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Moving out west, ski advice

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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
Hey guys, I'm moving from the east coast to Washington later this year and was looking into getting new skis. I want a ski that can handle the occasional 1+ ft days, the rare deep days, and the occasional crud + groomers, so something in the 105-115mm range sounds good. I basically plan on skiing bowls, chutes, trees and some groomers. I also want a playful ski, but also doesn't wash out easily after something like small-medium cliff drops, and is also stable enough at high speeds (some chatter is ok). Just for reference, I currently ride AR7s and would prefer something flexier than that.

I'm 5'8, 170lbs.

I've been looking into the SFB's and they seem like an ideal ski, but all the 178s and 184s seem to be sold out. I also looked into the CRJs since I can get a pair for $300, would you recommend these, or are they too wide to handle some crud and groomers?

Any other ski suggestions?


Thanks guys
Jun 4 2014 7:22PM
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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
bump
Jun 5 2014 12:56PM
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Rachy
Posts: 4355 - Karma: 2,761
Moment PBJ, Armada JJ or TST, ON3P Jeffrey, Rossignol S7

They are all technically powder skis but fill the 1 quiver category.

I use JJs for deep, TST for deep/crud/travel/touring I'd see if you can find the PBJs cheap. I've heard nothing but good things.
Jun 5 2014 1:13PM
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jadavis
Posts: 142 - Karma: 136
Just throwing it out there. You might want to invest in a legit powder ski. On the real pow days (which are deeper than 1 ft sometimes) you'll be envious of the people on fatties. One of the people I ski with the most has skis that are 105 underfoot and he always wants to steal my skis on a deep day. I'm partial to Bent Chetlers because I've only had good experiences with them and honestly unless it's a sheet of ice they're super fun to ski. The ON3P Caylors are also pretty fun. Similar to Bent Chetlers, but a little bit more damp.
Jun 5 2014 2:24PM
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eddy9
Posts: 383 - Karma: 216
Nordica patrons. 114 underfoot. Best all/MTN pow ski I ever skied.
Jun 5 2014 2:58PM
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MartianMan
Posts: 1101 - Karma: 2,098
The SFB will not be very stable at high speeds, its turning radius is very short, meaning it will be nimble at slow speeds instead. The CRJ would be a good choice, they ski crud and groomers well. Im guessing that you want a twin rockered ski judging by your picks. Ones I would recommend would be ON3P Jeffery 114, Blizzard Gunsmoke, and Nordica Patron. All three would be perfect choices.
Jun 5 2014 4:43PM
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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
jadavisJust throwing it out there. You might want to invest in a legit powder ski. On the real pow days (which are deeper than 1 ft sometimes) you'll be envious of the people on fatties. One of the people I ski with the most has skis that are 105 underfoot and he always wants to steal my skis on a deep day. I'm partial to Bent Chetlers because I've only had good experiences with them and honestly unless it's a sheet of ice they're super fun to ski. The ON3P Caylors are also pretty fun. Similar to Bent Chetlers, but a little bit more damp.


Yeah I definitely agree, and I do plan on getting a pair eventually after I save up for avy gear and get certified, but for the next two seasons, at least, I need something more versatile. Thanks for the help though, I'll definitely keep this in mind later on.


eddy9Nordica patrons. 114 underfoot. Best all/MTN pow ski I ever skied.


MartianManThe SFB will not be very stable at high speeds, its turning radius is very short, meaning it will be nimble at slow speeds instead. The CRJ would be a good choice, they ski crud and groomers well. Im guessing that you want a twin rockered ski judging by your picks. Ones I would recommend would be ON3P Jeffery 114, Blizzard Gunsmoke, and Nordica Patron. All three would be perfect choices.



After looking more into the Gunsmoke and Patrons, I'm interested in them, but I'm leaning more towards the CRJs, and I can't see justify myself paying $200 more for the Gunsmoke or patrons. CRJs it is. Should I go for the 180s or 188s? The 188s might be too wide for me (118), but not sure. And just for reference my 171 ar7s feel pretty short on me (I'm 172cm tall). And is the large turning radius something to worry about while skiing trees (27m)?
Jun 5 2014 8:12PM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7099 - Karma: 17,045
Why not wait to you get out there and then demo some skis. Buyin blind is always a risk and its an even bigger risk if your not really familiar with te type of ski you are after.

I think you may be surprised what you actually finds works out west. I doubt you will actually want somthing softer then an ar7. Somthing mid to stiff with rocker will work well as an all round ski. Go to soft an it will be fun on te super deep days but you will be washin out edges when te snow is less then ideal.

