Smoke Nomad Ti 171cm is a good choice, short radius, soft enough for my slow speeds to still be able to flex it, but not too soft for my weight. At the current price ($300ish) is it a good deal and one that won't break the bank when my ability outgrows it in a year or possibly two.

Thoughts?

As for the wife, she is an expert skier, her skis will NOT be a bargain oh well But she has boots already

 

[KingGrump]

Wife's stat?

Her preferences of terrain and condition?

 

[Started at 53]

Wife's stat?

52 years old, 5'10', 140 lbs, very athletic, been skiing her whole life (well until she married me and took a 10 year break). Grew up skiing ice in Maine, but has skied all over the western US. She can ski anything, but stays on groomers, can handle black runs, but prefers to stay off of doubles these days. Her form is very good (so say people who know). According to her ski app, she skis in the high 30's to low 40's MPH. Can she ski faster, sure, but she is just out having fun.

 

[KingGrump]

Stockli Motion 85 W
Head Super Joy
Head Total Joy
kastle LX82
Kastle FX85

 

[BS Slarver]

Best dive site ... the next one
Best ski trip... the next one

Best ski ....

 

[Philpug]

Best dive site ... the next one
Best ski trip... the next one

Best ski ....

The next one???

 

[Started at 53]

The next one???

Ding
Ding
Ding

We have a winner

But in my case it will be the first pair of skis!!!

When I get back from China next week, I will be ordering them. Why wait? Because the website that is selling them at the best price is NOT accessible from China.

 

[CrystalRose]

@Started at 53 So did you order the ski? I'm curious how/if the saga ended!

 

[Started at 53]

@Started at 53 So did you order the ski? I'm curious how/if the saga ended!

@CrystalRose

No, I have not purchased anything at this point.

 

[Philpug]

Bump for some summer conversation.

 

[Wendy]

I enjoy skis with many different personalities, so for me, there is definitively no *best* ski.

But there are a few characteristics that every ski I own must have. They must never be over 100mm in width (I have creaky knees), and they must be forgiving enough to ski all day. If the snow conditions are unexpected, they need to allow me and my average skills to still ski anywhere I want.

I also (unconsciously) have shied away from the most popular *it* ski.....I enjoy skiing skis that one doesn’t see all over the hill.

Ha, now I’m wondering whether there’s a deeper psychological reason for this.....do my ski choices reflect some of my desires to be be a nonconformist and embrace the quirkier things in life, while still valuing loyalty and dependability?

 

[Bad Bob]

The best skis for me are always the red ones. Seriously!

My loving Wife will never notice if there is another pair of red skis.

 

[BS Slarver]

Taking a long look this summer for new DD for big sky ‘18 /19... Alchemist 106 is the front runner at the moment.

 

[Wendy]

Taking a long look this summer for new DD for big sky ‘18 /19... Alchemist 106 is the front runner at the moment.

The Zelda 106 (women’s iteration) is a really pretty metallic purple, if that matters.