Bigger guy looking for skis to grow into for mostly US Midwest/East

First of all, im stoked you’re planning on getting on snow more & thought to come on here for advice. I hope you have a hell of a season.

Unless you’re a guy that likes to swap his gear all the time I’m not sure why growing out of a ski will be something you’d have to worry about. You determine your skill level through confidence, muscle memory & time on snow. Sorry if I missed the point there but in my opinion you shouldn’t buy any ski thinking it’s going to be temporary. I’m going to try & recommend skis that you can have for life.

Since you’re a bigger guy I would definitely get a longer ski than 175cm. That alone would provide a lot more stability for you & would provide a better offering for out west performance if there’s any soft snow. Longer ski = better float & stability.

For instance, I’m 6 ft 180 lbs & I like a ski in the 181cm - 185cm range. Even in the Midwest where I grew up. (Now ski the east coast)

Possibly look into the Armada Tracer or Invictus series skis. They’re non-twin tip frontside skis that have more width to them than your typical race or rental skis. This provides a great blend between “new school” skiing & your traditional race ski offering that would make your time on the slopes that much more fun. They’ll still hold an edge on the icy Midwest slopes but I’m a strong believer you’ll really dig the extra width & construction these skis have.

Other brands have similar offerings such as: Salomon QST series
K2 Pinnacle
I know Volkl has some good ones too.

These skis all range in different waist widths depending on the model you buy. For instance the Armada Tracer series ranges from 88 mm width to 118 mm width.

Check these out in a 182 possibly, this is a hell of a deal.

https://www.evo.com/outlet/skis/armada-tracer-88-2018#image=121846/489695/armada-tracer-88-skis-2018-162.jpg

These are only 88mm underfoot. They would be right at home in the Midwest & would be very quick edge to edge. They also have a 98mm underfoot option that would be more versatile for out west trips & wouldn’t shy away from them even for a daily Midwest ski.

Hope this helps moderately & feel free to ask any further questions you may have

**This post was edited on Nov 21st 2018 at 1:54:38pm

Thanks for the warm welcome and response brother!

So even being a complete beginner, I'd be OK with going wider? Everyone keeps telling me to keep things in the 70's for width.

Just so much to take in..
Thanks!

hawk45Thanks for the warm welcome and response brother!

So even being a complete beginner, I'd be OK with going wider? Everyone keeps telling me to keep things in the 70's for width.

Just so much to take in..
Thanks!

Read this: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/best-skis-for-beginners-a-guide

And this: https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/best-skis-for-beginners-our-top-picks-2018-2019

And come back to us with specific questions. The linked site is full of useful information to get you a good base of knowledge with which to assess ski options.

**This post was edited on Nov 21st 2018 at 10:33:19pm

The soft and narrow recommendations you've been getting aren't wrong, they're just misguided. Because for you, at 6'3 235, relatively stiff skis will feel softer than they would for a smaller person. For that reason, I would totally disregard a lot of skis marketed at "beginners" because they'll almost all be too soft.

I think your sweet spot for the first year or so of progression is going to be around 180-185 in length and 85-95mm underfoot. Like I've already said, you don't need soft skis, so I would look at:

Blizzard Brahma, 180: It's sturdy enough to support you thanks to a "stiff" construction but it's tail profile and mild camber will make it easy for a 235 pound beginner to drive.

Nordica Enforcer 93, 185: Same deal again but this time with more tip rocker to help you initiate turns and learn to carve.

hawk45Thanks for the warm welcome and response brother!

So even being a complete beginner, I'd be OK with going wider? Everyone keeps telling me to keep things in the 70's for width.

Just so much to take in..
Thanks!

If you’re speaking with some old(er) ski heads or shop employees I could see them saying that. I am by no means saying they’re wrong as a wider ski takes a bit more commitment to initiate turns & would have a longer turning radius. But I will say they’re often stuck in their ways & have just been regurgitating information passed down for years & years — often stemming from a racing background.

If you like the traditional feel of the skis you’ve been renting for instance — there’s no shame at all in buying a ski similiar. You can probably get a set for cheap used or from a ski swap.

But, I will say 88mm isn’t really wide — escpecially by today’s standards. You would likely find that they preform similar to skis you’ve used in the past. Being a bigger guy you would get used to width of a bit wider ski & in all likeliness fall in love with it.
That’s my personal opinion, you can obviously make your own decision from there.

Happy shredding.

Obie.a wider ski takes a bit more commitment to initiate turns & would have a longer turning radius. But I will say they’re often stuck in their ways & have just been regurgitating information passed down for years & years — often stemming from a racing background.

If you like the traditional feel of the skis you’ve been renting for instance — there’s no shame at all in buying a ski similiar. You can probably get a set for cheap used or from a ski swap.

But, I will say 88mm isn’t really wide — escpecially by today’s standards. You would likely find that they preform similar to skis you’ve used in the past. Being a bigger guy you would get used to width of a bit wider ski & in all likeliness fall in love with it.
That’s my personal opinion, you can obviously make your own decision from there.

Happy shredding.

You should read the blistergearreview.com article I linked above as well. They make a lot of good points that go against tradition. Ease of turn initiation has a lot more to do with rocker profile and shape than width until you get really wide.

mystery3You should read the blistergearreview.com article I linked above as well.

