Skis and Gear Discussion > Skis 4 Me -- Suggestions or Advice??
All-mountain shortlist, please!
Svend:
Sounds like a fantastic trip. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful in recommending skis in that size range. I haven't rented or demoed many of that type -- most have been in the 70 to 74mm range, which I've rented for a day or two when near the Rockies on a business trip (and no fresh snow). The Dynastar Sultan 85 and Nordica Tempest were the exceptions. I own a Dynastar 88mm ski (the Mythic Rider), but as it is no longer made, I can't suggest you seek it out. Kind of a heavy ski for a lighter fellow, too.....I'm 6'2", 220 lbs....so maybe not the best choice for you. Excellent ski, though....great off piste.....
Enjoy the holiday, and remember to post back here with not only a trip report (photos!!!) but also equipment reviews. We're all gear nuts here, so love hearing other's experiences.
Cheers, and have fun!
LivingProof:
Johnnie2R,
Dawgcatching is very much your size and he tips into some pretty nice angles. An issue with Epic reviews is they are dominated by western USA skiers who seem to live wider skis. My understanding is the in Europe, narrower skis still rule, you would know better and we would appreciate any insights you have. Is it easy to find an 88 or wider ski? In the USA, it's hard to find and rent a narrow, around 80 mm waist ski on trips to the west.
In the US, most shops who do weekly rentals will let you do exchanges, and, there is different price structure for premium skis. Is this true in Europe? Also, I think that the actual conditions expected during that weekwould serve as a guideline to what waist ski rent. You are doing the right thing to make a short list as a guide.
I like clear thinking. Don't get muddled up in a perfect ski. If you like PMTS tipping, find a 78 or less, which has off-piste capability and just do it. Of course, if you can find a HH approved Head, go for that. Selecting a ski is just a starting point..it takes many turns to figure them out. I remember a Dawg quote stating that he thought a ski was just ok, before, he realized he just needed to stop being technique sloppy. He then gave the same ski a great review.
Johnny2R:
Yes, narrower skis are more typical here in Europe. However, the area I'm going to is probably one of the 2 or 3 best places in Europe for off-piste (Monte Rosa is Western Europe's second highest mountain and it's HUGE), so it tends to attract serious powder skiers from all over Europe (particularly Scandinavia, it seems), and wide skis are a lot more common than in most places. I can't see myself hiring anything really wide, though - all I want is something which won't let me down too much on either hard or soft snow. Last time I skied (in Bulgaria) I hired Head Monster 82s, which I loved, and which I didn't feel compromised my PMTS carving attempts too much, so something akin to those is probably what I'll go for, if I can find anything.
The last couple of times I've been here I've hired skis from a great place which allowed me to change as often as I like and had top quality skis, well tuned. I'm staying in the next valley this time, though, so I don't know what the rental place is going to be like. (I'd hire skis from the shop I've used before, but the only way to get there from Gressoney is on skis...).
Johnny2R:
A quick follow-up on this, a year on...
What I ended up hiring were Scott Crusades - which I absolutely fell in love with! Far and away my favourite skis now, for the mix of skiing I typically do. Heading back to the same place in Italy next week and hope to hire the same skis again. I have aspirations to PMTS-style skiing (although completely self-taught from books and video), and I felt the Crusades worked pretty well for PMTS. Certainly I didn't feel too hampered by the 90mm waist - I expected it to feel much slower edge to edge than I did.
I know HighAngles is a fan of these, but it's a shame they're not better known over in the US and Canada. I think they might be a favoured ski among the PMTS brigade if they were.
HighAngles:
I've been skiing the Crusade's little brother, the Scott Neo, lately. IMHO, another great ski that rewards good skiing movements. I'll post up a review after I get a bit more time on them, but they're a narrower and more nimble version of the Crusade. They have 2 sheets of metal, but they're not really a stiff ski (the Hart Pulse is stiffer).
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