Hi Pugski community, sometime reader, first time poster looking to choose a ski in the next few days.
So the background is that I currently ski in the Northeast (Stowe, Killington, Okemo, Loon, Sunday River at various points depending on which pass I was on) and I'm potentially moving to Alta/Snowbird/the canyons, I mean SLC this summer for 4ish years, but I won't know if I'm being assigned there until March, and I 'need' a ski now (my current 2017 Atomic Vantage is totally decambered/fully rockered). I could also end up remaining in the Northeast. I'm 6' 170, was a college athlete, and am a current avid climber (decent athlete), and I'd call myself very strong intermediate/low advanced in ability (quite comfortable in all terrain I've encountered that isn't moguls) with a strong preference for full carving as much as possible when I can (moderately open blues/good condition easy blacks). My technique weaknesses, unsurprisingly come out in bumps and my goals with this new ski are as much or more to improve than to have fun in the short term, as much as I like doing that haha. I also am very tentative getting more than a bit of air. Long term, my goals are to be able to ski most non-mega gnarly backcountry terrain and I feel shoring up my technique in the bumps is the last step to appropriately setting myself up for success in making that transition. I previously skied and liked the Rainbow Cham 97 and the Liberty Variant 98. I had a great time with the Liberty skiing GS turns all the time at speed, but eventually realized I my skills were stagnating because that was all I was doing and got the Atomic to work on shorter stuff.
My priorities in skis include solid to very good edge grip, ability to maneuver quickly without tons of effort given my goal of improving in the bumps (Atomics were great in this regard), good carving/quick edge engagement in short turns (I gather having a super dialed fully carved short turn will help with my technique in the moguls), some playfulness (the Atomics were nice in this regard), the ability to play around in the pushed around snow on the side and crud, and at least moderate dampness (I felt the turquoise/white/orange sidewall Atomic was great with most things under 30 mph but got skittish beyond that) but I'm willing to compromise somewhat here/I don't need Liberty Variant/Stockli dampness as much as I appreciate them. I would say my goals are precise carving on piste and finesse/agility off piste, rather than being an M-1 tank with a rocket booster. Given I'm moving out, oops caught myself, *hopefully* moving out West, it'd also be nice if the ski helped me make the transition to skiing that powder stuff I keep hearing about. Ultimately, I'd prioritize improving my skills over other factors in the decision.
So the contenders in rough order are:
Rustler 9 (I hear these slarve/pivot super well, but I don't want to get into the habit of doing those things too much when I don't have to/not in really tight spots)
Ranger 92 Ti
Ranger 94 (seems fairly similar to the Rustler 9)
Enforcer 93/94 (too much ski for my goals but would be fun is my impression)
The impression I get is the Rangers carve a bit better than the Rustler, but I've read the SE and Blister reviews and I'm still not totally clear on the differences between these skis as I know the Rustler has the metal underfoot and some folks still say it's pretty precise. I'll be demoing the Rustlers though I'm not sure whether I'll be able to find both Fischers, and I'm hoping to get the ski in the next few days. I'd greatly appreciate any and all thoughts/detail people have to offer!
Thanks everyone!!
So the background is that I currently ski in the Northeast (Stowe, Killington, Okemo, Loon, Sunday River at various points depending on which pass I was on) and I'm potentially moving to Alta/Snowbird/the canyons, I mean SLC this summer for 4ish years, but I won't know if I'm being assigned there until March, and I 'need' a ski now (my current 2017 Atomic Vantage is totally decambered/fully rockered). I could also end up remaining in the Northeast. I'm 6' 170, was a college athlete, and am a current avid climber (decent athlete), and I'd call myself very strong intermediate/low advanced in ability (quite comfortable in all terrain I've encountered that isn't moguls) with a strong preference for full carving as much as possible when I can (moderately open blues/good condition easy blacks). My technique weaknesses, unsurprisingly come out in bumps and my goals with this new ski are as much or more to improve than to have fun in the short term, as much as I like doing that haha. I also am very tentative getting more than a bit of air. Long term, my goals are to be able to ski most non-mega gnarly backcountry terrain and I feel shoring up my technique in the bumps is the last step to appropriately setting myself up for success in making that transition. I previously skied and liked the Rainbow Cham 97 and the Liberty Variant 98. I had a great time with the Liberty skiing GS turns all the time at speed, but eventually realized I my skills were stagnating because that was all I was doing and got the Atomic to work on shorter stuff.
My priorities in skis include solid to very good edge grip, ability to maneuver quickly without tons of effort given my goal of improving in the bumps (Atomics were great in this regard), good carving/quick edge engagement in short turns (I gather having a super dialed fully carved short turn will help with my technique in the moguls), some playfulness (the Atomics were nice in this regard), the ability to play around in the pushed around snow on the side and crud, and at least moderate dampness (I felt the turquoise/white/orange sidewall Atomic was great with most things under 30 mph but got skittish beyond that) but I'm willing to compromise somewhat here/I don't need Liberty Variant/Stockli dampness as much as I appreciate them. I would say my goals are precise carving on piste and finesse/agility off piste, rather than being an M-1 tank with a rocket booster. Given I'm moving out, oops caught myself, *hopefully* moving out West, it'd also be nice if the ski helped me make the transition to skiing that powder stuff I keep hearing about. Ultimately, I'd prioritize improving my skills over other factors in the decision.
So the contenders in rough order are:
Rustler 9 (I hear these slarve/pivot super well, but I don't want to get into the habit of doing those things too much when I don't have to/not in really tight spots)
Ranger 92 Ti
Ranger 94 (seems fairly similar to the Rustler 9)
Enforcer 93/94 (too much ski for my goals but would be fun is my impression)
The impression I get is the Rangers carve a bit better than the Rustler, but I've read the SE and Blister reviews and I'm still not totally clear on the differences between these skis as I know the Rustler has the metal underfoot and some folks still say it's pretty precise. I'll be demoing the Rustlers though I'm not sure whether I'll be able to find both Fischers, and I'm hoping to get the ski in the next few days. I'd greatly appreciate any and all thoughts/detail people have to offer!
Thanks everyone!!