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Alexzn

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Yvettes- totally wrong move, it’s a powder ski that is easy to ski in bumps for all the wrong reasons. The problem with your Kenna is that like most Volkl skis of that kind they have a stiff tail and are generally stiff overall. So any decent all mountain ski that is not a noodle but not a rail either will work just fine. Just about any women skis in the same width class would be softer than Kenjas, so you have loss of choices. Beware of Jr skis as they are usually not made to the same specs as adult models. A real bump ski will be to narrow and too specialized, unless you are skiing real mogul courses ( in which case you probably won’t be asking here).
 
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LuliTheYounger

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
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Oh dear, sorry for posting and then disappearing! Thanks so much to everyone for your thoughts, I appreciate it!

My daily driver right now is the Blizzard Sheeva 9, and I LOVE them in bumps!! [...]

Cutting this down for size, but thank you so much for such a detailed review of what you've liked! I love how damp the Volkls are most of the time, but I think a ski that's a little more poppy might be exactly what I'm craving, haha. I've heard really good things about the Sheevas and those Camox Birdies, so I'll definitely hunt around to demo those!

The first ski that comes to mind is the DPS Trainer at 79mm under foot. I freaking love that ski in moguls.
Its pricy but really nice.
Another ski that you may really like for that spot is the K2 Mindbender 85 Alliance. That one doesn't have metal and should be really nice in the moguls.
And another ski.... Liberty V82. I have that available to demo in a 156 if you'd like to try it.

So many good choices.
I'd suggest a demo of a Nordica Astral 84

I've been so curious about those Mindbenders! Didn't get a chance to try them last year & would love to demo them regardless of how they do in the bumps, haha. I'm in Utah for the season, but I'll poke around for these four for sure – thanks so much for the recommendations!


Seriously, now we are talking. I think @LuliTheYounger is looking for an all mountain ski that's easier in moguls, not "a mogul ski." Right, OP?

I tried Tricia's Mindbender 88 and it was was super fun and forgiving in the bumps. While some hard core mogul skiers like a good pop off the tails, generally that's the last thing you want if you're still learning how to get along with big bumps. Doubly true if you weigh 98 pounds. This ski is gentle without being spineless. Plus it comes in a 149 and a 156.

Some Others: The average American guy is DOUBLE her weight. Think about this twice before tossing out facile suggestions. If you weigh 180, imagine skiing a ski designed for someone who weighs 360.

Yeah, you're spot on as far as what I'm looking for! Definitely up for testing proper mogul skis if I can find them, but I think something that's slightly less focused might be more up my alley at this point. Good point about the weight thing too. I'm completely blanking on which thread it was, but someone pointed out the other day that that ~100lb range can get real weird since a ten pound difference between users can easily be 10% of total bodyweight. I appreciate the leads on longer skis, but a trying to avoid ending up with a list of options that are just unwieldy in a different way. ogsmile


I 3rd the Nordica Astral and also suggest the Volkl Yumi. @tinymoose is very similar in size to you and would be a great voice on this and the Yumi in particular.

Oh, that's an interesting one! I've somehow never demoed the Yumis, but I've looked at used pairs a couple times in the past and have always been curious about them - should definitely hunt those down finally! Thank you!

Yvettes- totally wrong move, it’s a powder ski that is easy to ski in bumps for all the wrong reasons. The problem with your Kenna is that like most Volkl skis of that kind they have a stiff tail and are generally stiff overall. So any decent all mountain ski that is not a noodle but not a rail either will work just fine. Just about any women skis in the same width class would be softer than Kenjas, so you have loss of choices. Beware of Jr skis as they are usually not made to the same specs as adult models. A real bump ski will be to narrow and too specialized, unless you are skiing real mogul courses ( in which case you probably won’t be asking here).

Yeah, definitely pretty skeptical of the straight mogul and Jr ski directions. I'm willing to test some weird stuff at this point, but I got off Jr skis when I got the Kenjas, and I'm not really jumping to go back unless I find something really special. I'm interested in trying the Foundation Yvette 100s because we've been getting a fair number of powder'n'bumps type days, and having something that's a little more versatile in that direction could be nice, but I don't have my heart set on them by any means. ogsmile
 

SSSdave

life is short precious ...don't waste it
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... A real bump ski will be to narrow and too specialized, unless you are skiing real mogul courses ( in which case you probably won’t be asking here).

Just to be clear, of course one might argue, real bump skis like my Twisters for those with skill, are probably more fun for skiing recreational bumps also versus any midfats. The problem is they have limitations in all mountain snow conditions especially junk snow where midfats are more fun and many midfats can ski bumps better than a bump ski will ski all mountain conditions so are the better single ski solution.
 
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trailtrimmer

Stuck in the Flatlands
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I have no specific suggestions on skis, but to just ignore suggestions that are wider than 80-82mm, skis closer to 70mm work best in moguls, but loose a bit of all mountain float. The 76-82mm range makes a nice compromise.
 

