Help Me

[Dufflogic]

So I've spent countless hours reading threads on forums about skis, but I'm no expert. It seems the people on this board have the most knowledge with what im looking for, so I'd really appreciate some help.

I'm about 5 ft 8 145 lbs. I need a fatter ski that I can ski everyday/ big mountain comps on. I'm not sure how big of a ski I want for this. That is where you can help me. I've been skiing for 9 years. I am 16.

My skiing style: I like to ski everything on the mountain, I like steeps, I like big drops, and I like to ski the occasional groomer and make huge gs turns. Just wondering what you guys would say. So, any help or input would be awesome. Thanks a lot!

[dre66]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=41028

[Dufflogic]

I would rather not be referred to countless threads. I have read most of them, and so I am just asking for me. Sorry if it is an inconvience, I'm just a JONG when it comes to this sort fo thing

[Hutch]

RELATIVE FLEXES:
9 - titan pro / Squad / supa stiff bros (270)
8 - LP / Monster / explosiv / dp #3 / capital stiffs (260)
7 - big daddy / stockli dp (250)
6 - ANT / extra stiff kingswood / stiff bros
5 - mantra / ak swallowtail / dp #2 (240)
4 - gotama / soft bros / reg. kingswood (230)
3 - yellow ak rockets / sugar daddy ?
2 - PR / lawnchair (200 or less)
1 - sanouk/made'n
0 - green ak rockets

also, HERE is a pretty rad ski flex chart too

CUSTOM SKIS:
I highly recommended gettin a nicer, more durable, better made, slightly more expensive ski - so worth it in the long run
dp skis (80-138mm) - so light, so powerful, so sick. get a pair. www.dpskis.com
igneous (88-118mm) - fat shapes & custom flex. legendary. so worth it. www.igneousskis.com
kingswood (86-146mm) - custom fat twins from NZ www.kingswoodskis.com
birdos (102-137mm) - be that cool guy with the new shit! out of Switzerland www.birdos.com
capital (92-162mm) - tons of shapes and custom flexes put out of BC www.capitalskis.com
PM GEAR (99-???) - bro model = classic everyday ski. more to come??? www.pmgearusa.com

STIFFER EVERYDAY SKIS:
dynastar legend pro (97mm-109mm) - not the fattest, but they rip. the XXL has a farily soft tail.
volkl mantra (94mm) - shaplier version of the explosiv wizards, lots of sidecut
blizzard titan pro (95mm) - long and stiff. they rule for charging hard.
stockli stormriders (88-94mm) - as well made as anything out there.
pmgear bros (99mm) - support you maggot bros. stiff and supa stiff options...
ak king salmon (94mm) - super bomber. the comp ski of choice. 180cm only.
Igneous FFL (98mm) - perfect everday ski for anywhere w/ more than 250" per year
dp wailer (95-105mm) - light, powerful, responsive. progressive shovel.
rossi squad (100-104mm) - 189 & 194 are BURL. expensive. rip.

STIFFER EVERYDAY TWINS:
4frnt MSP (90mm) - pretty fat, fairly stiff all mountain twin. for a fat twin, they'll still hold an edge
Head Mojo (90-105mm) - all mountian twin. med to siffish flex. the new 105 is NOT TORSIONALLY STIFF AT ALL.
prior original (90-102mm) - nice shape, moderate twin, can do med & stiff versions. handmade.
armada ant (106mm) - skis short. lots of camber. pretty stiff.
volkl karma (87mm) - nice stiff twintip. good bump ski.
K2 PE (85mm) - Feels very dead in park but its a solid ski for all mtn


SOFTER EVERYDAY SKIS:
rossi b4 (95mm) - not the fattest, not the stiffest, but great skis for lighter folks
salomon ak swallowtail (95mm) - new 05-06 have wood! i personally love these things
salomon sandstorm (101mm) - ripper. stiffer, flattail version of the s-lab gun (187cm)
prior doughboy (103-107mm) - ski. big old shovel. look pretty rad.
atomic sugar daddy (99mm) - pretty soft. light. make killer AT setups.
dynastar big/lbf/inspired (88mm) - great in shorter lengths for the GF
Phat Love (90mm) - the ski of choice for the GF
k2 apache chief (98mm) - i hate 'em but others like 'em. stiffer than a pistol, no twin.
bros (99mm) - the soft flex are about as light as anything in the size...
blizzard titan 9 (86-92mm) - nice medium flex. good a/m ski.

