Recommendation: 100-110mm

[Brad]

I think the Salomon QST 106 is worth a look too. Beefier with more purpose than the S7 but very smooth and easy to throw sideways. It will be less stiff than the Kore 105 but will be about 100g per ski heavier.

 

[neonorchid]

You owe it to yourself to at least demo this ski. I'm one of several Pugs who are pretty smitten with it. (@JohnL, @Drahtguy Kevin , @SBrown , @cosmoliu ) I also happen to be more of a lightweight finesse skier. The zero camber is actually a plus unless you're on hardpack, and you already have good skis for that. It is MUCH better in chop than the S7; totally different design and feel, without at all feeling like a planky charger.

@Tony S, what length 100eight did you get? I'm looking for something in the 102 - 110'ish range. Thinking the 177 in a 100eight because my 170 90eight seems a smidge short for me @5'6.5" 140lbs ... cough cough cough ... 146lbs, ever since last fall when my graves disease which was in remission for eight years (after a year of meds), came back and shortly went into remission again after 3 months of progressivly lower then the lowest dose meds threw it into a hypo state and back to normal, I got fat. Can't seem to shead the extra weight. IDK whats up with that, age catching up with me???

 

[Cheizz]

I'll throw in the K2 Pinnacle 105...

 

[jmeb]

With a 93 in the quiver that can handle a few inches with its modern shape, and living in Utah, why not go a bit more powder-ski focused? Say 110-115mm?

And then I say...a Moment Deathwish is really worth a try. Medium flexing, fun on groomers, wonderful float.

 

[François Pugh]

@Tony S, what length 100eight did you get? I'm looking for something in the 102 - 110'ish range. Thinking the 177 in a 100eight because my 170 90eight seems a smidge short for me @5'6.5" 140lbs ... cough cough cough ... 146lbs, ever since last fall when my graves disease which was in remission for eight years (after a year of meds), came back and shortly went into remission again after 3 months of progressivly lower then the lowest dose meds threw it into a hypo state and back to normal, I got fat. Can't seem to shead the extra weight. IDK whats up with that, age catching up with me???

At 150 lbs, I found the 181 cm 100-eight perfect. I usually like the second longest length in the range on most skis I ski, probably because I tend to ski on the fast side. The 181 cm 100-eight I skied for a day was also quite well behaved at slow speeds in tight trees, deep snow, and steep moguls.

 

[Ron]

The ct 3.0:also comes in a 182. That said, the Volkl is an aexcllent ski.

 

[Tony S]

@Tony S, what length 100eight did you get?

I'm on the one that's nominally a 173 but is actually a 176. Plenty of ski for me, for what that's worth.

 

[Jim McDonald]

So many good skis in your wheelhouse, but I very much liked the BMX 105.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

another recommendation for the 108. I'm 5 9 160ish on the 181s and mainly ski Whistler and many other areas in BC.
I demo quite a few skis each year and generally I gravitate to stiffer skis, suits my taste so lack of camber was a concern but i didn't find the lack of it to be distracting at all

we get a lot of variable conditions here, frequently on the same run. They are not the ultimate in some conditions but I don't think I've been on a ski which preforms as well in as many different conditions

Not racing skis, they have a top end, but they will hold an edge on high speed groomers if asked.
However powder trees chutes crud and even bumps if you can find them, are where they are happiest.

the ease of initiation on a no camber ski combined with the light weight makes it an easy ride so you may also have a bit more energy left at end of the day .

 

[neonorchid]

I'm on the one that's nominally a 173 but is actually a 176. Plenty of ski for me, for what that's worth.

176cm straight pull topside tip to tail? My 170 90eight measures 169.25cm.

 

[BS Slarver]

Subscribed in hopes the conversation goes 110+

 

[Andy Mink]

You may toss the Dynastar Legend X106 on your list. The 88 is really nice but I only got one run on the 106 last year. Perhaps @Philpug or someone else can chime in with their thoughts on the 106.

 

[Andy Mink]

One thing you can see from this thread and others like it is there is no lack of really good skis no matter what catagory you're looking at. Way back it was pretty easy to pick a ski. You pretty much had long and stiff and longer and stiffer. Not so anymore! It borders on frustrating. First world problems!

 

[MJA]

With a 93 in the quiver that can handle a few inches with its modern shape, and living in Utah, why not go a bit more powder-ski focused? Say 110-115mm?

And then I say...a Moment Deathwish is really worth a try. Medium flexing, fun on groomers, wonderful float.

I have a Volkl Two in 186 for deep days. I am always on the lookout for good deals, so it wouldn’t surprise me if I end up finding and pulling the trigger on something in the teens underfoot eventually. But I think I’ll get more use out of a 100 something which is why it’s my purchasing priority.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

I usually like the second longest length in the range on most skis I ski,

had never though about length that way , but I do too - too bad characteristics of a ski aren't quite as easy to peg.

 

[Tony S]

I'm on the one that's nominally a 173 but is actually a 176. Plenty of ski for me, for what that's worth.

176cm straight pull topside tip to tail? My 170 90eight measures 169.25cm.

