I was looking for a powerful ski that carves great, even on ice, but doesn't get too hard to ski in off piste terrain (trees and moguls). It should be quick turning and be more slalom ski than GS ski. It needs to cruise at a relaxed pace as well. This ski will be the final one for my quiver. I received a lot of good suggestions from fellow Pugskier's. Over the course of the last month I demo’d a number of skis for various lengths of time. Here are my impressions of the skis I demo’d:
I was not sure which category would be the right one for me (Race coach, 6’4”, 240lbs, East Coast, expert), I own race skis, and suspected the carving biased all mtn category is what I am really looking for. They run a little longer, are even less stiff, are wider and will be better in moguls and in trees. I am not looking for much out of the ski in trees, but I don't want to have to avoid them when on this ski. If I am on my Rosi race SL ski, I do avoid trees and I ski very slowly through moguls due to how stiff they are. I want the ski to have a relaxed mode as well, and I suspect the race derived skis won't have this.
I also need to re-arrange a couple of skis now that I have tried them. My criteria for placement is mostly stiffness as compared to my race skis.
I added a third category for carving skis that were recommended and are good, but I did not try them for various reasons.
Race derived skis that have some versatility:
Fischer Curv DTX (72), 178 cm - bought the ski on a close out, couldn't resist
Rossignol Hero Elite Plus Ti, 181cm
K2 Super Charger, 182cm
Fischer RC One 86 GT 175 cm - "rips, it's what you want. Stop here." Advice from a fellow poster.
Atomic Redster X9, 181cm
Fischer The Curv, 178cm
All mtn skis that are carving biased:
Stockli AX (78), 183 cm
K2 Ikonic 84 TI, 184cm
Kastle MX 84, 184cm
Fischer Pro Mtn 86 Ti
Blizzard Brahma (88), 187cm - I own this ski (2017-2018 model)
Carving skis that I did not look at:
Brahma 82 (new)
Blizzard Firebird, 178cm
Dynastar Speed Zone 12 Ti, 182cm
Elan Amphibio Black, 178
Salomon S/Max Blast, 180cm
Head iTitan (80), 177cm
Head Monster 83, 184cm
Fischer Curv GT (80), 182cm
My Reviews:
Fischer The Curv DTX, 178 cm - bought the ski on a close out, without demo, couldn't resist. The ski needed to be sharpened all the way up the tip to fix a factory tune issue. I have skied this about 6 days now. This ski carves a beautiful arc, what a carver. It feels so good when rolled on edge. Its softer lengthwise than its higher performance siblings, The Curv, or Curv GT, (which are close to race ski stiff) but not any softer torsionally. It has a triple radius side cut, to me that means when I pressure the tip it bends into a very nice “medium sized” short radius turn. If I keep some weight on my heels, it does a nice GS turn. It’s edge hold is excellent, even on bullet proof snow. This ski feels really light underfoot. Its also very maneuverable and soft enough to ski decent in moguls. It does have a square tail which can get a little hung up in bumps, but its so maneuverable its not an issue. I do wish it came one length longer for me. This ski loves high speeds, and is very stable. On roughed up spring groomers (my typical test conditions) the tips do deflect a bit and the ski gets knocked around slightly. This ski is affected by the snow, not the other way around. I am a big guy, so an average sized person probably won’t experience this. This ski is a keeper for me. I will use it to race coach on and ski boilerplate conditions. Its 17m turn radius combined with being able to bend into a short radius arc slots it between a slalom ski and a GS ski. Its not quite versatile enough for my daily driver, however, but it’s a lot of fun to carve turns with.
Rossignol Hero Elite Plus Ti, 181cm - Demo’d this ski for the day. It’s a fairly heavy feeling ski. Pretty damp for a high-performance carver. This has a 15m radius and it wanted to make short radius turns, which I liked. Problem was it has very soft tips and it would only make the short radius turns in “hero snow”. Hard pack caused it to lose its edge and slarve its turns. Then the ski fought itself. I suspect it had a 1deg/2 deg tune and would have held its edge much better with 0.5/3.0 tune and I would have liked it more. The wide, soft tips got defected all over the place on the roughed up soft groomers at speed. It was hard to control this ski at speed. I really didn’t like this ski and wanted to get off it pretty quickly. Letting it run in the soft rough conditions was dangerous for me, and who wants a “very soft” forgiving carver ?, some might, but not me. The soft tips did make it decent in moguls, but its weight was pretty noticeable.
