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3 ski quiver suggestions?

Slim

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Hi,
In the battle between less gear vs the best solution, I believe I can argue that 3 pairs is a good quiver for me.

I am 6’5”, 178lbs, intermediate skier, no race experience or technique. Binding Release value ~7. I like a ‘surfy’ feel in softer snow. I also need a forgiving tail out west, because I regularly screw up , and end up in the backseat, so something that lets me recover and try again, is well essential.

Here are the uses I would like to cover:
  1. All mountain Utah and Colorado: sensible speed, moguls, tight terrain, trees, chutes, moguls, bowls, moguls with a pivoty style, not zipper line! Ungroomed 80% of the time.
  2. Backcountry touring midwinter, doesn’t have to be superlight( less than ~2000g would be fine) needs to be wide and rockered for low angle, deep powder or crust.
  3. Duluth(home): short, shallow groomers, so something lively and fun in short turns.
  4. Lutsen, MN: mostly groomers, few trees with shallow snow. Often slush. Also very steep icy pitches. And some moguls. See above.
  5. Spring ski touring: Something light and less than 95mm wide, but also not to ‘tooth rattling’ on frozen stuff. Something with some edge grip, but mainly predictable and forgiving, because the snow will not always be those things.
So, how to distill that into a quiver of 3? The question is, how to select the 3 different types, to best cover all required bases. There will still have to be a lot of ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’.

For trips out west, I would take, at most 2 skis. At home, I could switch. In town, I can ski anything and make it down safely, there just isn’t the challenging terrain. Number 1 is most important to me, followed by number 2.
 

markojp

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Hi,
In the battle between less gear vs the best solution, I believe I can argue that 3 pairs is a good quiver for me.

I am 6’5”, 178lbs, intermediate skier, no race experience or technique. Binding Release value ~7. I like a ‘surfy’ feel in softer snow. I also need a forgiving tail out west, because I regularly screw up , and end up in the backseat, so something that lets me recover and try again, is well essential.

Here are the uses I would like to cover:
  1. All mountain Utah and Colorado: sensible speed, moguls, tight terrain, trees, chutes, moguls, bowls, moguls with a pivoty style, not zipper line! Ungroomed 80% of the time.
  2. Backcountry touring midwinter, doesn’t have to be superlight( less than ~2000g would be fine) needs to be wide and rockered for low angle, deep powder or crust.
  3. Duluth(home): short, shallow groomers, so something lively and fun in short turns.
  4. Lutsen, MN: mostly groomers, few trees with shallow snow. Often slush. Also very steep icy pitches. And some moguls. See above.
  5. Spring ski touring: Something light and less than 95mm wide, but also not to ‘tooth rattling’ on frozen stuff. Something with some edge grip, but mainly predictable and forgiving, because the snow will not always be those things.
So, how to distill that into a quiver of 3? The question is, how to select the 3 different types, to best cover all required bases. There will still have to be a lot of ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’.

For trips out west, I would take, at most 2 skis. At home, I could switch. In town, I can ski anything and make it down safely, there just isn’t the challenging terrain. Number 1 is most important to me, followed by number 2.


How about a two ski quiver? Enforcer 100 and an Enforcer 88. Mount one or the other with a shift binding. Done. Or a Stormrider 95 and 88 if $$'s burning a hole in your pocket. Or a Rustler 9 or 10, and a Brahma 82
 
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DocGKR

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markojp has great suggestions.

Enforcers are a bit heavier than some skis, but very stable and fun; Rustlers are a lighter, softer option.

Enforcer 104 and Enforcer 88 would be a great 2 ski set-up, then if you want a third ski, add something like a Blizzard HRC, Liberty V76, Head i.Rally, Rossi Hero Plus Ti, Stockli AX for groomers.
 

Josh Matta

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Very no, heavy enough you dont want to tour on them? yes.
 
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Slim

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markojp has great suggestions.

Enforcers are a bit heavier than some skis, but very stable and fun; Rustlers are a lighter, softer option.

Enforcer 104 and Enforcer 88 would be a great 2 ski set-up, then if you want a third ski, add something like a Blizzard HRC, Liberty V76, Head i.Rally, Rossi Hero Plus Ti, Stockli AX for groomers.

Very no, heavy enough you dont want to tour on them? yes.
Yes, I meant crazy heavy for a a touring ski. Even , I would think, to heavy for a 50/50 ski, in either category 2 or 5.

@DocGKR , can you explain how those cover the 5 categories? To be clear, I realize there is no perfect ski for all those scenarios. But 5 skis is just way to much. So the questions is, which 3 types of skis do you suggest to cover those 5 scenarios?

@GregK, you had some good ideas too.
 