SOFTER EVERYDAY TWINS:
k2 seth (95-98mm) - mount 'em forward a bit for A/M
k2 maiden (108mm)- SOFT. FAT. FUN.
volkl gotama (105mm) - not too soft, not too stiff. great everyday ski for lightweights. skis short.
salomon s-lab gun (101mm) - wish the PR was stiffer, fatter and longer? here you go
Salomon Foil (87mm) - another twin thats good for everything, particularly carving all mtn

FAT SKIS:
igneous FFF (118mm) - possiblly the best traditional shaped pow ski ever made. go fast, go big.
dp lotus (120-138mm) - the best progressive pow skis on the market. smears turns as well as they rail and huck
volkl sumo (120mm) - fat and soft twin.
big daddy (125mm) - sweet skis. nice flex, too bad they are made with atomic cap/edges
atomic Thug (120mm) - 190cm twin. too much tail for aggresive big mountain lines (IMHO).
sanouk (110mm) - very soft swallowtail.
crystal ship (115mm) - kinda silly. better off with icelantics
icelantic (115mm) - 161cm 115mm: tight tree ski = $$$ on the EC. pretty stiff.
praxxis POW (136mm) - basically a refined (lighter, wider) spatula. nicely made.
4frnt EHP (112mm) - bomber bases, rail well, ski fast. slay it.


CLASSIC SKIS: hard to find, but worth it if you can
atomic big daddy (107mm) - they rock, and are way easier to ski than you think
kneissl tanker (93mm) - basically they rule. low profile tip. they ski like a fat GS ski.
volkl explosiv (95mm) - the classic. not as stiff as you think.
volkl g4/40/41/ax4 (83mm) - classic. ski the 198 of you dare. perfect everyday ski.
spatulas (125mm) - yes they are as fun as you think
Atomic Powder Plus (110-115mm) - the ski that started it all. fat and stiff.
Rossi Axiom (110mm) - fat and stiff. straight sidecut. 183. foam or wood core. heavy.
Nordica W105/9.1FF (105mm) - super hard to find. they rip. buy 'em if you can find 'em
head monster/supermojo (103mm) - requires a strong pilot. but if you got the balls, they do too
volkl snowrangers (79mm) - classic. great bumpski, rock ski, billygoat ski
dynastar flame bigs/arnos (80mm) - classic. ditto the above
k2 extreme/TNC/MSL - if you don't know...

SKINNY/EC/EVERYDAY SKIS:
stockli stormrider XL (75mm) - the best skinny a/m ski out there, IMVHO
head monster (82-88mm) - pretty stiff, ripping everyday skis w/ a bit of sidecut.
ak no ka oi (83mm) - super well made mid-fat. nice shape.

PARK SKIS: (courtesy of skibackwards)
K2 Fujative - very soft park specific
Volkl Dogen - soft all over no hinge points
armada T-Hall Pro - alot like fujative. RIP tanner
4FRNT STL - pretty stiff compared to others skis. pretty good all mtn
Armada AR5 - Good all mountain and in the park
Salomon Foil - another ski thats good for everything, particularly carving all mtn

TOURING SKIS:
PM Gear Bros - get the 179 soft flex. super light, nice round flex.
trab freerando - tour it up, euro-boy
Voile Carbon surf - pretty darn soft, but light and fat. a classic.
Dynafit 10.0 - dimension of the Carbon Surf, snappiness of the Trab Freerando and light
r:ex - edges tend to crack, but they are awesome touring skis.
CMH explosiv - the cheap stiff touring ski of choice.
k2 lawnchair - the cheap soft touring ski of choice.
k2 shuksan - the ski mountaineering choice.
line mothership/karhu jak - light and fat. what more do you want?

ALPINE BINDINGS:
look/rossi p12/14 - develop play in the heel very quickly. brakes don' bend well. sux w/ trekkers
look tt09 - find 'em on ebay or play it again. sweet oldschool bindings vert release. sux w/ trekkers
look p18/zrs/rossi fks/pro - great light comp bindings , suck w/ trekkers. bending brakes sucks.
salomon s900/912/914 - locktite the toe wings if they some loose. 900s have metal heels and the best AFD.
salomon 997/977 - get the 14DIN equipes. best oldschool binding out there...
salomon s916/920 - for huckers, they are the way to go. easy to bend brakes.
tyrolia dx9/mojo15/fisher??? - lighter than race stock, burlier than retail, cheap too - HOWEVER: the toe is NOT torsionally rigid.
atomic 1018 - HEAVY AS HELL, but: move back/forward, can lock vert release, fatty brakes