K2 Super Charger, 182cm - Skied this for two days as my friend owns it. This is a great carving ski. Look out snow, you are going to lose to this ski. No deflection from roughed up groomers. Nice tip that pulls you into a turn. Pretty stiff ski, one notch down from race ski stiffness. It needs an active tip as the ski takes some effort to bend into a short radius turn. It gives a lot back though, if you do. This ski was stable and fun at any speed. I pushed it as hard as I could in fast GS turns and it was rock solid. It was NOT a handful in moguls and glades. It was actually pretty good. The tip allows you to carve your way through and the ski goes where you point it. It doesn’t get ruffled easily, so just keep it trucking and you are good. Very nice ski and I would own this ski. I wouldn’t need a race ski if I owned this one.
Fischer RC One 86 GT 175 cm - "Advice from a fellow poster it rips, it's what you want. Stop here." Well I bet it does rip, but the day I skied it was only for a few runs, and the snow was so mashed potato manky it was hard to tell. The ski is turny, and very quick. It reminded me of my slalom race ski a little. It is also decently wide, but it didn’t ski wide. I really wish I had this ski on hard snow. I was also on the 175cm length and should be on the 182cm length. I couldn’t get a great read on this ski, other to say it was not enough ski for me in the day’s conditions. It was stiff, similar to the K2 Super Charger. It is also a ski with some weight behind it, not sure if its the ski or the bindings. Need to get on the longer version in firmer snow to get a good sense of this ski. @Erik likes it a lot.
Atomic Redster X9, 181cm - I never actually got to ski this one, just hand flexed it in a shop. It was heavy and very stiff, both laterally and longitudinally. It felt like a race ski, even more so than the K2 Super Charger. I have no doubt this ski will perform very similar to a race ski and is probably too stiff a ski for my daily driver needs.
Fischer The Curv, 178cm – I got a one run demo on this ski. I was in fairly good packed snow. My brief impressions were the ski was fairly stiff, but not quite as stiff as the K2 Super Charger. It did not make a short radius turn as easily as I expected. I think I expected close to slalom ski turns. It took some effort to get a slalom turn out of it. Without the effort it wanted to make medium radius turns. It felt very solid and stable. I wish I had skied it more but the demo was over and I had to give it back. Knowing what I know now, the DTX is the more daily driver ski, The Curve the more race like ski.
Stockli AX (78), 183 cm – I skied this one the same day as the Fischer RC One 86 GT. In very soft manky mashed potato snow. The extra length, soft tip, and overall design of this ski made it a lot more manageable in these conditions. I skied it on groomers and some steep mogul runs. I really liked this ski. I was expecting a grabby difficult ski and instead got a compliant enabler. It had minimal gabbiness on mashed potato groomers. Was soft and absorbing in the moguls, easy to pivot over a bump, not edgy and did what I wanted. It had the amazing feeling of being soft when needed and very burly when needed. I guess I felt the turtle shell magic right off the bat. I was impressed with how I could smoosh it into the bottom of a mogul, and rip a hard carve off the top. I really didn’t get a sense of its hard snow carving, but the owner said that is what it is best at. After reading a bunch of reviews, I agree it is a very forgiving and versatile ski. The length is good for someone my size, the 175 is the better size for non-Clydes. I would own this ski.
K2 Ikonic 84 TI, 184cm – I skied this one for two days in lots of different snow conditions. This ski was the surprise and learning experience of the demo’s. On the first day, conditions were firm and I had a hard time getting the edges to bite. The ski slarved well, but not much carve grip. On softer snow, the ski felt great and carved a nice turn. It also felt great everywhere else, including going fast in rough, clumpy snow. When I took it back to the shop at the end of the day, they said it had a 1 / 2 deg tune with dulled tips and tails. They agreed to give it a 0.5 /3 tune, sharp tip to tail and I took it out for a second day. It was Magic, the tune made a huge difference. After one turn I remember thinking, this is a great ski. It felt comfortable from the get go. It had grip in hard snow. It carved great and was stable in all conditions, all speeds. It was the most “all mtn” of all the skis I demo’d. It was so easy to ski. If you take the Super Charger, make it wider, then make it a notch down softer, and a notch down in carving performance, you have the Ikonic 84 Ti. It was good in moguls and trees, not much bothered it. If I have to find fault, it was so composed it might be called a little dull, and it didn’t carve quite as well as the Super Charger. I would own this ski and thought very hard about buying the demo ski which was for sale. If I could only own one ski for all conditions, this would be it. Blister gave it a great review and I agree with everything they said about it.
