I like big (I mean wide) skis and I cannot lie

[MNazWIcoWA]

Friday morning musings. I have been getting out on some skinnier skis i.e. 95-100 width. I must say I just don't like them. I thought it'd be nice to have a low tide ski, but I have come to realize I just like a ski in the 108-114 range regardless of the conditions for my DD. I'll take a fatter ski for big pow days obviously. Anyone else like this?

I should add that I would describe myself as big mountain/freeride type skier. I almost always ski off-piste and use groomers to just get to other off-piste. I love dropping off stuff, jumping off stuff, steep chutes, big open bowls, etc. Due to this I've always tended to grab more freeride-type skis. The shitty conditions in the PNW as of late had me thinking about a low tide ski to just mess around on, which brought me to trying several 95-100 width skis.

[m2711c]

it’s not that the skinny skis suck, it’s that you suck at skiing and the skinny skis prove it.









fact.

[MNazWIcoWA]

it’s not that the skinny skis suck, it’s that you suck at skiing and the skinny skis prove it.









fact.

Really? I never even said skinny skis suck. I just said I don't like them. Love how people come in defending skinny skis by suggesting that everyone who doesn't like them sucks. All those FWT skiers must really suck, because they are never on skinny skis.

[kc_7777]

I used to be this way. Skied Mt Baker ~70 days a year and my DD’s were Bibbys (116mm) and NAS Pows (115mm).

Now we’re a Whistler family. I’m older. This season I’ve been skiing lots on 170cm Head SuperShape e-Titans (83mm) and 180cm Season Eqpt Aero (96mm). Both have metal in them. Both rip on shit snow and slay groomers. I’m looking at getting some MB99Ti’s now as I’m liking the narrower skis. Rest of my quiver is 104mm+

I’d say try <99mm.

[toast2266]

I'm mostly in the same boat. My quiver jumps from 65 underfoot to 105 underfoot with nothing in between.

If it's truly terrible conditions, I'll bring out the GS skis. For somewhat less terrible conditions, the old LP105's keep me happy. That said, I've skied enough shitty conditions this year that I've been eyeing some 9X underfoot options.

[BeHuWe]

Without any disrespect intended.

What i would recommend is taking a lesson. I was in the camp for a while of “narrow carving skis suck,” grew up not a racer went back and forth between skiing and snowboarding as a park rat.

I worked in a shop for a few years and i was tuning some sl skis for a local coach. I asked him if instead of a tip, I could tune his skis, same day service, all season if he taught me how to carve and rip groomers.

Well this changed my ski life. Carving hard and ripping groomers is actually really fun when you learn how it’s done.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[SoVT Joey]

Friday morning musings. I have been getting out on some skinnier skis i.e. 95-100 width. I must say I just don't like them. I thought it'd be nice to have a low tide ski, but I have come to realize I just like a ski in the 108-114 range regardless of the conditions for my DD. I'll take a fatter ski for big pow days obviously. Anyone else like this?

I should add that I would describe myself as big mountain/freeride type skier. I almost always ski off-piste and use groomers to just get to other off-piste. I love dropping off stuff, jumping off stuff, steep chutes, big open bowls, etc. Due to this I've always tended to grab more freeride-type skis. The shitty conditions in the PNW as of late had me thinking about a low tide ski to just mess around on, which brought me to trying several 95-100 width skis.

post a video of you skiing then we can decide how this will go.

[MNazWIcoWA]

Without any disrespect intended.

What i would recommend is taking a lesson. I was in the camp for a while of “narrow carving skis suck,” grew up not a racer went back and forth between skiing and snowboarding as a park rat.

I worked in a shop for a few years and i was tuning some sl skis for a local coach. I asked him if instead of a tip, I could tune his skis, same day service, all season if he taught me how to carve and rip groomers.

Well this changed my ski life. Carving hard and ripping groomers is actually really fun when you learn how it’s done.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

I find it odd the assumption is that I don't know how to ski just because I don't like narrower skis. I wonder if everyone watching videos online of top skiers online who are doing crazy stuff on wider skis thinks "I think this guy really needs lessons so he can get on skinnier skis" lol.

