Ski Recommdations for Northeast and CO

[Joby Graham]

I'm looking for recommendations for 2018-2019 skis the will perform well on harder Eastern snow and also work in softer Colorado snow and up to 6" or so of powder. I live in northern NJ (ski in the Poconos, Catskills and occasionally VT) and take a two week trip to Steamboat in February. I'm 6'1"/180lbs./67yrs.old and consider myself to be an advanced intermediate, not super-aggressive. I'm currently on Atomic SL9s(160cm.) and 2012 Atomic Crimson TIs (176cm.). I've been taking the Crimsons to CO, and demo wider skis if there's a dump of more than half a foot. I like a ski that I can feel the carve along the length of the ski with a lively tail that finishes turns. Carving ability in firmer (hard) snow is a must, and I prefer a quicker-turning ski, and gravitate towards shorter lengths and/or turning radius.
I've been looking at the off-season bargains in last year's skis, and can get very good prices on Atomic Vantage 90TIs and Head Kore 93s. I'd also welcome binding recommendations and would like to know what experiences members have had with purchasing used demo skis with bindings. Thanks in advance for any and all advice, and thanks for welcoming me to this site.

Joby Graham

 

[Marker]

Hi Joby, I used to ski the Poconos (Blue, JF, Elk), but now travel to Killington where I have a season pass and a place. Age 60, 6'6", 230 lb, advancing intermediate ( I suck at bumps). No trips out west, but get to ski east coast powder days (see my photo). When you specify short turn radius, hard snow carving and all mtn fresh snow capability, you really are looking for a unicorn. The new Experience 88 Ti and the K2 Pinnacle 88 Ti have short turn radii. I've demoed the E88 and liked the shorter turns I could get with it. Fischer Pro Mtn 86 Ti is another possibility as it has a strong tail and is very light and lively.

Of course, there are a lot of the other usual suspects, but they tend to have longer turn radii. Don't know about the Kore 93 for carving, but I also enjoyed the Monster 88 I demoed. Pretty damp, different than the E88, both enjoyable. I think I've convinced myself to wait another year before buying a new all mtn ski and will continue to use my current Elan's. I like Look bindings (or Rossi equivalents), especially Pivots, but use SPX as well.

I've only ever purchased one demo ski, which was last year for my wife. The condition of the ski did not match the description on the website (worse), which was disappointing for what I thought was a well-respected shop. Best if you can see in person at a swap. Or just buy from a member here on the Garage Sale thread! More reliable...

 

[Tony S]

I live in northern NJ (ski in the Poconos, Catskills and occasionally VT) and take a two week trip to Steamboat in February.

@Ron is about your size and a Steamboat local. He is a bit younger and probably a stronger skier, but a good evaluator. Hope he chimes in..

I'd say you need an SLish ski for your local hills and something in the 90-100 range for Steamboat.

I would ditch the Crimsons and not look back. The SL9s ... I'm a little foggy on those. I know the yellow ones from about 15 years back. Is that what you have, or is there a newer incarnation of that model? If it's the yellow ones, good ski in its time, but probably done too, sorry to say.

 

[Tony S]

Unless of course you stick to groomers even at the Boat, in which case a one ski quiver around 80-85mm could work.

 

[mdf]

I like a ski that I can feel the carve along the length of the ski with a lively tail that finishes turns.

Another chance to be a Navigator fanboy!

I love my Nordica Navigator 85. It is quick and nimble, but has a real tail. Other than a day on Phil's demos, I did not ski anything else this year. And that includes eastern and western conditions, including powder and ice. In fact, I took my fat skis to Taos and never took them out of the ski bag.

 

[James]

Kore - dead

Demo skis can be all over the place from great to terrible. Detuning of tips and tails, severe grinding of base, could all be there. You really need to see them.

 

[Joby Graham]

Hi Joby, I used to ski the Poconos (Blue, JF, Elk), but now travel to Killington where I have a season pass and a place. Age 60, 6'6", 230 lb, advancing intermediate ( I suck at bumps). No trips out west, but get to ski east coast powder days (see my photo). When you specify short turn radius, hard snow carving and all mtn fresh snow capability, you really are looking for a unicorn. The new Experience 88 Ti and the K2 Pinnacle 88 Ti have short turn radii. I've demoed the E88 and liked the shorter turns I could get with it. Fischer Pro Mtn 86 Ti is another possibility as it has a strong tail and is very light and lively.

Of course, there are a lot of the other usual suspects, but they tend to have longer turn radii. Don't know about the Kore 93 for carving, but I also enjoyed the Monster 88 I demoed. Pretty damp, different than the E88, both enjoyable. I think I've convinced myself to wait another year before buying a new all mtn ski and will continue to use my current Elan's. I like Look bindings (or Rossi equivalents), especially Pivots, but use SPX as well.

