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Need advice on next set of skis

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Desperately need a nudge!

I cannot pull the trigger.

First a little about me.
4 years of skiing 12-20 days per winter.
Just started skiing diamonds about 14 months ago.
I can manage some doubles with bumps/variable now, but I am not a mogul guy at all
I weigh 210.
I am just starting to carve a little.
My preferred run is groomed with trees to dodge around and into.
I will ski 8 days out west this year, and the remainder in Greater DC & Vermont
I have owned on Elan skis thus far
I have a set of narrow, east coast skis (80 underfoot) which helped me survive some horribly icy conditions at Stowe in March.
My next will be medium 95-110 that will either replace my current skis or be in addition. The idea is to find some that will allow more powder time without exhausting me.


I am divided between the following skis:
Elan XTi
Elan Ripstick 96 https://www.elanskis.com/en/cat/ski-8290/products-8292/elan-skis-8507/ripstick-freeride-8306/prod/ripstick-96-133338/?size=181
Salomon QST 99 or 106 http://www.salomon.com/us/product/qst-99-1.html?article=398632

I test rode the QST 92 and loved it!

HELP!


Puzzled Puzzled
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
If you are prepared to look at other skis, as well....I'd add Scott Sage (102 under foot), or its replacement, the new Slight (93 or 100)...or possibly The Ski (93)

Scott make versatile, playful, fun and reactive skis, that don't punish the pilot.

I can't comment on your other choices.
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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?
I am struggling to understand how someone can weigh a number that ought to be a ski length measured in centimetres.

Anyhoo Happy

The Ripstick 96 I found a very easy ski, forgiving but probably reasonably wide - ranged in capabilities. I am an old skool technique, hopefully updated somewhat and learned on 203cm race skis.

It had a very definite speed limit, but if you aren't bouncing off that possibly a nice choice.

But y'know try before you buy...
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210 Pounds appears to be about 95Kg for people wondering about the weight.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Salomon in 99 from your shortlist but I suspect many skis do the same job at that size and are very versatile.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I like the Atomic Vantage 90. They have a 100 model that would be worth considering.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Not wishing to be rude @GrumpyMike, but if you are just learning to carve I suggest you stick with the Elans and invest in lessons.
Skis over 85 width may require more angulation to initiate the carve to boot you don't mention any off piste experience - again wider skies (over the notional 85mm) tend to be "all mountain" skies.
Is that really what you want or is someone telling you that's what you need?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Charliee, you make a very good point. Even the Ripsticks demand a fairly strong carve to get the most out of them. Waste of money otherwise - although lovely colours.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
but he does say he is skiing double blacks which in the US West at least means some pretty serious offpiste terrain with depending on the storm cycle potentially quite a lot of fresh on top. A pistencarver would be my definition of misery in such terrain (well a WC GS probably would be worse but then I'm a hack - UANN would of course rejoice in skinny minnie SGs)
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:

UANN would of course rejoice in skinny minnie SGs


This is true. I do.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Greater DC and Vermont also a point - how often do you see soft snow?
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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.
Same dilemma, I'm looking at 190 Dynastar Cham 2.0s (107) and Head Monster 98's.
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 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
I will ski about 8 days out west and another 8-10 in the East.

My favorite skiing is done on treed groomers (Vail's Big Rock Park) or Bowls (Intuition on Peak 6 at Breck)

I rented Experience 88's and tried to do Shangri-La at Vail and found it brutal to turn.

I would guess that a Salomon QST92 would be a good compromise, but not great on powder or ice. The 99 gets great reviews on all conditions on several sites. I will try my 99s on a crunchy east coast day BEFORE selling my 80s.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@GrumpyMike, the Rossi Ex 88 should have been easy to ski, depending on conditions, as its aimed at the intermediate market, my concern is that as the ski gets wider it also gets harder to carve as you need better technic.
Don't get too caught up in wanting more width at this stage as I suspect you will find all +85mm skies harder to carve.
A good skier will be happy on any width in great snow - but won't be too happy in poor, east coast conditions on a fat ski, sure in good snow that skier would prefer a fatter ski, but lots of great skiers never go over 85mm.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Neither Shangri La or Intuition bowl are carving terrain ( well the bowl is if you're on Shiros or somesuch) so I suspect the difficulty is either float in deeper snow or handling bumpy variables as those rund do get a lot of traffic. With the heavy caveat that you should probably only buy with western off groomer in mind (and maybe East coast powder day) I think you might be in the right ball park with a softish heavily rockered ski and work on your carving and hard snow skills almost separately by retaining your existing skis. I can't really point you at specific skis cos I fnd most skis fairly easy going but the Cham 2.0 97 was I thought a great broad spectrum ski.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Skis don't get harder to carve as they get wider. They just become harder work on harder snow.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
under a new name wrote:
Skis don't get harder to carve as they get wider. They just become harder work on harder snow.