Too many ways to measure. When I stand three skis I happen to own flat against a wall, the 173cm 100Eight is one cm longer than my nominally 175cm GS and 2cm longer than my nominally 174cm Armada. Thus, very unscientifically, it's a 176.

Tip to tail stats, if you must, are as follows:

• 174cm Armada (semi twin): 170.2mm
• 175cm Rossi GS: 173.8cm
• 173cm 100Eight: 174.3cm

 

[Marty McSly]

So with end of season sales on in Australia, the DPS Foundation Wailer 106, Völkl 100Eight and K2 Pinnacle 105 are available for the same price. What would be the pros and cons of each, for intended use as a OSQ for Japan, and in soft, slushy spring snow on 45 degree plus days?

 

[MJA]

Hey all... just wanted to give an update to those interested about my purchase - Volkl 100eight in 181 (I got the v2 version with the revised fiberglass layup - army green version). As a reminder, I'm 5'9" 150lbs, upper advanced but not quite expert, ski primarily Alta & Snowbird. I've skied them in the following conditions:

• Edgeable groomers - these skis RIP groomers that aren't super hardpack / icy, although they require a good bit of speed to get going and require a very forward stance due to the very directional mount point, don't have super pop like more cambered skis but overall I enjoy them almost as much or potentially more than my Enforcer 93s on groomers, although E93s definitely carve better at slow speeds
• Refrozen off-piste / moguls - not fun at all although the conditions were not good
• Over a foot of blower wasatch powder - fantastic, not much tip dive, could execute more carvy turns in powder or smear turns / drifts
• Soft chop & packed powder off-piste and in trees - fantastic, highly maneuverable, the low swing weight stands out, solid but not limitless stability (it isn't quite a charger but I think would provide adequate stability for most people)
• Small jumps / cliffs - they're a nice platform for landing

Two cons I've found:

• Due to the full rocker profile they are not good when needing to jam on the breaks and scrub speed while going very fast, especially if conditions are harder pack
• I've had a couple instances where if I'm running too bases flat at speed the tails wander on me and cross (one instance resulted in a pretty big crash that for sure would have been a concussion if I wasn't wearing a helmet)

I mounted shifts on them but haven't toured them yet. I have not noticed any difference whatsoever between the Shifts and other alpine bindings I've used (Attacks, Jesters, Griffons), although the Shifts seem significantly easier to step into than Marker bindings in soft snow. I also had phantom done on them and like the Shifts I'm very impressed.

TLDR - I love the 100eights, huge upgrade in almost every way vs. my original Soul 7s, slightly less maneuverable and playful but better at everything else. The 181 is definitely the right size for me.

Thanks for the rec guys / gals!

 

[Tony S]

TLDR - I love the 100eights, huge upgrade in almost every way vs. my original Soul 7s, slightly less maneuverable and playful but better at everything else. The 181 is definitely the right size for me.

Good summary of this ski. The only minor issue I've had with mine - assuming reasonably soft snow - is the occasional spearing of a steep-sided mogul. The tips are very low. I think is is an advantage overall, in difficult 3D snow. Just not perfect in bumps.

 

[François Pugh]

Hey all... just wanted to give an update to those interested about my purchase - Volkl 100eight in 181 (I got the v2 version with the revised fiberglass layup - army green version). As a reminder, I'm 5'9" 150lbs, upper advanced but not quite expert, ski primarily Alta & Snowbird. I've skied them in the following conditions:

• Edgeable groomers - these skis RIP groomers that aren't super hardpack / icy, although they require a good bit of speed to get going and require a very forward stance due to the very directional mount point, don't have super pop like more cambered skis but overall I enjoy them almost as much or potentially more than my Enforcer 93s on groomers, although E93s definitely carve better at slow speeds
• Refrozen off-piste / moguls - not fun at all although the conditions were not good
• Over a foot of blower wasatch powder - fantastic, not much tip dive, could execute more carvy turns in powder or smear turns / drifts
• Soft chop & packed powder off-piste and in trees - fantastic, highly maneuverable, the low swing weight stands out, solid but not limitless stability (it isn't quite a charger but I think would provide adequate stability for most people)
• Small jumps / cliffs - they're a nice platform for landing

Two cons I've found:

• Due to the full rocker profile they are not good when needing to jam on the breaks and scrub speed while going very fast, especially if conditions are harder pack
• I've had a couple instances where if I'm running too bases flat at speed the tails wander on me and cross (one instance resulted in a pretty big crash that for sure would have been a concussion if I wasn't wearing a helmet)

I mounted shifts on them but haven't toured them yet. I have not noticed any difference whatsoever between the Shifts and other alpine bindings I've used (Attacks, Jesters, Griffons), although the Shifts seem significantly easier to step into than Marker bindings in soft snow. I also had phantom done on them and like the Shifts I'm very impressed.

TLDR - I love the 100eights, huge upgrade in almost every way vs. my original Soul 7s, slightly less maneuverable and playful but better at everything else. The 181 is definitely the right size for me.

Thanks for the rec guys / gals!

Thanks for the feed back. Yup, if you're running at speed and you see Dad and his kiddos way up ahead, don't wait, brake now. Also as you noted they were not made to run flat on hard snow; keep them slightly on edge.