I'm starting to think about the possibility of buying my own skis during the next season or two (desperately trying to stop myself from rushing into it). But I'm not completely sure that what I want really exists, so it's going to come down to a bit of a compromise.
To date my skiing has mainly been on piste, and will probably continue to be weighted in that direction, but I'm definitely lusting after exploring off piste. I also take a lot of enjoyment from dicking about on jumps and in parks, and this is probably my main driver in what I'm looking for. So essentially I'm looking for something that can go switch without fuss, ride a box/rail in a not terrible way, can hold an edge on a hard-ish piste and will have enough float that my 17st won't sink I'd say I'm an intermediate skier, not massively keen on steep bumps at the minute but will get myself down most things. Circa 185mm tall (6ft near enough) and definitely adventurous in style. Over the EoSB week I had some knackered old Nordica Hell & Back rentals that were decent fun but lack of a twin tip and stiffness made them a long way from ideal in the park. . I also had a go on the Whitedot One and had great fun getting them to edge on piste, but they weren't really for me. Likewise I had some Preachers for a morning on some hardpack and I really didn't get on with them for what I was using them for.
From what research I've tried doing it seems that Armada come up fairly often and they've got a few options that sound along the right line of what I'm after...but TBH I don't really have a clue. I'll probably look to rent a variety of skis during my next trip to get a better idea...but in the meantime does anyone have suggestions of what could be worth looking at?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
There are many magic skis. The only recipe - test, test, test.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
So you want an all mountain park ski?
What didn't you like about the One?
Up until the point where you said Whitedot One, that's the ski that was in my mind. They have the stiffness and the twin tip, so as above, what didn't you like? They are a very manoeuvrable and fun ski, and the only reason I don't have a pair is because they would sit in the same spot in my collection as my Atomics.
Line Sir Francis Bacon is an option to consider. I love mine for general messing around in any soft snow on or off piste, they really are a LOT of fun. They were completely re-designed with a slightly narrower waist and less weight this season to allegedly make them even more versatile, but I haven't tried this latest version. The inevitable compromise is that they are not great if the snow gets too firm and icy. Also worth looking at the Line Supernatural range for something a bit stiffer and more powerful on piste, but then you lose some of the playfulness of the Line SFB. Line are basically an alternative to Armada skis, along the same vein. I don't have any experience with Armada, but they are definitely very well regarded in this category.
This is the version of Line SFB I have. If you aspire to skiing like Eric Pollard, you can't go wrong!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Tubaski wrote:
So you want an all mountain park ski?
What didn't you like about the One?
I want a perfect ski that is amazing at everything...but failing that, yes an all mountain ski with park tendencies
Might have just been me but found I caught edges a bit easily on the One and it didn't quite click properly. I might still consider it but I'm also not a fan of the look. It sounds like a very shallow thing but if I'm spending hundreds of pounds on skis then I want them to be pretty. Of course if the performance of the ski was mind blowing the I could put the image thing to one side.
After all it is free
After all it is free
SnoodyMcFlude wrote:
It sounds like a very shallow thing but if I'm spending hundreds of pounds on skis then I want them to be pretty.
I'm the same. If I don't like the graphics on a ski I cross them off my list!
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SnoodyMcFlude wrote:
Tubaski wrote:
So you want an all mountain park ski?
What didn't you like about the One?
I want a perfect ski that is amazing at everything...but failing that, yes an all mountain ski with park tendencies
Might have just been me but found I caught edges a bit easily on the One and it didn't quite click properly. I might still consider it but I'm also not a fan of the look. It sounds like a very shallow thing but if I'm spending hundreds of pounds on skis then I want them to be pretty. Of course if the performance of the ski was mind blowing the I could put the image thing to one side.
I could make a pair of the Lynx 185's with a stiffer flex than normal to increase hard snow performance and accommodate the power you can potentially put into the ski ( I am small and skinny and I can bend them quite a bit) . And with a more dramatically turned up tail for riding switch.
The regular Lynx fulfills all your other requirements, carves happily on a piste having a 19m turn radius and with a long tip and generous rocker its so easy off piste
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Don't agonise - buy something preferably second hand that broadly meets your specs, have fun on it , refine what your are looking for and buy that next pair in time. There is no ski that is perfect for everything - there are plenty depending on your taste that are pretty damn good for a range of things and (depending on your appetite for masochism) "tolerable" at other things.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Nordica Soul Rider would have been perfect, other than floating 17 stone... That's not gonna happen under 120mm.