Philpug

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Good luck trying to find skis in the 150-ish length to test, near impossible, most shops will not stock them and if they DO have skis in that length it will be mass market skis like a Black Pearl 88 or Head Total Joy and set up with a heavier (and taller) demo binding whch will change the characteristics of the ski dramamically.

I agree that you want to be on the narrower side, 80ish underfoot because for someone 5'1 and 95lb, 80mm is like 90mm for a normal sized skeir.

There are a ton of great options mentioned, Astral 78,, Black Pearl 78, tweener skis and even an actual mogul specific ski. If you are considering the latter, try to find a used junior 150 cm GS ski, remove the plate and mount the binding flush on the deck. Wallah, you have a mogul ski.
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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I agree that you want to be on the narrower side, 80ish underfoot because for someone 5'1 and 95lb, 80mm is like 90mm for a normal sized skeir.

Makes sense. Hadn't thought about that.
 

Eleeski

Making fresh tracks
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Don't be afraid of junior skis. My wife's favorite ski is a junior Atomic Ben Chetler. She loves it in the bumps and it works well for her everywhere else. She outweighs you by a fair amount but the skis held up well through a few years of lots of bumps. My daughter in law also spent a lot of fun time on these skis.

Junior skis have sizing and weight advantages for you (and price!). You do fit the target design parameters - even if you aren't still living with your parents.

Eric
 

FlyingAce

Out on the slopes
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I liked the Volkl Kenja for a few years until I started skiing bumps. Now, I love my Stockli Laser AX (78mm) on bumps - it’s light, nimble and playful, yet extremely damp on groomers at speed. It also does well on light powder, cruds and hardpacked. It has to do with their turtleshell technology- read up on it and you will see how it can be both soft for bumps and stiff for groomers. I am 5’3”, heavier than you and I have the 154, which is the shortest they come in. I originally bought them for race clinic, then found out they are even more fun on bumps! Worth a try if you can demo it and it is worth every penny!
 
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Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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Does anyone still make a ballet ski it would be soft enough for bumps and narrow enough under foot and they generally don't come in long lengths. You could also use an adult binding on them and that might be difficult on a Jr ski.
 

ella_g

Getting off the lift
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Dec 4, 2016
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@LuliTheYounger you are the same size as my oldest kid but she weighs ten pounds less. It took us some trial error to find a ski that worked for her (including wanting to ski and her better at bumps). Weirdly we had no prob finding demo 150s (maybe bc she was looking mostly at tweeter skis?), she spent a day on 149 Kenjas (no love there) , wasn’t nuts about her last season ski (fischer ranger, many ppl love them) , tried the mini bent chetler (would have worked just as a powder ski probably, very fun in the park) and really liked the camox birdies and magnis birdie and ended up with the magnis. Where in Utah? Hopefully you can find a place to demo a bunch of skis, ski them in bumps, pick your fave? You are not an unusual size for 13yos (I’m not throwing shade, im not much bigger than you) and there are a lot of skiing 13yos out there! Report back ....
 

Pequenita

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I'm completely blanking on which thread it was, but someone pointed out the other day that that ~100lb range can get real weird since a ten pound difference between users can easily be 10% of total bodyweight.

Probably me, in a thread where people were advising someone around 5’, ~125 lbs to try out skis in the 140s. Few things will get me on my soapbox faster than when people don’t grasp that 95 lbs is a lot smaller than 125. :)
 
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Philpug

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Does anyone still make a ballet ski it would be soft enough for bumps and narrow enough under foot and they generally don't come in long lengths. You could also use an adult binding on them and that might be difficult on a Jr ski.
Ballet skis went away a season ot two after the dodo bird. Most "Tweener" skis expect an adult boot/binding to be installed. Plus at her size I doubt she is in anything larger than a 270mm shell. If mounting IS a concern, there are short mount distance binding like a Look Pivot or SPX Race Rocker with both going down to a 4
 

ted

Getting off the lift
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Jan 23, 2016
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If you like the Kenja, the Yumi is the answer. If looking for different, The BP 78 and Santa Ana 88 are options with slightly higher rocker line(BP) and higher rocker line and more taper at tips and tails(Santa Ana)
 
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LuliTheYounger

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
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SLC
@Philpug et. al., any thoughts on who would have the best selection of tweener skis in the SLC area? It looks like Christy Sports has some, but I'm not sure where else to look. I guess my concern with that route is that I went straight from lighter-end tween skis to the Kenjas, and there was some, uhhhhh..... relationship breakdown between me & my tween skis towards the end there. Willing to give them a try, just super loathe to drop the money on a pair without demoing them first.
 

Don in Morrison

I Ski Better on Retro Day
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Does anyone still make a ballet ski it would be soft enough for bumps and narrow enough under foot and they generally don't come in long lengths. You could also use an adult binding on them and that might be difficult on a Jr ski.
How about a 153 cm K2 244? It's a bump ski, but I bought mine to use as a whirly-twirly ski. I plan on getting them out for the first time on New Year's Day. Easier to find online than in a store, though. @SkiEssentials is where I got mine.
 

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