[skaredshtles]

I've recently gone from DD of Fischer Ranger 106's to Ripstick BE 96's. Actually really like the Ripsticks for Colorado "variable" stuff. They perform really admirably up to legit knee-deep pow (Colorado pow, mind you, so the EASY shit), nice crud performance, good bump performance (though I'm not zippering that shit any more), and excellent groomer/hardpack performance.

That said, I'm old and not getting any younger.

And TBH on the knee-deep day I probably would have been just as happy (maybe more so?) on my 106's.

Rambling post is rambling.

[skaredshtles]

I find it odd the assumption is that I don't know how to ski just because I don't like narrower skis. I wonder if everyone watching videos online of top skiers online who are doing crazy stuff on wider skis thinks "I think this guy really needs lessons so he can get on skinnier skis" lol.

Don't ever compare what "top skiers" are doing and what the rest of us mere mortals are doing.

You ever watch the video of Plake skiing the old leather boots, wooden skis, and beartrap bindings? Fuckin' LEGEND.

[BeHuWe]

post a video of you skiing then we can decide how this will go.

Where is bushy and his skiing tips youtube channel when we need him


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[FloridaSnow]

I find it odd the assumption is that I don't know how to ski just because I don't like narrower skis. I wonder if everyone watching videos online of top skiers online who are doing crazy stuff on wider skis thinks "I think this guy really needs lessons so he can get on skinnier skis" lol.

I can guarantee you all those top skiers have skinny skies in their lineup. And I can guarantee you they can rip them.

using big mountain videos as an example is not valid at all. Obviously they aren’t going to use tiny sticks for that kind of skiing.

[EWG]

I was just looking at a recent video of a ski buddy of mine (who, granted, is much younger than me) throwing 3s on old Volkl WCs from like the late 80s. The bright pink ones. They are about 68 wide or something like that.

At a certain skill level you can ski pretty much anything. This dude is better than 99% of the hill on 40 year old skis and fully unbuckled boots.

It's all just different ways to have fun. The feeling of ripping carved turns on skinnys is awesome - and it teaches you how to do the same with 108s under foot instead of slarving or slipping.

[stealurface831]

op, what kind of pole straps are you using?
do you regularly practice double pole plant dolphin turning?

[Dantheman]

I've skied Sender Squads every single day this season, so yeah, I can relate. This is going to be very location-specific, though. It's *extremely* rare for conditions to be so bad at Snowbird that there's no good off-piste skiing where the big skis are justified. Other places are different, and I'm certainly not arguing that railing carves on skinny skis isn't a hoot.

[toast2266]

It's *extremely* rare for conditions to be so bad at Snowbird that there's no good off-piste skiing where the big skis are justified. Other places are different, and I'm certainly not arguing that railing carves on skinny skis isn't a hoot.

Agreed with that. Every time I ski in Colorado (or the Canadian rockies, for that matter), I think about how a ~95 underfoot would be great a lot of the time. Places that are a bit more feast / famine and have lighter, drier snow.

[m2711c]

“No matter what kind of ski you’re on, the fundamentals of the ski turn is all the same, if you’re on top of it.”

Marcus Caston

[carterhudson]

I used to daily drive 192 JJ’s in my early college years skiing 40 days a year at Lake Louise. They had enough mass that I wasn’t hating myself when skiing them through variable snow, but those COVID years up here had some great snow as far as the Rockies go. These past 2 winters have featured crazy dry spells that made me take the deep dive myself. Hopping on QST 98’s made me realize I really don’t need more than that to have a riot even on soft days. Unless you’re frequently getting 6 inch refreshes a skinnier ski will ski 95% of those conditions better, and still have the beef and support you need to land drops. Not to mention they’re a riot in the park compared to a truly fat stick.

Long story short, I think if you’re skiing areas that get under 300 inches of snow a year you’re better off on something between 96-100. This coming from my 90/10 split of off piste/groomers and park.

