All-mountain skis recommendations for a tall advanced woman

[James]

If looking in the 88mm category, next year's Rossi E 88 is a really good all arounder. 180cm. Fun, easy, huge range of use and users. Quite different than the current much more carving oriented version.

Next year's Atomic Vantage 97 ( Or is it 95?). Very nice ski, more of a charging type ski with all mountainish tip. For next year that may be the Vantage to get.

The DPS Cassiar 94, foundation, is a fun ski too. Quite different than the Vantage. More mellow, friendly, somewhat towards the slarvey end of the spectrum but will carve pretty well. It's a good looking ski in it's green fade. I suppose ifone is obsessed with weight the Alchemist could be tried. Personally I'm not a fan of carbon skis but I've never skied an Alchemist.

The Renoun 90 is really a fat carver. Fun ski, but a glance at the shapes/profiles of all the above skis pretty much will tell you the story. If 3 dimensional snow is involved, the Renoun has the least appropriate tip.

 

[Olesya C]

@Tricia thank you for clarification on the 3 skis. Have you skied men's Atomic Vantage 85 by any chance? The one that's all wood core without metal and carbon?
This one:
https://www.skis.com/Atomic-Vantage-85-Skis/481143P,default,pd.html

@Wendy I don't want skis that hook up into a turn quickly in my all-mountain skis. I love my Magnums on hardpack but they are handful in bumps and any kind of soft or 3D snow. So these all-mountain skis I will be skiing in pretty much everything that's not hard-pack/ice or deep powder (I got Magnums and BMX105 for that). I like my all-mountain skis to pivot easily because that's how I primarily turn in bumps/crud, but also want to be able to carve nicely on the groomers. I agree with you that for these skis I don't want them to hook up into the turn very quickly because I wouldn't want that in bumps either.

My current all-mountain skis are Kicker POTUS in 178 cm and I liked them a lot because they are well balanced - not too soft, not too stiff. I can easily pivot them in bumps and glades, but when the groomers are not crowded I can open them up and carve. I am on them in in my avatar photo. They are easy going - I can ski them all-day without getting tired. I could probably ski them for another season, but as my carving/edging skills improve I think the asymmetric side cut on POTUS makes them feel a touch odd when I carve so that's the reason I started looking at another all-mountain ski. I can say that I like the turn initiation on POTUS and the right balance of dampness/liveliness. So probably a similarly shaped ski with carbon would be good and it sounds like Cassiar 85 Alchemist is a lot like that.

 

[Olesya C]

The Renoun 90 is really a fat carver. Fun ski, but a glance at the shapes/profiles of all the above skis pretty much will tell you the story. If 3 dimensional snow is involved, the Renoun has the least appropriate tip.

That is a very helpful comment! Thank you.

 

[Wendy]

That is a very helpful comment! Thank you.

If looking in the 88mm category, next year's Rossi E 88 is a really good all arounder. 180cm. Fun, easy, huge range of use and users. Quite different than the current much more carving oriented version.

Personally I'm not a fan of carbon skis but I've never skied an Alchemist.

You should try them.....they are neat. Nice combo of liveliness and dampness and lightness and power. Interesting. There should be some demos around Okemo or Killington, no?

[QUOTE="James, post: 243445, member: 371”] The Renoun 90 is really a fat carver. Fun ski, but a glance at the shapes/profiles of all the above skis pretty much will tell you the story. If 3 dimensional snow is involved, the Renoun has the least appropriate tip.[/QUOTE]

When I look at the Renoun, the shape reminds me of the old Experience 88. That ski was like a one trick pony to me....just wanted to carve. The newer version looks fun, though, and worth a closer look for the OP.

 

[Wendy]

That is a very helpful comment! Thank you.

@Tricia thank you for clarification on the 3 skis. Have you skied men's Atomic Vantage 85 by any chance? The one that's all wood core without metal and carbon?
This one:
https://www.skis.com/Atomic-Vantage-85-Skis/481143P,default,pd.html

@Wendy I don't want skis that hook up into a turn quickly in my all-mountain skis. I love my Magnums on hardpack but they are handful in bumps and any kind of soft or 3D snow. So these all-mountain skis I will be skiing in pretty much everything that's not hard-pack/ice or deep powder (I got Magnums and BMX105 for that). I like my all-mountain skis to pivot easily because that's how I primarily turn in bumps/crud, but also want to be able to carve nicely on the groomers. I agree with you that for these skis I don't want them to hook up into the turn very quickly because I wouldn't want that in bumps either.

