Is this the rustler 11 the right ski for me?

[kolt0n]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and glad to be here! I need some help buying my first pair of skis (I was growing up until now, so I've been renting/borrowing).

I live in Seattle but I'm going to college in Rhode Island, so I'll be using these skis when I'm home on break during January. I want a ski that's good for soft snow, powder, and off-piste stuff because that's what I enjoy the most, but here in Seattle a lot of the time the conditions don't allow for that (especially in January) so I need a ski that's good on-piste too. I'm 5'6'' (166 cm tall) and 125 lbs I'm looking at the Blizzard Rustler 11 in 172 cm. There's a great deal for these online, but I want to make sure that these skis are right for me.

My main concern is that I've never skied skis this long before. I'm a pretty advanced skier-I taught ski lessons as an instructor this season and I've been through all the terrain and semi-backcountry stuff at my local resorts. I want to be able to "grow into" this pair of skis ability wise. Should I pull the trigger? Will I be able to manage the 172 cm length? How will it feel compared to the 160 cm park skis I borrowed from my friend this season?

Thanks for helping a newbie to buying skis

 

[Analisa]

Definitely wide for east coast skiing. The right width will really depend on how much time you get to ski out east. My best friend in college brought stuff out to NC from UT in hopes of getting out a few times in the mid-Atlantic, but never made it out due to the drive, cost, and how busy she was on campus. If you're getting out every weekend during the semester, err narrow. If it's only a few visits, running with a little wider, more west-coast biased setup would be bearable. But I'd target for something in the 80s to low 90s if you're going to get a pair to do double duty.

If you don't think the Seattle-area resorts are full of soft snow, powder, and good off-piste conditions (especially this past January during the snowpacalypse), east coast is probably going to really disappoint.

 

[AlpedHuez]

Definitely wide for east coast skiing. The right width will really depend on how much time you get to ski out east. My best friend in college brought stuff out to NC from UT in hopes of getting out a few times in the mid-Atlantic, but never made it out due to the drive, cost, and how busy she was on campus. If you're getting out every weekend during the semester, err narrow. If it's only a few visits, running with a little wider, more west-coast biased setup would be bearable. But I'd target for something in the 80s to low 90s if you're going to get a pair to do double duty.

If you don't think the Seattle-area resorts are full of soft snow, powder, and good off-piste conditions (especially this past January during the snowpacalypse), east coast is probably going to really disappoint.

OP says the skis will be for Washington home breaks, not East Coast school term-time ...

 

[Analisa]

*facepalm* totally misinterpreted that. I know several people who run a Rustler 11 as their daily driver, but tend to be a taller/heavier. It may leave some things to be desired on the icy days. I wouldn't be concerned about the length. They're really nimble and maneuverable. I'm a touch smaller and felt like they were the right size, but feel like a 175 would be money if they ever changed the size run.

Sales are just getting started, and likely going to get pretty deep over the summer. The season was pretty much done by the time minimum advertising price policies ended on Mar 1. So many skiers have lost jobs or feeling a little less motivated to dip into their savings. If you're looking at the Evo ones for ~$370, I don't think many skis will be far off from that in the summer/fall, especially in a more fringe size. I'd keep an eye on the Rustler 10, Bent Chetler 100 (great value), Enforcer 100, or Sick Day 104 - all of those would be a great 1-ski quiver with an off-piste bias and most are already priced similarly as-is.

 

[kolt0n]

*facepalm* totally misinterpreted that. I know several people who run a Rustler 11 as their daily driver, but tend to be a taller/heavier. It may leave some things to be desired on the icy days. I wouldn't be concerned about the length. They're really nimble and maneuverable. I'm a touch smaller and felt like they were the right size, but feel like a 175 would be money if they ever changed the size run.