[CascadeLuke]

94-99 is my jam. I used to buy and ride skis for situations I wished I skied but now have more in the 90s than the other widths combined. 95 allows for running flat fast, edging well, stash & tree work, bumps, and travel. My 2 most expensive skis are 95 - including custom ON3P$.
The PNW is pretty snow sure and this still holds true for me.

[eSock]

I find it odd the assumption is that I don't know how to ski just because I don't like narrower skis. I wonder if everyone watching videos online of top skiers online who are doing crazy stuff on wider skis thinks "I think this guy really needs lessons so he can get on skinnier skis" lol.

what a weird logical leap. no one is saying top skiers need lessons because theyre on big skis.

You can get away with a lot on big skis and nice snow though. Skinny skis typically require more technical prowess to really enjoy, hence why people think you might benefit from a lesson (or suck at skiing).

[SoVT Joey]

op, what kind of pole straps are you using?
do you regularly practice double pole plant dolphin turning?

Of course he only uses releasable straps while skiing the steepest lines in the side country. Bushy taught him. Still waiting on that vid from OP.

it’s a 100% fact if you can’t ski a 60-70mm ski well, there is no chance you will ski a 100+mm well.

my DD is a 108 on the east coast. I got sick of skiing race skis for 15 years.

[Shu Shu]

I went from DDing wildly inappropriate skis for the conditions (still fun) to a 99 waist for most things including travel. I tried a few of the mid high 80mm skis like the kendo and brahma, and didn't love them. This year I tried to add a low 90s ski with a hard snow bias, but somehow ended up on a bigger ski (Corvus) . The irony is that its way a better hard snow shit snow ski then my 99mm waisted ski. So shape construction, profiles play a huge role in it as well. That being said I think I would love Corvus in a 96mm waist. OP what do you like about fatter skis in low tide conditions, that you couldn't get in the narrower skis you demoed?

edit. LOL Joey pushed me over the edge on the Corvus. For which I will always be grateful. But I'm living proof you don't a race background to love the Corvus.

[Jason4]

I'm a shit skier but getting better (I'm really a snowboarder looking for a way to make black diamonds more exciting). I've bounced around with widths but most of my DDs have been 110-120 with one excursion down to 106. I liked the 106s but felt they were a little soft and short for lift laps so I rotated those into touring duty. My current DD is a Lib Hemi 112 which has been super fun, I think I'm going to add the Hemi 102 to finish out this season on. My ski mentor has suggested that I go down a size as I go down in width. I expect them to be just as fun as the girthier version but hopefully a little more nimble in the frozen mank and less effort on hard groomers. My winters are spent mostly at or near Baker so that's what my quiver is meant for.

[SoVT Joey]

I'm a shit skier but getting better (I'm really a snowboarder looking for a way to make black diamonds more exciting). I've bounced around with widths but most of my DDs have been 110-120 with one excursion down to 106. I liked the 106s but felt they were a little soft and short for lift laps so I rotated those into touring duty. My current DD is a Lib Hemi 112 which has been super fun, I think I'm going to add the Hemi 102 to finish out this season on. My ski mentor has suggested that I go down a size as I go down in width. I expect them to be just as fun as the girthier version but hopefully a little more nimble in the frozen mank and less effort on hard groomers. My winters are spent mostly at or near Baker so that's what my quiver is meant for.

soft has zero to do with the width. A bodacious is stiffer then tons of skis on the market and it’s 122mm

[LHutz Esq]

Having to pick from a quiver of one is just sad.

Get them all.

I have collected everything from 165cm sl fis skis with a 13m radius, to a 180 gs ski, to some 95cm waisted dailies, 95cm spring touring, 110 daily touring, 120 pow ski, to the 140 Flatypus Alotas that just sit on the wall waiting for "that day"

They are all fun. You definitely need to know how to ski to turn the gs skis, and you have to be on top of the sl skis as well, but if you are they are so much more fun than fat skis in low tide conditions.

Skiing is all about variety and wonton consumerism (ya I know I spelled that wrong and now I really want dumplings).