DocGKR

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Perhaps I was unclear--I was recommending only 2 skis (something like an Enforcer 104 for powder/soft snow and an Enforcer 88 for All Mountain/bump use) plus perhaps a third ski with a waist 80mm or under for groomers (examples include: Blizzard HRC, Liberty V76, Head i.Rally, Nordica Dobermann Spitfire 80, Renoun Atlas 80, Rossi Hero Plus Ti, Stockli AX).
 

GregK

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Agree on the Enforcers 100/104 for your Utah ski with regular bindings and enforcer 88 as the “back home” ski. Don’t think I’d put a shift binding on an Enforcer(2200-2260 grams in 185/186) but putting one on a Sick Day 104 maybe for the 2 touring spots? Light but damp and a good 50/50 ski that’s not too wide for winter and Spring use.

Rustler 10 another good option but the 2020 version not as light(2140 grams in 188cm) as it used to be so more of a “Utah with regular binding” ski in the Utah spot. Brahma 82 would be a great “back home ski”.

Dynastar Menace 98 another perfect option for the Utah ski. Very easy to pivot, great forgiving mogul flex but still grips decent on groomers.

Wildcat Tour 108 with Shift another great touring option that’s like the Sick Day 104.

1-Enforcer 100/104, Rustler 10 and Menace 98 for Utah. All with Attack2 13s maybe.

2/5-Sick Day 104 or Wildcat tour 108 with Shift for both touring duties. 2nd ski to take out West if you think you’ll tour/see new snow out there.

3/4-Brahma 82 or Enforcer 88 with regular binding for back home. 2nd ski for out West if no new snow and you’re not touring at all.
 

Pequenita

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I would combine 2 and 5 . Are you really skiing down frozen stuff? When I do, it's by accident and sort of survival skiing....
 

GregK

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I would combine 2 and 5 . Are you really skiing down frozen stuff? When I do, it's by accident and sort of survival skiing....

Think so too. I went in between with a 104 and 108 Tour ski but if the priority is more for powder touring, Rustler 11 or wider Wildcat Tour with Shifts. Would be lots of fun to tour and if there’s powder out West as your resort powder ski.
 

Dave

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Read as much as you can about as many different skis as you can from as many different sources as you can and that should give you an idea of where to start. If you are really serious about it and have the means then try and demo a bunch of skis and find out what floats your boat for each of your specific applications. You may find out 2 skis will work or you may find you really want 3. Everyone is going to have their personal favorite brands and style skis for for where and how they ski. Getting recommendations from a legitimate source like this site based on your needs and personal stats will get you close (and that is fine for most sane people that are not OCD when it comes to gear like some of us). If you really want to get a quiver that is optimized for you personally however, it's going to take more than asking for advice from people that, while knowledgeable, are not you.
 
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Slim

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Think so too. I went in between with a 104 and 108 Tour ski but if the priority is more for powder touring, Rustler 11 or wider Wildcat Tour with Shifts. Would be lots of fun to tour and if there’s powder out West as your resort powder ski.
I would combine 2 and 5 . Are you really skiing down frozen stuff? When I do, it's by accident and sort of survival skiing....

Haha, well put. Yes, no plans on skiing down frozen stuff, but I have been on some pretty firm windbuff, so that is more what I meant.

The thought behind 2 and 5 separate was that for skiing up frozen things, or in very firm ski tracks, a wide ski is harder to edge, awkward on the ankles, and of course, plain heavier than a narrower ski, and the skins are heavier too. Probably less glide too.At the same time, in Powder condities, I trend toward the low angle stuff, and, lacking great technique, a wider ski definitely helps in those cases, to make that terrain fun and skiable.

But, splitting the middle, with a well rockered, 95-100mm waist touring ski might be a great option too.
 

Tony S

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Are you really skiing down frozen stuff?

:roflmao:

He lives in Minnesota.

Not picking on you, specifically, since I have no idea what your ski experience is, geographically speaking. but I wonder how many of the westerners commenting on what's good for eastern conditions actually have significant experience skiing typical eastern conditions. (Think Wachusett on a Wednesday night.) N.B. What Josh describes are in no way typical eastern skiers nor conditions, no matter how much he might protest. (Those skiers are paying money to take lessons. At Stowe. For starters. Self selected group.)
 

Analisa

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For your Western skis, lots of options to combine 1, 2, and maybe 5: Rustlers (especially if a discounted 10 from prior years is out there in your size), Sick Day 104, Backland 107 (or old 109 if you can find it - more playful) or Bent 100. Sir Francis Bacons if you're really looking for something more surfy than the Sick Days. Prodigy 3.0 and Atrises are both nice blends between progressive & traditional skis, but both are work in the bumps, and the Atrises really demanded that I get forward on them.

