Johnny - a few quick recommendations in the 80 to 90 mm range, suitable for a guy of your dimensions:
Dynastar Sultan/Legend 85 -- I skied this for a day last year, and loved it; light, agile, excellent edge grip on hard snow, stable at speed, very good crud and soft snow handling (see my review in the Reviews section); skis short, so go longer than your usual; highly recommended.
Nordica Steadfast (90mm) -- I've not skied it, but it is getting outstanding reviews over here; sounds similar in character to the Dynastar.
Fischer Motive 84 -- ditto; getting excellent reviews; said to ski like a wider version of the Progressor 10 (which is no faint praise)
Blizzard Mag 8.1 -- high performance; versatile; perhaps more hard snow oriented.
Kastle MX78 or MX88 -- there are lots of Kastle fans here, and reviews too; some of the best skis currently made.
Others in the Nordica line may suit as well, but do avoid the Tempest -- it's tip is way too stiff to be useable or versatile in crud or off-piste. If they have older models, the Nitrous (78mm) has won several Best of Test awards in past years.
Thanks for the tips! The Dynastars and Fischers were already on my list (along with the Watea models), but I hadn't considered anything from Nordica - that might be a handy one to look out for. I've heard loads of good things about the Kastles but I doubt I'll find them in a rental shop, alas. Rossignol and Salomon tend to be the most popular brands for rentals where I go. I really liked the CX80 (or European equivalent) I hired a couple of years ago but that's more a GS ski despite the 80mm waist and is maybe a bit too stiff for the off-piste. I hated a Salomon X Wing Tornado I hired - couldn't get on with it at all. (Actually that's a problem I seem to have, for some reason - I really get on with some skis and find others unskiable, so I guess I'm just not very versatile).
Have fun, and post back here with a trip report. Italy is a country I would love to take a ski trip to. The Dolomites area looks just stunning, with charming little villages. Is that were you're headed?
Yes, Italy is great. I've skied a couple of times in the Dolomites (beautiful), but this trip is back to the Monte Rosa area where I've been the last 2 years. Three linked valleys, huge amounts of skiing both on and off piste, and great food!
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