Kastle MX 84, 184cm – I didn’t get on this ski. I do own the MX 78 and can say the smoothness and dampness of this line is best in class. Not many skis feel like a Kastle, they have a special damp feel on snow.
Fischer Pro Mtn 86 Ti - I did not ski this one either, but I did hand flex the ski in a shop. I was surprised at how light it was when I picked it up. It will be easy to throw around I am sure. It felt decently stiff as well, similar to the K2 Ikonic. A little stiffer than the Fischer Curv DTX. This was described by someone else as an all mtn ski that carves very well. The ski seemed to fit that description well from what I could tell.
Blizzard Brahma (88), 187cm – I own this ski and have been skiing it all season. In the 187 length, it feels like a long, stable ski. Surprisingly, it is easy to pivot and it is very maneuverable. It has some chops, but is not anywhere near race ski stiffness. It is more powerful than stiff. It carves very well on most snow surfaces. I had some issues with the tail releasing on icy surfaces. I think my tail was dulled back somewhat, and I had to get my weight in the right place for this ski. It has very shallow, long rocker in the tip and something similar in the tail. I tend to pressure the tips, which on this ski might have unloaded the tail. I learned to keep my weight centered and pressure both ends of the ski. Or keep it flat and pivot it for quick turns. Issue solved. I like this ski a lot and it is very versatile in most snow conditions. It can zipper line bumps really well and charge at speed equally well. I would describe this as a nice free ride ski that carves really well.
After being on 8 skis, I was demo’d out. Time to make a decision if I wanted to capitalize on some end of season deals. For me it came down to two skis, The K2 Ikonic 84 Ti and the Stockli Laser AX. Both these skis are carver based, as opposed to my Brahma which is freeride based. I just like the feel of a carver for hard snow use. I wanted versatility, which both skis have. I felt like the K2 at 84mm wide would be the better all mtn ride, but the Laser AX’s shape and soft tips made it easier to ski in moguls. Based on the reviews, I figured the Laser AX will be the more dynamic carver on hard snow. I knew I would be happy with either ski, but in the end I was seduced by the lure of the premium ski feel. Winner Stockli Laser Ax.
I was not sure which category would be the right one for me (Race coach, 6’4”, 240lbs, East Coast, expert), I own race skis, and suspected the carving biased all mtn category is what I am really looking for. They run a little longer, are even less stiff, are wider and will be better in moguls and in trees. I am not looking for much out of the ski in trees, but I don't want to have to avoid them when on this ski. If I am on my Rosi race SL ski, I do avoid trees and I ski very slowly through moguls due to how stiff they are. I want the ski to have a relaxed mode as well, and I suspect the race derived skis won't have this.
I also need to re-arrange a couple of skis now that I have tried them. My criteria for placement is mostly stiffness as compared to my race skis.
I added a third category for carving skis that were recommended and are good, but I did not try them for various reasons.
Race derived skis that have some versatility:
Fischer Curv DTX (72), 178 cm - bought the ski on a close out, couldn't resist
Rossignol Hero Elite Plus Ti, 181cm
K2 Super Charger, 182cm
Fischer RC One 86 GT 175 cm - "rips, it's what you want. Stop here." Advice from a fellow poster.