Buy two second hand skis, one piste/park-ish then one offpiste ski. Especially with summer sales coming up it shouldn't be hard to effectively get two skis for the price of one (pairs of skis, you know what I mean!).
For example, right now you could buy Armada Invictus 95s (www.sport-bittl.com/en/armada-invictus-95-15-16::66373_1_125.html) + Whitedot Redeemer (www.sport-bittl.com/en/whitedot-redeemer-15-16::47530_1_129.html) for €600 = £460 total.
Either that or just buy some Rossi Soul 7s (www.sport-bittl.com/en/rossignol-soul-7-15-16::66438_1_127.html) for ~€350.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Thanks all for suggestions, seems mostly back up what I'd been looking at (which is reassuring). Am desperately trying not to buy at the minute but will look to test Aramada and Line skis over next season. Have already done a bit of reading on the Edollo and seems like it could fit the bill...although getting some Invictus 95s and bindings for under £350 might tempt the credit card out.
clarky999 wrote:
Nordica Soul Rider would have been perfect, other than floating 17 stone... That's not gonna happen under 120mm.
I'm not looking for complete float (obviously being a lardy fecker I'm always going to have issues in that area), it's more that I don't want anything too narrow underfoot...although I also don't fancy much over 100, although that could just be down to my own misconceptions that it's harder to work on hardpack.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I've been skiing the Majesty Local Hero ski the past two winters and been very impressed with the quality of workmanship and durability, and the versatility of a twin tip ski.
The Local Hero is too narrow for what you're looking for, but the Thunderbolt may be right for you
Line Sir Francis Bacon is an option to consider. I love mine for general messing around in any soft snow on or off piste, they really are a LOT of fun. They were completely re-designed with a slightly narrower waist and less weight this season to allegedly make them even more versatile, but I haven't tried this latest version. The inevitable compromise is that they are not great if the snow gets too firm and icy. Also worth looking at the Line Supernatural range for something a bit stiffer and more powerful on piste, but then you lose some of the playfulness of the Line SFB. Line are basically an alternative to Armada skis, along the same vein. I don't have any experience with Armada, but they are definitely very well regarded in this category.
This is the version of Line SFB I have. If you aspire to skiing like Eric Pollard, you can't go wrong!
I bought some Line SFBs, but for some reason I still can't ski like Eric Pollard
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Themasterpiece wrote:
I bought some Line SFBs, but for some reason I still can't ski like Eric Pollard
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
What you want doesn't exist IMHO. Get yourself a pair of all mountain and a pair of cheap second hand park skis you can trash. I like my Pure Piste Salomons Xrace and my Carbon Preachers. However,,, I would. Suggest Head Titans and a pair of Park twin tips.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I personally would point you towards our Zero rather than the One. If you want a ski that you can mount relatively centrally (for park) yet keep a measure of all mountain soft snow usability you need rocker. I've used both the Director and Zero as an all-mtn ski for several seasons and both do the job well, in fact the Director is a great switch pow ski, easy to use backwards in deeper snow while we are on the subject of Eric Pollard
Pollard's skis are designed specifically for all mountain soft snow and the occasional lap of the park. The SFB is very close to centre mounted too. In short it's pretty much tailor made for this:-
"So essentially I'm looking for something that can go switch without fuss, ride a box/rail in a not terrible way, can hold an edge on a hard-ish piste and will have enough float that my 17st won't sink"
with the proviso that you need some skills to hold an edge with it on a hard-ish piste (at that point I switch to a true piste ski), but it does really well on any piste that you can comfortably get an edge in. It's super nimble for such a wide ski and you can happily blast out aggressive SL turns on a steep piste with good snow. The new slightly narrower version (104 mm underfoot) is probably a tad better on piste, but I haven't tried it. It's always going to be a compromise between width for float in powder vs edge hold on firm piste. As stated, no ski is going to do everything equally well.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
clarky999 wrote:
Buy two second hand skis
I'm starting to lean more this way, getting something that's a bit more park/off-piste orientated and then something skinny and short to mess around with when it gets harder. I think I'd mostly be happy with a wider ski (not too much over 100 underfoot though) and would only be looking for a 'piste' ski when it's icy. With that in mind I'm toying with the idea of something off eBay that's nice and narrow, although to keep cost down probably a bit beat up, leaving a bit more to go on whatever else.
