 Poster: A snowHead
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My son will be working his first season this year after finishing university. He wishes to splash out on a new pair of skis and would like a little help from the SH collective. He's 22yo, 5'10, 11st. Advanced skier inc. some race training. So, it's that magical quiver killer, one ski does it all search again. 
Not an out and out powder tool, but a most of mountain ski that will hold on tight on hardpack. He does like a twin tip, but not essential.
Blizzard Brahma and Scott The Ski are in the frame.
He has an old pair of Liberty Hazmat 171 which he is very fond of that will be taken along as reserve bangers.
Any advice or experiences would be very gratefully received. Cheers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I skied a few year back on Scott The Ski and thoroughly enjoyed (I am 6.3, 90 kg). The ski is very easy and intuitive and forgiving (might be to easy for a really advanced skier). Stable at normal speeds and with my weight it was becoming a little less stable at top speeds. But very predicatble and enjoyble. I did not ski off-piste that week as snow was not good, but would imagine that for a average and lighter skier it would be perfectly fine for an occassional off-piste run.
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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?
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@Mollerski, is he going to race train next season or just free ski?
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Simple one this - 180cm Brahma 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| kitenski wrote: |
| @Mollerski, is he going to race train next season or just free ski? |
Nope, the racing days are behind him. 
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| Simple one this - 180cm Brahma |
Defo 180cm??
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Whitedot The One? I loved the edge hold on the zero ones and wide enough for a bit of powder.
At 11st I wouldn't go crazy long, he won't need more than 170cm.
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@Digger the dinosaur, agreed that edge hold on the One is great. I'm only an intermediate starting to get on the edge but it was a doddle on the One. Couldn't comment on much else about the ski (other than I don't like the look) as I'm not a decent enough skier to know how well it'll fair off piste.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Digger the dinosaur, really, 170? I've got bigger skis than that and I'm only 58kg 
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| Digger the dinosaur wrote: |
Whitedot The One? I loved the edge hold on the zero ones and wide enough for a bit of powder.
At 11st I wouldn't go crazy long, he won't need more than 170cm. |
Nope. 180cm in a One.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Mollerski wrote: |
| spyderjon wrote: |
| Simple one this - 180cm Brahma |
Defo 180cm?? |
22yr old advanced skier that can turn a gate & who's out for a season - yep, defo 180cm. Might seem a bit much in the first week but after that he'll be killing them.
If he was heavier he could have gone a wider, like the Bonafide, but at his weight/level the 88mm underfoot will give him all the float he needs but will rail like a cheater GS on hardpack. The 173 length, due to the rocker, will ski too short.
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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.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| Mollerski wrote: |
| spyderjon wrote: |
| Simple one this - 180cm Brahma |
Defo 180cm?? |
22yr old advanced skier that can turn a gate & who's out for a season - yep, defo 180cm. Might seem a bit much in the first week but after that he'll be killing them.
If he was heavier he could have gone a wider, like the Bonafide, but at his weight/level the 88mm underfoot will give him all the float he needs but will rail like a cheater GS on hardpack. The 173 length, due to the rocker, will ski too short. |
+1
exactly my thinking after reading 1st post.
edit - I have skied and owned Bonafide and Scott Crusade and Scott Mission and like then all. demo'd the Blizz Latigo.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Ive played on the Brahama and loved them - as close to a 1 ski quiver as youll get.
Personally I ski short, on a cambered ski 165, on a rockered 179 - so as @spyderjon, , @clarky999, @mishmash, etc say, go for the 180 - the rocker makes it ski shorter. Im same stats as your son.
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Poster: A snowHead
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People have been saying very nice things about the Atomic 90 CTi, especially for the lighter skier.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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?
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Theres no such thing as a one ski quiver, its one of those phrases that should actually be banned.
My alpine quiver is pretty simple (I'm a bigger taller chap than your son) but I have Kastle MX88's in a 188 that cover 90% of days and Whitedot R108's for the rest of the time.
