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ccac0303

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Need suggestion for new skis.
located in the east coast Ontario area. advanced skier (can do most double black without any issues), 155lb and 5'11. Currently have 2018 K2 pinnacle 88 but would like to get new skis that do it all for all snow conditions in the east. Consider mainly Enforce 88 in 179, Kendo 88 in 177 and brahma 88 in 180. Spent 90/10 on/off piste, trees and moguls, and mainly on groom or hardpack. probably go to big mountains twice a year in either Vermont or West coast. Looking for stable but fun carving turn. Not a park guy.

Demoed 3 three skis a couple of weeks ago in blue.
1. 2019 Brahma 88 in 180 --- Very powerful, stable and energetic, can feel a lot rebound from the ski.
2. 2020 Volkl deacon 84 in 172 --- similar feeling to brahma, but a little bit expensive. Not very cost-effective
3. Rossignol 88 in 180 --- feels okay, not too much different than my current K2

Currently leaning toward brahma 88 more. Any suggestions are welcome!
 

ARL67

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There is also the Brahma 82 ( 173 / 180 )
They are on the shelf at Corbetts if you need to see one in person.
It has long low rocker lines like the Volkl Deacon 84.

The Elan Wingman 82 /86 CTI was also on my list, also on the shelf at Corbetts.

But I took a leap of faith and ordered a Fischer RC One 82 GT 173 to complement my 67 underfoot Groomer/SL ski. It is coming from the US and was nicely on sale. I wanted something in my 80-slot with a titch more shape than my Kastle MX84 Limited 176. I haven't had a Fischer in many years and was drawn in by the great reviews of the RC One 86 GT , and the Ranger 94 / 102 FR.

And as stated above, why not keep your 88 and get a groomer specific ski ( 66-72 ).
I am 53 and when I got back into skiing a dozen years ago, I wallowed around in All-Mountain mid-fats, when my Ontario hills are all manicured groomers 95% of the time. 3 seasons ago, I started to embrace skinny skis and am now a convert that a groomer specific ski is a "must-have". My skiing skills have improved in the last couple years, and those skills carry on up to my wider skis too.

See this current thread about an Ontario ski, where several of the Pugski members from Oantario have chimed in.
 
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ccac0303

ccac0303

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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GTA
Why not get a narrow carver to go with the Pinnacle 88?

I'm going to sell the pinnacle 88. Just want one ski that does it all plus the east doesn't need a powder ski.
 
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ccac0303

ccac0303

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Posts
8
Location
GTA
There is also the Brahma 82 ( 173 / 180 )
They are on the shelf at Corbetts if you need to see one in person.
It has long low rocker lines like the Volkl Deacon 84.

The Elan Wingman 82 /86 CTI was also on my list, also on the shelf at Corbetts.

But I took a leap of faith and ordered a Fischer RC One 82 GT 173 to complement my 67 underfoot Groomer/SL ski. It is coming from the US and was nicely on sale. I wanted something in my 80-slot with a titch more shape than my Kastle MX84 Limited 176. I haven't had a Fischer in many years and was drawn in by the great reviews of the RC One 86 GT , and the Ranger 94 / 102 FR.

And as stated above, why not keep your 88 and get a groomer specific ski ( 66-72 ).
I am 53 and when I got back into skiing a dozen years ago, I wallowed around in All-Mountain mid-fats, when my Ontario hills are all manicured groomers 95% of the time. 3 seasons ago, I started to embrace skinny skis and am now a convert that a groomer specific ski is a "must-have". My skiing skills have improved in the last couple years, and those skills carry on up to my wider skis too.

See this current thread about an Ontario ski, where several of the Pugski members from Oantario have chimed in.

Thank you for your input. The reason I am selling the K2 is because I only want one ski which basically can do everything. Performance wise, it is not going to be quite different from front side ski. But I can bring and use it for the trips in the west coast. All things considered.
 

PinnacleJim

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Since you will be selling the Pinnacles, you need something that will work well on r
Eastern groomers but also be fun when you take that trip west. Not an easy task. I agree that the Brahma 88 and Enforcer 88 are good choices. I would also add the Head Monster 88 to the list.
 

ARL67

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FYI: Corbetts have a stash of new 2018 Monster 83 and 88, both with Attack2 13 on their online store, but not available in-store. The 83 is a particularly good deal at $500 $Canuck , less an extra 10% discount ( code: extra10) = $450 $C

Also Corbetts FYI: if you buy from their online store and have them shipped to your home, you will have to pay to have the bindings installed as they will arrive to you unmounted. If you call the online store, tell them you will pickup at the retail location, and they will include the mounting. ( that's what I have been told by a Corbetts sales person )
 
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ccac0303

ccac0303

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Mar 1, 2020
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GTA
FYI: Corbetts have a stash of new 2018 Monster 83 and 88, both with Attack2 13 on their online store, but not available in-store. The 83 is a particularly good deal at $500 $Canuck , less an extra 10% discount ( code: extra10) = $450 $C

Also Corbetts FYI: if you buy from their online store and have them shipped to your home, you will have to pay to have the bindings installed as they will arrive to you unmounted. If you call the online store, tell them you will pickup at the retail location, and they will include the mounting. ( that's what I have been told by a Corbetts sales person )

Thanks exactly what i'm going to do. Pick up in store and let them mount the binding. Thank you for the tips man. Appreciated. It is likely for me to wait for a couple of weeks to see if the 2020 skis price can drop to 40-50% off
 

Tom K.