Atomic Redster X9, 181cm
Fischer The Curv, 178cm
All mtn skis that are carving biased:
Stockli AX (78), 183 cm
K2 Ikonic 84 TI, 184cm
Kastle MX 84, 184cm
Fischer Pro Mtn 86 Ti
Blizzard Brahma (88), 187cm - I own this ski (2017-2018 model)
Carving skis that I did not look at:
Brahma 82 (new)
Blizzard Firebird, 178cm
Dynastar Speed Zone 12 Ti, 182cm
Elan Amphibio Black, 178
Salomon S/Max Blast, 180cm
Head iTitan (80), 177cm
Head Monster 83, 184cm
Fischer Curv GT (80), 182cm
My Reviews:
Fischer The Curv DTX, 178 cm - bought the ski on a close out, without demo, couldn't resist. The ski needed to be sharpened all the way up the tip to fix a factory tune issue. I have skied this about 6 days now. This ski carves a beautiful arc, what a carver. It feels so good when rolled on edge. Its softer lengthwise than its higher performance siblings, The Curv, or Curv GT, (which are close to race ski stiff) but not any softer torsionally. It has a triple radius side cut, to me that means when I pressure the tip it bends into a very nice “medium sized” short radius turn. If I keep some weight on my heels, it does a nice GS turn. It’s edge hold is excellent, even on bullet proof snow. This ski feels really light underfoot. Its also very maneuverable and soft enough to ski decent in moguls. It does have a square tail which can get a little hung up in bumps, but its so maneuverable its not an issue. I do wish it came one length longer for me. This ski loves high speeds, and is very stable. On roughed up spring groomers (my typical test conditions) the tips do deflect a bit and the ski gets knocked around slightly. This ski is affected by the snow, not the other way around. I am a big guy, so an average sized person probably won’t experience this. This ski is a keeper for me. I will use it to race coach on and ski boilerplate conditions. Its 17m turn radius combined with being able to bend into a short radius arc slots it between a slalom ski and a GS ski. Its not quite versatile enough for my daily driver, however, but it’s a lot of fun to carve turns with.
Rossignol Hero Elite Plus Ti, 181cm - Demo’d this ski for the day. It’s a fairly heavy feeling ski. Pretty damp for a high-performance carver. This has a 15m radius and it wanted to make short radius turns, which I liked. Problem was it has very soft tips and it would only make the short radius turns in “hero snow”. Hard pack caused it to lose its edge and slarve its turns. Then the ski fought itself. I suspect it had a 1deg/2 deg tune and would have held its edge much better with 0.5/3.0 tune and I would have liked it more. The wide, soft tips got defected all over the place on the roughed up soft groomers at speed. It was hard to control this ski at speed. I really didn’t like this ski and wanted to get off it pretty quickly. Letting it run in the soft rough conditions was dangerous for me, and who wants a “very soft” forgiving carver ?, some might, but not me. The soft tips did make it decent in moguls, but its weight was pretty noticeable.
K2 Super Charger, 182cm - Skied this for two days as my friend owns it. This is a great carving ski. Look out snow, you are going to lose to this ski. No deflection from roughed up groomers. Nice tip that pulls you into a turn. Pretty stiff ski, one notch down from race ski stiffness. It needs an active tip as the ski takes some effort to bend into a short radius turn. It gives a lot back though, if you do. This ski was stable and fun at any speed. I pushed it as hard as I could in fast GS turns and it was rock solid. It was NOT a handful in moguls and glades. It was actually pretty good. The tip allows you to carve your way through and the ski goes where you point it. It doesn’t get ruffled easily, so just keep it trucking and you are good. Very nice ski and I would own this ski. I wouldn’t need a race ski if I owned this one.
Fischer RC One 86 GT 175 cm - "Advice from a fellow poster it rips, it's what you want. Stop here." Well I bet it does rip, but the day I skied it was only for a few runs, and the snow was so mashed potato manky it was hard to tell. The ski is turny, and very quick. It reminded me of my slalom race ski a little. It is also decently wide, but it didn’t ski wide. I really wish I had this ski on hard snow. I was also on the 175cm length and should be on the 182cm length. I couldn’t get a great read on this ski, other to say it was not enough ski for me in the day’s conditions. It was stiff, similar to the K2 Super Charger. It is also a ski with some weight behind it, not sure if its the ski or the bindings. Need to get on the longer version in firmer snow to get a good sense of this ski. @Erik likes it a lot.
Atomic Redster X9, 181cm - I never actually got to ski this one, just hand flexed it in a shop. It was heavy and very stiff, both laterally and longitudinally. It felt like a race ski, even more so than the K2 Super Charger. I have no doubt this ski will perform very similar to a race ski and is probably too stiff a ski for my daily driver needs.
Fischer The Curv, 178cm – I got a one run demo on this ski. I was in fairly good packed snow. My brief impressions were the ski was fairly stiff, but not quite as stiff as the K2 Super Charger. It did not make a short radius turn as easily as I expected. I think I expected close to slalom ski turns. It took some effort to get a slalom turn out of it. Without the effort it wanted to make medium radius turns. It felt very solid and stable. I wish I had skied it more but the demo was over and I had to give it back. Knowing what I know now, the DTX is the more daily driver ski, The Curve the more race like ski.
