Help find new powder/ all mtn ski for PNW female skier

I demoed the Pescado the other day and it was super duper fun. Way poppy and seemed really versatile. Made me really wonder what the new Sakana is like for a ski in the 105is waist category. Anyways both of these skis are expensive and not on a good sale so I'm not going to go for either anytime soon. 4frnt YLE is probably my favorite ski if I had to pick just one. The current 4frnt lineup looks pretty darn good.

OregonDeadI demoed the Pescado the other day and it was super duper fun. Way poppy and seemed really versatile. Made me really wonder what the new Sakana is like for a ski in the 105is waist category. Anyways both of these skis are expensive and not on a good sale so I'm not going to go for either anytime soon. 4frnt YLE is probably my favorite ski if I had to pick just one. The current 4frnt lineup looks pretty darn good.

Thanks but might be a bit too long for me :)

Moment Bella? What length do you ski? 155-165?

mystery3Moment Bella? What length do you ski? 155-165?

My current ones are 159. How do they do in powder/ trees?

Irina_My current ones are 159. How do they do in powder/ trees?

Have you ever tried some longer skis? My wife is 5'3" and she likes 170+ for pow and has some 166 blizzard sambas that are her favorites for everything else. She thinks longer skis feel more stable at speed. Everyone has their preference though.

if you've up in the PNW maybe try demo a pair of the jessie 108s? bellas looks good if you fancy full rocker.



might be worth posting in lady gabber to get some first person feedback.

Irina_My current ones are 159. How do they do in powder/ trees?

I can only go by the reviews, I've never skied them and my wife prefers narrower waisted skis. Just brainstorming on some options you might want to check out.

Trying to go one quiver in Washington is rough. But hello fellow Washington skier, I actually moved to Utah this year, but I have around 700 days of skiing experience at Crystal/Stevens/Snoqualmie and I'm of a similar height and weight. Since Crystal doesn't really have a park to speak of I'll just recommend things more on the big mountain side of things. I agree with Orgeondead in that you should really think about sizing up. You will float powder so much better and your thighs won't burn nearly as much because you'll have more tip to lean forward into.

I personally really like a subtle full rocker ski for the PNW, I think you were on the right track with the Volkl 108. I would also consider the Volkl Mantra or the 4frnt Devestator, which both have similar rocker profiles, but are on the slightly more aggressive side of things. The reason I like this type of ski for the PNW is that our snow is so firm that any sort of camber tends to dive and buck when you cross tracks, lumps, and other crud. You end up riding a lot of coral reef, and other down right cruddy conditions so if you want to make the most of your days the crud busting type ski is the way to go, plus it will still float and slarve through pow. Just ask Ingrid Backstrom who I would see routinely at Crystal still rocking her Volkl Katanas. The skis I mentioned before are in the same vein, but they will still rail groomers and not be too cumbersome from edge to edge. If you are a strong skier I highly recommend getting a 170ish length ski for your height/weight. I'm 5'2 and I ride 176 in pow.

CyanicenineTrying to go one quiver in Washington is rough. But hello fellow Washington skier, I actually moved to Utah this year, but I have around 700 days of skiing experience at Crystal/Stevens/Snoqualmie and I'm of a similar height and weight. Since Crystal doesn't really have a park to speak of I'll just recommend things more on the big mountain side of things. I agree with Orgeondead in that you should really think about sizing up. You will float powder so much better and your thighs won't burn nearly as much because you'll have more tip to lean forward into.

I personally really like a subtle full rocker ski for the PNW, I think you were on the right track with the Volkl 108. I would also consider the Volkl Mantra or the 4frnt Devestator, which both have similar rocker profiles, but are on the slightly more aggressive side of things. The reason I like this type of ski for the PNW is that our snow is so firm that any sort of camber tends to dive and buck when you cross tracks, lumps, and other crud. You end up riding a lot of coral reef, and other down right cruddy conditions so if you want to make the most of your days the crud busting type ski is the way to go, plus it will still float and slarve through pow. Just ask Ingrid Backstrom who I would see routinely at Crystal still rocking her Volkl Katanas. The skis I mentioned before are in the same vein, but they will still rail groomers and not be too cumbersome from edge to edge. If you are a strong skier I highly recommend getting a 170ish length ski for your height/weight. I'm 5'2 and I ride 176 in pow.