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Need suggestion for new skis......Consider mainly Enforce 88 in 179, Kendo 88 in 177 and brahma 88 in 180.

If you're not looking for an actual carver, it's hard to go wrong with any of those three.

You skied the Brahma and loved it, so there you go -- unless you get to demo the others, why risk it?

I ski the Enforcer 88 in 186 and absolutely love it. Tons of range, from groomed carving to bumps to shallow pow to crud.
 
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ccac0303

ccac0303

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Posts
8
Location
GTA
If you're not looking for an actual carver, it's hard to go wrong with any of those three.

You skied the Brahma and loved it, so there you go -- unless you get to demo the others, why risk it?

I ski the Enforcer 88 in 186 and absolutely love it. Tons of range, from groomed carving to bumps to shallow pow to crud.

You are right. brahma is the safe pick. But just want to know more in-depths comparison between Enforcer 88 and brahma.
 

Tom K.

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You are right. brahma is the safe pick. But just want to know more in-depths comparison between Enforcer 88 and brahma.

This cage match includes quite a bit of discussion of the Brahma:

 

Relegate

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I demo'd both the Enforcer 88 in a 179 and a Kendo in a 177 yesterday here in the Poconos at Blue. The conditions were extremely variable from skating rink in the shade to mashed potatoes in the sun. I liked somethings about both, but ultimately more about the Kendo for my style of skiing.

The Enforcer88 in a 179 skied short... but not only did it ski short, the amount of tip rocker made me want to (forced me) stand right over the center of the ski as there was not really a tip to drive on the ice. I felt such a solid feeling underfoot and a really strong tail. In the softer, steep pitches, these things were trenching. I was able to surprise my hungover self with some mega carves... but, I couldn't find a way to get them to work on the ice where I found them to be chatterific or like I was about to go over the bars. In comparison, the Kendo was stable and no shenanigans but neither were able to create some sort of magic that only a true race ski could of on that ice. Take Away: I didn't like the amount of rocker for our conditions yesterday and my other skis are 100mm and 125mm underfoot so I don't need an 88 that can do OK off-piste. They were a ton of fun though. I wish they had less tip rocker.

The Kendo was a little less "lively" but, as advertised, they are able to make a ton of different turn shapes. These skis really worked for me from the first turn to the last. I found them much more stable at speed (for me) and I tend to drive the front of the skis pretty hard. I found them to work really well when I eased up and stayed centered on the ski, but I would say the Enforcer lived for this stance even though the Volkl was easy to make short turns. I felt that for my style of skiing, the Kendo just splattered the mash potato snow and kept going unfazed, while the Enforcers didn't track as well. I just totally dug this ski for my style.

So, in closing, I loved the Kendo 88. I *liked* the Enforcer. I skied the Enforcers about 2x as much as the Kendo really trying to figure them out... but I just couldn't get down with them quite the same.
 

rickg

Out on the slopes
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May 1, 2017
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268
Location
Euclid, Ohio
Need suggestion for new skis.
located in the east coast Ontario area. advanced skier (can do most double black without any issues), 155lb and 5'11. Currently have 2018 K2 pinnacle 88 but would like to get new skis that do it all for all snow conditions in the east. Consider mainly Enforce 88 in 179, Kendo 88 in 177 and brahma 88 in 180. Spent 90/10 on/off piste, trees and moguls, and mainly on groom or hardpack. probably go to big mountains twice a year in either Vermont or West coast. Looking for stable but fun carving turn. Not a park guy.

Demoed 3 three skis a couple of weeks ago in blue.
1. 2019 Brahma 88 in 180 --- Very powerful, stable and energetic, can feel a lot rebound from the ski.
2. 2020 Volkl deacon 84 in 172 --- similar feeling to brahma, but a little bit expensive. Not very cost-effective
3. Rossignol 88 in 180 --- feels okay, not too much different than my current K2

Currently leaning toward brahma 88 more. Any suggestions are welcome!

Note that the Deacon is priced with Binding. The Brahma and Rossi are sold without bindings.

With that said, I have the Enforcer 88's and like them very much. I had them at Mt Snow in January and they were awesome. Taking them to Tahoe next week and looking forward to trying in much softer conditions.

I also just demo'd the Deacon 80. I chose the 80 as I have the previous model RTM81 which I love but am thinking of replacing with the new Deacon. I enjoyed them in mixed boilerplate and spring corn. Even better when the snow softened up all around the next day.

Good luck.

Rick G

Rick G
 

Tom K.

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The Enforcer88 in a 179 skied short... but not only did it ski short, the amount of tip rocker made me want to (forced me) stand right over the center of the ski as there was not really a tip to drive on the ice. I felt such a solid feeling underfoot and a really strong tail. In the softer, steep pitches, these things were trenching. I was able to surprise my hungover self with some mega carves... but, I couldn't find a way to get them to work on the ice where I found them to be chatterific or like I was about to go over the bars. In comparison, the Kendo was stable and no shenanigans but neither were able to create some sort of magic that only a true race ski could of on that ice. Take Away: I didn't like the amount of rocker for our conditions yesterday and my other skis are 100mm and 125mm underfoot so I don't need an 88 that can do OK off-piste. They were a ton of fun though. I wish they had less tip rocker.

Some truth here. I went through this when I first purchased my Enforcer 100s. Solved 100% by mounting at minus 1, and went from "like" to "love".

Did the same right out of the gate with my Enforcer 88s, and very happy.

Me: 6'2" and 200 pounds, skiing the 185/186 length.
 

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