Working with a lot of ballsy intermediates through volunteer my volunteer work, I would definitely say the Sick Day/Pandora and Backland lines have pretty huge fan clubs. Both great tools for progression.
 

Tom K.

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Here are the uses I would like to cover:
  1. All mountain Utah and Colorado: sensible speed, moguls, tight terrain, trees, chutes, moguls, bowls, moguls with a pivoty style, not zipper line! Ungroomed 80% of the time.
  2. Backcountry touring midwinter, doesn’t have to be superlight( less than ~2000g would be fine) needs to be wide and rockered for low angle, deep powder or crust.
  3. Duluth(home): short, shallow groomers, so something lively and fun in short turns.
  4. Lutsen, MN: mostly groomers, few trees with shallow snow. Often slush. Also very steep icy pitches. And some moguls. See above.
  5. Spring ski touring: Something light and less than 95mm wide, but also not to ‘tooth rattling’ on frozen stuff. Something with some edge grip, but mainly predictable and forgiving, because the snow will not always be those things.
1. Enforcer 100.
2. I know nothing of backcountry skiing. Wait. Did I just infringe on a trademark?! ;)
3. NOTHING is more fun in MN than a pair of slalom skis. Given your description of your abilities, non-FIS. Take a few carving lessons.
4. Same. Hari Kari on slaloms FTW!
5. I still don't know anything about touring skis (maybe you need a fourth ski?).

Have fun with the hunt!
 

Pequenita

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The thought behind 2 and 5 separate was that for skiing up frozen things, or in very firm ski tracks, a wide ski is harder to edge, awkward on the ankles, and of course, plain heavier than a narrower ski, and the skins are heavier too.

They're not a panacea, but have you tried ski crampons for frozen uphills?

:roflmao:

He lives in Minnesota.

Not picking on you, specifically, since I have no idea what your ski experience is, geographically speaking. but I wonder how many of the westerners commenting on what's good for eastern conditions actually have significant experience skiing typical eastern conditions. (Think Wachusett on a Wednesday night.) N.B. What Josh describes are in no way typical eastern skiers nor conditions, no matter how much he might protest. (Those skiers are paying money to take lessons. At Stowe. For starters. Self selected group.)

No offense taken. I night skied on the east coast in the 80s. I've also come down the mountain too late in the day when things are set up and refrozen. My point was more, if you're earning your turns, turns on frozen stuff is not what I'd be trying to earn except by accident. :)
 
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Slim

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@Pequenita , since your comment was about spring backcountry skis, I read your post as: ‘if you are doing it right, you are climbing when it’s hard, but only skiing down when it’s turned to perfect corn’, which makes perfect sense.

I think @Tony S was talking about people recommending a 8x mm Brahma’s and Enforcers as my Minnesota ski..

But, in that vein, my friend at our shop here in town(hobby racer himself), did suggest, as an option, the Brahma 82.
 
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Slim

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I was thinking maybe something like this:

  • Nordica Enforcer 104 Free 186cm, with Shift for side country, or Attack to save some money.
  • Line Vision 98 186cm, with Salomon Mtn or Fritschi Vipec
  • Fischer RC One 82 GT 180cm, with its system binding
That follows @Pequenita ’s suggestion of combining the touring skis. Most of the lighter and narrower touring skis have very little rocker. Combined with their narrower waist, I worried that my lack of (powder) technique would have me struggling in trees and at slower speeds in deeper snow. The Vision is light, but on the wider side of 90-something millimeters, and has quite a lot of tail rocker.
 
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Slim

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Or to take some of @GregK and @Analisa ’s ideas,
Get a Sickday 104 186cm, with a Shift, and a frontside ski. Then in future, I could add a true, lightweight touring ski, or, if I feel the Sickday is to light for inbounds use, something hting heavier, like the Enforcers.

of course, that does create the risk of ending up as a 4 ski quiver eventually. ogwink
 

GregK

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Hard no about the shift on an Enforcer 104. Lol
Way too heavy(2260 grams for my 186cm)to tour with so Attacks on all the Utah skis. Enforcer 100, Rustler 10 or Menace 98 were the other Utah options all with Attacks.

Like the Line Vision idea for touring as I hear both the 98 and 108 are quite good for their weight and are good on variable snow and harder snow too. Newschoolers did a review on the 108 and it was a rave review. Sick Day 104 and Bent Chet 100 also great options for your two touring spots like the Line Vision. All these with shifts. Was thinking mostly touring with these but you might get some inbounds use on a lighter snow powder day at the resort when you didn’t want to ski the heavier Utah skis. In Heavy snow/crud etc the heavier Utah skis will be much better.

Haven’t been on the Fisher but it looks good from its shape and seeing some reviews on it. Solid “home mountain pick” I think. Bit more carver biased than a Brahma but still very versatile compared to a pure carver.
 

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