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Olesya C

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Hi All,
I am thinking of getting new all-mountain skis for the next season and wanted to ask for the advice on which skis may work well for me.

About me:
I'm tall and heavy at 6'1", weigh around 190 pounds. I am an advanced female skier who took many lessons and now have very good ski technique (as multiple instructors told me), moderately aggressive on groomers but can be tentative on steep, technical/ungroomed terrain. I ski in mid-Atlantic (PA) most weekends and usually manage several trips to CO and UT per winter. I have demoed and liked all-mountain skis by Volkl, Nordica, Kastle, Head, Blizzard.

I am looking for a ski in 85-95 mm waist and 175-182 cm range as my all-mountain ski. I wanted a ski that's easy-going in bumps and versatile for changing east-coast conditions, burly enough for my height/weight but not a demanding ski that will wear me out on longer ski days.

Some skis that I was looking at were:
Blizzard Brahma CA, 88 mm underfoot, 180 cm length
Volkl Kanjo 84 mm, 175 cm or 182?
Atomic Vantage 85 mm, 181 cm
Nordica Navigator, 90 mm, 179 cm

I also saw a great deal online on DPS Cassiar Foundation 95 mm in 178 cm length, but those are just a tad wide for east-coast oriented all-mountain ski. I welcome additional thoughts on DPS all-mountain skis since I have heard/read great things about them.

Thoughts? Additional skis I should be looking at? Thank you.
 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
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I demoed the Navigator and hated it. Lol. I know,others here like it, but I thought it felt.....odd. I never could get comfortable on it.

It had a shape that suggested versatility and playfulness, but the edges just grabbed me right through the turn, which didn’t suggest versatility or playfulness. :huh:

You can try my Black Crows Captis, at 178. Step right in them and ski away. :). I love them, but I have plenty of skis, so I’d be willing to sell them to you. ogwink

The holy grail of skis in the width you’re looking for, for your purpose, where you want to ski, and how you want them to feel, is the DPS Alchemist Cassiar 85, in a 178. OMG. I skied these for several hours at Alta. I was on the too-long-for-me 185’s, and they were still light enough for me to do some drills with Magi and then some bumps (admittedly, they felt pretty long there). But they were smooth, light, agile, easy, yet powerful, and did I say light??? Their charcoal top sheets were beautiful.

They are the epitome of a “ski all day and never get tired” ski.

Maybe I just want you to buy them so I can take a run on them. :P
317F364B-9AC5-4B37-8B2D-8A1FDEC32BB4.jpeg
 
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Ken_R

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I demoed the Navigator and hated it. Lol. I know,others here like it, but I thought it felt.....odd. I never could get comfortable on it.

It had a shape that suggested versatility and playfulness, but the edges just grabbed me right through the turn, which didn’t suggest versatility or playfulness. :huh:

Sounds like they were probably railed.
 

PTskier

Been goin' downhill for years....
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If it fits your budget---I got my first Stöckli skis last winter, and they're really really good. I'm on the Laser AX (78 mm), and I like them in all the conditions you describe. They do everything better more easily, from hard pack to almost a foot of heavy powder; the best skis I've been on. For your request, the Stöckli Stormrider 88, 177 cm, should get a close look. On those Rocky Mt. days when the powder gods smile at you and the snow is over a foot deep, rent skis suitable for just that snow. For most Rock Mt. days and east coast days, something else will do the best job for you.
https://www.proskilab.com/h/men-s-all-mountain-front/ski-reviews-2018-stockli-stormrider-88/524
 

SBrown

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If it fits your budget---I got my first Stöckli skis last winter, and they're really really good. I'm on the Laser AX (78 mm), and I like them in all the conditions you describe. They do everything better more easily, from hard pack to almost a foot of heavy powder; the best skis I've been on. For your request, the Stöckli Stormrider 88, 177 cm, should get a close look. ...

I probably would have recommended the 88, but I have never skied it. The 95 is surprisingly good on firm snow, though, and super quick in bumps trees etc, so I wouldn't hesitate there anyway.
 

