Hello friends, I hope you can help guide me in my next ski purchase, which will be my new daily driver ski for 90% of days and conditions. I will use my current skis for big dumps and late spring.
I live in Colorado and ski 5-15 days a season, mostly at Keystone, Vail, and A-Basin, with an occasional foray to UT. I am a 53 years old male and have been skiing for 40 years. I am an advanced-intermediate, maybe even an advanced skier. Height is 5’7” (170cm); weight is 135 lbs. (61kg).
My formative years were spent chasing friends who were much better skiers and skiing off-trail terrain that was above my ability. Over the past several years, I have primarily stayed on-trails, focused on improving my technique, and now mostly enjoy carving small to medium turns at decent speeds.
Current ski is a (2013 or 14) Salomon Rocker 2 90, which is a rockered, all-mountain ski with no metal. At 169 length, it has an 88mm waist and 15m radius. I want a big jump up in ski performance, and want something narrower, quicker side-to-side, turnier, damper, and grippier on hard scraped off and ice. I want to feel like I am on skates.
I think I should be looking at “piste” skis, between 70-80mm, with around 13m turn radius, which are focused on frontside carving, and also have some capability to handle fresh snow, back bowls, and easy bumps. With my diminutive size, I think I should look at skis in the 160cm length range.
Based purely on ski reviews (and that I can find these skis coming up on sale locally), I have come up with the following options:
-Mr. Malinois
I live in Colorado and ski 5-15 days a season, mostly at Keystone, Vail, and A-Basin, with an occasional foray to UT. I am a 53 years old male and have been skiing for 40 years. I am an advanced-intermediate, maybe even an advanced skier. Height is 5’7” (170cm); weight is 135 lbs. (61kg).
My formative years were spent chasing friends who were much better skiers and skiing off-trail terrain that was above my ability. Over the past several years, I have primarily stayed on-trails, focused on improving my technique, and now mostly enjoy carving small to medium turns at decent speeds.
Current ski is a (2013 or 14) Salomon Rocker 2 90, which is a rockered, all-mountain ski with no metal. At 169 length, it has an 88mm waist and 15m radius. I want a big jump up in ski performance, and want something narrower, quicker side-to-side, turnier, damper, and grippier on hard scraped off and ice. I want to feel like I am on skates.
I think I should be looking at “piste” skis, between 70-80mm, with around 13m turn radius, which are focused on frontside carving, and also have some capability to handle fresh snow, back bowls, and easy bumps. With my diminutive size, I think I should look at skis in the 160cm length range.
Based purely on ski reviews (and that I can find these skis coming up on sale locally), I have come up with the following options:
- Volkl Deacon 80 – 162 or 167 cm (80mm, 12/13m)
- Head E-Rally – 163 cm (76mm, 12.8m)
- Fischer the Curv GT – 161 (76mm, 14m)
- Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB – 158 or 166 cm (76m, 13/14m)
-Mr. Malinois