I'm not so sure. I'd have thought that a Piste ski with a radius of 14m, is easier to carve than a Freeride ski with a radius of 24m.

I think it's fair to say that "you" find them equally easy to carve on...but if only getting to grips with the skill, a narrower more reactive ski should make it easier.
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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?
Do you think my strategy of buying QST 99's, but not selling my 80's until I get a good old fashioned crispy East Coast Day on my skis is a good strategy? If I am less comfortable, I can always keep both...just don't tell my wife!

BTW, I skied the 92's on a mixed junky day with ice, chunks, soft spots, etc, and ADORED THEM!

Actually, they were 84's I skied at Breck/Vail!
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I've never skied in the East but I gather it can get pretty Euroshitty so I definitely wouldn't get rid of a skinnier ski that can hold on ice. You get sod all for selling skis secondhand anyway - might as well have a garage full of them (that's my excuse anyway)
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Old Fartbag, but wider doesn't necessarily mean longer radius.

Longer radius hmm, yep, I would agree SLs are easier to tip thus carbe than e.g. GSs.
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under a new name wrote:
@Old Fartbag, but wider doesn't necessarily mean longer radius.

Longer radius hmm, yep, I would agree SLs are easier to tip thus carbe than e.g. GSs.

Surely, the whole point of wider, is to go off piste...and off piste skis, by their nature, have a bigger radius.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Old Fartbag, hmmm. I don't know. I don't think so, but it's not something I've paid much attention to. Sidecut radius anyway is not the be and end all of turn shape, although it is in fairness important.

I would submit that it does make a difference in how a ski feels in "turn-in" sense.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
GrumpyMike wrote:
Desperately need a nudge!

I cannot pull the trigger.




Puzzled Puzzled


I thought that comes naturally to squatters in the land of the Cherokee and the Cheyenne?
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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.
under a new name wrote:
@Old Fartbag, hmmm. I don't know. I don't think so, but it's not something I've paid much attention to. Sidecut radius anyway is not the be and end all of turn shape, although it is in fairness important.

I would submit that it does make a difference in how a ski feels in "turn-in" sense.

Put it this way, you won't find a Freeride ski with turn radius of 14m; or a recreational Piste ski with one of 20+m.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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@Old Fartbag, maybe but you still aren't convincing me that other than at extremes, radius affects difficulty of carving.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I recently tried the Scott Slight and thought they could do and go anywhere. Very nice on piste and nice off. FYI my skis normally are Salomon XRACE and Whitedot Preachers. I thought the Scott's were the ideal one day on/off ski.
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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.
under a new name wrote:
@Old Fartbag, maybe but you still aren't convincing me that other than at extremes, radius affects difficulty of carving.


To be honest while you are technically correct it's probably a bit of a semantic rut. You will certainly see very good skiers come out of an off piste run and then lay down big carves on their clownshoe rockered skis or super chargers. That doesn't mean the generality holds true that narrow relatively tight radius skis are better for average skiers who ski predominantly on groomers.

There are skis that break the formula quite a lot - the Shaman I loved as a utility ski. Comedy nose,17m radius and decent heft underfoot made it a true Jack of all trades for me but I know some really didn't like the tight radius as they found it too hooky off piste. 5 point pow skis often have quite a shirt radius on the contact length but you still wouldn't choose them for a carving day ( well you might if the surface was really soft and you really wanted to annoy grumpy French guys).
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 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
@Dave of the Marmottes, i agree we've gone a bit too far down the rabbit hole on this.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Dave of the Marmottes wrote:
I've never skied in the East but I gather it can get pretty Euroshitty so I definitely wouldn't get rid of a skinnier ski that can hold on ice. You get sod all for selling skis secondhand anyway - might as well have a garage full of them (that's my excuse anyway)

I look at reselling as providing an opportunity for a person of less means to get decent skis. My first skis were $100 at a ski swap.
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