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Help me whittle this new ski list down!

Nelliefj40

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Iowa
Sorry to ask for assistance, but can't seem to come to a conclusuon by myself so thought I'd turn to the forum!

I'm currently in the process of looking for a new pair of skis. I live in Iowa and ski with my kids (10 and 7) here 10-20 days a year on the local 200 foot hill. I make it west 5 -10 days a year.

Im 6 foot 205 pounds and like to ski fast on groomed terrain. Stick primarily to front side groomers of any pitch a d e hoy a variety of turn shapes. Will on occassion get into trees or small moguls but definitely not my preferred skiing. Can see doing more of that if kids want to ski there.

I currently ski 2011 salomon lords and they have served me ok. Recently on a trip to colorado i demod blizzard bonafides, Blizzard rustler 9, amd head kore 93. Preferred the bonafides but enjoyed them all.

I'm considering the bonafides but also have given thought to:

Blizzard brahma
On3p wrenegade 96
4frnt msp 99
Black crow orb
Black crow captis
Rossignol experience 88

I'm struggling a bit to hone in on the correct width i think. Also, while I enjoyed the bonafides, I only skiied them for an hour or so. A bit concerned with how some of these stiffer offering will test my conditioning for an entire day. I may also end up getting a 2nd set of dedicated front side skis around 70 width for use just in iowa.

I'm guessing this may be too vague but thought i would get some opinions if possible.

Thanks!
 

Analisa

Making fresh tracks
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Skip the Captis. It's a pretty soft ski targeted towards intermediates & people who split their time 50/50 between all-mountain & the park (kind of similar to the Line Blend).

Slot in the Enforcer 93 or 88 and the Mindbender 90ti instead based on your demos - sounds like a medium width charger with a good carving pedigree is up your alley.
 

trailtrimmer

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If you were getting lots of good new snow, it's why you liked the Bonafide. Bring it back to Iowa on a icy 200' patch and chances are you'll like it a lot less. They need more effort and speed to put on edge than a narrower ski. My daily drivers are 78 and 80mm underfoot here in Michigan, my superb Stormrider 95's wait for spring slush and are travel duty. They are actually up for sale because I simply don't use them that much.

I'd hone in on the 80-88mm range so they work well on home turf, you can always rent wide boards if you are getting blower pow out west.

That being said, the Brahma is great as is the Kendo and Monster 88. The Brahma 82 is now available and the Monster 83 is also an excellent ski that will work a little better on your home turf while still being able to rip groomers out west. Atomic Vantage 83CTI also comes to mind.

I buy skis for the conditions I'll be on most, not the conditions I dream of.
 
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Nelliefj40

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Excellent advice, thank you both! I've definately removed the captis from consideration. I think your summary "medium width charger with a good carving pedigree" is a great description.

With regard to the snow i just had while on the bonafides, it was indeed quite nice.

The Lord's im on are 88 underfoot and seem to work nicely at the home bump. I'm fortunate that our local hill does a wonderful job at attempting to maintain good snow conditions.

I did take a few runs on some kendos and they weren't my favorite. Maybe something else was going on but I found myself noticeably in the backseat a few turns while on them. Not sure why!

Thanks again to you both.
 

GregK

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Agree with the Mindbender 90Ti, Brahmas, Monster 88 and Enforcer 88 recommendations. All great skis that would make your home bump fun still but could rip out West groomers.

Part of the reason you felt backseat on the Kendo’s and maybe some of the other skis as well is because your current skis are a semi twin tip mounted much closer to center than any of these “traditionally mounted” skis.
Enforcers are a bit closer to center but all the others are further back. Will take a bit of getting used to as some stiffer tailed skis with traditional mounts like the Kendo let you know when you’re skiing backseat! Lol
 

Dwight

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Midwest front side, interesting list.

Atomic Vantage X
Liberty V
Head Monster
Fisher Curv or Pro MT
Blizzard Quatro
Nordica Navigator
 
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Nelliefj40

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Thank you for the continued help, much appreciated!! GregK i particularly appreciated your thoughts on my kendo backseat issue!

Alot of options here that i hadn't considered and no mention of some that i was! Both points are helpful.

I think I'm now leaning towards:
Brahma
Mindbender
Monster
Enforcer

Edited to add:
Navigators
Liberty v
Atomic vantage (90ti?)