Sales are just getting started, and likely going to get pretty deep over the summer. The season was pretty much done by the time minimum advertising price policies ended on Mar 1. So many skiers have lost jobs or feeling a little less motivated to dip into their savings. If you're looking at the Evo ones for ~$370, I don't think many skis will be far off from that in the summer/fall, especially in a more fringe size. I'd keep an eye on the Rustler 10, Bent Chetler 100 (great value), Enforcer 100, or Sick Day 104 - all of those would be a great 1-ski quiver with an off-piste bias and most are already priced similarly as-is.

Thanks for the info on the East coast skiing though too-totally still helpful! AlpedHuez was right, I was just planning on keeping this pair for Seattle/West Coast. I was eyeing the ones from evo. I'll keep looking around, if I can resist the urge to just impulse buy now. Also I might retract my statement about the conditions in seattle... maybe I'm a little spoiled.

 

[ski otter 2]

The Rustler 11 would be a perfect all around soft snow day ski, good also for a day or two after a storm. Cannot be beat for that. It you were telling us you were going for a two ski quiver, then I'd say go for it with the Rustler 11, as long as an 80 to 100 mm ski was in there too to complete that quiver.

As long as you are thinking just out West, then the Enforcer 100 would be a ski I'd recommend for a 1 ski quiver. It is a lot of fun on the soft snow days, and stays fun and really good on the days the Rustler 11 was built for. But it also carves well on old snow days, and goes off piste and into old snow bumps well on those days too. It does not get overwhelmed on wet snow days, though on those days the Rustler 11 would work better for most. Oh, and it is tops at crud.

The Enforcer 100 has probably been a good candidate for the baseline or reference 1 ski quiver since it came out. Next year, 20/21, the Enforcer 100 is changing, getting better by a lot on groomers. It's one weakness has been a slight weakness at carving groomers, and Nordica is moving to correct that. Lots of other choices, but wanted to keep it simple. You were heading towards one of the baseline, top soft snow skis, so I wanted to stay with that standard, at least for starters. (And if possible, please demo a range of options before buying, to see what you personally like best. )

 

[kolt0n]

The Rustler 11 would be a perfect all around soft snow day ski, good also for a day or two after a storm. Cannot be beat for that. It you were telling us you were going for a two ski quiver, then I'd say go for it with the Rustler 11, as long as an 80 to 100 mm ski was in there too to complete that quiver.

As long as you are thinking just out West, then the Enforcer 100 would be a ski I'd recommend for a 1 ski quiver. It is a lot of fun on the soft snow days, and stays fun and really good on the days the Rustler 11 was built for. But it also carves well on old snow days, and goes off piste and into old snow bumps well on those days too. It does not get overwhelmed on wet snow days, though on those days the Rustler 11 would work better for most. Oh, and it is tops at crud.

The Enforcer 100 has probably been a good candidate for the baseline or reference 1 ski quiver since it came out. Next year, 20/21, the Enforcer 100 is changing, getting better by a lot on groomers. It's one weakness has been a slight weakness at carving groomers, and Nordica is moving to correct that. Lots of other choices, but wanted to keep it simple. You were heading towards one of the baseline, top soft snow skis, so I wanted to stay with that standard, at least for starters. (And if possible, please demo a range of options before buying, to see what you personally like best. )

Thanks to you and Analisa for pointing me into the right category of skis-I think I'll be much happier with what you recommended. Ended up buying the fischer ranger 102 fr from theskimonster.com because they were a comparable option but cheaper than the enforcers and supposedly a little bit better for the lightweight, playful skier. Also liked the twin tips, like my current (borrowed) skis. Bought Tyrolia Attack 13 bindings too. Ideally I would've demoed them but it's a bit of a hassle. I know I'm gonna have fun anyway!

 

[Jack Lake]

I'm 5'8 and a fit 180. Ive got both the 102frs and the rustler 11. Both great for their intended purpose. I love the way the 102s charge the muck and crud. The rustlers have better float, of course in greater than 8 inches of fresh. Both are seriously playful and hold edges well for their width. Cant go wrong...

J