Help me find add a second ski to my "Quiver"

[Nikoras]

Hi all,
I wanted to start this post by pouring one out for my Epicski homies. A lot of great resources lost there on those forums.

Anyways some of you may remember me from there. I'm looking to add a second ski for soft snow days, here's a little bit about me

5'9, 200ish lbs, East coast southern VT, shitty type 3 skiier (I can do any type of terrain in control but no one is staring in awe at me ripping a zipper line or anything)

What I'm riding right now: 2016 Blizzard Brahmas (180cm) this is the heavy-ass version before they started adding carbon.
The Good: They are the most stable things ever, a nice frontside ski that's nice to carve and go mach 11 on. Gets the job done on most terrain. It feels powerful, and I like that. Fun to charge on.
The Bad: This is the heavy version of a heavy ski so not a whole lot of playfulness, and the heavyness/stiffness can make it a lot of work in the tight new england trees. Also we had a 3 ft pow day and these things did not float in any sense of the word at all (as expected)

What I'm looking for: I'm looking for something that's good on the softsnow days. I take ~2 trips out west every year (Snowbird and Squaw this year) and would like to bring something with a bit of float. Also I would like something to take into the trees after a storm for some freshies here.

Stuff I have ridden in the past 5 years and what I thought of it.
2017 Volkl Mantra (184cm): Demoed at Copper and Loveland
The good: I can't believe it's not camber! Maybe it was the tune on it but it felt like a katana that just wanted to cut clean arcs everywhere, this thing shined on the frontside and I had a lot more fun on it than I thought I would. It was kind of turney but in a good way
The bad: Didn't really want to slarve or smear for tree skiing.

2017 Rossi Soul 7 (188cm):Demoed at Copper
The good: sad to say not a whole lot.
The bad: maybe it was an off day, and maybe the 188cm was just too much for me, which I found a bit surprising. It just felt like I was turning a boat and I was struggling in the bumps. This ski just felt like a whole lot of work.

2018 Salomon QST 99 (177cm): Demoed at Steamboat
The good: Very accessible, liked to smear and slarve and navigate through steamboat's morning side quite well.
The bad: Probably the least stable ski I have ridden. I think the 177 may have been too short for me. The second I opened it up or encountered some crud the ski did not inspire confidence.


What I'm looking at: Front-runners so far seem to be the Blizzard Rustler or Nordica Enforcer in either 100 or 110 for both. For the Enforcer I have a couple of concerns for the length offerings 177 might not be enough ski but 185 maybe too much? Just thinking of the differences between my QST and Soul 7 experiences as well as wielding a 185cm ski in VT woods. The enforcer seems to have a lot of what I like in the Brahmas I ride but wider with an aggressive rocker and lighter. The Rustler seems like a decent option and I know the 180 length would be good for me.

100mm vs 110mm waist: I'm not sure if 110 would be too much optimism for east coast living (with a couple trips). Likewise I'm not sure if 100mm isn't increasing the variety enough. I plan on keeping my Brahmas as a daily frontside option for most days. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Wilhelmson]

Not as wide but for the fun of it try to find the 180 bonafides on a free demo day. As a lighter shitty type 3 I liked them a lot.

 

[Nikoras]

Not as wide but for the fun of it try to find the 180 bonafides on a free demo day. As a lighter shitty type 3 I liked them a lot.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm sure I'd find the bones fun because I really like my Brahmas! I've always kind of thought of the bones as a centimeter wide Brahma though so I think I might go with something to introduce a bit more variety to me.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Don't expect a lot of love for (or from) the Soul 7s. They are a universally mediocre ski. Jack of all trades.

Mantra: A reverse camber ski ought to slarve and smear like crazy. I don't know why yours didn't.

Salomon: no feedback other than people either love or hate them.

I'd suggest a Fischer Ranger 102(?) for a snappy, fun on the groomers ski that can handle 3D snow nicely. I haven't been on recent models, but love my 2017 98s.

 

[Analisa]

Agree one of the Rustlers could be up your alley. They’re Blizzard’s “playful” ski, but they also have a decent partial sheet of metal. Stable, but would give you the slash & slarve you weren’t getting out of the Mantra. If you’re skiing a 180 in the Brahmas though, I’d think about potentially upsizing. More rocker & I found that they ski pretty short.

