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Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
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Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
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Reno, eNVy
There is a saying in sales, "If it is important to you, then it is important". We talk a lot about who a ski is for and who is it not for but we also talk about what are a ski's strengths and weaknesses. No ski is going to do everything well, even the 'darilings' and highly aclaimed skis..they have compromises. Yes, this is why we create quivers of skis, like why a golfer has a bag of clubs, a tool for each situation. We also understand that not everyone can afford (for whatever reason) a multitude of skis so, as in life, compromises have to be made.

Since everyone's needs are different, what you you willing to give up? For some it might be cutting edge technology..or even NGT (New Graphic Technology) and go with quantity as in leftover skis or even older ones. Hard or soft snow performance? There are no right or wrong answers. No one will judge you. But what are you willing to give up?
 

Plai

Paul Lai
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SkiTalk Supporter
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Nov 25, 2015
Posts
1,965
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Silicon Valley
For me, an aspiring advancing intermediate, float doesn't do much for my holiday driven resort skiing. I want, need something light, does well on hard pack, and maybe well in moguls. So, I give up on the powder dreams, and focus on edging and/or turning and crud busting.

Yeah, dreams.... I used to have dreams...
 

Jersey Skier

aka RatherPlayThanWork or Gary
Skier
Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Posts
1,956
Location
Metuchen, NJ
I always like new toys, but I'm about a season or two behind what is the latest and greatest in favor of bargains. So I'm settling now for the prior AX78 for $600 rather than this year's for $1200 and Motive 95's for under $300. In a season or two i'll probably be on this year's greatest.


Won't compromise on comfortable boots!
 

Josh Matta

Skiing the powder
Pass Pulled
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Posts
4,123
I just run a huge quiver and never really give up anything....so I am willing to give up money...to not give up on anything. I tend to stay away from extremely expensive skis, and look for deal but i am always willing to buy a good deal, for instance my last year purchases show that.

@givethepigeye 's 185 Enforcer 100 for 100 dollars shipped to my house

A supervisor at my home mountain was going to Dynastar from Blizzard. I bought his 187cm Bonafide, 182cm WRC GS, and 176cm WRC GS for 400 dollars.

I also snagged some 177cm Monster 83 with Attack 13 binding for 250 dollars last year from some discount ski site.

Beside one pair of Shop Form hook up those are all the ski I bought in the last year.

The reality is I could probably ski a 185cmish 90issh underfoot ski with camber underfoot and some tip rocker most of the time. I am willing to give up some edge grip for more versatility. I also think the higher someone skills are, the less they have to give up.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
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Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,484
Location
Breckenridge, CO
I don't compromise which is why I have 4 pairs of dedicated powder skis, a bunch of frontside and all mountain skis along with a full fleet of race skis. :)

On any given day I'll favor flotation over carve-ability as I'm always in search of fresh and soft. On race days the choice is obvious. Only on true WRoD days are pure carvers preferred over all else.
 

Josh Matta

Skiing the powder
Pass Pulled
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Posts
4,123
I always like new toys, but I'm about a season or two behind what is the latest and greatest in favor of bargains. So I'm settling now for the prior AX78 for $600 rather than this year's for $1200 and Motive 95's for under $300. In a season or two i'll probably be on this year's greatest.

The thing is most new skis are not light years better than a couple years older design at this point in time. Unless I have some ungodly deal, there is no reason to ski this years gear. Heck some old skis like the El Capo are so good and can be had so cheap it would be tough to justify something else in that catergory.
 

LKLA

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,428
Performance in "extreme" or "unique" conditions, meaning conditions that I will likely rarely find myself in, either because of my skills (lack of) or the conditions of where I regularly ski. Things like performance at very high speeds, performance in deep/very deep powder, use in terrain parks, heli skiing,...You can also usually rent equipment for one-off situations.

At this point what matters most to me is having the best ski for my abilities and the terrain I ski on 75-90% of the time. Right now that happens to be a Volkl Kendo (which is likely too much of a ski for me). I want great grip on groomed and hard snow and ice and if possible shallow powder. I want a ski that is easy to turn, that is not too heavy, that is not very stiff. I want a ski made with quality materials that will not fall apart half way down the mountain (I manage to get in enough trouble on my own).

I look at skis sort of like I look at shopping for a car - I look at BMW 5 series, MB E class, Lexus IS...they are not as fast as a Ferrari or as capable in the snow as a Land Rover or as smooth as a Cadillac, but they perform very well in 90% of the driving conditions I am going to find myself in with a child in the backseat and driving on highways with a 65 mph speed limits (if I am not stuck in traffic).

In my case living in NYC space is at premium so I am not sure having a dedicated ski quiver room is something we can afford. Having said that, we are considering getting a second pair of skis for our son and potentially for my wife, so there goes everything I said out the window :rolleyes:
 
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Rod9301

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Posts
2,443
Since I like to ski steep Backcountry terrain, the most important things for me are grip on ice and how the ski performs on bad snow, wind affected, sloppy, crust.

I can make any ski turn in good powder, so that's less important, but I find that a wide ski that satisfies my important criteria will also ski powder well.

Current ski, carbon katanas for Backcountry, metal katanas at squaw.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
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Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,484
Location
Breckenridge, CO
Since I like to ski steep Backcountry terrain, the most important things for me are grip on ice and how the ski performs on bad snow, wind affected, sloppy, crust.

I can make any ski turn in good powder, so that's less important, but I find that a wide ski that satisfies my important criteria will also ski powder well.