Wendy

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Sounds like they were probably railed.

I agree, although the rep insisted the tune was fine.
If it fits your budget---I got my first Stöckli skis last winter, and they're really really good. I'm on the Laser AX (78 mm), and I like them in all the conditions you describe. They do everything better more easily, from hard pack to almost a foot of heavy powder; the best skis I've been on. For your request, the Stöckli Stormrider 88, 177 cm, should get a close look. On those Rocky Mt. days when the powder gods smile at you and the snow is over a foot deep, rent skis suitable for just that snow. For most Rock Mt. days and east coast days, something else will do the best job for you.
https://www.proskilab.com/h/men-s-all-mountain-front/ski-reviews-2018-stockli-stormrider-88/524

The OP has powder skis (Kastle BMX105hp) so she’s covered there. Which also means she’s no stranger to the feel of a premium ski.
With Stockli, I think last year’s 88 would be more of what she’s looking for. I have the SR83, which is delightful, really. A close match in performance to the Cassiar 85 I mentioned above. (I also have the SR100 Motion, which, for me, is more of a handful at times. I’m curious to know if @SBrown ‘s SR95’s are the same as mine, except for width.....although she’s a much better skier than I, so wouldn’t find them a handful).
 
Thread Starter
TS
Olesya C

Olesya C

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Thank you for recommendations, everyone! I have heard great things about Stockli SR 88! I do love my Kastle BMX 105 HP, so perhaps I should take a closer look at SR 88. Cassiar is another great option, sounds like. I guess if I decide to go in that price range I could also consider Renoun Z90. I know @ADKmel loves hers.

I have found a great deal on Atomic Vantage 85 in 181 cm length online. Anyone has any feedback on Atomic Vantage 85?
 

Wendy

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I have the VantageW 95's, so really can't comment on the 85's. These are to be my "out west" skis or eastern dump if we should get one. Since you have something wide, you don't need the 95's.

I think @Olesya C is interested in the 85, not the 95. Oh, wait.....you knew that. :rolleyes:
 
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Ken_R

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Hi All,
I am thinking of getting new all-mountain skis for the next season and wanted to ask for the advice on which skis may work well for me.

About me:
I'm tall and heavy at 6'1", weigh around 190 pounds. I am an advanced female skier who took many lessons and now have very good ski technique (as multiple instructors told me), moderately aggressive on groomers but can be tentative on steep, technical/ungroomed terrain. I ski in mid-Atlantic (PA) most weekends and usually manage several trips to CO and UT per winter. I have demoed and liked all-mountain skis by Volkl, Nordica, Kastle, Head, Blizzard.

I am looking for a ski in 85-95 mm waist and 175-182 cm range as my all-mountain ski. I wanted a ski that's easy-going in bumps and versatile for changing east-coast conditions, burly enough for my height/weight but not a demanding ski that will wear me out on longer ski days.

Some skis that I was looking at were:
Blizzard Brahma CA, 88 mm underfoot, 180 cm length
Volkl Kanjo 84 mm, 175 cm or 182?
Atomic Vantage 85 mm, 181 cm
Nordica Navigator, 90 mm, 179 cm

I also saw a great deal online on DPS Cassiar Foundation 95 mm in 178 cm length, but those are just a tad wide for east-coast oriented all-mountain ski. I welcome additional thoughts on DPS all-mountain skis since I have heard/read great things about them.

Thoughts? Additional skis I should be looking at? Thank you.

Plenty of really good skis in that width range.

I really love my Monster 88's (184cm 2016-2017 model) so if you can find a deal on the 177cm's I would get em. You can probably find them new for $350-$400 no problem or even less. They are gonna work great back east for sure as well as here out west.

I demoed the Kore 93 in 180cm and loved it. Light but stable and just plain fun and easy all over the hill. Obviously not as damp as the Monsters but damn impressive for how light they are.

The Stockli's mentioned are superb judging from the love they get by pugskiers.
 

