Need some all mountain skis

[Nola Mike]

I'm now primarily a reluctant southern skiier, I usually get a trip out west maybe once every year or 2. I'll be making at least 2 trips this year, maybe 3 and need something to supplement my east coast skis, which are Head i.Titans. Great skis for home mountains, but I took them to big sky backcountry a couple of years ago and was miserable in the powder. I only want one pair of big mountain skis.
I'm 6'2, 185#, 42 years old, skiing my whole life but definitely less frequently/less aggressively than in the past. But I'll still ski most things. I demo'd a bunch of skis a couple of years ago, and really liked the Elan Ripsticks. I *think* they were 181s or so (I think one notch below the longest, I remember them having an 18m turning radius), and I liked both the 106 and 116 width. The longer radius more powder oriented skis gave me fits when I was trying to carve, I wish I could remember which ones I didn't like. Looking for something a couple of years old that I can pick up on ebay. I've been having a hard time finding the ripsticks, so was hoping to get some recs on similar skis. Sorry for the rambling, but wanted to provide as much info as possible.

 

[Ron]

Sorry for your loss yesterday .

I would suggest demoing a few different skis. there are already several threads about suggested ski's but I would look for something 95-105. Skiing powder requires a different skill set then carving on groomed snow (you need a strong SR turn and certainly far less edging) and part of your frustration is coming from a lack of powder skiing so dont be too upset, A wider ski will certainly help but it won't fix the problem all-together.

 

[Coach13]

Some good choices imo:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dynastar-L...197703?hash=item33f96ffb47:g:MVIAAOSwVFJb6eLD

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fischer-Pr...mxPzlCPXuIz41SLQeFik5Fw&LH_ItemCondition=1000

 

[Nola Mike]

@Ron , unfortunately not a lot of demo'ing in my neck of the woods (I'm actually in VA now, but from Boston, so Pats fan first, saints second!). I've done my share of powder skiing, but haven't had a chance to benefit from the all-mountain ski improvements of the last 5-10 years. But for sure a 170cm/70 mm carving ski isn't doing me any favors.
@Coach13 , thanks, will check them out

 

[Ron]

demo when you get out here. save on the cost and hassle of shipping them and demo a ski that is most appropriate to the conditions you are skiing in

 

[Josh Matta]

You honestly dont have to go super wide for big sky powder, it will be light and dry enough 100ish underfoot will be great. The only place I really use stupid wide skis anymore are.

1. flats, especially touring
2. wet,heavy, wind slab, funky snow.

I would check out the 185cm E100 or 188cm Rustler 10, both skis ski powder really well, deal with variable, and carve pretty well on even harder eastern groomers.

and sorry ron, carving and powder have tons in common first being tactics SLOW LINE FAST!

 

[Ron]

I was thinking more about turn shape where easterners come out here and try to ski powder like they are carving hard snow. if you dont have a short radius turn its kinda hard to ski powder but I' sure you can. .

I could list about 20 skis that would be great options,

 

[Coach13]

You honestly dont have to go super wide for big sky powder, it will be light and dry enough 100ish underfoot will be great. The only place I really use stupid wide skis anymore are.

1. flats, especially touring
2. wet,heavy, wind slab, funky snow.

I would check out the 185cm E100 or 188cm Rustler 10, both skis ski powder really well, deal with variable, and carve pretty well on even harder eastern groomers.

and sorry ron, carving and powder have tons in common first being tactics SLOW LINE FAST!

Agreed. Speaking of my own experience, I think the reason many inexperienced skiers have an issue in powder is they have bad habits that don’t show up on groomed slopes when they think they are carving. As soon as they hit 3D snow these issues are highlighted and “they can’t ski powder”.

 

[Ron]

unless you ski a lot of powder (6+ inches) its hard to just jump in and be comfortable. skiing 2-4" doesn't require much adjustment. I take a lot of folks around here who are very solid skiers but have issues adjusting at first. again, its different and new so it takes a little time adjust. Almost any intermediate though can enjoy a powder day with a little time.

 

[Ron]

oh and we're talking open powder skiing here since the reference is typically carved turns on EC hardback. . in bumps and varied off piste, there's really no need change much. I think the density/moisture content of the snow has more to do with it than anything else really.

 

[Josh Matta]

most people who think they are 'carving" arent....

a good example I ran into was a group of kids I had from the UK who raced SL on dry slope, they had no issue skiing powder at stowe, in the woods on skinny rental skis, but they knew how to carve with out any pivots or weirdness between their turns, 99 percent of them had never skied on snow let alone powder.

yet many "experts" can not because they have no idea how to not push, or slide sideways between their turns.

