Skis for the West: where to start?

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

1 hour ago, SallyCat said:

Well, they sell the Soul 7s, so they have a bunch in the shop, just no demos. I don't know who would be buying them, but whatever.

Well a good percentage of Blue skiers take trips out west..Nestors used to sell Pontoons which were 130 underfoot. 

[GSSucks]

Figure out what the snow is like before buying, Sierra cement (going to need some stiffness) or Utah blower pow and meadow skipping (a bit softer is a good thing), that is going to make a difference. For waste width, Id shoot for 100-110 under foot range with a bit if rocker and some camber under foot and you're golden out west. Remember, even on the deepest days you're going to need to get back to the lift on some kind of run out so you need a ski that still turns on groomers. 

[Johnny Law]

Snow is a 3d environment so the difference between skis is a shape designed for that 3d environment plus what you specifically want to do with the ski.

Camber is simple, your rtms are designed for hard snow where you want to press the shovel into the snow to carve a turn so the center of the ski is higher then the tips and tails. If you took your RTM's into deep snow you could in fact absolutely ski, however the positive camber will sink the tips which for obviously reasons meant you had to ride deep heavier snow in the back seat.

Thus a smart person figured why not simply reverse the camber, instead of producing a tip diving pressure we could float the tip. Instead of the center of the ski being higher, the tips and tails are. It isn't actually that simple anymore as they all have varying mixes of camber profiles but I think you get the point. Camber and width keep you up floating, producing a ski that is easy to turn, slash and smear in deep snow.

GSSucks is right on about what type of ski your looking for as to specific model I'd base that on what you want as a skier. They make alot of skis that are " 100-110 under foot range with a bit if rocker and some camber under foot" and they are each companies take on what that type of ski can be. Some stiffer, some softer, range of radii almost all are excellent powder tools but what separates them I think is how they are getting back to the lift. Do you want a ski that can get mach looney and be comfortable but your going to have to take a stiffer pow ski which comes with other downsides or do you want a more playful, softer ski. (the difference between say a Belafonte and PBJ) That part is up to you as only you know what type of skier you are, demo's are fucking gold because you can ride a wide range of similar skis across companies and figure out based on various build criteria exactly what it is you want in a ski.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Johnny Law

[RootDKJ]

18 minutes ago, Johnny Law said:

range of radii

Excellent use of radii

[Johnny Law]

33 minutes ago, RootDKJ said:

Excellent use of radii

I gambled on the double i, in my defense its not a word that gets used alot

[Justo8484]

Dare i say bacons? From what I can tell, you're not really very heavy, and you're not super aggressive. The bacons got a tiny bit narrower than they used to be, with a slightly more all mountain friendly shape/sidecut than they used to have. They're still pretty soft, but unless you're in the sierras or PNW, the softer flex would probably work pretty well for what you're looking for, hypothetically. They rip turns as long as you're not trying to mach through chopped up leftovers (soul riders would be better for that stuff), and are super playful and easy to ski in pretty much any condition. But yeah, try before you buy, if that's your thing.

[Johnny Law]

13 minutes ago, Justo8484 said:

Dare i say bacons? From what I can tell, you're not really very heavy, and you're not super aggressive. The bacons got a tiny bit narrower than they used to be, with a slightly more all mountain friendly shape/sidecut than they used to have. They're still pretty soft, but unless you're in the sierras or PNW, the softer flex would probably work pretty well for what you're looking for, hypothetically. They rip turns as long as you're not trying to mach through chopped up leftovers (soul riders would be better for that stuff), and are super playful and easy to ski in pretty much any condition. But yeah, try before you buy, if that's your thing.

That's exactly what I was thinking or the Soul 7.

Playful, wants to rip but won't punish you, can handle 99% of what anyone will throw at them.

[SallyCat]

26 minutes ago, Justo8484 said:

From what I can tell, you're not really very heavy,

^That comment is the best thing that has ever happened to me on the internet. ^

 

[Justo8484]

24 minutes ago, Johnny Law said:

That's exactly what I was thinking or the Soul 7.

Playful, wants to rip but won't punish you, can handle 99% of what anyone will throw at them.

get out of here with that soul 7 garbage. the whole series are the most overhyped skis ever created, except maybe RTMs 

[Johnny Law]

1 hour ago, Justo8484 said:

get out of here with that soul 7 garbage. the whole series are the most overhyped skis ever created, except maybe RTMs 

7 series outside of the squad is like the black eyed peas of skiing, designed for mass appeal.

Not my deal but there is a reason so many people love them.

[eaf]

22 hours ago, moe ghoul said:

Get new Mantras, they have rocker, are a solid all around ski for groomers and powder.

The newest Mantras (2019) are going back to camber, so the trend reverses itself. Soon we'll see powder skis in the 70s because hey, it's so much funner to ski when you don't see the skis under snow.

[toast21602]

Saw a pair of RTMs today. 110% gaper.

[eaf]

5 minutes ago, toast21602 said:

Saw a pair of RTMs today. 110% gaper.

Heh, I found it funny how all racers today morning were initially on various kinds of fancy almost boutique skis with their gaper skis (read Rebels, Racetigers, RC4, Redsters) on their shoulders when they traversed down from the summit lodge.

Edited February 10, 2018 by eaf

[toast21602]

sucks to suck.

[eaf]

Not when you're on these skis. Or this ski? Whatever.

[indiggio]

Not when you're on these skis. Or this ski? Whatever.

Monoskis kick ass!

[SallyCat]

If loving my RTMs is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

2 minutes ago, SallyCat said:

If loving my RTMs is wrong, I don't want to be right. 

None of these guys have ever even skied the RTMs. They sound like a bunch of jealous haters. Johnny law said they are Jerry skis but I think he was referring to the RTM 81 not the 84s which is the hot ski in Jackson hole along with the Kastle 78s. Anyway this thread was good until Eaf came along. 

[SallyCat]

51 minutes ago, toast21602 said:

sucks to suck.

It DOES suck to suck! Especially when you're pretty clear about why you suck but you cant figure out what to do about it. Skiing well is fucking hard. Damn good thing it's fun and outside and always beer-adjacent.

[RootDKJ]

We really should be more specific. RTM81 is a jerry ski, while the RTM84 approaches a frontside carver. 171 length is still too short though. 

[SallyCat]

22 minutes ago, RootDKJ said:

We really should be more specific. RTM81 is a jerry ski, while the RTM84 approaches a frontside carver. 171 length is still too short though. 

I like my 172s.  It's a heavy, burly ski and feels really stable but still nimble and turny. I tried 177s and they felt unwieldy to me, but then I don't make wide, fast GS turns like you guys do. 

[indiggio]

8 hours ago, SallyCat said:

It DOES suck to suck! Especially when you're pretty clear about why you suck but you cant figure out what to do about it. Skiing well is fucking hard. Damn good thing it's fun and outside and always beer-adjacent.

QFT!  Especially the beer part!

[eaf]

8 hours ago, SallyCat said:

It DOES suck to suck! Especially when you're pretty clear about why you suck but you cant figure out what to do about it. Skiing well is fucking hard. Damn good thing it's fun and outside and always beer-adjacent.

Lol, you're really enjoying yourself here being off mod duties

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

17 minutes ago, eaf said:

Lol, you're really enjoying yourself here being off mod duties

Cause she's a mod on the ski diva page??

[SallyCat]

1 hour ago, eaf said:

Lol, you're really enjoying yourself here being off mod duties

Oh lord, I'm not a mod here.   I'm a prolific poster of forum bs mostly when I have a shite ton of actual work to do.