My current all-mountain skis are Kicker POTUS in 178 cm and I liked them a lot because they are well balanced - not too soft, not too stiff. I can easily pivot them in bumps and glades, but when the groomers are not crowded I can open them up and carve. I am on them in in my avatar photo. They are easy going - I can ski them all-day without getting tired. I could probably ski them for another season, but as my carving/edging skills improve I think the asymmetric side cut on POTUS makes them feel a touch odd when I carve so that's the reason I started looking at another all-mountain ski. I can say that I like the turn initiation on POTUS and the right balance of dampness/liveliness. So probably a similarly shaped ski with carbon would be good and it sounds like Cassiar 85 Alchemist is a lot like that.

When I skied your POTUS, I really liked the flex and on snow feel of them, but I thought the side cut felt weird. They were slow to get on edge and then, didn’t seem to carve cleanly through the turn. (As much as I carve cleanly, lol). But, seriously, they felt a bit off. So, maybe, that is affecting you. But remembering how they felt on snow, that’s the reason I suggested Alchemist. But that’s a pricey ski. Hard to drop that $ if you’re not demoing first. I think @James has a good point about the new Rossi.

 

[James]

You should try them.....they are neat. Nice combo of liveliness and dampness and lightness and power. Interesting.

Yeah I should try the Alchemists I suppose. I am biased against carbon. It's the most misused material in skis. Plus, I like metaI, and carbon heads tend to view metal like vegans view meat. Spare me the sanctimonious carbon...
I did ski a carbon/kevlar ski that had quite a nice feel to it. So, there's hope.

Honestly, the '19 Rossi Experience 88 is a great ski. If you're looking for a ski to put under the Christmas tree for someone, you can't go wrong with the E88. It even has an understated elegance to it's look.

It's not just the change in tip profile and shape but the whole package. They really nailed it at least in the 180cm. Brings a smile just thinking about it. Agile, playful, lightish feeling, yet ok with putting the hammer down.

We skied the worst snow on the mountain at the time- refrozen, tracked up wet powder. Now, the previous runs on that stuff were with the Rossi Hero Master 21m cheater gs ski, 71 underfoot. What made that challenging was the widest part of the sidecut being way up at the square tip. Twitchy and sensitive. (Though much wider and a bit different, the z90's tip design is in the same family).

The E88 was so much easier in that. Yeah, lots of things would be. The surprise though was how much fun it was trying to nail down the right technique and timing in the teeth chattering snow. "That stuff was so bad!- Let's do it again!" Fun.

I've skied the older Stockli SR88, the 1/2 red one. The Rossi definitely lacks the smooth feel of the baby seal skin that the Stockli has. But, overall the E88 seems a much more sophisticated and versatile design.

Not sure why the op wants to avoid metal. Yeah, some gluten free cookies can be ok, most are horrible...
It seems designers who shun metal often (not always) overcompensate and make the ski denser and heavier with much worse snow feel.

Try the Vantage 97ti. I didn't get to ski it, but very good looking ski. Meaning the design. Kind of a classic ski with modern all mountain aspects to it. @mdf spent quite some time on it. I didn't think he'd like it, but after hating it at first he came to really like it.

Couple others:

Volkl Mantra M5 184cm
Sigh...they really tried with this one. Only Volkl can take a classic, redesign it to make it more user friendly allegedly, and totally screw it up. Then keep trying at the screw ups. And yet they share the same name. Why didn't you just make a different ski?
Afterall this, they say of the Mantra, "Ya, we can rebuild her!" Thus, the 5th generation...

Anyway, the new M5 has camber (duh! It took 3 generations to figure that out when the 1st had it?)
It's extremely solidly built. Maybe the most solid tight ski I've seen. Clack them together and it's like steel. But, they're not heavy.

