Advice for a sport carver or other options

[Tony Storaro]

How does a WRT Pro, FIS SL, or anything else with a race plate (and increased stiffness that comes with it) combine with 'NOT working constantly'?

Perfectly fine. You just need some of them skilzz…

 

[mikes781]

I really don’t find the WRT Pro to be that tough to ski but I only have the SRT plate on it. It’s turned into my daily driver. I’m on the bigger side at 6’2” 220lbs. I’ve only been on the FIS SL a few times but have gotten more and more comfortable with it each time. Requires more attention than the WRT.

 

[Marker]

A lot of the other skis people mentioned lean more towards the advanced/ expert skier that skis 20+ days a year. This is what you need and the price is perfect:

https://www.skiessentials.com/products/2023-blizzard-brahma-82-skis-w-marker-griffon-13-id-bindings

@ihocky2 I added one of these this year in 180 cm, purchased from Ski Essentials shop at Killington, but would not call it a sport carver. I'm 6'6", 220 lb and find them to have enough backbone to ski fairly aggressively. Very fun to ski in a variety of conditions! If you go this way, you should probably get the longer length with your weight. For a sport carver, I have a Rossignol Hero Elite LT (69 underfoot, 183 cm) that is easy to ski waaay too fast for most busy crowded days in the Poconos (I used to ski Blue Mountain a lot on the weekends!), although you can shorten the turns if you want to work a bit harder.

At your price point of $500, a lot of the above recommended skis are out of reach. Sorry guys, you're just talking to each other and not helping the OP when you bring up FIS SL or Stockli...

 

[Tony Storaro]

@ihocky2 I added one of these this year in 180 cm, purchased from Ski Essentials shop at Killington, but would not call it a sport carver. I'm 6'6", 220 lb and find them to have enough backbone to ski fairly aggressively. Very fun to ski in a variety of conditions! If you go this way, you should probably get the longer length with your weight. For a sport carver, I have a Rossignol Hero Elite LT (69 underfoot, 183 cm) that is easy to ski waaay too fast for most busy crowded days in the Poconos (I used to ski Blue Mountain a lot on the weekends!), although you can shorten the turns if you want to work a bit harder.

At your price point of $500, a lot of the above recommended skis are out of reach. Sorry guys, you're just talking to each other and not helping the OP when you bring up FIS SL or Stockli...

Some of the FIS SL ski can be found real cheap tho..

 

[GregK]

Lots of options in your price range as these are all Canadian prices and I’ll send you a contact so the prices will be even lower. Those older Firebirds Race Ti skis wouid be around $350 US or so landed cost I bet which is a steal!

Edit-sent a message to @ihocky2 with contact info!

 

[Marker]

Some of the FIS SL ski can be found real cheap tho..

To be fair, I don't doubt it, as I found my Hero LTs on sale for $500 a few years ago, which is why I mentioned them. I scooped them up as fast as I could and I've never regretted my purchase.

@ihocky2 I suggest you use the Ski Selector/Review tool here on SkiTalk to identify some candidates, plus those suggested above, then search ad nauseum until you find one on sale at your price. You can always come back and see if "we" agree that it is a good choice for you. Hope that helps.

 

[ihocky2]

I've been doing some looking and found a few others that have caught my eye, probably two non-similar skis but wondering where they fit. The Salomon is closer to my ideal budget, but if the Volkl is the right ski I may just have to save a little longer.

Salomon S Max 10XT or 8XT - the 10 seems like it is probably a race inspired ski and more of a dedicated carver, but at 75mm wide not entirely sure. The 8XT bumps up to 80mm wide but looks to be less stiff. Both top out at 177cm long.

Volkl Deacon 79, 80 or 84. They seem to be stiff enough, more of an all mountain but narrow enough to carve. I'm not real clear the differences in the 79 and the 80 but the 79 tops out at 177 and the 80 and 84 get up to 182.

 

[Cheizz]

Nothing 'race' about either Salomon, other than they're designed for groomed runs. same for the Völkls.

 

[ihocky2]

I had the chance to demo a couple skis and really liked the Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB. They only had a 174 to demo, but compared to my current skis they grabbed a lot nicer, were quieter, and a lot more stable.

I am only debating between the 182 and 174 lengths. The 182 goes from a R15 to a R17. In Pennsylvania we only have a couple mountains with 1000' vertical and a lot of narrower trails. I liked the middle length turn and felt comfortable at 35mph. I don't get over that too often, but wondering if the 182 would feel more stable and let me open up the gas a little more.

With the longest demo I was on being a 177 I am just not sure how the extra length and wider turn will feel on Pocono Mountains.