I've only ever purchased one demo ski, which was last year for my wife. The condition of the ski did not match the description on the website (worse), which was disappointing for what I thought was a well-respected shop. Best if you can see in person at a swap. Or just buy from a member here on the Garage Sale thread! More reliable...

Thanks for the reply - I found the Crimsons to have good edge hold on firm to hard snow and had decent enough float in lass than boot-top deep powder. I thought I'd look for similar characteristics in a ski with a 90mm waist and a 18m turning radius or less. Thanks for sharing your experience with purchasing used demo skis.

 

[Joby Graham]

@Ron is about your size and a Steamboat local. He is a bit younger and probably a stronger skier, but a good evaluator. Hope he chimes in..

I'd say you need an SLish ski for your local hills and something in the 90-100 range for Steamboat.

I would ditch the Crimsons and not look back. The SL9s ... I'm a little foggy on those. I know the yellow ones from about 15 years back. Is that what you have, or is there a newer incarnation of that model? If it's the yellow ones, good ski in its time, but probably done too, sorry to say.

My SL9s are the yellow with black and white and the "golf ball" dimples on the top skins, I'll look at some new carvers for the local areas - I'm partial to Atomics, so maybe some Redsters. Thanks.

 

[Joby Graham]

Unless of course you stick to groomers even at the Boat, in which case a one ski quiver around 80-85mm could work.

I do ski mostly on the groomers, but do venture off a bit. The Crimsons are 86mm waist, so you're right - 85-90mm waist would probably be good in all but deeper powder.
Thanks

 

[Joby Graham]

Another chance to be a Navigator fanboy!

I love my Nordica Navigator 85. It is quick and nimble, but has a real tail. Other than a day on Phil's demos, I did not ski anything else this year. And that includes eastern and western conditions, including powder and ice. In fact, I took my fat skis to Taos and never took them out of the ski bag.

Thanks - I'll read up on those. I demo'ed some Nordica Enforcer 93s at Steamboat last year - they felt ok, but I wasn't "wowed". In race car terms, the had good initial turn-in, but felt like they understeered from mid turn to exit. I didn't feel the carve in the middle of a turn and felt very little from the tails. I'll check into the Navigators, though.

 

[mdf]

...felt like they understeered from mid turn to exit...

The tails on the Enforcer and Navigator are different.

 

[Joby Graham]

Kore - dead

Demo skis can be all over the place from great to terrible. Detuning of tips and tails, severe grinding of base, could all be there. You really need to see them.

"Kore - dead" as in numb or overly damp or unresponsive? I understand your concerns about purchasing demo skis. Looking at prices for some of last year's skis and bindings, a new, unused set-up would only be $100-$150 more than most demos.
Thanks for your input.

 

[Brian Finch]

Moment Commander 98s have been my antidote to “am I on the wrong skis?” : burly enough to rail Eastern Hardpack, wife enough to float.

 

[James]

"Kore - dead" as in numb or overly damp or unresponsive? I understand your concerns about purchasing demo skis. Looking at prices for some of last year's skis and bindings, a new, unused set-up would only be $100-$150 more than most demos.
Thanks for your input.

I'd go new. If it's screwed up the factory is responsible. You'll have a warranty.

Kore- they look great on the shop wall.
"Dead" as in lifeless.They got great early reviews. The shop I go to had many left over, while the Rustler 9 became a good seller from people taking it out and liking it.
I know one very good skier who tried the Kore 3 times over the year thinking it couldn't be that bad. First time they were dull, etc. It never got good. But, standby for the Kore fans.
He was happy he got the Bonafides.

 

[Joby Graham]

I'd go new. If it's screwed up the factory is responsible. You'll have a warranty.

Kore- they look great on the shop wall.
"Dead" as in lifeless.They got great early reviews. The shop I go to had many left over, while the Rustler 9 became a good seller from people taking it out and liking it.
I know one very good skier who tried the Kore 3 times over the year thinking it couldn't be that bad. First time they were dull, etc. It never got good. But, standby for the Kore fans.
He was hsppy he got the Bonafide.

Thanks - looks like I can cross the Kores off the list. I appreciate the insight.

 

[Marker]

Not to rain on anyone's personal parade, but I liked the Experience 88 and Monster 88 more than the Navigators, which were fine, just a little too middle of the road for me. This was at Killington's free demo day in early December. You might give it a try this year. Good early season fun since they are cranked up from the women's WC weekend over Thanksgiving.

 

[Marty McSly]

I enjoy the Navigator 85's, but as a carve ski that can handle a small cover of soft snow, I'm really loving the Fischer The Curv GT. 80mm underfoot, 16m radius at 175cm.

It's noticeably heavier and stiffer than the Navigator 85, but on smooth or chopped up pistes, I find it so easy to ski all day. For me, the Navigator gets a bit bumpy and tiring on chopped up surfaces. The Curv GT just blasts through. But then I'm 4" shorter and 60 lbs heavier than the OP.