 

[Nikoras]

Don't expect a lot of love for (or from) the Soul 7s. They are a universally mediocre ski. Jack of all trades.

Mantra: A reverse camber ski ought to slarve and smear like crazy. I don't know why yours didn't.

Salomon: no feedback other than people either love or hate them.

I'd suggest a Fischer Ranger 102(?) for a snappy, fun on the groomers ski that can handle 3D snow nicely. I haven't been on recent models, but love my 2017 98s.

I may have overstated the negatives of the mantra I didn't really have THAT much trouble getting them to slarve, it just felt to me like the edges were over-eager to engage and I suspect that may have had to do with the tune. Those things just felt razer sharp. Also the 2017 mantras despite being reverse camber had a very long effective edge Honestly I had such a good time on them that I was considering adding the M5 to my short-list just because I know I like them.

Never considered the Fischer's, I'll take a look!

 

[DanoT]

Last year Head had their most successful ski model launch in their history with the Kore series of skis. These skis are pretty much the lightest weight ski their category. They have the dampness of a metal ski but without any metal.

New for this year is the Kore 99 with a more hourglass shape than the Kore 105 and of course slightly wider than the Kore 93.

Kore 93 in shop comparison vs Nordica Enforcer reveals that the Kore 93 is stiffer and significantly lighter than Enforcer 93. I have yet to flex and compare Kore 99 to Enforcer 100 but results should be similar to the 93 comparison.

 

[tball]

What I'm looking for: I'm looking for something that's good on the softsnow days. I take ~2 trips out west every year (Snowbird and Squaw this year) and would like to bring something with a bit of float. Also I would like something to take into the trees after a storm for some freshies here.

100mm vs 110mm waist: I'm not sure if 110 would be too much optimism for east coast living (with a couple trips). Likewise I'm not sure if 100mm isn't increasing the variety enough. I plan on keeping my Brahmas as a daily frontside option for most days. Any thoughts on this?

Are you planning to bring one or two skis out west?

Going with ~100mm if traveling with one ski and ~110mm + 88mm if traveling two is a safe bet.

 

[Nikoras]

Are you planning to bring one or two skis out west?

Going with ~100mm if traveling with one ski and ~110mm + 88mm if traveling two is a safe bet.

I have a double ski travel bag. whether this bag can fit 2 skis + luggage is yet to be seen, though I imagine if I pack cleverly enough it can.

 

[Nikoras]

Just wanted to add that apparently I should be looking into the Black Crows Daemon as well, as apparently it's a slightly more soft snow oriented mantra (pre M5) and I did like the mantra quite a bit.

 

[GregK]

I’d agree with looking at the Rustler and Enforcer line as they are both fun, forgiving skis.

Just so you know, the Brahma has not changed in overall weight since it came out and the latest ones actually weight slightly more than yours. Their swing weight has improved with carbon etc to make them FEEL lighter but their weight is what makes them so stable. Newest versions of Brahma or the Bonifide has changed flex, sidecut, tip/tail taper and rocker so they still can charge but aren’t as demanding as yours is. The reason I mention the weight as that the Enforcer 100 or 110 are about 200 grams heavier than the Brahma but are more forgiving. That extra weight increases stability and crud busting without being too tiring to ski all day.

What bindings do you run on the Brahma? Just wondering if you have heavy demo bindings or something causing them to feel heavier for you.

The Rustlers are lighter in the 10 and about the same as your Brahma’s in the 11 but again their geometry and flex make them much easier to handle. A lot of people(myself included) find the Rustler 10 TOO light and it’s stability and crud ability is just okay but the Rustler 11 is quite good.
If you’re keeping the Brahma’s, the 180cm Rustler 11 would be a great ski for you or even the 188cm if you moved the mount forward a few cm to make it ski shorter. Fun and playful yet beefy enough to handle higher speeds and rough terrain.

Enforcer 110 would be my pick of that series and with its larger rocker, the 185cm length with again the mount forward a bit to make it more maneuverable in tighter spots.

