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Do I need different skis to ski ungroomed slopes?

marjoram_sage

newly addicted to skiing
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goal: be able to ski a large portion of terrain at AltaBird and Alpine.
boots: Fischer RC 4 110. I think they fit me pretty well after some tweaks this season.
current skis: Head V8
height: 5'6"
weight: 170 lbs.

I have been mostly skiing groomed blues last season. I'm on Head V8 bought from Phil. This year I went on a couple of bumped runs at Alpine. I came down pretty slow but didn't fall as I used to in previous seasons. I enjoyed the puzzle-solving aspect of a bumped run. I'm sure a more skilled skier can use those same skis and still ski those slopes well but I can't say that would be applicable to me. So, do I need a different pair of skis as if I want to learn to ski bumped slopes and trees? I'm checking now to see if I can get some good deals.

Most likely, I will be skiing Park City/Kirkwood/Heavenly next season. I'd like to experiment with ungroomed runs at these places next season. Skiing powder is not really a focus as I don't plan to go to Tahoe during storms due to traffic issues and my Utah trips will be planned well in advance.
 

PinnacleJim

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The V8 is a great groomer ski. Also decent in the bumps and in a few inches of fresh. But its narrow with a 75mm waist, so far from ideal to ski most of the terrain you mention. Something wider with less a hard snow groomer bias is what you need. Others will advise much wider, but I think around 90mm waist would be a good choice for your developing skills.
 

François Pugh

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For bumps as opposed to groomed, you don't really "need" a different ski. Once you have enough skill to extract high performance turns on groomed runs and ski bumps well you may want two different pairs though.

At the moment it would still be worth it imho to have a pair for deep soft untouched snow (wide, with rocker, not too stiff) to compliment your groomed snow ski. EDIT: if you have two skis you may as well make the wide one a 108 mm waist.
 

James

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So, do I need a different pair of skis as if I want to learn to ski bumped slopes and trees? I'm checking now to see if I can get some good deals.

Most likely, I will be skiing Park
Two different things. Or three.
Wide skis aren’t good for bumps. Narrow with not a lot of shape is better. No fat tips or tails.

Why not get a park ski around mid 80’s?
 

Plai

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I'm about the same height, a little lighter. My renoun Z90s 174 were my near off-piste skis. But, they're more of a wider carver than of an all mountain ski, which overlapped on my groomer skis. So, this winter, picked up Stockli Stormrider 95s.

It's not just the width change, but the shape of the skis which make it easier in the uncut. Mostly the rounder ends, and slight upturn on the ends (marketing rocker), besides the well dampened construction.
The rounded end are easier to skid, slarve, and pivot without catching an edge. The upturned ends also help to not catch an edge. The dampening helps smooth out the rough ride.

My Z90s had 2 of the above features, just not the rounded ends. So, just a little more difficult to use between the trees and deep bumps.

YMMV
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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goal: be able to ski a large portion of terrain at AltaBird
  • boots
  • lessons
  • snow time
  • skis
You say powder is not on your list. But you want to ski "a large portion of terrain at AltaBird." I'm thinking it's possible you are not aware of all the terrain at AltaBird.

Getting a pair of skis that is more oriented toward 3D snow and bumps is a good idea. Do it. It will be fun! However, you still have a lot of hours to put in and serious skiers to follow.
 

chopchop

so many skis, so little time
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Too far
PC is a better next step (vs LCC) if you're looking to get off groomers. Alta and Snowbird have a lot of pitch and if you're learning a new ski width it could be pretty intimidating and a lot to process.

Aside from deep days, ~98mm should be plenty to handle PC off-piste. My one recommendation is to look for a ski with some dampness, not the lightest ones (which are in fashion). The resorts you mentioned are popular places and the snow gets tracked out. If this is your first all-mountain ski you will benefit from one that smooths out the bumps and isn't super stiff (at least in the tip).

Lots of folks here reported buying the K2 mindbender 99ti this year. Might want to look at that. I don't recommend jumping up to a 108mm ski right away if you've only skied 75mm skis before.
 

tch

What do I know; I'm just some guy on the internet.
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I'm with Pinnacle Jim. High 80's/low 90's waist for what you are looking to do. Choose an "all-mountain", not a "wide carver". FWIW, I'm about your size/height and have been skiing Utah in all conditions now for 5-6 years, doing about 60/40 groomer/ungroomed or bumps. I recently bought a pair of Blizzard Brahmas in 173 to ski terrain you talk about. They may be a bit much (stiff) if you're still developing, but they are right in the wheelhouse. Enforcer 88 or 93, Mindbender 90 would be options. Salomon QST92, Blizzard Rustler if you want easier/lighter skis.

I do have a pair of 110-waist skis, but unless you live near a powder area and are able to ski when it snows, wide skis really give up too much for what you are skiing most of the time. If you decide later on to add a pow/fresh ski, you can go to 110+.

Your skis are good groomer-zoomers; keep them for that purpose if you want. But as mentioned above, a less carve-oriented ski will do better in bumps if that's really where you want to go.
 

Philpug

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