 Poster: A snowHead
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WHAT SKIS??? to replace my K2 Xplorers (128 - 84 -112)
I like a lot of things about these skis, but they are too short for my height and weight (6'4" & 13.5st), so sink and nose dive a bit so i am forced onto the back seat when the snow gets any kind of depth, which in turns means i am not in as much control as i should be.
They are great fun though and i maybe want to explore the backcountry more so skis with a marker duke or baron binding would help there. A longer ski than the current Xplorers which are 177cm, so something in the mid to high 180s means more edge, more grip, more secure at high speeds and more grip and therefore more safety on a steep pitch.
I need a ski that's going to perform in variable conditions throughout the season, especially in Scotland and for one or two trips to the alps each year. Anywhere with untracked fresh snow and i'll head to it but also needs to be able to perform well on piste for laps with friends and family.
i've got the tip, waist and tail measurements here for easier comparison of potential turn radius.
To replace: K2 Xplorers (128 - 84 -112)
All skis below are taken from the longest ski available in that model - 185-190 long.
Line Prophet 100 (134 - 100 -125) or Line Prophet 90 (125 - 90 - 113)
Faction Alias (132 - 102 - 122) - traditional camber or rockered?
Black Crows Navis (133 - 103 - 124) - don't really know much about them.
Nordica Enforcer (135 - 98 - 125)
Scott Crusade (135 - 93 - 123) - possibly too much sidecut?
Volkl Mantra (133 - 96 - 116)
smallzookeeper narrow em down 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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HSFR 187 104mm underfoot.
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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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I've heard bad things about the latest Enforcer, SZK will say Navis/Legend Pro, I'm your height and slightly heavier and enjoyed Prophet 90s as an all-round ski, only sold them because my quiver needed to be smaller + I had to have a carver. From a brief experience and general feedback, can't really go wrong with a Mantra either, confidence inspiring but not too snappy/lively.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Navis or Alias.
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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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| Quote: |
| I need a ski that\\\\\\\'s going to perform in variable conditions throughout the season, especially in Scotland and for one or two trips to the alps each year. |
Based on your requirements (and that list) I would go Volkl Mantra. (great all rounder, volkls are well made).
Factions & Black Crow would also be very nice skis, but you will pay a premium - especially buying from UK.
Also consider K2 Coombak / Hardside, Movement Sluff / Source, Salomon Shogun
http://global.skipass.com/gearguide/ski/2011/
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Volkl Mantra (133 - 96 - 116)
Nordica Enforcer (135 - 98 - 125)
Black Crows Navis (133 - 103 - 124
Faction Alias (132 - 102 - 122)
Add perhaps K2 Sidestash.
Navis and Enforcer have a fair amount of sidecut.
Alias and Mantra are bombproof.
I'm on Sidestash next winter, perfect mix of pop, weight, sidecut.
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all good comments and appreciated. I'll keep this thread as my new ski "bible" and see how it progresses
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we have tested and skied
the source is my fav at the moment, very good one quiver ski and just as good off piste as on piste.
the
| Quote: |
Scott Crusade (135 - 93 - 123) - possibly too much sidecut?
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was skied for the last two seasons (almost everyday) by my son the sidecut is not an issue, however watch the edges around the tip area. But to be fair the way he skis I am surprised they lasted 2 seasons.
we have more info on the Movement skis on our web site 
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brian
brian
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How much do you ski here, shoogly? Edge hold is often a somewhat more important requirement than it would be in the alps. 
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this season i spent around 15 or 16 days at cairngorm or glencoe through the season.
i'm hoping we have as much snow again this year so hope for the same plus courchevel is already booked for march and i'll hope to get away for at least another long weekend somewhere.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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^ your on the right track for something that would work well in both Scotland & the Alps (which, as you know, is a pretty wide range of potential conditions!)
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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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Dynastar Sixth Sense Slicer? 132-98-120, normal camber but slight tip and tail rocker, maybe the 187cm version? Or maybe Sultan 94, 132-94-118, slight tip rocker again... Both of them should be pretty stiff and hold an edge well.
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Katana from Voelkl Too!!!!! 
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You know it makes sense.
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I don't think we've really narrowed your list down much lol.
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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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| clarky999 wrote: |
| I don't think we've really narrowed your list down much lol. |
i was just thinking the same thing.... almost all those skis are on my watch list as well...
any place to hire this sort of stuff in say tignes or meribel or les arcs?
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Poster: A snowHead
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skimottaret, Freeride in Meribel are good. Think they've got a branch in Tignes as well.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gorilla, cool didnt know they had one in tignes will keep an eye out.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have the older twin tip 185 enforcers. I'm 6'2-3"ish and about 10ish stone. Wouldn't want them any shorter than 185 but they don't go any longer, or at least they didn't use to. Not had a really good test on pow yet but they worked really well on hard pack for a ski with a 98mm waist and they're not overly heavy. Pretty hard to get hold of I found though but that may just have been because i was looking 2nd hand. Not got a bad word to say about them at the mo other than they don't fit in some of the gondola slots.
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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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shoogly, I have, or had 3 of the skis on your list - the Black Crows, the Mantras and the Crusades. Happy with all of them, but if I could only keep 1 pair, it would be the Mantras.
