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2018-19 Demo List: Chill tree skis

ted

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Volkl 90eight might be worth a demo.
Totally under the radar, but matches what you are looking for.
 

Viking9

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Quick,easy , trees coupled with western conditions, Tromano you are describing the Soul 7.
Just don’t be the guy who takes them on east coast ice and says they suck!
 

ScottB

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Liberty Origin 96 in 182 cm is my recommendation. I ski the 187 length, my son is on the 182. I love them in the trees, it is my dedicated tree ski and close to my daily driver. I live on the east coast. The ski is best in soft snow, so that says something about it as an East Coast daily ski. I do put a race tune on it (0.5/3.0) and dull the tips and tails back to the contact point. I think Blister is spot on with their review of the ski. If it appeals to you, it is a relatively low cost ski. It is about 4 seasons old and is holding up well.
 
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tromano

tromano

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Warning: slight thread hijack. Sorry.

The Rustler 9 and 10 are kind of an anti-ski for (in general) the Blister culture. I base this off of their 3-ski quiver picks, in that you are hard pressed to find someone there that picks a ski under 100 as their narrow ski, and none went for anything under 90. Think about that. Not one of their crew spends enough time on hard snow, or simply wants to enjoy a precisely carved turn to warrant a ski (again, in general) dedicated to the stuff (e.g. rec carver or race), let alone under 100mm. One of them almost went with the Titan (great choice); alas, it got left on the cutting room floor.

Anyway, back to the Rustlers 9&10, which are very similar to each other. I called them anti-Blister skis because of their turniness, they have a tip shape/flex that really likes to engage, even at lower speeds (like when you might be skiing with your kiddies), and a tight sidecut to back it up. There are better choices if you want to rage at mach shnell, but that’s not what the OP is asking for.

Thanks that is exactly what I was suspecting when reading the blister review of the rustlers. :D
 
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tromano

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Liberty Origin 96 in 182 cm is my recommendation. I ski the 187 length, my son is on the 182. I love them in the trees, it is my dedicated tree ski and close to my daily driver. I live on the east coast. The ski is best in soft snow, so that says something about it as an East Coast daily ski. I do put a race tune on it (0.5/3.0) and dull the tips and tails back to the contact point. I think Blister is spot on with their review of the ski. If it appeals to you, it is a relatively low cost ski. It is about 4 seasons old and is holding up well.

I think that's the second time that Liberty has been mentioned in this thread. I will see if libertys are available to demo locally and take a look. The shape and rocker profile as well as the flex described in the review sound interesting.
 
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tromano

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^^^ THIS!


I actually Loved the Rustler 10 in 188cm (preferred it to the Rustler 9 in the same length). It made medium and long radius turns no problem, held a great edge on firm snow and was stable at speed. Fun ski, felt like a lighter and easier Bonafide. So I am confused by the Blister review of that ski. Maybe they got a dud? For trees I would choose the 180cm length for sure although the 188cm doesnt ski super long.

The Kore 99 is more of a charger than a ski for tight trees. The Kore 93 in 180cm would be perfect for tress though.

For tight trees with deep powder I would look into wider skis with full rocker.

Thanks Ken, I am will drop the 99 and check out the 93 instead.

I am not going to be skiing deep pow in tight trees with the kids. We rarely get deep pow anyway at snowbasin and if we do its only in a few favored aspects and then you have to ski the other 2000' vertical that had all the pow blown off. Boot top depth and under is more the norm.
 

AngryAnalyst

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For me personally (2 inches taller, 10ish lbs heavier) the Enforcer 100 would be a good mellow tree ski. I’m assuming you’ve demoed them, why did you count them out for this duty?
 

bbinder

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Quick,easy , trees coupled with western conditions, Tromano you are describing the Soul 7.
Just don’t be the guy who takes them on east coast ice and says they suck!
A friend of mine demoed them on an icy day and said the were great...
 

Philpug

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Demo list:

Fischer Ranger 98ti (180cm): Reading some discussions it sounds like this is very similar to the 86ti with a more tip and tail rise and a more normal shaped tip.
I would not dismiss the Ranger 102 either.

Skis not on your list that I like...

K2 Pinnacle 105, one of my favorite playful tree skis.
Blizzard Rustler 10, just works.
 

GregK

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Agree with the confusion on the Blister Gear reviews on both the Rustler 10 and the Rustler 9 and wondering if there are some tune issues at play. They loved the Brahma and the Cochise and yet didn’t like the Rustlers which are just more playful, easy going versions of those skis.

