 Poster: A snowHead
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Im based in Bulgaria at the moment and am loving the accessible backcountry around the area. Here, Macedonia and Turkey have such nice untouched areas where you can play all week long after a dump and still find those untouched faces. I'm 6"4 and about 16st. I come from a racing background and ski pretty fast and aggressively.
So I'm looking to buy a new pair of skis for pushing outside the boundaries of resort, into the backcountry.
I have a ski for those days in resort or in the park messing around(Rossi 9X + Dynastar Troublemaker) but last season when we had a few bigger days I found I didn't have the right gear to take on the deeper stuff and some of the backcountry hikes we went on proved a little more hard work than neccessary. I have an older pair of Dynastar Legends also but they are only 88mm underfoot and I only enjoy them in cruddy snow, anything more and they just sink.
I would like a ski that was good for those choppy/packed conditions we sometimes get but fat enough to cope with the big dumps when they come. I like to ski fast and sometimes technical lines, the odd jump and drop here and there and hope to spend more time working on my freeride this coming season, so big descents and need something stable at speed.
After much looking and researching I have narrowed down my options to a few;
1.Dynastar Pro XXL (194cm)
2.Bro Model Lhasa Pow (186cm)
3.Moment Garbones (192cm)
4.Line Mothership (195cm)
I plan to mount them with the Marker ''Dukes'' which is an AT binding with DIN upto 16 and a solid construction, heavier than some touring bindings but of a more solid construction for the gnarlier of descents/drops.
I have never skied anything with a rockered tip or tail before and wonder if anyone has opinions on how it will affect the performance of the ski on the harder choppy stuff? will they just get bounced around all over the place, more so than a traditional cambered ski?
How big is too big? Bearing in mind I'm not skiing 3ft of powder everyday. All above have between 105mm-112mm underfoot....
Any opinions on the above skis or any other suggestions that you think might suit my needs?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What are you gonna be using the skis for mainly? ISOunds like you are planning on some side country touring so weight could be a pretty serious factor.
I ride Bents inbounds for any days with more than a couple of inches of powder and in my opinion they are pretty good for marginal conditions but the rocker really doesn't do them any favours in crud and the softness in the tips makes them pretty unstable at Mach 10 on pieste. However this is made up for by the fact that they don't get bogged down in heavy afternoon slush and they can lay down a carve at moderate speed on pieste.
If you do any backcoutry jibbing you could add Volkl Chopsticks to your list as alledgedly they are stiffer than the Bents.
On the touring front I have heard good things about BRO skis from some mates in the US. They may be worth checking out.
Bonne chance.
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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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Out of all of them I have only skied the Lhasa carbons in a 186. I have around 65 days on them in midwinter and sping conditions. For reference I am 5'11" and about 80kg. I am a solid but cautious skier.
On the firm stuff they are slower to engage than a regular ski (rocker issue) and they need to be worked through the turn, mainly as the radius is about 35m. Once you get the hang of it, it is not at all hard to knock out short turns on firm snow. You get a lot of tip flap when you turn up the speed: this doesn't really matter as the tip isn't in contact with anything but it can be disconcerting. While they are stiff underfoot and the carbon gives them a lot of snap, I think a larger skier would have issues with the shorter length if they were really cranking the turns on hardpack - they only have the running length of a 165cm ski or thereabouts and with a 35m radius you pick up speed pretty fast.
In crud/cut up situations, if you approach things with a bit of speed then you can go over pretty much anything. The rocker gets the tips up over it and you just mash through. They are workable in crust situations as well but at this point the limitations of my technique become the issue rather than the quality of the ski.
In terms of weight, the carbons 186s are (I think) just over 4 kilos. They are producing a 191 as well as the 196 this year. At your size and aggressiveness I would consider at least the 191 and likely the 196. I don't think the 191 is on the website yet - if you are interested in it then go on TGR and PM Splat.
I should point out I had a few build quality issues with mine, probably due to having an early pair. PM Gear have stood behind their product 100 per cent and I am getting new skis for the coming season. They are very good guys to deal with.
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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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Faction Alias, no questions, the perfect ski for you. 188cm, flat tail, 102cm underfoot rockered tip. Superb.
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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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The Carbon Llasa's will do all you require & are very easy to ski but at your stats you definately should be on the 196's (I'm 15st & have no problem working them).
Forget the Mothership's as they weigh a ton.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think also I have to add to the list a ski by WhiteDot. The Preacher
I think that I am going to be looking at the Preacher 189cm or the Llasa Bro in a 196cm. This is the first I have heard of the Faction Alias, do you have any more info on the ski or review of its performance parlor?
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eclectic, I skied the prototype last season and really enjoyed it. What do you want to know? Perfect mid-fat dimensions, fast edge to edge, rocker gave it plenty of float in blower (obviously) and heavy pow. Very versatile.
Preacher is also a good choice. More side cut than the other choices though...
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Dont agree with any of that- no point in having a single use ski when it sounds like you want a single quiver do it all ski. Get The Scott Crusade or The Line Prophet 100. Either are a blast - fast railing on piste, great edge hold when it gets icy and are AWESOME off piste and backcountry. Both are light enough (especially the Lines) to mount tour bindings and be a useable tour ski without being too stiff. 
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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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thegunners, are you on crack? The Crusade and Prophet 100 aren't even close as skis. Crusade is a 90-93mm punter special, the Prophet 100 is a good size all mountain ski. At least try and compare apples with apples, then again, the Prophet 90 is still far superior to the Crusade.
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