I did try the one ski to rule them all for a bit and it was an awful idea esp on a season. I went out with a set of Legend Pro 105's and they sucked as a daily in the alps, man handling anything over a 90mm ski on a daily basis esp on hard pistes sucks.
I would also not worry about buying gear new here to take out, most of my gear and my pals gear has been aquired in resort for a lot less than it ever would in the UK. If hes going to be living out there and enjoying it he will end up with a few pairs of things.
If I were heading out for another season I would look at something like the MX88's for Piste and no snow weeks, Faction Chapter 106's or R108's for touring etc, and something like a set of Bentchetlerts for the days it dumps and for spring slush, theres nothing better than maching over spring slush on fat skis.
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Actually +1 @lordf (though I just don't ski pistes when they're icy  ).
Far better to pick up two or three 1 or 2 season old skis - new or 2nd hand - for the price of one new pair. Plenty of one or two season old skis that are exactly the same as their current counterparts other than graphics.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
Actually +1 @lordf (though I just don't ski pistes when they're icy ).
Far better to pick up two or three 1 or 2 season old skis - new or 2nd hand - for the price of one new pair. Plenty of one or two season old skis that are exactly the same as their current counterparts other than graphics. |
Icy pistes are fun, its why I still have some womens GS skis sat about if required, they came in very hand in Avoriaz last year when everything was bullet proof blue ice. I've been down some of the FIS pistes after racing and even they were not as firm as this.
I'm one of these horrible people who never buys gear new, esp when as is becoming the case most skis haven't been updated for a couple of years. Reading through a lot of Blisters reviews it begins with it remains unchanged since XYZ bar the graphic. Even then most changes I have seen in recent years tend to be evoluaiton rather than revoluation.
The biggest evolution in skis atm is within the indie brands using carbon, DPS, Whitedot, Down etc. I went with the 14' R108's form Whitedots sale site at 60% off as I've never skied anything form them before so wanted to given them a try out, the new CL Ragnarok is on my radar though. I just tend to refresh my kit every few years, I'm swapping the MX88's out for Fischer Motive 86's atm, nothing wrong with the MX88's but I fancy seeing what something else is like.
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| lordf wrote: |
| clarky999 wrote: |
Actually +1 @lordf (though I just don't ski pistes when they're icy ).
Far better to pick up two or three 1 or 2 season old skis - new or 2nd hand - for the price of one new pair. Plenty of one or two season old skis that are exactly the same as their current counterparts other than graphics. |
Icy pistes are fun, its why I still have some womens GS skis sat about if required, they came in very hand in Avoriaz last year when everything was bullet proof blue ice. I've been down some of the FIS pistes after racing and even they were not as firm as this.
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I'll take your word for that - I'd rather hike for something techy or just do something different tbh. But I'm very spoiled haha!
Agreed on not being new too though: they only current season ski I've bought was a pair of Bibby Pros that I didn't really buy as they were a 21st birthday present! Skied them for a solid 5 seasons, so they're really dead now, but they'll go on a wall some day.
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I went for Scott The Ski because I wanted an allround, forgiving, playful and fun ski....but I already own a more hardcore slalom ski.
If I was in the market for a single All Mountain ski, I would prefer the stiffer Brahma, with its better dampening.
FWIW. I don't subscribe to a fixed width range for different usages, but a flexible width range related to weight. As a rather puny 10 stone, I reckon that I get as much float on a 90 mm width ski, as a 15 stone bloke does on a 110 mm one (all things being equal)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You know, it's been a while since I said this, but the only single quiver ski you need is the Nordica Dobermann SL-R, although any old FIS SL will do.
In fact, any old FIS ski will do.