My Rustler 9 had areas that were a touch edge high and others that were base high. Fixed the edge high issues myself before skiing and they did ski okay but did noticed on certain snow types they felt a little shaky. Thought it was just me not used to skiing this year yet or the snow itself but when swapping to other skis I felt more stable over the same terrain. Light stone grind to flatten the base, reset of the edges and the ski was hugely improved especially when not on edge. More than happy to make all turns at all speeds now and very stable at higher speeds.

So like any new ski, check the tune before writing a bad review. Lol
 

Ron

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I think that's the second time that Liberty has been mentioned in this thread. I will see if libertys are available to demo locally and take a look. The shape and rocker profile as well as the flex described in the review sound interesting.

OK, 3rd now. Since you get light snow when it does snow, and chalky tracked out snow when its dry, I dont see the need for anything wider than 90+/-. except for foot plus days . If you really want a surfy ride, the Liberty Origin 90 would fit this need to a "T". I would also throw the Liberty V92 into the mix. this ski is so versatile, friendly yet can still stand up when its called for. the flex at the tip absorbs extremely well and the tip/shovel design provides smooth engagement, Underfoot is stiff so you can stand on it and it won't fold and the tail is firm but not punishing, There is very little rocker and virtually no taper in the tails but I dont find the tails to lock when you need them to release. The engineering of this ski is where the magic happens,
 
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tromano

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I would not dismiss the Ranger 102 either.

Skis not on your list that I like...

K2 Pinnacle 105, one of my favorite playful tree skis.
Blizzard Rustler 10, just works.

I knew there were some good skis I was forgetting about.

I will need to post an updated list when I get home.
 
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tromano

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For me personally (2 inches taller, 10ish lbs heavier) the Enforcer 100 would be a good mellow tree ski. I’m assuming you’ve demoed them, why did you count them out for this duty?

They are on the list ;)
 
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tromano

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Updated Demo list:

Fischer Ranger 98ti (180): Reading some discussions it sounds like this is very similar to the 86ti with a more tip and tail rise and a more normal shaped tip.

Fsicher Ranger 102 (184): Recommended by @Philpug

Blizzard Rustler 10 (180): Reviews make it sound like its what I am after. Recommended by @Philpug

Blizzard Rustler 9 (180): Recommended by @GregK, @FairToMiddlin

Nordica Soul Rider 97 (185): Heard really good stuff about these a few years back.

Nordica Enforcer 100 (185): I like nordicas generally but these maybe too much ski for chill trees.

Head Kore 93 (180): Like head skis. Rocker profile and shape looks good. Recommended by @Ken_R

Liberty Origin 96 (182): Recommended by @ScottB

Liberty Origin 90 (179): Recommended by @Ron

K2 Pinnacle 105 (184): Recommended by @Philpug

Salomon QST 99 (181): Liked the feel of the XDR series when demoing last year.

Black Crows Camox (181): Recommended by @Analisa

DPS Cassiar 94 (185): Recommended by @Andy Mink

Volkl 90eight (184): Recommended by @ted

Rossignol Soul 7 HD (180): Recommended by @Viking9
 

Ron

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fwiw- out me down for either the Origin 90 or 96,

that said, there are several ski's from that list that will serve your needs well, its just a matter of flavor. :thumb:
 

Kbat117

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Quick,easy , trees coupled with western conditions, Tromano you are describing the Soul 7.
Just don’t be the guy who takes them on east coast ice and says they suck!

A friend of mine demoed them on an icy day and said the were great...

I have probably about 100 days at Snowbasin on the orginial 188cm soul 7. Fantastic ski for what you just described. Super easy going turn ski that navigates those very Aspen's you mentioned beautifully. Fantastic ski for hanging playing at slow speeds. In rough shape at high speed, it kinda sucks, but you are not looking for that anyway.

For something a little narrower, there is the sin 7, now known at the sky 7.
 

Josh Matta

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Id take the SOul RIder of you list.... The 185cm E100 is easier in powder going slow than the SR.

I would say if you get the QST go to 188cm even though you want chill, its pretty soft, its actually a fun ski, and the 188 feel fine in the east.

I also am still El capos and just making sure they are flat, I actually like mine going slow in powdery woods more than my E100 or E93 because its easier to stay on a flat ski while going slow, not that the E100 is hard though its not.
 
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tromano

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Id take the SOul RIder of you list.... The 185cm E100 is easier in powder going slow than the SR.

I would say if you get the QST go to 188cm even though you want chill, its pretty soft, its actually a fun ski, and the 188 feel fine in the east.

I also am still El capos and just making sure they are flat, I actually like mine going slow in powdery woods more than my E100 or E93 because its easier to stay on a flat ski while going slow, not that the E100 is hard though its not.

Thanks. I will update to remove the soul and try to find a 188 in the QST.
 

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