TOURING BINDINGS:
Naxo 01 - durabuility issues on 1st gen. later model good for most people
naxo 13DIN - not as tall as the fritschi and stiffer. looks like the leader
fritschi Freeride - really tall stack. tele mode on soft skis. lots of heel settings. not torsionally stiff .
Fritschi FR plus - still really tall, but MUCH more torsionally stiff.
dynafit - LIGHT. skis like an alpine binding. 10DIN only... dont let it clog w. snow (PAM)

TELE BINDINGS: (thanks lemon boy & homejay & hop)
Linkens - step in, neutral, durability probs w/ toebar, snow buildup in wet snow
Bombers - bomber, heavy, expensive, adjustable active/neutral
R8's - relatively active, relatively solid, relatively cheap, no frills just performance
Hammerheads - highly adjustable from very active to very neutral in theory but a pain in the field
UTBs - 10 point crampon, semi step in, sweet heel lifter, expensive, between R8 & Linken active
G3 - relatively neutral, somewhat less durable, somewhat sloppier than others, relatively cheap
Voile Hardwire - similar to G3 - neutral - with rigid rods instead of cables - cheap & light.
3-pin hardwire - more active flex than reg. hardwire, for uphill freedom and reduncancy incase wires/cartriges break.
7TM - releaseable, available more active or tour friendly or active AND tour friendly

SKINS:
BD ascensions - WINNER great material, but clipfix sucks balls, go STS for sure.
bd glidelite - tail clip works well, but they tend to freeze up, and absorb h20
g3 - 2nd place. i'd go ascension if everything else is equal

BOOTS:
GO TO A FUCKING BOOT FITTER AND GET WHAT FITS.
read mntlion's postHERE:
every company has a different shape last, and you need to find the right one
if it don't fit your foot properly, it won't ski properly.

NOT RECOMMENDED:
atomic powder ride/powder cruise/heli star - delam machines. stay away
markers - just in general. they get slandered pretty hard around here.
fisher big stix - issues with delam and fragile edges.
silvretta pure freeride - negative ramp angle = bad skiing

........

[Below Zero]

Uh....Pope. Didn't you hear the guy?

He would rather not be referred to countless threads! What's your problem man?

Now give the JONG the attention he deserves! Now, dammit!

[MakersTeleMark]

179 Seth.

[jibco]

Dont ride switch? Try a sploder or LP.

[Dufflogic]

I'm asking mor for sizes then skis.

[MakersTeleMark]

Oh, that's easy then:

HUDGE.

[Fritz]

190. Do it.

[hemas]

Big lines and not a lot of turning... 185 to 195cm


More billygoating and tight turning, around 180 to 190cm.

Oh and 90 to 105mm on the waist...

[Dufflogic]

What about 184 Squads?

[Professor]

What about 184 Squads?

Nope, those dont fit ANY of Hemas' requirements

[gramboh]

186 Legend Pro or 189 Squad.

[Dufflogic]

BUt i mean, a 189 for me sounds and probably looks a little big, i mean, I am only 5 ft 8, if that, and want a ski that i can ski trees, steeps, chutes, couloirs, drop cliffs, and occasionally bust out a huge "McConky Turn" haha,

Whats the deal with EHPs

[Dug]

186 Legend Pro or 189 Squad.

I concur.

[Crass3000]

If your experienced enough to ski comps shouldn't you at least have some idea how to pick your own ski? Demo some if you don't know what to get.

If you really have no idea start with ~180 ski with a relative soft flex and go from there (try a pocket rocket). If its too soft then look at the flex chart posted above and demo accordingly. Sounds to me like you want a short ski so you have answered half the question. Its really a matter of flex and shape. Just demo -- there's no way we can tell you what type of a ski you would like with the information you gave us.

[adam]

Your awfully picky about the advice you receive for a n00b.

[ChowdahRidah]

Yeah sounds like you've already decided you want a 180-185 cm and that's cool, although when I was your age and size I skied on 215s for mogul comps...BUT that was the style at the time. I digress. Assuming you live out west get a ski that is 95mm underfoot AT LEAST. Now you just need to consider flex. Flex is a matter of personal preference. Stiff skis generally ski snappier, and truck through rough snow. Skiers with racing backgrounds tend to love stiffer powder skis and they also ski well on groomers. Skis with a softer flex ski smoother and go over or absorb rough snow but require more input to generate power out of them. Also some softer flexing skis may feel sluggish. You really need to try them out for yourself to decide. Good luck and above all HAVE FUN.