Skiing it in spring stuff and frozen snow up top. Loved it mid to tail. Lots of choices - carve it, stomp it, smear it out, sink the tail. Fun.
But... where's the front? I mean it's there, it'll do whatever, you just find yourself calling down to the engine room too often. " Scotty! Have we lost the front thrusters?? I've got nothing up here!"
Overall - dissappointing, so close.
Stand by for the M6 in which the Volkl Mantra probably discovers carbon...

4Frnt Msp. 176 (99 underfoot)
A classic. Solid, fun, a ripper. Versatile. Loves to carve. Not a light ski though. Needs to be demoed.

 

[ADKmel]

That is a very helpful comment! Thank you.

maybe it's just me and how I ski, but as you know I have skied my z-90's in everything and they were great..
maybe I don't understand 3D snow?

 

[mdf]

maybe it's just me and how I ski, but as you know I have skied my z-90's in everything and they were great..
maybe I don't understand 3D snow?

Z-90's seem to be a "love it or hate it" ski. I know several good skiers in each camp.

 

[Philpug]

...carbon heads tend to view metal like vegans view meat.

That is signature worthy!

 

[tromano]

Given the skis the op is looking at, also consider monster 88, fischer pro mtn 86 and salomon xdr 88.

 

[Philpug]

I liked the DPS Cassiar 87, I think it fits her needs and picks up where the POTUS left off.

 

[Wendy]

That is a very helpful comment! Thank you.

@Tricia thank you for clarification on the 3 skis. Have you skied men's Atomic Vantage 85 by any chance? The one that's all wood core without metal and carbon?
This one:
https://www.skis.com/Atomic-Vantage-85-Skis/481143P,default,pd.html

@Wendy I don't want skis that hook up into a turn quickly in my all-mountain skis. I love my Magnums on hardpack but they are handful in bumps and any kind of soft or 3D snow. So these all-mountain skis I will be skiing in pretty much everything that's not hard-pack/ice or deep powder (I got Magnums and BMX105 for that). I like my all-mountain skis to pivot easily because that's how I primarily turn in bumps/crud, but also want to be able to carve nicely on the groomers. I agree with you that for these skis I don't want them to hook up into the turn very quickly because I wouldn't want that in bumps either.

My current all-mountain skis are Kicker POTUS in 178 cm and I liked them a lot because they are well balanced - not too soft, not too stiff. I can easily pivot them in bumps and glades, but when the groomers are not crowded I can open them up and carve. I am on them in in my avatar photo. They are easy going - I can ski them all-day without getting tired. I could probably ski them for another season, but as my carving/edging skills improve I think the asymmetric side cut on POTUS makes them feel a touch odd when I carve so that's the reason I started looking at another all-mountain ski. I can say that I like the turn initiation on POTUS and the right balance of dampness/liveliness. So probably a similarly shaped ski with carbon would be good and it sounds like Cassiar 85 Alchemist is a lot like that.

When I skied your POTUS, I really liked the flex and on snow feel of them, but I thought the side cut felt weird. They were slow to get on edge and then, didn’t seem to carve cleanly through the turn. (As much as I carve cleanly, lol). But, seriously, they felt a bit off. So, maybe, that is affecting you. But remembering how they felt on snow, that’s the reason I suggested Alchemist. But that’s a pricey ski. Hard to drop that $ if you’re not demoing first. I think @James has a good point about the new Rossi.

That is signature worthy!

I agree!

 

[Wendy]

I liked the DPS Cassiar 87, I think it fits her needs and picks up where the POTUS left off.

Phil: You and I are on the same page!

Now....Foundation, or Alchemist?

 

[Wendy]

Yeah I should try the Alchemists I suppose. I am biased against carbon. It's the most misused material in skis. Plus, I like metaI, and carbon heads tend to view metal like vegans view meat. Spare me the sanctimonious carbon...
I did ski a carbon/kevlar ski that had quite a nice feel to it. So, there's hope.

Honestly, the '19 Rossi Experience 88 is a great ski. If you're looking for a ski to put under the Christmas tree for someone, you can't go wrong with the E88. It even has an understated elegance to it's look.

It's not just the change in tip profile and shape but the whole package. They really nailed it at least in the 180cm. Brings a smile just thinking about it. Agile, playful, lightish feeling, yet ok with putting the hammer down.