Stockli AX (78), 183 cm – I skied this one the same day as the Fischer RC One 86 GT. In very soft manky mashed potato snow. The extra length, soft tip, and overall design of this ski made it a lot more manageable in these conditions. I skied it on groomers and some steep mogul runs. I really liked this ski. I was expecting a grabby difficult ski and instead got a compliant enabler. It had minimal gabbiness on mashed potato groomers. Was soft and absorbing in the moguls, easy to pivot over a bump, not edgy and did what I wanted. It had the amazing feeling of being soft when needed and very burly when needed. I guess I felt the turtle shell magic right off the bat. I was impressed with how I could smoosh it into the bottom of a mogul, and rip a hard carve off the top. I really didn’t get a sense of its hard snow carving, but the owner said that is what it is best at. After reading a bunch of reviews, I agree it is a very forgiving and versatile ski. The length is good for someone my size, the 175 is the better size for non-Clydes. I would own this ski.
K2 Ikonic 84 TI, 184cm – I skied this one for two days in lots of different snow conditions. This ski was the surprise and learning experience of the demo’s. On the first day, conditions were firm and I had a hard time getting the edges to bite. The ski slarved well, but not much carve grip. On softer snow, the ski felt great and carved a nice turn. It also felt great everywhere else, including going fast in rough, clumpy snow. When I took it back to the shop at the end of the day, they said it had a 1 / 2 deg tune with dulled tips and tails. They agreed to give it a 0.5 /3 tune, sharp tip to tail and I took it out for a second day. It was Magic, the tune made a huge difference. After one turn I remember thinking, this is a great ski. It felt comfortable from the get go. It had grip in hard snow. It carved great and was stable in all conditions, all speeds. It was the most “all mtn” of all the skis I demo’d. It was so easy to ski. If you take the Super Charger, make it wider, then make it a notch down softer, and a notch down in carving performance, you have the Ikonic 84 Ti. It was good in moguls and trees, not much bothered it. If I have to find fault, it was so composed it might be called a little dull, and it didn’t carve quite as well as the Super Charger. I would own this ski and thought very hard about buying the demo ski which was for sale. If I could only own one ski for all conditions, this would be it. Blister gave it a great review and I agree with everything they said about it.
Kastle MX 84, 184cm – I didn’t get on this ski. I do own the MX 78 and can say the smoothness and dampness of this line is best in class. Not many skis feel like a Kastle, they have a special damp feel on snow.
Fischer Pro Mtn 86 Ti - I did not ski this one either, but I did hand flex the ski in a shop. I was surprised at how light it was when I picked it up. It will be easy to throw around I am sure. It felt decently stiff as well, similar to the K2 Ikonic. A little stiffer than the Fischer Curv DTX. This was described by someone else as an all mtn ski that carves very well. The ski seemed to fit that description well from what I could tell.
Blizzard Brahma (88), 187cm – I own this ski and have been skiing it all season. In the 187 length, it feels like a long, stable ski. Surprisingly, it is easy to pivot and it is very maneuverable. It has some chops, but is not anywhere near race ski stiffness. It is more powerful than stiff. It carves very well on most snow surfaces. I had some issues with the tail releasing on icy surfaces. I think my tail was dulled back somewhat, and I had to get my weight in the right place for this ski. It has very shallow, long rocker in the tip and something similar in the tail. I tend to pressure the tips, which on this ski might have unloaded the tail. I learned to keep my weight centered and pressure both ends of the ski. Or keep it flat and pivot it for quick turns. Issue solved. I like this ski a lot and it is very versatile in most snow conditions. It can zipper line bumps really well and charge at speed equally well. I would describe this as a nice free ride ski that carves really well.
After being on 8 skis, I was demo’d out. Time to make a decision if I wanted to capitalize on some end of season deals. For me it came down to two skis, The K2 Ikonic 84 Ti and the Stockli Laser AX. Both these skis are carver based, as opposed to my Brahma which is freeride based. I just like the feel of a carver for hard snow use. I wanted versatility, which both skis have. I felt like the K2 at 84mm wide would be the better all mtn ride, but the Laser AX’s shape and soft tips made it easier to ski in moguls. Based on the reviews, I figured the Laser AX will be the more dynamic carver on hard snow. I knew I would be happy with either ski, but in the end I was seduced by the lure of the premium ski feel. Winner Stockli Laser Ax.
