School me on the latest racecarvers

[Boulderholder]

So I'm in the market for å pure frontside ski after my bloated quiver is full of 100mm+ freeride skis.

I used to ski a lot of different Stöcklis, Völkls and Atomic carving skis back when my family owned a ski shop, but I'm not really up to date on these type of skis anymore.

I'm thinking og medium 16-20m turn radius. Able to hold a lot of speed as my home mountain isn't very crowded. One of my favourite skis used to be an old FIS GS ski(27m radius i believe), but I'm looking for something a little quicker now.

How big are the differences between the top consumer skis from the different brands? Is there any point in picking a 80mm waist ski over a 70mm ski if I only ski groomers in firm conditions?

 

[Dwight]

@ScotsSkier, @Rudi Riet courtesy desk, please

 

[Rudi Riet]

Greetings, @Boulderholder!

There are some great skis in the 15-20 meter turn radius with fairly narrow waist widths (65-72mm). I coach on the Atomic Redster X9S, which in a 175cm length has a 15.4m turn radius and a very adaptable sidecut. It's essentially an adult version of the "kombi" racing ski most kids start on, a slalom sidecut in front of the toepiece and a GS cut behind the heel. The construction is traditional box (topskin+sidewall) as opposed to the cap-derived construction seen on the consumer line Redster S9 and G9 skis. I've skied this model in both 175 and 181 lengths and it's been consistent in its character over the years.

If you want this same ski with a 72mm waist there's the X9WB. Built the same, is has a wider waist so is a tad less quick edge to edge.

If you can find them the Atomic Redster TR would also be a good fit. It's the ski Atomic designed for parallel paneled slalom as seen at World Cup city events and on the World Pro Ski Tour. It's definitely of a racing pedigree, more so than the X9S. There's also the X9RS which has the full Atomic race plate that works with X Series bindings (the stock X9S has an integrated binding plate).

The Head Supershape series is also known for its prowess as a "detuned" racing ski. The e-Speed and e-Rally are probably the closest to what you're after. I've owned and skied on earlier iterations of these skis and they're a lot of fun and very adaptable.

Others to consider in this race-carver category that I've tried over the past few seasons:

Rossignol HERO Elite MT Ti (seriously fun ski!)
Fischer RC4 RCS
Völkl Racetiger SC
Stöckli Laser WRT or WRT Pro
Stöckli Laser SC (also a blast!)

I hope this helps, and I'm sure @ScotsSkier will have his own recommendations.

 

[Henry]

Add the Head e-Original Supershape to Rudi's list. They're named after the original Supershape of 15 or so years ago. Great fun and surprisingly versatile. I had the originals and now I have the e-Originals. They're my ski pick on any day without fresh snow. 66 mm waist and 12.1 m turn radius for the 170, and they are smooth and stable with any radius turn you like depending on how much you lay them over.