RE: Freeride in Meribel, since they changed ownership last year, their ski range seems a bit "haphazard". They no longer stock Black Crows, and the staff have no idea what skis they will be stocking next season. They had test Mantras at the end of last season, but none for sale, and a single pair of 2nd hand Black Crows (cant remember whether they were Navis or Corvus). Had a lot of Scott and K2, but seem to be moving more "mainstream".
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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el nombre, I've got the same but in 177cm - then again I'm only 5'10".
My second fav ski was the navis.
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Patch, thats a shame, i havent hired skis for a while but they were always a good shop when i did... interesting about the mantras they are top of my list at the moment... must resist must resist...
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Line Prophet 100 (134 - 100 -125) or Line Prophet 90 (125 - 90 - 113)
Faction Alias (132 - 102 - 122) - traditional camber or rockered?
Black Crows Navis (133 - 103 - 124) - don't really know much about them.
Nordica Enforcer (135 - 98 - 125)
Scott Crusade (135 - 93 - 123) - possibly too much sidecut?
Volkl Mantra (133 - 96 - 116)
[/quote]
Can only vouch for the Navis on your list shoogly but to say I was impressed is an understatement. Just an awesome blend of useability and power, piste and pow, that really rips everwhere and looks the business!
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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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skimottaret, Yeah, it's a huge shame, and the staff seem upset about it too ... it'll be interesting to see what happens this season. You're welcome to try my Mantra's in the 3V in the coming season, if you can't find any to test elsewhere.
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Patch, me and rob are in meribel 12-19 dec, we should meet up for a ski...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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shoogly, I started skiing Mantras last year and love them as a great all-rounder. They're basically a fat GS ski, so hold a great edge (for a fattish ski) on hard pistes, and you can lay down genuine GS turns (provided you've not hit too many rocks while you've been off-piste). Engage the edges cleanly and they go like the proverbial excrement off a gardening implement. The only downside I'd say is that, in comparison with some rockered skis some others were skiing, I think you have to be much more sensitive to fore-aft balance in soft snow to avoid nose-diving.
Regarding rockered tip skis, I'd be careful about checking fore-aft balance of the ski. I had experience with a K2 Hardside one day (in pretty Scottish conditions in Andermatt) and found them difficult - there seemed to be very little tip to work with and as the rocker at the front was not balanced by a similar rocker at the back the centre of the sideslip felt way too far back to me - I was having to work hard to keep in balance all the time. But I'm not really a K2 fan, so treat these comments with a degree of circumspection.
As you mention Barons/Dukes, you're clearly thinking about touring capabilities as well. The Mantras are not the lightest skis around (particularly not in 191cm - which you'll almost certainly need at your height), but tour perfectly OK for reaching back-country stashes. Not much sidecut (24m radius) means they glide fairly well and hold well for a fat ski on steep traverses. I did ski with some people last year on Crusades (didn't ski them myself) who loved them once they got used to the sidecut. They do have a very blunt tip, so if you went that way you would need to be careful about what type of skin fixing you use (Colltex clip-type would be OK, but the Black Diamond/G3/Gecko loop style may have a problem). I'm not sure I'd be particularly happy with that amount of sidecut on a traverse either.
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Good (long!) list of skis.
Ski pass has a comprehensive list & tech specs for next years ski.
http://global.skipass.com/gearguide/ski/2011/
My only other comment would be that 110mm is a little much if Shoogly wants to use them as a daily driver for 15 days a year in Scotland.
K2 Sidestash & Volkl Katanna look like great tip rockered skis (but for the alps not cairngorm!)
Last edited by 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  on Fri 10-09-10 13:19; edited 2 times in total
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You know it makes sense.
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brian
brian
Guest
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I agree with Haggis_Trap, with that amount of Scottish use I'd be looking at things like the Mantra, Dynastar Sultan 94, Blizzard Titan Atlas, etc.
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Poster: A snowHead
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stop making my list longer!!!!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thing is as well.... last year, out of all of those days skiing in scotland, about 90% of it was fresh powder or exceptionally lovely groomed piste!
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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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I made the mistake of going on the Kastle website earlier 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skimottaret, Would be great to meet up for a ski. I'm probably working during the week of the 12th ... the weekend of the 18th and 19th I'll be there, unless I'm on Simon's Intro to Touring course in Cham. If not that week, what other dates are you around during the season
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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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| scotia wrote: |
| I made the mistake of going on the Kastle website earlier |
I'm sure they are top drawer and that Chris Davenport wouldn't ski anything that underperformed but can't help thinking they are pitched at the "I am considerably richer than yow!" market.
Or perhaps at a pinch, "Look at how serious I am as a skier I'm on the real thoroughbred. Of course, quality costs."
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Patch, saturday might work, hangover dependent of course 
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skimottaret, OK let's touch base nearer the time, and if that doesn't work, sort out some other date. The thread can get back on track now 
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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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I've just added another potential purchase to the list...
Atomic Access...
now, the only thing that concerns me about this ski is the lack of metal but... it has something called a "step down sidewall" and this is supposed to keep it torsionally rigid. can anyone explain "step down sidewall" to me please?
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FAQ