Of this revised list would any stand out as easier to ski all day? Im in decent shape but not a cyclist. I don't want to get so demanding a ski that it wears me out. Sorry for the super noob question!
 
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trailtrimmer

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Thank you for the continued help, much appreciated!! GregK i particularly appreciated your thoughts on my kendo backseat issue!

Food for thought, if you want to be able to change a skis behavior given conditions, get a demo binding like the Tyrolia Attack 13. It will allow you to move the center point to tailor to what you like, but it won't make up for not getting enough weight on the front of the ski.

And if you want a killer deal on a set of Brahmas with that exact binding, look no further:
https://www.pugski.com/threads/ski-blowout-stockli-and-blizzard.14461/
 
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Nelliefj40

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Thanks Dwight. I think im going to remove the brahmas due to my conditioning uncertainty. Just don't want to set myself up for early fatigue! From what I've read the monsters are of a similarly stiff nature?

I'm really liking what im reading about the liberty skis.
 
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Nelliefj40

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One thing that does give me pause about the Liberty skis is the very soft tip. I didn't really like the soft tip of the blizzard rustler 9s I tried.
 

EricG

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I think im going to remove the brahmas due to my conditioning uncertainty. Just don't want to set myself up for early fatigue! From what I've read the monsters are of a similarly stiff nature?.

I’m not sure you would really find the Brahma tiring, there is also a CA version of the Brahma that is slightly softer.
 

Analisa

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Of this revised list would any stand out as easier to ski all day?

Brahmas wouldn't be any more tiring than the Bonafides if they were fine. If you want to back off just a tad, my local shop steers people towards the Enforcer line. Based on the weight of the Mindbenders, I'd also estimate that they'd perform pretty similarly.

Also, for the softer tips, do you want any soft snow performance or do you strictly ski on piste when you're out west (or rent for vacation powder days)?
 

Daves not here

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Thanks Dwight. I think im going to remove the brahmas due to my conditioning uncertainty. Just don't want to set myself up for early fatigue! From what I've read the monsters are of a similarly stiff nature?

I'm really liking what im reading about the liberty skis.

I am your same size and ski the Bonafide and love it. I am in the NW and rarely on ice so these work well for the whole mountain. They can be tiring at the end of a weekend of deep snow but that is about it. They like to go and I found if I relax and let them do what they do w/o fighting them - I rarely get tired.

That said - I am looking at adding a smaller ski ( ~80 at the waist) to my quiver and I just demo'd the Brahma 82 and really liked it. Felt similar to Brahma 88 and Bonafide - but lighter and quicker. I also really liked the Monster series. I am leaning toward Brahma 82 over the others partly because I like my Bonafide feel so much.
 
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Nelliefj40

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I’m not sure you would really find the Brahma tiring, there is also a CA version of the Brahma that is slightly softer.

Thanks EBG18T, good to know!

Brahmas wouldn't be any more tiring than the Bonafides if they were fine. If you want to back off just a tad, my local shop steers people towards the Enforcer line. Based on the weight of the Mindbenders, I'd also estimate that they'd perform pretty similarly.

Also, for the softer tips, do you want any soft snow performance or do you strictly ski on piste when you're out west (or rent for vacation powder days)?

Thanks Analisa! The bonafides were fine, but I didn't get to ski them for too long, unfortunately. As far as the softer tips, some soft snow performance would be good. That said if I'm honest, between the terrain the I typically ski and how rarely I'm west when fresh snow, it probably doesn't need to be a priority. As my kids progress I may find myself in soft snow conditions more but I just dont know.

Thanks Daves not here!
 
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Nelliefj40

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Iowa
Continuing to read and ponder...I think I've narrowed the list to:

Brahma
Mindbender
Enforcer
Liberty v

I do also still like some of the suggestions pointing to a more traditional carving ski for my Iowa hill. Maybe a 2 ski quiver would be the best option?
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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One you might want to add to your list is the Head Titan it is 80 under foot caves a turn with the best of them and is very versatile.
 

François Pugh

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Great White North (Eastern side currently)
Sorry to ask for assistance, but can't seem to come to a conclusuon by myself so thought I'd turn to the forum!