 

[Ron]

most people who think they are 'carving" arent....

now thats another topic all together. As I learn more, I discover I was not doing many things the right way . I dont get into the tech weeds on forums so I digress but I think its best to try to help from an intermediate to advanced skier perspective in most cases. But, if I put most inexperienced powder skiers (intermediate and advanced) into a foot of typical powder here (CO) the vast majority will struggle. we didnt discuss this but a lot has to do with the mental aspect of seeing deep snow and over thinking it and of course, yes, technically proficient skiers have the tools and understanding how to adapt where needed and will do better.

when skiing powder, put Bob Marley on your inner iPod.

 

[Nola Mike]

Interesting, since it seems to me that it's easier to make a powder turn without pivoting or kicking out than on the hard stuff. My problems are that I'm exhausted in that sometimes heavy CO stuff combined with the altitude. My main adjustment is getting back on my skis more than I would otherwise. But we digress...
@Ron , a couple of reasons that I don't want to wait till I get out there to demo.
1. I don't have that many days, and at the end of the day I want to own my skis. Paying for demos and dealing with getting them fit, doing paperwork, etc isn't worth it to me. Demo days at the mountain are a different story, but I see that way less often than I did as a kid.
2. I'd like to ski on them and get comfortable before I take them on the tough stuff.
3. If I demo'd, I'd still probably take my skis with me, since I can still ski most conditions just fine with them.
(BTW, I'm not going to big sky this season. So far have Jackson hole and Denver area lined up).

So yeah, keep the suggestions coming, looks like there are a ton of good skis out there.

Going to snowshoe for a few days tomorrow. Unfortunately, I don't even wish for snow around here, I just pray it doesn't rain (which is in the forecast

 

[Ron]

understood. Well, seriously, there are about 20 ski's that you could buy right now and be happy. Do you like a stiffer ski? more rocker (higher rise or lower with longer run), do you ski more trees or open terrain? Do you seek out Powder bumps and push piles? Skiing steeps and deeps? Given the average storm is rarely over 8", I am solidly in the same camp with Josh that you just dont need anything more than 100 +/- which will give you plenty of float for CO/UT/WY powder but still handle tracked and broken.

so
Rustler 9 or 10, Bonafide (not my fav')
Liberty V92, Origin 96
Volkl 98, M5
Stockli SR95
Nordi 100 or 93
K2 Mind Bender 100
4Frnt MSP
Head Core 99 or 93
Sali QST99 (new version coming out)
Rossi E98
Rossi Black Ops

and I'll let other propagate the list.

 

[AltaFan]

Good list Ron. After discovering this site a few days ago I've been scouring these forums for recommendations and reading the reviews. There are tons and tons of options. I feel like I crawled into a deep rat hole once I started reading. I think this is a good problem.

A few more I discovered that people seem to like in addition to your list:

J Skis Masterblaster
J Skis The Metal
Moment - several options - PBJ, Commander 98/109, Wildcat, Deathwish
Kastle FX95 HP/non-HP
Kastle BMX 105
Dynastar Legend X96

 

[Nola Mike]

Sounds good, I'll do my homework, thanks!
Some of those already on my list, some new ones there as well, although like I said, I'm going to try to keep the cost down by going with a couple year old model....

 

[Ron]

You may be able to buy some demo'd skis at this point in the season. Never hurts to ask.

 

[peterm]

I rented Ripstick 106s today at Alta (powder day) and had a good time. They're a fairly soft and easy ski, but I wasn't complaining. @Nola Mike 181 might be a little short for you on a powder day. I was on 188s today and they felt about right (I'm 6', 195, and a bit of a hack). Note that a 188 Ripstick is 1-2cm shorter than other manufacturer's 188s according to Blister.

If you're looking for a bargain that is somewhat similar to the Ripstick but perhaps a little stronger and more versatile, a ski I've demoed that springs to mind is the K2 Pinnacle 95. Easy to ski, reasonable float, but still has some bite for groomers. Apparently they're replacing the entire line so there may be some closeouts available soon.

 

[Nola Mike]

So I narrowed down my selection to 6-8 skis that all seemed like they'd be a good fit. Ended up pulling the trigger on some K2 Pinnacle 95 demo skis @184 cm. Thanks @peterm for turning me on to those, and everyone else for the advice. Got them for $360, which is about $150 cheaper than everything else I was looking at. I won't have them by Monday (next ski date). Making a trip to Sunday River in a week and a half. Hope to get a day in before that to see how I like them. I'll let you know.

 

[cantunamunch]

when skiing powder, put Bob Marley on your inner iPod.

This