Recommendations of Skis for Level

[FezK]

Hi guys,

New to the forum. Found it as I've been searching for advice.

I ski in the Pacific North West, mainly in Stevens Pass and Whistler. This is my third season skiing and I am looking for recommendations.

I am a little over 5'11", 185 lbs, fit and currently have K2 Pinnacles 105 Ti, 185 cm long, that I bought upon recommendation from some advanced skiers in my first season of skiing. As I've read more, it seems to me these skis are a bit tough for my height, weight and experience.

Skill-wise, I do single diamonds most conditions no problem and doubles on good snow days I survive most runs without falling but I do take a lot of energy to make my turns. For those familiar with Stevens Pass, I've done Wild Katz, Big Chief Bowl and Double Diamond on decent snow days. By done, I mean I can connect a few turns and make it down without any or few falls. I struggle, find it very tiring and take a few of breaks on the slope. I do them because I hope to improve. However, I will still have trouble with certain single diamond runs during certain conditions.

Particularly, I have difficulty in what I can only describe as heavy, cruddy and bumpy (or choppy?) snow. Key points:

• I have to use a lot of energy to control my speed and make my turns on steeps
• On cruddy snow, especially when its skid out, I can't make quick enough turns, pick up speed and loose my line, some times my skis go in to the snow.
• I've been trying to practice rotating my skis before putting an edge. Also, trying to make them point upwards more in to slow down. I am still struggling.
• I plan on taking a few 2 hour lessons this season

I am looking for advice on two things

1. Given my described ski level and location, will a shorter, thinner All-Mountain setup help me noticeably go slower and smoothen my learning curve on steeper and tougher snow? Or should I just focus on improving with my current setup?
2. If yes, could you provide recommendations? Currently, I'm thinking of Line Sickday 94 with 172 cm length. I would like to limit it to 3-4 options to demo. There are a lot of skis out there and I don't know which reviews apply to me.

 

[Analisa]

I guess a few follow up questions - how confident are you on-piste and how happy are you with your setup there? And how much on vs. off piste are you skiing in a day?

If you're a ballsy intermediate committed to spending most of your time on challenging terrain, I'd get on a Rustler 10 for a demo - probably in a 180, this year's works, last year's is a touch more gentle. Stevens is my home mountain and I took the women's version, the Sheeva 10 out for a few days and would've killed to find it earlier. They excel in short to medium radius turns and ski super short, but the metal in the middle keeps them from getting bounced around too much when the snow gets hot & gross (and they're forgiving if you do). They really stand out compared to other skis in that they're happy to go really slowly, but they maintain fluidity and rhythm that build confidence.

Both Stevens and Whistler have great demo shops that let you swap in and out throughout the day, so I'd definitely take advantage of the ability to play with sizing - especially if you're still looking for some semblance of stability if you're really confident on groomers & trying to find the right balance between that and something maneuverable for off-piste.

 

[vindibona1]

I don't want to give you advice without really seeing you ski. But in regard to crud tiring you out... It ain't the same level of energy expenditure of fluffy powder. Finesse and precision help, but every slope and condition and temperature makes things different. I think practice and finding out what works is really the only way to get it down. But I think the shortest route to improving in those conditions is finding an "older" Level III Certified instructor and taking a private, semi-private or even group lesson. Why "older"? Experience, of course. But by the time you reach a certain age you learn how to do things efficiently- if you want to keep skiing those kinds of conditions.
The old guys have it figured out

 

[Jilly]

I can give you 2 names at WB if you're interested. One is a member here too.

 

[PNWRod]

Welcome to the site.

 

[DanoT]

For the best price it usually means buy the skis in Canada. Most brands that sell for say $700US in the USA, that same ski sells for $700CDN in Canada which is less than $540US. OTOH sales taxes are high in Canada. This kind of favourable pricing doesn't apply to soft goods.

Some ski shops let you apply 1 or 2 days of demo fees toward a purchase.

Figure out:
Do you like a heavy and therefore more planted ski or a light weight ski?
Do you like a damp ski or a more lively ski?

 

[nunyabiz]

I think the advice on getting some instruction is where I’d look before getting new skis.

Your post sounds like I could have written it at the end of last season. Not a ton of experience, bit off a little too much to chew in regards to a ski, and struggling off piste in variable snow. At the end of last season I’d decided that I’d get some instruction this season and it’s made a world of difference. It’s a work in progress but the progress is noticeable.

None of this is to say a different ski wouldn’t help as well.

 

[FezK]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think it was just a bad crusty day that had my confidence down. We had some snow this weekend and I was able to do all the tough runs with little issue on my K2s. There was ice under the soft snow and I was definitely hitting it but it wasn't bad at all. Did Big Chief's Bowl, Whinney's and a bunch of others without issue.

I might still opt for a heavy pair like the suggested Rustler 10 for crud conditions. I'm heading up to Whistler this weekend so I will try some demos there.