All mountain for 17 year old boy?

[Mendieta]

Hi all

My son is turning 17 years old this summer. He is still on his first (3 years old) skis: Dynastar Powertrack 79 @166cm. He is now about 175cm, 135lbs, and has skied 50 to 60 days. Time for new skis. He likes slarving, smearing and taking bump runs.

I am looking for a longer ski, but also a more advanced ski that can carve, hold its own in crud, but would also be easy to pivot. I tried the Enforcer 93 in 177cm and I think that could be perfect. He might have to grow into it though, and I am a few inches and a good, omg, quite a few pounds heavier. It was great in bumps, but can also float, carve, cut through crud, etc.

Any comparables that my dear friends here could suggest? I would love to have a short list of 3 or 4 and shop for opportunities

Oh, he got bootfited this past fall into his first real boots. That's covered

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Philpug]

First of all...feed that kid a sandwich.

 

[Mendieta]

First of all...feed that kid a sandwich.

Haha. I know. The crazy thing is that he's been gaining muscle mass, running a few miles several times a week, etc. He's at his highest athletic point, ever! Of course as he matures into fully adult body he'll gain weight. Or so I hope!

 

[Philpug]

The crazy thing is that he's been gaining muscle mass, running a few miles several times a week, etc.

So, after a week he is 40 or so miles from home? Uber at that point?

 

[Mendieta]

So, after a week he is 40 or so miles from home? Uber at that point?

For reasons that are beyond me, he does come back each time!

 

[Josh Matta]

He may actually be better suited to something else. The E93 does have some beef and isnt the easiest thing to slarve, I mean they slarve for me fine...but I am your sons height plus 60 lb...

 

[Analisa]

Rustlers. A little softer and a little surfier than the Enforcers. I thought the Sheeva 10s were impressively versatile as a 1-quiver ski in the PNW/mostly off piste (9 would be a good contender), I would've bought them if I was into ski monogamy. They ski short, so if he's got solid chops, I'd go with the 180 (at 5-2/110, I found the 172 still left a little to be desired).

 

[RNZ]

We have found the women's Fischer ranger great for our lightweight relative to height teen son. The top sheet wasn't at all girlie.

 

[Scott Martin]

Rustler 9 is a great all around ski. Lighter, little more playful, easier to smear than the enforcer. Likewise the Black Crows orb, and the DPS F94 would fit the bill of slightly more easygoing, but still very versatile, alternative to the E93.

 

[Philpug]

Armada Invictus 89Ti.

 

[Coach13]

At that age my boys loved their twin tip K2 Public Enemy’s as their all mountain skis. I don’t know what ski is the PE’s equivalent these days but I’d figure it out and lean that direction.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Haha. I know. The crazy thing is that he's been gaining muscle mass, running a few miles several times a week, etc. He's at his highest athletic point, ever! Of course as he matures into fully adult body he'll gain weight. Or so I hope!

I bet i weighed 140 when I was 16 and 180 by the time I was 18.

 

[James]

Dynastar Slicer is an all mountain twin tip. It is 98 underfoot though. I haven't skied it. It has a pretty soft tip and softish tail. Fairly straight. Looks fun, but very different than the Rustler.
Next year it's called the Menace and has Miami Vice graphics. This year it's an elegant grey/black. Would look good with Forza's.

 

[Mendieta]

Dynastar Slicer is an all mountain twin tip. It is 98 underfoot though. I haven't skied it. It has a pretty soft tip and softish tail. Fairly straight. Looks fun, but very different than the Rustler.
Next year it's called the Menace and has Miami Vice graphics. This year it's an elegant grey/black. Would look good with Forza's.

Thanks James and everybody else above. One of the things I am looking for is continuity; he is on a 79mm underfoot and perhaps moving to a mid-80's, or 90mm seems within what I would consider an incremental change. The main reason for a little more width is that he is much more likely to enjoy crud/offpiste than he is to enjoy deep carving on hard groomers (he doesn't really care for that). His current skis were great at the time but are limiting him on crud/offpiste (I have a similar set of skis and played with them the other day on natural snow to confirm), so I want some more beef without overdoing it for his weight/height/age.

 

[Wilhelmson]

I think the old K2s I bought when I was 16 in 1992 are still in my friend's garage. They might not be that wide but they did get me down loveland pass. Gota teach the kids on skinny skis you know My kid is 12 and is fine on mid 80, just don't get them too tall.

 

[oldfashoned]

I gave my son my hand me downs. @15 he got the Kastle LX 92 174. He is 17 now. Last year we went down Moseley’s. Half way down I looked and he was waiting for me at the bottom. Unfortunately that’s the norm now. These kids learn fast and will be able to ski on anything, and down everything.

 

[Tricia]

The women's Ranger is same construction as the men's, just comes in different sizes.

We have found the women's Fischer ranger great for our lightweight relative to height teen son. The top sheet wasn't at all girlie.

 

[James]

Well you got that new Fischer RC One 86 GT A carver with all mountain chops. See @Erik Timmerman 's review.

It's really disappointing to have someone who works for Fischer talk about Titanium when it's Titanal. Now, maybe it's actually titanium? Seriously doubt it. This confusion ia rampant in the ski industry. Titanal is an aluminum alloy trade name produced by the Austrian company AMAG. It contains 0% titanium. None. Even their product brochure says titanium in the picture, but Titanal in the description.
Bafatex is the other material he mentions.
Pg 12:
https://fischersports.com.ua/media//files/Alpine.pdf

 

[Philpug]

Well you got that new Fischer RC One 86 GT A carver with all mountain chops. See @Erik Timmerman 's review.

It's really disappointing to have someone who works for Fischer talk about Titanium when it's Titanal. Now, maybe it's actually titanium? Seriously doubt it. This confusion ia rampant in the ski industry. Titanal is an aluminum alloy trade name produced by the Austrian company AMAG. It contains 0% titanium. None. Even their product brochure says titanium in the picture, but Titanal in the description.
Bafatex is the other material he mentions.
Pg 12:
https://fischersports.com.ua/media//files/Alpine.pdf

THATS your beef with the hardgoods industry? Boot companies have "CANTING" on the ski boot cuff. Boot flexes are all over the chart with no standardization. Bindings that are perfectly good are being pulled from Indemnification carts and you are concerned with marketing names of titanium and titial.

 

[NZRob]

THATS your beef with the hardgoods industry? Boot companies have "CANTING" on the ski boot cuff. Boot flexes are all over the chart with no standardization. Bindings that are perfectly good are being pulled from Indemnification carts and you are concerned with marketing names of titanium and titial.

LOL well he's not the only one....I long ago had to realise that my rantings to fellow skiers and ski shop personnel about the fact that titanal is in fact predominantly aluminium and contains no titanium were just embarrassing to my family, and it was time to internally calm myself down - "Ok just shut up Rob, it's not that important".

Back to the OP, how about something versatile like the Brahma CA? Removes the titanium (see what I did there) and replaces it with carbon, making for a lighter, more playful ski....ok I'll leave it to Evo's description:

"The result is a ripper's "light" delight, combining the unerring precision that skiers love in the regular Brahma with a newfound feeling of freedom and maneuverability in bumps and tight trees. If you're the kind of skier who puts equal store in your ability to rip moguls and challenging sidecountry as well as steamrolling the mountain GS style, this new hybrid Brahma is just what you've been waiting for."

It's a 2018 ski so might pick up a good discount somewhere.