Head iM 78's vs. Nordica Hot Rod Afterburner's/iM 82's?

[robpatterson5]

 Head iM 78's vs. Nordica Hot Rod Afterburner's?

Hi all, I torn between these two skis - I was wondering what people thought?

Right now I'm looking for a quiver of two - a pair of BD Kilowatts (95 underfoot) mounted up w/ Dynafits, and either the 78's or the Afterburner's for 90% of my inbound skiing.

I'm a 5'9, 160lb aggressive skier from the east, probably the intermediate side of advanced, spending a season out in Fernie and then likely relocating out east again.
Gear wise - I have been skiing a pair of Head X-20's for the better part of the past decade and am completly overskiing them. Tried on some Salomon 1080 Gun's at Mt. St. Anne - way too soft and noodly - but amazingly better then what I'm skiing!
Boots: Salomon X-wave 9's.

Out east I carve down all of the black groomers and enjoy bumps and trees, so I'm looking for a ski that handles that and will be stable when going entirely too fast on the groomers!
Out west these will be my day-to-day ski, but I also want them to preform out east!

Looking at the Head Monster's (78 and 82) and the Afterburner's very seriously.
Also looking at the Vokl AC50's (likly too stiff - esp for the bumps! and not forgiving enough), Dynastar 8000's (not stiff enough - felt kinda funky in the store), Line Profit 90's (too wide).
Looked at the Salomon Lords - kinda warned away from them though.

What are people's thoughts? Any others to be looking at?
Looking for a really versatile all mountain ski w/ a lot of get-up-and-go and power at the top end, but also a wide sweet spot so that I'm thinking more about the skiing then the skis.

[Perry]

My 2 cents.

First of all I have not skied any of these skis so my input is based on how I would think this through for myself.  If I already had a good 95 under foot and wanted a second ski, and I like moguls, I would go for something that was good in moguls. Of the skis that you mentioned, the 78's are the only ones on the full site that got a moguls rating.  The Nordica's are 84 under foot and the 82s aren't a particularly good moguls ski. (known more for great GS turns, going fast and crud monsters).  The 78's give you the biggest difference in width and should be the quickest.

Depending on how much you like moguls, you may also consider even a narrower ski, kind of a front side/backside combo.  For Fergie, I understand why you would want some width.  From what I have read, the 78's are hard to beat for what you are looking for.

I would also encourage you to consider waiting so that you can Demo.  That way any length considerations could be sorted out on the snow.

There are some good reviews on the epic site.  Here is one, there are others by dogcatching who does great reviews.
http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=54515

Hope this helps,
Perry

[Glenn]

Here's a good review for the Afterburners: http://www.sierraskis.com/Nordica-Hot-Rod-Afterburner-System-19.asp

I bought my Hot Rod Nitrous skis from Sierra and Jim's reviews are spot on.

[Gary]

Rob...I think the 78's would be the most versatile of the two you picked.

But since you have a wide waisted big snow ski...how about considering something with a? narrower waist like the Head SS Magnum or maybe the Fischer Progreesor 8?

Best,
Gary

[Ron]

magnum or a 4x4, also how about a Watea 78 or a Blizzard 8.1 the Head 78 is a good ski but make sure you want that ski. It's VERY damp and not a fun, snappy ski that's quick.

[Philpug]

Not a fan of that Nordie at all. HEads or the Blizzards. I just got some Viva Magnum 7.6 for my wife and a pair for the Mother in law..., it looks like a real sweet ski, flexes veeerrry nice.

[Ron]

OH yes, I forgot about that 76. I'm hearing much good about that ski. I think it got pigeon-holed as an "intermediate" ski but I am hearing from folks who skied it last season saying otherwise. It's a very interesting ski. Phil, do you think it would make a decent "leftovers" ski, competent in the bumps?

[robpatterson5]

Thanks all - that's good input. Ron, thanks for your comments - that's one of my worries that the 78's wont be all that snappy/fun to drive.

I just found a good deal on some 170 Fischer Big Stix 8.6's so I'm thinking of getting those as my west ski and then something maybe like the 78s for the east/bumps.

[Ron]

good plan and best of luck. Jim skis the 78's, he may have differing opinion of them.