Fisher 102 FR has a similar forgiving flex to the Rustler/Enforcer and would be one to consider but haven’t skied it. Not a fan of Head Kore skis myself but preferred the 105 over the 99 especially for your use. Found the Kore 99 too dead and lifeless for my taste. ‍

 

[Mike Rogers]

If I was in your shoes, I would worry that a ~100mm ski and a ~90mm ski would be too similar. Most ~100mm are pretty reasonable on less than perfect snow, but still not ideal for powder. I don't know if you would be gaining much with a Bonafide/Brahma quiver.

Sticking with Blizzard, the Rustler 11 is versatile enough for it's size and I think it would pair nicely with the Brahmas. You might be in between sizes though. The 180 will be nice in the east, but you might want more in open terrain. The 188 will be quite a bit bigger than your Brahmas.

For Black Crows...the new corvus will ski like a fatter daemon (the old one is a bit more demanding). Also look into the atris.

I've demoed the Nordica Enforcer a few times, and the 185 didn't feel much bigger than the 180 Bonafide. If you are happy with the 180 Brahma, you should be fine on the 185 enforcer...particularly if you are saving it for good snow.

....or you could just get an all-out powder ski and pray for snow!

 

[peterm]

Hi all,
2018 Salomon QST 99 (177cm): Demoed at Steamboat
The good: Very accessible, liked to smear and slarve and navigate through steamboat's morning side quite well.
The bad: Probably the least stable ski I have ridden. I think the 177 may have been too short for me. The second I opened it up or encountered some crud the ski did not inspire confidence.

Note that the QST 99 is only made in 174 and 181 lengths. Sounds like you might have been on the 174.

 

[Jim McDonald]

185 Enforcer 100 skis like a 180; the 177 skis like a 170 (IMHO, and I'm a very inept skier)

 

[firebanex]

I second the suggestion for the 185cm Nordica Enforcer 100, I found it to be an incredibly versatile ski with great edge hold on the frontside and great performance anywhere else. I skied trees, groomers, steeps, bumps, inbounds chutes @ Alyeska, and every combination of conditions for the 3 seasons I used them as a daily driver. This year I sold the Enforcers and replaced them with 184cm Fishcer 102 FR with the hopes that the ski would add more playfulness while still being a great all around ski. I have not gotten to ski them yet as the snow has been a bit lacking so far.

 

[Nikoras]

Thanks for the good info guys and yeah sounds like I was on the 174 QST last year which makes sense why I was going over the handlebars so to speak.What I'm hearing is if I'm looking for a ski for the good stuff I shouldn't half ass it,and I should just go for the ~110 mm width. Sounds like either the 185 enforcer 110 or the 180 rustler 11 would both do a good job for the application I am looking for (though a quick price search makes my wallet want to cry).

What bindings do you run on the Brahma? Just wondering if you have heavy demo bindings or something causing them to feel heavier for you

Regular old marker griffons.

 

[Blue Streak]

185 Enforcer 100 skis like a 180; the 177 skis like a 170 (IMHO, and I'm a very inept skier)

Agreed - on the first point, that is.

 

[GregK]

Regular old marker griffons.[/QUOTE]

They are nice and light so no reason to switch those.

As the enforcer 110 and Rustler 11 have been out for a year, so you may still see “new in plastic” or “used 6 times” skis like those online, so look around for deals. Just a top sheet change on both for the 2019 models so the 2018 model at a deal is an option.

 

[Nikoras]

Regular old marker griffons.

They are nice and light so no reason to switch those.

As the enforcer 110 and Rustler 11 have been out for a year, so you may still see “new in plastic” or “used 6 times” skis like those online, so look around for deals. Just a top sheet change on both for the 2019 models so the 2018 model at a deal is an option.[/QUOTE]

Plenty to be found for both rustler 10 and enforcer 100 but neither for their 110 counterparts. Looks like full retail for those guys

 

[Nikoras]

Quick update: I pulled the trigger on Enforcer 110s. There was a pretty good deal on ebay that popped up (new in plastic for $595) when I'm seeing them retail consistently for $800. I do think I was a bit in-between sizes for the Rustlers. No one seems to hate the Enforcers @ 185cm so I think it's a good bet, now lets just hope for some good snow!

Only decision left to make is whether I want to mount them a bit forwards or not

Thanks for everyone's help here, especially @GregK. You certainly are a knowledgeable lot.