We skied the worst snow on the mountain at the time- refrozen, tracked up wet powder. Now, the previous runs on that stuff were with the Rossi Hero Master 21m cheater gs ski, 71 underfoot. What made that challenging was the widest part of the sidecut being way up at the square tip. Twitchy and sensitive. (Though much wider and a bit different, the z90's tip design is in the same family).

The E88 was so much easier in that. Yeah, lots of things would be. The surprise though was how much fun it was trying to nail down the right technique and timing in the teeth chattering snow. "That stuff was so bad!- Let's do it again!" Fun.

I've skied the older Stockli SR88, the 1/2 red one. The Rossi definitely lacks the smooth feel of the baby seal skin that the Stockli has. But, overall the E88 seems a much more sophisticated and versatile design.

Not sure why the op wants to avoid metal. Yeah, some gluten free cookies can be ok, most are horrible...
It seems designers who shun metal often (not always) overcompensate and make the ski denser and heavier with much worse snow feel.

Try the Vantage 97ti. I didn't get to ski it, but very good looking ski. Meaning the design. Kind of a classic ski with modern all mountain aspects to it. @mdf spent quite some time on it. I didn't think he'd like it, but after hating it at first he came to really like it.

Couple others:

Volkl Mantra M5 184cm
Sigh...they really tried with this one. Only Volkl can take a classic, redesign it to make it more user friendly allegedly, and totally screw it up. Then keep trying at the screw ups. And yet they share the same name. Why didn't you just make a different ski?
Afterall this, they say of the Mantra, "Ya, we can rebuild her!" Thus, the 5th generation...

Anyway, the new M5 has camber (duh! It took 3 generations to figure that out when the 1st had it?)
It's extremely solidly built. Maybe the most solid tight ski I've seen. Clack them together and it's like steel. But, they're not heavy.

Skiing it in spring stuff and frozen snow up top. Loved it mid to tail. Lots of choices - carve it, stomp it, smear it out, sink the tail. Fun.
But... where's the front? I mean it's there, it'll do whatever, you just find yourself calling down to the engine room too often. " Scotty! Have we lost the front thrusters?? I've got nothing up here!"
Overall - dissappointing, so close.
Stand by for the M6 in which the Volkl Mantra probably discovers carbon...

4Frnt Msp. 176 (99 underfoot)
A classic. Solid, fun, a ripper. Versatile. Loves to carve. Not a light ski though. Needs to be demoed.

I don’t think @Olesya C needs to avoid metal. She just wants a ski that is soft enough to be forgiving in bumps. Her current ski, the Kicker POTUS, is a carbon-wood-something ski, so I gather she’s trying to duplicate that feel. I agree that some metal-free skis can be stiff and heavy. My metal-containing SR83’s are soft, relatively. So are my Elans.

So many options!

 

[Wendy]

But... where's the front? I mean it's there, it'll do whatever, you just find yourself calling down to the engine room too often. " Scotty! Have we lost the front thrusters?? I've got nothing up here!"

@Philpug : This is another classic.

 

[Seldomski]

@Tricia thank you for clarification on the 3 skis. Have you skied men's Atomic Vantage 85 by any chance? The one that's all wood core without metal and carbon?
This one:
https://www.skis.com/Atomic-Vantage-85-Skis/481143P,default,pd.html

@Wendy I don't want skis that hook up into a turn quickly in my all-mountain skis. I love my Magnums on hardpack but they are handful in bumps and any kind of soft or 3D snow. So these all-mountain skis I will be skiing in pretty much everything that's not hard-pack/ice or deep powder (I got Magnums and BMX105 for that). I like my all-mountain skis to pivot easily because that's how I primarily turn in bumps/crud, but also want to be able to carve nicely on the groomers. I agree with you that for these skis I don't want them to hook up into the turn very quickly because I wouldn't want that in bumps either.

