Headed to Tahoe & have the ability to buy new skis... what should I buy?

BenWhitHey guys & gals,

I'm headed to Lake Tahoe for a week in March, hoping to get into some really aggressive and potentially deep terrain. This will be my second foray out west after spending a week in the Wasatch Valley and Northwest Utah two years ago. While in Utah, I did not get to ski the terrain I wanted to as a function of each day being 55 degrees and record-low snowfall.


I'm currently skiing on the 2013 Armada Alpha 1 (182), mounted at center with a Rossi FKS 12. I definitely love the shape and side-cut as well as the flex-profile. This has been by far my favorite ski I've owned. With that said, this will most definitely not be an appropriate ski for terrain I might (and hope to) encounter in Tahoe. It's an 82mm waist and definitely geared more towards park skiing, which is something I have been doing less and less of as the years go by.


I'm looking for a mid-width-waisted ski, if that makes sense. Something between 98-108mm that will effectively be my one-ski quiver. I'm on the larger side (6'2", 200lbs) so I'm looking for something a little bit stiffer than the Alpha 1. I'm not looking for a full rocker profile but definitely prefer the early rise-camber-tip rocker profile. The ski needs to rip groomers, be stable at speed, handle the crud, float in the pow, and still be passable in the park should I decide I want to hot-lap with my buddies. I get that this is asking a lot of a ski and is not completely realistic, but I'm not looking for something that excels in all categories, more so looking for a jack of all trades.


The skis I currently have on my radar are the following:
Armada TST evoAIR
Armada ARV 106
K2 Marksman
4FRNT Raven
Line Blend
Line Supernatural 100
Some of the various Black Crow models also pique my interest.


All of these skis are different in their own right and highlight a different aspect of skiing. Just looking for some insight and direction here.

Thanks!

SessionJust get a Kartel 98 or 108

.lencon4FRNT Devy
Caravan SB 100/110

Those are probably the only 3 brands I still recommend. ON3Ps are amazing though

BenWhitAlright. It would appear that 4FRNT's entire lineup for this were Editor Picks in Freeskier's Buyer Guide. I can only view online, my copy never made it to my house.. but i digress. Will definitely take a look.

.lenconDon't ever pay attention to awards in magazines, especially Freeskier. The only take one run to test out the skis. While 4FRNT is a good brand that makes good skis, you cant tell a lot about a ski from just one run.

The only reviews you should really trust are the ones on NS, TGR, and Blister Gear Review. All the other magazine reviews are either marketing or they only tested the skis for one run.

BenWhithm, good to know. I did not know that.

Profahoben_212oooo Hmu if you wanna shred when you get down here.

Throw the blend off that list, way way to soft for what you want. I dont know too much about the rest of those skis, but you should also look into the 194 4frnt devastator...killer ski, and it used to be my one ski quiver down here.

BenWhitAre you in Tahoe full-time?

Do I really need a wide ski like this when I ski primarilly on the east coast? probably not. Do I have the luxury of a little cash burning a hole in my pocket? Maybe.

It's looking like the Devastator will be on my list.

BenWhitAlright. It would appear that 4FRNT's entire lineup for this were Editor Picks in Freeskier's Buyer Guide. I can only view online, my copy never made it to my house.. but i digress. Will definitely take a look.

E-BrachtHey, I'm a rep for Rocky Mountain Underground (RMU). I raced for 14 years, skied mostly on K2 and then Volkl, since they hooked me up with free skis at the time. Since then I skied Rossis and finally started skiing RMUs. Honestly, the RMU Rippah's have turned out to be my favorite all-mountain ski so far. Definitely more stiff than all other park skis that I've ridden, which makes them waaay more stable at higher speed. I can hook you up with 20% off if you're interested!

DeebieSkeebiesthe Gauchos and Devastators are skis you should definitely consider if you may be interested in 4FRNT. Both have the same ideal specifications you're asking for only one of them (the devastators) have a bit more rocker in the nose/tails than the gaucho does.

The devys are incredible, though. Im on like season 3 with them and they're still holding up like a fucking tank, ive slammed them on rocks during sharky-ass powdays and rough landings and skied away just fine, I landed on a rock last year that would have easily blown out the sidewall or completely snapped the ski entirely and i was honestly blown away that there was maybe a coreshot in the base. Ill try to keep this short and sweet because I could go on and on about how awesome the skis are (And how kick ass the 4frnt lineup is this year) but its got a perfect rocker profile as well as sidecut for what you're interested in, perfect width underfoot (108 @ 184cm for me) and the ski handles just about anything you can put it through, deep pow included. They struggle a bit on those stupid-deep days but its still a ski that can hold its own no doubt. It sounds like its going to be a killer all-mtn ski for you and maybe a killer east coast pow/crud ripper if you choose to ski a few days back home (I think you're from the east, correct me if im wrong.)

BenWhitI'm currently skiing on the 2013 Armada Alpha 1 (182), mounted at center with a Rossi FKS 12.

Randy_QuenchYou can start by selling me your alpha 1s :)

BenWhithaha, what's your bsl? these are on their third drill

Randy_Quench318!