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Looking for Frontside Carving Ski Advice

Mpalm18

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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New to this forum but looking for some advice. Hope you guys can help.

A bit of background, been skiing forever and I’m a former HS and College club team slalom and GS racer. Lived in MN growing up and then out east for college. Now living in MO where ski trips will be a few weekends each year out to CO.

My current gear includes my old 2010 Atomic D2 SL setup and a newer pair of 2016/17 Rossignol Experience 88s. Out in the mountains, despite my love for their agility, my SL setup doesn’t have much utility as I like to get into a little bit of everything conditions-wise. I like the versatility offered by the 88s and they work well to get me all around the different terrains of the mountain when I get out west, but I obviously can’t whip them around like I can with the SL skis. I have been considering something a bit narrower to exist between those and my SL pair for when I still get the urge to rip some fast turns on the front groomed stuff.

I’ve been researching some of the newer models and have been intrigued by the Nordica Doberman Spitfire RBs in the 76 and 80 mm waist widths. I’m looking for advice of which width of those two would be best and/or other brands/models that would suit that style.

With regards to length, I’m 6’3” 215 and have the 88’s in 180 cm while the SLs are of course 165. I’ve always been comfortable on the SL ski length but manage the longer length just fine too. I’m wondering if going with something in the mid 170s would be a mistake for or if I’d want the longer 180 length ski.

Price wise, I’m not looking to break the bank though and would prefer to stay around 500 if possible. I’m not opposed at all to year-old and/or demo models so don’t read my interest in the new spitfires as indicating that I’ve gotta have the brand new models. If the spitfires are as great as the new reviews seem, I may wait a year and go get them next season.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far. Any advice and/or recommendations are greatly appreciated.
 
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Mpalm18

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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The atomic vantage 80s have also been intriguing options. Have skied only atomics until my Rossi 88s, so I’ve been looking at them simply out of brand loyalty. Any thoughts on those would be appreciated as well. Thanks all
 

DocGKR

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A few of my favorite skis in that range include the versatile Rossignol Hero Plus Ti with a 78mm waist, along with the Blizzard Firebird HRC at 76mm. Both of these are a bit more fun and versatile than the Nordica RB in 76 or 80. The Head i.Rally, K2 Turbocharger and Supercharger, Liberty V76 or V82 are also good options.

If you want to go a bit wider, then Blizzard Brahma 82, Fischer RC One 82 GT, Head i.Titan or Monster 83, Salomon S/Force Bold 84, and Volkl Deacon 80, are also nice choices.

For a bit more in cost look at the superb Stockli AX, Renoun Atlas, or Kastle MX84.
 

Tony S

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Out in the mountains, despite my love for their agility, my SL setup doesn’t have much utility as I like to get into a little bit of everything conditions-wise. I like the versatility offered by the 88s and they work well to get me all around the different terrains of the mountain when I get out west, but I obviously can’t whip them around like I can with the SL skis.

First, you did a really good job of articulating where you are and what you're looking for. Lots of people can't figure out how to do that. So thanks.

Second, you're looking for magic, and there is no magic. :huh:

Let me take a shot at this anyway. Your issue with the 88s is partly that they're not quick edge to edge like your SLs. Your issue with the SLs is partly that they don't have the stability in mixed conditions that the 88s have.

You're a big guy. Consider that the SLs are unstable off piste as much because they are short as because they are narrow and full-camber. So one way to approach this is to stay narrow but go longer than your Atomics and not as stiff. Something like the PugSki darling Stöckli AX @ 77mm x 175cm seems like an obvious pick. (For a while someone was selling a used one here.) I have almost no recent first hand exposure to the Atomic line, if you want to stay with them, but others here do. I'll bet they have something that fits the bill.
 
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Mpalm18

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Thanks for the compliment and for the response. I think you’ve hit it on the head with what I’m experiencing/going for. I’ll definitely take a closer look at the Stockli.
 

dbostedo

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^^^
I'd say at your size you could even go to the 182cm length in the AX. I've skied an older model of them in that size, and at about your weight though a bit shorter. I'm an intermediate and not a racer, but I found them great for a bit of mixed conditions - some chop and small bumps in addition to groomed - and they were smooth and stable in all the conditions.
 
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Mpalm18

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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the one thing with the stocklis that seems to jump out is the price, but also that you get what you pay for. I’m just not sure I’m wanting to go that high for a set that won’t get as much use as I’d obviously like.
 

Ken_R

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A few solid options:






 
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Mpalm18

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Since you like Atomic...those Vantage X might be a good choice. Redster's are too close to what he has, unless he's updating those too.
Thanks. I agree regarding the redster. I’m really taking a look at the vantage 80’s.
 

trailtrimmer

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Thanks. I agree regarding the redster. I’m really taking a look at the vantage 80’s.

The Vantage 80 CTI that I tried didn't seem to have the refinement and backbone of a Volkl Code or Head Rally, but it was a length shorter than I could have been on. The Atomic X7 and X9 are nicer skis and a little more carve oriented, the X7 should be a little more versatile.

I'd be looking long and hard at a new old stock Volkl Code or a Deacon or Head Rally along with a used Stockli AX.
 

dbostedo

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A couple of others to check out....

Blizzard 8.4Ti Quattro - an 84mm wide, full cambered ski with some versatility


Dynastar Speedzone 4x4 maybe... It's new though, so probably not available used. Seems intriguing to me as I really like the regular Speedzone 12Ti.
 

Jilly

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And another thought (you'll get lots still). I love my tuned down race skis, but I was at Lake Louise last week and rented a pair of Brahma's 82. There was no powder, so no need for a wide ski. They did great in the bumps and trees. And they were stiff enough to carve on the packed stuff. I was impressed with the ski as I hated the Black Pearl's the women's ski.
 

sparty

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While the X7 and X9 are probably too close to a slalom ski to make sense, what about the Redster X9 WB? I don't know that you'll be able to find a pair in the price range you're looking at this point, but after a few days out on mine, I'm quite happy with them as a "not soft snow" all-around ski. I mean, I wouldn't generally plan on taking them in the trees or in a real bump field, but they ski rather well in a variety of turn shapes, handle the kind of three-dimensional stuff that tends to crop up later in the day or on trail edges, and respond well to good input. They are noticeably slower edge-to-edge than my S9s, and whether it's psychosomatic or not, I feel like it takes more effort to get the tip engaged, but after a few days I strongly suspect they're going to be my go-to coaching ski this year because they will ski close enough to a race ski that I can do demos on them if necessary, but they also can be skied with somewhat less energy if I'm trying to get from point A to point B.

They definitely are Atomics, though—to really get them to turn, they expect to be skied with some energy.
 

Henry

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Length: former racer & big guy--you'll want the longest (which will be the stiffest) in whichever line of skis you choose. The actual length matters less than the stiffness; you'll put the max to good use.

Model: Lots of frontside choices...Atomic Redster family, Rossi Hero family, Salomon S/Force Bold, Stöckli Laser family, Fischer RC & RC4 family, Nordica Dobie Spitfires, Völkl Deacons, and more. Lots to choose from. You might look at reviews for several of these and whittle the choices down to ones that seem to suit your wishes the best. Pick the two or three that seem best for you and ask here again.
 

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