My current all-mountain skis are Kicker POTUS in 178 cm and I liked them a lot because they are well balanced - not too soft, not too stiff. I can easily pivot them in bumps and glades, but when the groomers are not crowded I can open them up and carve. I am on them in in my avatar photo. They are easy going - I can ski them all-day without getting tired. I could probably ski them for another season, but as my carving/edging skills improve I think the asymmetric side cut on POTUS makes them feel a touch odd when I carve so that's the reason I started looking at another all-mountain ski. I can say that I like the turn initiation on POTUS and the right balance of dampness/liveliness. So probably a similarly shaped ski with carbon would be good and it sounds like Cassiar 85 Alchemist is a lot like that.

I am 6' and 210 lbs. Based on what you are saying above, I would suggest you try the Volkl RTM or Kendo (177cm). Kendo tends to be more 'vague' in that it can be coerced to do anything, but doesn't want to do anything in particular. It is easy to smear. It does not tend to 'hook up' either.

Volkl RTM has a similar flex/stiffness to the Kendo. It can be smeared, but it tends to want to carve a bit more and is less vague. I own the Kendo. If I had the option, I would trade it for the RTM since the RTM is narrower and for me easier to carve. Kendo is biased more toward soft snow, and especially 3D soft snow, where it is fantastic. However, I find myself on harder snow more of the time.

Only con for the RTM is that dumb UVO thingy making rattling noises...

Both the RTM and Kendo have a lot of metal and are very damp. They do not seem playful to me. I like this, but you may not.

 

[markojp]

You should try them.....they are neat. Nice combo of liveliness and dampness and lightness and power. Interesting. There should be some demos around Okemo or Killington, no?

[QUOTE="James, post: 243445, member: 371”] The Renoun 90 is really a fat carver. Fun ski, but a glance at the shapes/profiles of all the above skis pretty much will tell you the story. If 3 dimensional snow is involved, the Renoun has the least appropriate tip

When I look at the Renoun, the shape reminds me of the old Experience 88. That ski was like a one trick pony to me....just wanted to carve. The newer version looks fun, though, and worth a closer look for the OP.

Fwiw, the outgoing e-88 and z-90 ski quite differently. The suggestion for next season's e-88 isn't a bad one.

 

[Tricia]

maybe it's just me and how I ski, but as you know I have skied my z-90's in everything and they were great..
maybe I don't understand 3D snow?

The description was based on comparisons of that ski to a couple others.
By comparison, the others lean toward more 3D versatility than the Z-90, which is why Cyrus makes the Endurance 98 and now the Citadel.

 

[Alexzn]

I didn't think Monster 88 is entirely appropriate for someone who is self-described as tentative on steep/ungroomed. On the other hand she seems to own and like the BMX105HP, which is plenty of ski for everyone, so I dunno... I'd say Stormrider 88 sounds perfect, easy to ski, and has all the power and refinement of a premium ski. At her size and weight light carbon skis will not be ideal (after all, she said she liked Volkl, Nordica, Kastle, Head, Blizzard, all of those brands make pretty burly skis with metal), so I would be quite careful with DPS. Awesome skis, but you need to know and like what you are getting into. My sentimental favorite would be the Enforcer 93, but it has nothing on Stormrider 88 except a lower price point. Kastle FX84 would be another reasonable choice, but again at a price premium.

 

[Olesya C]

I didn't think Monster 88 is entirely appropriate for someone who is self-described as tentative on steep/ungroomed. On the other hand she seems to own and like the BMX105HP, which is plenty of ski for everyone, so I dunno... I'd say Stormrider 88 sounds perfect, easy to ski, and has all the power and refinement of a premium ski. At her size and weight light carbon skis will not be ideal (after all, she said she liked Volkl, Nordica, Kastle, Head, Blizzard, all of those brands make pretty burly skis with metal), so I would be quite careful with DPS. Awesome skis, but you need to know and like what you are getting into. My sentimental favorite would be the Enforcer 93, but it has nothing on Stormrider 88 except a lower price point. Kastle FX84 would be another reasonable choice, but again at a price premium.

You know, you got a point there. In fact, I demoed Enforcer 93 in 185 last winter and liked it, but thought that I needed to size down to 178 or 177, whatever next size down was. If Nordica still carried Enforcers those would be strong contenders. I could also demo SR 88 this winter. I will most likely go to Taos in 2019, they carry Stockli demos. Oh and I am not considering Monsters based on some of the posts above, so I agree with you there too.