Current ski, carbon katanas for Backcountry, metal katanas at squaw.

Mmmm. Carbon.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
I'm willing to give up perfect fit and most modern for low price. I can ski well enough on even mediocre gear and wait around for really good deals on old stock and off the shelf or used skis and boots.. With skis, so many good options but nothing newer than about 2013 though several pairs have under 20 days on them. No core shots on anything in my quiver either..

With boots, I will ski an OK but not perfect fit and occasionally try another $50 used pair to see if I like it better than the last pair. Do my own heat molding and minor stuff. No canting or custom footbeds. Ignorance is bliss! Any extra disposable cash goes towards gas, lifts, and lodging.. i.e. skiing is great on what I have, rather be skiing on OK gear than spend more on better gear but have less money to use it with..

I actually skied a pair of Atomic Nomad Smoke (beginner to intermediate level ski) on day one this season with my son. I spend a lot of time waiting on him so decided to use that easy going ski.. Got it brand new with bindings, maybe skied once for $9.99 at Goodwill last summer. Was definitely shaky at high speeds under me but still FUN! I'll give them to one of my kids next season.. Will ski big boy skis for the rest of this season though..
 
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Jersey Skier

aka RatherPlayThanWork or Gary
Skier
Joined
Jan 16, 2016
Posts
1,956
Location
Metuchen, NJ
Ignorance is bliss! .

That's what stuck from your post. I have bike customers like this. They pedal thousands of mile per year on old used crap, and refuse try try a new, modern, comfortable bike.

Skis, whatever. But why used $50 boots if you know you are sticking with this sport?
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
Skis, whatever. But why used $50 boots if you know you are sticking with this sport?


Why not? By "used" I mean someone probably skied two or three days in them then they found their way to me for less than $50. I'm on the 2nd (and 3rd) pair of boots since 2007 and am getting the performance level I am quite happy with. I actually have a "boot quiver" with a pair of all mountain Head Mojo HF and some Salomon Falcon race boots. Both have the same BSL so I can use either with my entire quiver... I baked the liners and BAM Good to go! I've skied 40 years on all kinds of different gear in USSA competition and working as a ski instructor getting anything I wanted cheap on pro form. I mostly know what I'm missing and what I'm not. I don't ski 100 days a season anymore. I ski 5-10 days a season now and haven't had a bad time ever. If I spent $400 on a pair of boots that would mean taking an entire season off with the budget I'm working with. Am I really going to be happy skiing less in slightly better boots? Life is short.. Just go skiing and if better gear is easily accessible cheap get it.. otherwise keep skiing..

By the way.. My Thule ski box also only cost $50 used and came with a bike tray inside... but I did have to pay $15 for new lock cores for that too..
 

Daves not here

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
434
Location
Coeur d Alene, Idaho
I gave up playfulness for stability and crud busting performance when I got my Bonafides for my mid-quiver ski. When the fresh snow comes - you inevitably end up with crud and chop by 11.
 

CalG

Out on the slopes
Pass Pulled
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Posts
1,962
Location
Vt
There is a saying in sales, "If it is important to you, then it is important". We talk a lot about who a ski is for and who is it not for but we also talk about what are a ski's strengths and weaknesses. No ski is going to do everything well, even the 'darilings' and highly aclaimed skis..they have compromises. Yes, this is why we create quivers of skis, like why a golfer has a bag of clubs, a tool for each situation. We also understand that not everyone can afford (for whatever reason) a multitude of skis so, as in life, compromises have to be made.

Since everyone's needs are different, what you you willing to give up? For some it might be cutting edge technology..or even NGT (New Graphic Technology) and go with quantity as in leftover skis or even older ones. Hard or soft snow performance? There are no right or wrong answers. No one will judge you. But what are you willing to give up?

I'll give up top speed on ice...... But I want ALL the rest in exchange! ;-)
 

PinnacleJim

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Posts
1,117
Location
Killington/Pico, VT
Me: Older (70+) conservative expert who is retired and skis 60+ days a season, mostly in Vermont and an annual 3-week vacation in Colorado.

I ski slow for my ability (I like to turn!) so high speed stability is the first thing I will not place high on my list Since I ski mostly in Vermont and only have 2 skis I routinely use (a narrow carver and a wide(r) all mountain ski), I want even the wide(r) ski to have good hard snow grip. I am willing to give up powder float in exchange for that hard snow grip and versatility. My wide(r) ski will be my one-ski quiver on my annual Colorado trip, so it has to work well on groomers, bumps, and trees as well as on those too rare powder days. FWIW, that current ski is a Fischer Motive 95.
 

tch

What do I know; I'm just some guy on the internet.
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
1,542
Location
New England
I'm more than willing to give up graphics/appearance. For instance, I skied on the "Motorhead" Rock n Roll's for several years and now I have a pair of Rossignol Star 7's, which, for their year, were identical to the Super 7's except for "girly" graphics. And I have a pair of Kastle MX78's which are white -- which would be my least-favorite ski color. But...they all do what I want them to do.

I maintain a quiver of three skis to serve specific purposes, and I'm unwilling to compromise on how well they do at those purposes -- for me.
I'm also unwilling to compromise on "feel"; if a ski is too light or "boingy" I'm not gonna go for it, regardless.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,484
Location
Breckenridge, CO
I won't give up fit or flex in my boots. Boots are the most important piece of equipment and worth paying for. I've only gotten lightweight boots for touring since the performance has improved from wimpy to near race performance. Before that I toured in my race boots.

Compromise is for relationships, not skiing. ;)
 

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