Versatile Ski Suggestion

if you want a ski that's diverse i would really consider how much powder you think you'll be riding. if you think its going to be more pow than not, try to stay at or above 95cm waist. if you've got a foot of powder you'll begin to sink and have to lean real back seat to stay afloat even with that width. but if its just some soft snow on runs that you're plowing through you'll be ok.

there's plenty of companies that make a great all around ski within the "all mountain style" that's around 95cm to 100cm - jskis, armada, moment, on3p

def dont let that limit you though, if you want a wider ski you can go for it - but if you're just learning, those waist sizes will be more helpful and not over powering. hit up the companies on their chat boxes if you can't make it to a ski shop, all of them are a great resource for figuring out what will work for you.

If you're west coast go k108

Vishnus

Dollo

4frnt vandal

Arv 96/106

ON3P Magnus 102 or kartel 108

Where are you skiing? Are you doing a lot of rails? Park and powder are literally on opposite ends of the spectrum so it's sort of hard to balance both. Kartel 108s are what I would get in this situation but they aren't cheap. Vishnu Wets, ON3P Magnus 90s, or Line Blends are good if you decide to not use them for powder. You can find last years Blends for like $400-$500 but Line build quality is pretty mediocre as far as reliability goes.

Have you thought about buying some cheap park skis and some nicer skis for the powder and groomers? For example, I bought a pair of new/unmounted 2017 K2 Domains w/ Attack 13s last year and it was only like $400 for the skis AND bindings. They're not the greatest but for learning rails and jibbing around the park they would be a great choice. Rocker profile, very playful, and you're going to break them anyways so the price is a huge plus. Also, you could buy some used skis if you need to save the money.

EDIT: I just browsed eBay for like 5 minutes and I already found a pretty damn good deal on some K2 Poachers and Attack 13s. Only $530 USD. Honestly, these are pretty darn versatile but once again the powder is what worries me. https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-2018-K2-POACHER-ALL-MOUNTAIN-SKIS-w-17-ATTACK-13-BINDING-SAVE-45/202309750528?epid=23005721885&hash=item2f1a99cf00:m:mVwZG1_CRoyLu5_hzvv9QDw:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!60616!US!-1:rk:23:pf:0

**This post was edited on Nov 8th 2018 at 12:23:17pm

in my humble (but brilliant and experienced) opinion, there's no better "do it all" ski than a 90s waisted, medium stiff park-ish ski. ive skied literally everything from rail rat days to couloirs and pow on ARV96s and similar skis for years and i couldnt be happier. yes of course theyre not ideal for everything but id rather a ski that is GOOD for everything than a ski that is GREAT for one thing and not good for others.

if i were you id get an arv96, k2 poacher, kartel 98, or similar (depending on price, preferences of yours like stiffness etc) and then never worry about it again

and some Attack 13s (best bang for your buck in ski bindings right now in my and many others' opinions)