If you can't ski powder on DH sticks, you can't really ski.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This thread seems bonkers to me - rather than one ski to rule them all as you might have for a weekend or a single week as a seasonnaire you have the luxury of actually getting enough variety in conditions to use a quiver. So I'd very strongly recommend getting some second hand stuff that looks fun and if necessary quiver killing. You could go FIS SL and a 1 oh something, or a 80 something piste crusher with a full blown pow clownshoe. Or if you shop really canny all 4 for the price of a pair of new " perfect" skis.
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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.
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@Dave of the Marmottes, but why anything otherbthan a full bore SL ski.
Unnecessary 
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You know it makes sense.
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@clarky999, hmmm, good point!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The whole point of being a seasonaire is to ski all sorts of snow from December ice to Jan / Feb pow to April Slush and everything in between. To take only 1 pair seems madness. I took 3 pairs, all second hand, wished I'd taken 4, bought a pair and sold a pair and still thought I was short a pair. But then I also worked in a rental shop so I was able to grab some old GS skis for the piste days.
Though actually I put them back fairly quickly, they just made me ski far too fast. I came to quite like the speed limiter on my floppy park skis.
Poke around on Ebay and buy anything that looks vaguely fun. You'll easily unload them, often at a profit, in resort if you don't like them. And if they're not brand new you won't care so much if you accidentally leave them in a bar...
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Poster: A snowHead
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why am I suddenly getting a "Four Yorkshireman" vibe?
When I worked my season I did everything on a pair of ex-demo 200cm K2 CDS with - I'm guessing here - because no one ever marked them 60mm waist. They did me for ice, powder, crud and spring snow although I admit I fell quite a lot when the crud became porridgy! It was character building!
So every "what ski" thread is redundant 
And if you tell that to the kids of today they wont believe you!
ps Brahma 180 sounds an excellent idea to me and perhaps pick up a cheap secondhand pair of soft-snow skis too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I reckon the best "real all rounder" I've tried in the last two or three years is the Dynastar Cham 97s - not hardcore in any discipline - but able to do everything very well.
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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?
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Surely
| Quote: |
| Theres no such thing as a one ski quiver, its one of those phrases that should actually be banned. |
and
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| I have Kastle MX88's in a 188 that cover 90% of days |
contradict themselves?
Add in that, most often you will experience all manner of conditions in the day and very few people are going to bother switching mid-day, even when feasible to do so.
Don't disagree that if out for the season you can have the luxury of 2+ pairs but for the most part you're going you will need to be able to ski them all in all sorts.
All IMHO
I am skiing Cham 97's - will be getting some 2.0's at some point.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I reckon the best "real all rounder" I've tried in the last two or three years is the Dynastar Cham 97s - not hardcore in any discipline - but able to do everything very well.
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That's exactly what I was thinking, absolutely brilliant skis on and off piste. Closest wide underfoot to a FIS SL on piste, I absolutely love them (the men's, not the women's version - still great in powder, but weaker on piste)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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How about the Armada Invictus 95 at 178cm?
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Invictus guys? Any good?
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If I hadn't fallen out with Dynastar after the original Course SL, I'd be well thinking about something like the Cham 97. Interesting geometry.
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Now leaning towards the Faction Candide 2.0. Any thoughts or experiences??
Thanks again.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Mollerski wrote: |
Now leaning towards the Faction Candide 2.0. Any thoughts or experiences??
Thanks again. |
If he has started fancying Faction, better have a look at the Black Crows offerings as well then ...
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| Mollerski wrote: |
Now leaning towards the Faction Candide 2.0. Any thoughts or experiences??
Thanks again. |
That's now a totally different brief. Your OP was for an all mountain ski with a hard snow bias (Brahma/Le Ski) but your now looking at an all mountain ski with a soft snow bias with a relatively poor ability to "hold on tight on hardpack".
Yes, the Faction 2 would fulfil your new brief as would the Downs, Black Crows & my favourite the Whitedot trad Director, plus many many more. But if I was out for the season I'd want a narrower metal layered ski to pair with any of these.
Can your lad get to the snowHeads ski tests on the 8th/9th Oct at Hemel/Mchr?
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