It may seem a bit backward putting more money into the ski that's going to get knocked around, but as it's likely to be the one I ski on most it's the one that I'd rather was in good condition.
Oh and is the general advice on twin tips to go for a longer ski? I'm 6ft (about 185) so have been looking for something in that area.
I'm also learning about the idiots of eBay, I'm amazed how little information some people put in an advert, this one for "SKIS PAIR" is a particular favourite
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@SnoodyMcFlude, at this point it may be worth hanging on for the Down Skis presale for the wider pair - will be around July/August I think.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I thought this thread was gonna be about those Rax skis
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@clarky999, yeah, well I'm actually trying to wait until the tail end of next season (having used whatever trips I do to test out some different options), but it was payday last Thursday and the money won't spend itself
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Has anyone skied on these or have any opinion on them?
I can't help but think that £290 for them delivered and including bindings is a decent deal...but (as must be clear by now) I don't really know what I'm talking about
BTW thanks for all the suggestions, I've been browsing around and looked at basically all of them. Generally cost has been a bit of a factor, I love the sound of the SFB but it's just a bit too much, I've tried to keep a look out for an previous year's version but so far no luck.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Dear All,
Would appreciate your advise where i can buy from second hand ski line sir francis bacon 178 cm season 2013-14 or 2014-15.
Thanks in advance.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Stihiata, ebay.
Just to sort of close this thread. Ended up going for the K2 Shreditor that I posted the link for (seemed like too good a deal to ignore). Bit risky as I hadn't skied on them, in fact I bought them at the end of May and they sat in my bedroom until last week! However at the price I thought it was a reasonable gamble, especially as they sounded like what I was after and I'm mostly happy to ski on whatever's attached to my boots.
Anyway, last week in Ski Amade they had pretty much everything thrown at them and I was pretty chuffed with how they dealt with it. Start of the week was plenty of man made stuff, rock hard in the morning, scraped with soft spots by the afternoon. No problem on most stuff, a bit trickier to edge on steeper stuff but there's a serious lack of technique on my part in that area. Had a very quick play in the park on some jumps, didn't really test much but felt good. Tail end of the week saw snow and a chance for off piste. As someone pretty much on their first steps away from the piste there was a lot of falling over, but the ski was really good and gave me good confidence towards the end of the trip. I'll still need a bit more practice for the narrow/steep stuff, but on the face of it the ski is pretty much all I was looking for....the only downside is that I tested the Armada ARV 106 at the Hemel skit test and found it to be slightly more fun in that environment. I console myself by remembering that it's also £200 more expensive!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Solly X Drive 8.8 for 80% of the time and something like a Bentchetler or Volkl Shiro for the deeper days. Your magic ski does not exist.
My magic ski is three skis, I learnt a long time ago there is not and never will be one ski to do it all well.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@lordf, Oh, I don't know, my Nordica SL-Rs are pretty good in powder, bumps and a course.
It's not the ski...
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@under a new name, yeah, Claude the instructor said that to us at the EoSB "it's not the ski, it's the foot in the boot"
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
lordf wrote:
Your magic ski does not exist.
Which is exactly what I alluded to in the first post anyway
But seeing as I've posted that I've got the K2s and pretty happy with them I ain't rushing out to get two more pairs.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
under a new name wrote:
@lordf, Oh, I don't know, my Nordica SL-Rs are pretty good in powder, bumps and a course.
It's not the ski...
I've skied many a pow day on my GS sticks, doing so by choice is a touch daft in my books. I can, but its more fun on something double the width.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@lordf, to be completely frank, I reckon that one ski does exist - used to be the Völkl Mantra, I'd argue it's the Blizzard Bonafide these days...
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I'd say I'm an intermediate skier, not massively keen on steep bumps at the minute but will get myself down most things. Circa 185mm tall (6ft near enough) and definitely adventurous in style. Over 