Thank you! I ride everything in my K2 :) Bit worried with the length will be tougher in bumps and trees - how is it working for you? And have you ever tried Liberty Genesis?

Irina_Thank you! I ride everything in my K2 :) Bit worried with the length will be tougher in bumps and trees - how is it working for you? And have you ever tried Liberty Genesis?

I have no trouble with my 176's in trees: https://gfycat.com/GloomyDishonestIndusriverdolphin and it's much better to have that extra length on those deep days: https://gfycat.com/NegativeWavyHammerheadbird

I would rather be on my longer all mountain skis in moguls than my short groomer skis. Any other kind of crud the longer ski wins hands down for the aforementioned reasons.

I've never tried the Liberty Genesis, but glancing at it, I don't care for the rocker profile. If you are really stressing skis, you should take advantage of the demo center at Crystal. They have a pretty reasonable selection, and you can try out going huge on length just to see how much you can handle. It's only $60 and you can swap between all of their skis for a day.

CyanicenineI have no trouble with my 176's in trees: https://gfycat.com/GloomyDishonestIndusriverdolphin and it's much better to have that extra length on those deep days: https://gfycat.com/NegativeWavyHammerheadbird

I would rather be on my longer all mountain skis in moguls than my short groomer skis. Any other kind of crud the longer ski wins hands down for the aforementioned reasons.

I've never tried the Liberty Genesis, but glancing at it, I don't care for the rocker profile. If you are really stressing skis, you should take advantage of the demo center at Crystal. They have a pretty reasonable selection, and you can try out going huge on length just to see how much you can handle. It's only $60 and you can swap between all of their skis for a day.

you look awesome :) what skis are you riding? Crystal changed their set up, no more demo center :( but will try longer skis!

Irina_you look awesome :) what skis are you riding? Crystal changed their set up, no more demo center :( but will try longer skis!

In the gifs I'm skiing 176 Volkl Two's, which Volkl stopped making, but I'm happy to say will be bringing back next year. I think they renamed them the Volkl Revolt 124. As the new name implies they are 124 underfoot so I wouldn't recommend them as a one quiver ski. If you can somehow manage to get a second ski into your quiver I definitely recommend the Volkl two as a pow ski. I can't say enough good things about them, great in the trees, and pretty strong in chop and crud too, which is great since I end up riding a lot of that after everything gets tracked. Surfy yet still stable charging fast.

One of the things I think I failed to emphasize is how much rocker profile really effects how long the ski feels and how maneuverable it is. A full rocker ski is unique in that you can pivot your turns, that's one of the things that makes it great in trees, and surprisingly decent in moguls. Being able to pivot the ski directly underfoot, instead of driving through the whole length of the ski to make your turn is a game changer. Plus I just love how much more surfy it feels to ride full rocker in pow, it planes on the snow better, whereas I'll sometimes ride my Rossi Slats in pow and I can feel the camber zone adding drag. Camber is great in the park and on groomers, adding pop and power in and out of turns, but I hate it for big mountain skiing. If you can get a nice mellow full rocker like what Volkl often does where it's nearly flat, then you can get the best of both worlds where you can still carve a good full edge on groomers but you'll also get that surfy feel in pow. I think it works especially well for lighter skiers like us too, because you don't have to wait for your body weight to depress the camber zone before you can start initiating the turn. The ski is just already ready and waiting preloaded into it's turn shape, makes it feel faster from turn to turn.

It looks like you just missed the Spring fling demo that Sturtevants does every year. You should try and catch it next year, it's a good one for testing out all sorts of skis. I think the only other demo event is the one that K2 does sometimes in early winter for shejumps.