I'm currently in the process of looking for a new pair of skis. I live in Iowa and ski with my kids (10 and 7) here 10-20 days a year on the local 200 foot hill. I make it west 5 -10 days a year.

Im 6 foot 205 pounds and like to ski fast on groomed terrain. Stick primarily to front side groomers of any pitch a d e hoy a variety of turn shapes. Will on occassion get into trees or small moguls but definitely not my preferred skiing. Can see doing more of that if kids want to ski there.

I currently ski 2011 salomon lords and they have served me ok. Recently on a trip to colorado i demod blizzard bonafides, Blizzard rustler 9, amd head kore 93. Preferred the bonafides but enjoyed them all.

I'm considering the bonafides but also have given thought to:

Blizzard brahma
On3p wrenegade 96
4frnt msp 99
Black crow orb
Black crow captis
Rossignol experience 88

I'm struggling a bit to hone in on the correct width i think. Also, while I enjoyed the bonafides, I only skiied them for an hour or so. A bit concerned with how some of these stiffer offering will test my conditioning for an entire day. I may also end up getting a 2nd set of dedicated front side skis around 70 width for use just in iowa.

I'm guessing this may be too vague but thought i would get some opinions if possible.

Thanks!
I patrol a little 250' vertical hill in northern Ontario Canada, and have the perfect ski for that, a Fischer WC SC. For your little Iowa bump, you need something similar, 13 m radius, 68 mm waist, full camber. Or as close to it as you can come.

For out west, just demo, or decide between the Bonafide and Volkl 100-eight. At your weight you want the 2nd longest length (at least).
 

trailtrimmer

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That said if I'm honest, between the terrain the I typically ski and how rarely I'm west when fresh snow, it probably doesn't need to be a priority. As my kids progress I may find myself in soft snow conditions more but I just dont know.

The part in bold is exactly why a 88mm+ ski may really be the #2 priority. I can take my Latigo (78 underfoot) or Titan (80 underfoot) any place on the mountain I want and both work great with 6-8" of fresh snow. Trench or smear, they do it. The Latigo excels in bumps and trees. Wide skis are pretty over hyped for places that don't get consistent fresh, soft snow. They take more effort and speed to properly carve and are sub-optimal for hard snow or ice.

If you wish to go two ski quiver like stated above, I'd take a strong look at the Head Rally, it's a little more versatile than a SL ski and makes a nice low tide travel ski as does the Titan. Both can be smeared a little for skiing with newbies or slower skiers, or they can be set on edge and rail most any turn shape, blast through crud piles and behave just dandy in 6" of fresh snow. Skis like the Monster 83 and Brahma 82 will have a slightly looser radius, but they will handle trees and bumps a little easier and are a great OSQ travel ski unless it gets really deep.

We all dream about knee to waist deep blower pow, but realistically, we most often don't find ourselves in it. I travel with two pair of skis, the narrow ones see most of the action.
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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The part in bold is exactly why a 88mm+ ski may really be the #2 priority. I can take my Latigo (78 underfoot) or Titan (80 underfoot) any place on the mountain I want and both work great with 6-8" of fresh snow. Trench or smear, they do it. The Latigo excels in bumps and trees. Wide skis are pretty over hyped for places that don't get consistent fresh, soft snow. They take more effort and speed to properly carve and are sub-optimal for hard snow or ice.

If you wish to go two ski quiver like stated above, I'd take a strong look at the Head Rally, it's a little more versatile than a SL ski and makes a nice low tide travel ski as does the Titan. Both can be smeared a little for skiing with newbies or slower skiers, or they can be set on edge and rail most any turn shape, blast through crud piles and behave just dandy in 6" of fresh snow. Skis like the Monster 83 and Brahma 82 will have a slightly looser radius, but they will handle trees and bumps a little easier and are a great OSQ travel ski unless it gets really deep.

We all dream about knee to waist deep blower pow, but realistically, we most often don't find ourselves in it. I travel with two pair of skis, the narrow ones see most of the action.
These are some good choices I own the Rally and have skied the Titan both are great skis, the Rally is a bit more forgiving and a more of a hard surface ski and as I said above the Titan is very versatile. Just one question, I thought the Latigo is 78, the Brahma is 88 and the Bonafides are 98. I didn't think the Brahms were 82?
 

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