So yeah my suggestion would be to wait and demo.
Jun 5 2014 8:28PM
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Rekkil
Posts: 169 - Karma: 146
I'd get a powder specific ski, I ride washington and I got some Magic J's Influence 115's and Soul Riders. It might be overkill for some people but with that quiver I never find myself suffering due to lack of equipment.
Jun 6 2014 2:55AM
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Cyanicenine
Posts: 966 - Karma: 2,296
I'd go with the Volkl Gotama or the blizzard peacemaker. If you want something stable at high speeds those both have a 20+ meter turning radius and love to charge. I personally ride the Gotama's and I haven't found a better daily driver for washington state. The full subtle rocker is good for the heavy wet snow that you frequently see here, whereas hybrid camber/rocker skis can get bogged down or feel hooky in our dense chop.

You'll get left behind on the really deep days, but they can handle up to a foot of snow better than skis of similar width, again due to their full rocker design. The lack of tapered tips gives them a nice solid run length allowing them to rip groomers decently.

Then again you can just say fuck it, "I love pow!," and ride hellbents, chetlers or shiros everyday no matter the conditions. Plenty of people here do.
Jun 6 2014 3:29AM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
Dude just go and ski your AR7s.


Once you're out there, you'll be able to see what you are really skiing and go from there rather than what you *think* you'll be skiing now. Also lots more opportunities to demo and also buy peoples' shit from last year etc. No need to blow your wad up front IMO but hey, more gear is always nice too.
Jun 6 2014 9:03AM
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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
Thanks for the help again guys, I'm gonna think about it a little more and consider the demoing option.
Jun 6 2014 11:28AM
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mr_hartl
Posts: 650 - Karma: 770
nordica-patron*, k2-shred 112, volkl-one, line-bacon candide 3.0* would all suite you well for that do anything ski in the PNW

if you're looking to go bigger i'd recommend:

k2-ped 120, k2-powabunga, elan-boomerang tbt*, fischer-big stix 122


honestly though... if you're skiing in the resort, you should stick with the first grouping of 108-1teens waist width. We get a lot of snow out here but we have a lot of powder hounds and youre usually skiing chop by noon.

note: i've skied and in some cases owned everything i listed
Jun 6 2014 4:41PM
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Cyanicenine
Posts: 966 - Karma: 2,296
If money is a concern and you're thinking about waiting to buy or buying used there is a pretty good selection come November at the various Seattle area ski swaps. Check them out: http://www.theskiswap.com/Seattle_Tacoma_olympia.html

The Newport Hills one is pretty large. I'll have some skis for sale there (come buy my magic J's and Rocker 2's please!). Also it's not all just used gear, sturtevents and other ski shops will put new still in their wrapper stuff from previous years that didn't sell.
Jun 6 2014 5:34PM
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mr_hartl
Posts: 650 - Karma: 770
Or come to my shop! Sturtevant's Ski Mart in Bellevue. We have closeout and clearance items that are 30-50% off all season. Plus Reps drop off and sell their demos on consignment for wholesale prices. We'll hook you up.
Jun 6 2014 5:53PM
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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
^^ You guys are awesome, I'll definitely check those out when I'm out there.
Jun 7 2014 1:43PM
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toastyteenagers
Posts: 1834 - Karma: 6,793
Maybe some line sick days... Rossi slats, Rossi soul 7, and maybe some armada AK JJ
Jun 8 2014 12:43PM
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robotdna
Posts: 1232 - Karma: 2,959
Huck_NorrisDude just go and ski your AR7s.


Once you're out there, you'll be able to see what you are really skiing and go from there rather than what you *think* you'll be skiing now. Also lots more opportunities to demo and also buy peoples' shit from last year etc. No need to blow your wad up front IMO but hey, more gear is always nice too.


THIS. Don't buy any ski yet. Ski the conditions. Demo. Repeat.

Do that for a while. I'm going to say 106-115 is safe for a western all mountain ski. I ski the Jeffrey's personally and will recommend them continually. But demoing will be your best bet.

You could consider some Worth Magics. Huck almost got me to buy a pair, but at the last minute I got caught by the ON3P hype train. Those are a great ski.
Jun 8 2014 10:33PM
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kung_powpow
Posts: 1990 - Karma: 3,669
jadavisJust throwing it out there. You might want to invest in a legit powder ski. On the real pow days (which are deeper than 1 ft sometimes) you'll be envious of the people on fatties. One of the people I ski with the most has skis that are 105 underfoot and he always wants to steal my skis on a deep day. I'm partial to Bent Chetlers because I've only had good experiences with them and honestly unless it's a sheet of ice they're super fun to ski. The ON3P Caylors are also pretty fun. Similar to Bent Chetlers, but a little bit more damp.


This is what I'm doing in a similar situation as OP. I'm moving to Denver this fall from the east and I'm upping my quiver with 2 pairs. I bought a pair of new 192 bent chetlers off TGR for 250 and now I'm looking for a mid fat ski like the SFB or Moment Deathwish.
Jun 8 2014 10:58PM
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