Will do, thank you. I was just hanging on the width due to the “I was told to stay in the 70s range.”
Good point, though — as nearly all those skis incorporate rocker profiles nowadays

Really great stuff everyone. I really appreciate your candor and forward thinking. I almost pulled the trigger on some Rossi 75s today, but glad I held off and am going to look into wider skis. The articles were great. Thanks for providing the links!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This is the most positive thread full of friendly people I've ever read on ns.

Thought about a few skis I've read about on blister and thought the Liberty Origin 90 might be a good call? https://www.sierratradingpost.com/liberty-skis-origin-90-skis~p~412ay/?filterString=skis~d~9694%2Fliberty-skis~b~3517%2F here's a pair on stp for $249 in 186 which would probably be the call for a 6'3" guy at beginner and intermediate level. Slap a pair of these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2018-Head-Attack2-13-GW-B85-Black-Ski-Bindings/312329977099?epid=8009842476&hash=item48b8513d0b:g:aUAAAOSworNb9FYr
On and call it a day.

Thanks for the suggestion brother! That brings up question I've had and forgot to ask. Mostly I've been looking at ski/binding packages as it's less things I have to think about. Are they a better way to go or have any benefit/negative than getting skis and bindings separate?

hawk45. Mostly I've been looking at ski/binding packages as it's less things I have to think about. Are they a better way to go or have any benefit/negative than getting skis and bindings separate?

It’s not a bad way to go if you’re not too experienced on buying gear as you know the bindings will be compatible with the skis you’re buying. It also usually gives an opportunity to shave off a few bucks as a ‘package deal’.

Although, if you want to get the cheapest deal possible & do some digging through various sites etc I’m 100% confident you can find better prices buying separate.

I will say be very, very conscious on what bindings they’re pairing up with the skis. At your size you’re not going to want this little plastic piece of shit 10 DIN binding on your skis.

Main points:

Look for bindings in the 12-14 + DIN range. Doesn’t mean you need to crank them all the way up but when you become more experienced & aggressive on your skis you want your bindings to have your back & not eject on you.

Make sure the binding brake width is wide enough for your skis. Binding brakes can stretch out a couple mm but you don’t want them to be 10+ mm wider than your skis. Usually models of bindings have multiple brake width options on online vendors.

Obviously make sure they’re Alpine downhill bindings. Not touring bindings or something.
Not to challenge your intelligence or anything just thought I’d cover every point I can think of.

Great information! Thanks for your reply. I'll keep all those things in mind while looking.

Been digging in deep in research.. here's my list of possible candidates. There is a big list and short list which seem to be the best options when price and features are included. Feedback is welcome!
Short list:
Salomon XDR 78 ST (180cm)
Nordica Navigator 80 (179cm)
Nordica Navigator 85 (184cm)
K2 Pinnacle 88 (186cm)

Complete list:
Soft/Medium (beginner/intermediate):
Volkl RTM 76 Elite (174cm)
Atomic Vantage X 77 C (178cm)
Salomon XDR 78 ST (180cm)
Rossignol Experience 76 CI (178cm)

Medium (intermediate/advanced):
Dynastar Legend X 80 (180cm)
Nordica Navigator 80 (179cm)
K2 iKonic 80 (177cm)
Rossignol Experience 80 CI (179cm)
Dynastar Legend X 84 (184cm)
Nordica Navigator 85 (184cm)
K2 Pinnacle 88 (186cm)
Armada Tracer 88 (182cm)
Blizzard Brahma (180cm)
Nordica Enforcer 93 (185cm)

**This post was edited on Nov 23rd 2018 at 4:22:52pm

**This post was edited on Nov 23rd 2018 at 6:36:09pm

Update..

I took a small trip today to hit a semi local shop after having some discussions with them through email. I went up and talked with 2 of the guys that ran the shop and they put me into a new pair of 177cm 2018 Atomic Vantage X 75 CTI skis with Atomic XT12 bindings for about half-off ($350). Said for my size they would allow me to still work on technique but also have lots left in the tank for when I progress. We get very little if any powder here in Ohio, so they said these will work great for our local hill, but won't be complete trash if we do get a little powder.

Have to take my boots to them so they can setup the bindings and get me all squared away for opening day. This will be my carver and I can add some other skis as I get some experience. Being a gear junkie, I'm sure this is just the first set of skies, and I'll make sure to come back and reference everything ya'll took the time to post.
Thanks again for everyone's input and knowledge!

Congratulations on starting an expensive hobby. Haha. I learned to ski late in life too but thats the way it goes. I love it. once you get going you'll definitely be checking out other skis. Ones for those different kinds of conditions or different types of skiing. I have race skis , "all mountain" skis, and park skis. Something for everything at least for what the midwest has to offer. Powder doesnt happen often enough here for me to buy a pair for it. Im already kinda looking at longer skis because my heavily rockered ones feel really short. Just stuff that you discover on your journey of figuring what you like. Good luck and have fun

Thanks.. Yeah, being a gear hog I'm already looking at options for my next set of skis.. ones I hope end up on sale in the future or next year. Full price is just something I can't do.