Wendy

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Thank you for recommendations, everyone! I have heard great things about Stockli SR 88! I do love my Kastle BMX 105 HP, so perhaps I should take a closer look at SR 88. Cassiar is another great option, sounds like. I guess if I decide to go in that price range I could also consider Renoun Z90. I know @ADKmel loves hers.

I have found a great deal on Atomic Vantage 85 in 181 cm length online. Anyone has any feedback on Atomic Vantage 85?

Ah, the Z90. Well, with that one you get to try it for 100days!
 

Wendy

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Plenty of really good skis in that width range.

I really love my Monster 88's (184cm 2016-2017 model) so if you can find a deal on the 177cm's I would get em. You can probably find them new for $350-$400 no problem or even less. They are gonna work great back east for sure as well as here out west.

I used to have the Monster 78 from back around 2009. Great ski for everything, but it was so heavy.
 

Ken_R

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I used to have the Monster 78 from back around 2009. Great ski for everything, but it was so heavy.

The Newer 88's are definitely NOT light hahaha but that is actually a quality I love most days. I mean, suxs for carrying them around but really smooth out typically chopped up resort conditions. The new Kore 93's were a revelation though. I mean, I wont get them to replace the 88's BUT they are a great all around resort ski for here out west specially for venturing off piste, in trees etc. They are just not the destroyer that the Monsters are. :D
 

ADKmel

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Yes I LOVE My z-90's I did demo the Atomic 85's they are a nice ski. So many choices in skis, I haven't been on Stockli's Tried them years go they weighed a TON and I don't like heavy plankish skis. Now that I'm so happy w/the z-90's doubt I'll ever go back to something else in the 85-90range. I also love my Atomic Cloud 11's for going really fast and superb carving.
 

Tricia

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Thank you for recommendations, everyone! I have heard great things about Stockli SR 88! I do love my Kastle BMX 105 HP, so perhaps I should take a closer look at SR 88. Cassiar is another great option, sounds like. I guess if I decide to go in that price range I could also consider Renoun Z90. I know @ADKmel loves hers.

I have found a great deal on Atomic Vantage 85 in 181 cm length online. Anyone has any feedback on Atomic Vantage 85?
The Z-90, SR 88 and Cassiar 87 all have a very different feel and turn shape.
The Z-90 turns significantly quicker than the SR 88. The Cassiar 87 has a turn shape that is somewhere in-between the other two. The convenience with the Cassiar 87, is that you can choose the foundation version or Alchemist version depending on what kind of feel you want to get out of it.
Foundation is slightly more damp, while the Alchemist is lighter.
 

Wendy

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@Tricia I wish I had gotten to try the Cassiar in the Foundation version, but it was out when I was at the tent. The wider Foundation ski (Wailer 106), was a bit too much for me at 178 (off piste. I took a big tumble in the bumps, lol).

In sub 100 mm widths, the Alchemist DPS skis were my holy grail.

@Olesya C since all the skis mentioned are different in turn shape and feel, can you tell us about your current all-mountain ski, it’s construction, and what do you like about it, and what characteristics do you hope to improve upon in a new ski? That might help folks here narrow down recommendations.

The SR88 (and the SR83) are not heavy, plankish skis. At least the 2017-18 and 2016-17 versions. They are relatively light and lively, yet damp enough. In fact, Stockli bills them as touring skis. I like mine because it’s easy to control the turn shape. Unlike others, I do not like skis that hook up into a turn quickly (like your Magnums, @Olesya C ). So that is something to consider....do you want the ski to hook up into the turn quickly, or do you want the ski to require more input from the skier? (Hooking up quickly, for me, spells trouble in bumps, lol). You can often tell by looking at the tip shape (Z90 vs SR88...more blunt in the former, vs more taper in the latter).

My mentioning of the DPS Alchemist Cassiar comes not just from me loving it, but also from me skiing your POTUS’s and knowing how they feel in comparison. And skiing with you, and I’m guessing, sort of knowing what you’d like in your next ski.
 
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