Make Tight Skis Long Again

[beeshbeesh]

At 6'4" and 230lbs, I am about to write a letter to Santa and then get on my knees and pray that the following ski models, in order of priority, get an additional length in the same increment as the others in the line:

Salomon Depart 1.0 in a 190cm

Armada Stranger in a 188cm

Armada B-Dog in a 188cm

Season Kin in a 187cm

Line Sakana in a 188cm

Mirus Cor in a 190.4cm

1000 Carve in a 189cm


Does anyone know if expanding the line-up of these ski models to those lengths is in the works?

[ZomblibulaX]

Yeah... that's not gonna happen.

Not trying to dog on you, I'm 6'3 210, but I think you're missing the point of most of these skis in the first place. They're fuck-around skis. They're just for jibbing around and fucking off in marginal conditions, not for really getting after it at all. And before any Mirus Cor fanboys chime in with how hard you can shred on them, OP is 230 and skis behave differently with different inputs.

This recent iteration of skis is really modeled after some of the not-so-new snowboard shapes from a few years ago, like the Ride Warpig, et al., that have a ton of shape, only come in a couple short lengths, and are not designed to be a daily driver. They're designed to make flat mountains fun. And running a 13-15m radius on a 190 is not going to improve the performance or accessibility of the ski, quite the opposite.

A lot of what makes skis perform well in certain lengths doesn't really scale well to the extremes of the spectrum. So a lot of skis don't even come in grown-up lengths anymore (>185), and if they do, a lot of times the longest length is just kind of a dog. The 193 Enforcer 100 is a perfect example of this: the 185 was better in every regard, but too short and turny for clydesdales. The 193 was just a longer, floppier version of a decent front-side ski.

My recommendation: embrace the fact that you can make a longer, straighter, stouter ski whip around and make some crazy turn shapes just by dint of you being a sasquatch, or try the noodly shorty jib sticks and see what you think. You might be surprised.

And coming form someone whose quiver is mostly shit from 10+ years ago and always skis the longest length of whatever is available: the Sakana is unsafe at any speed if you're north of 200 lbs, the Stranger is just fine at 180, and the Mirus Cor shouldn't even be offered in a 184. The 178 is more fun.

[bearcub69]

tall people need jib skis too.. its a shame the edollo/al dente is no longer available in a 188
would be awesome if the stranger and bdog had a tall person offering as well

but the odds of them offering longer lengths is slim to none.. maybe season would but don't hold your breath

[carlh]

6’3” 210 and my 181 blades are super fun for this and keep things interesting skiing with the kiddo. Speed limit is easy to find but higher than you might expect as long as you are on edge.

[TexasGortex]

I also really enjoy the 181 Blades at 6’4” 190lbs. It’s kind of like a recently divorced slalom ski that started dating a wild park ski.

[beeshbeesh]

Yeah... that's not gonna happen... My recommendation: embrace the fact that you can make a longer, straighter, stouter ski whip around and make some crazy turn shapes just by dint of you being a sasquatch.

Challenge accepted.

And, I see your point. My body type and skiier type are a niche in the market. Nonetheless, I think if the Sakana had the same construction as, say the blade, there would be customers for that ski. Imagining a fat heavy metal tight ski in decent length isn't that far-fetched.

For now, I'm still going to hold out for a 190 Depart.

[beeshbeesh]

Yeah... that's not gonna happen... My recommendation: embrace the fact that you can make a longer, straighter, stouter ski whip around and make some crazy turn shapes just by dint of you being a sasquatch.

Challenge accepted.

And, I see your point. My body type and skier type are a niche in the market, fine. Nonetheless, I think the fuck-around skis could benefit A TON from some added mass and stiffness. Imagine if the Sakana was built like an enforcer. It's not that far-fetched.

For now, I'm still going to hold out for a 190 Depart, try to demo the stranger, and pick up some Blades.

[pfluffenmeister]

193 Heritage Lab R110?

[Marshal Olson]

Elan Playmaker 101 is offered @ 188cm and is 18mR. It's a quite fun poppy and playful and can be had cheap. Mount range is -2 to -8 depending on the ride you are after.

IMO <15mR sidecuts need a short enough effective edge length to work. Otherwise they get really weird and hooky.

[beeshbeesh]

IMO <15mR sidecuts need a short enough effective edge length to work. Otherwise they get really weird and hooky.

That's totally fair. However, without enough effective edge, they don't grip. Take the Armada stranger for example. It balances out the tight radius with the long tapered tips and tails, kind of like a DPS wailer 100, but in a more reasonable and free-style. Don't you think they could size that one up to 188cm, take the radius up to 16.4m, and still achieve the necessary stability for it's ride characteristics to translate?

[Marshal Olson]

That's totally fair. However, without enough effective edge, they don't grip. Take the Armada stranger for example. It balances out the tight radius with the long tapered tips and tails, kind of like a DPS wailer 100, but in a more reasonable and free-style. Don't you think they could size that one up to 188cm, take the radius up to 16.4m, and still achieve the necessary stability for it's ride characteristics to translate?

Truthfully, I am not super knowledgeable about fine intracacies of tight radius geometry, as I am just not really interested in it, beyond hopping on an FIS SL ski every now and again and having fun trying different stuff. The Mirus Cor I skied last year was super fun.

But the math says there will be more edge pressure (pounds per square inch) on a shorter setup, since the pounds part is the same (the skier), and you are dividing by a smaller number (shorter edge length) -> more pressure on the edge.

I'd also say the bigger consideration (as a 225lb human myself), is torsional rigidity, as the build on many of those skis just arent really for big humans at high edge angles... and the longer a ski gets (at a given construction), the more easily it twist.

Anyhow, not saying your crazy. The original DPS Wailer 112 was literally a 15m carving ski edge geo dropped into a fat waist and extended tip/tail tapers to make the 190cm length.

I still think the ski you want is called the Playmaker 101. Is a 18m radius vs a 16.4m radius really a deal breaker?

(edit to add.. no judgement on that. just seems like a pretty fine distinction)

(edit #2... just looked up your enforcer and see they are like 18-19m... was thinking they were low 20's. nevermind! sorry!)

[beeshbeesh]

I'd also say the bigger consideration (as a 225lb human myself), is torsional rigidity, as the build on many of those skis just arent really for big humans at high edge angles... and the longer a ski gets (at a given construction), the more easily it twist.

That explains why I liked the enforcer 104 so much. Logitudinally approachable, but torsionally stout. How badly I wished it had that 16m radius though... I'll have to keep dreaming.

[FloridaSnow]

Moment Wildcat 101 can be had in a 190. And if you want super jibby the frankenski can be had in a 188

[XXX-er]

ski bud Tom had the 204 custom made "Tomski " by the local boutique ski maker

so I asked the ski maker why 204 ?

Ski maker bought a 40' steel beam and hacked into 4 pieces to make his press

204 is the longest ski that fit in the press

[Djongo Unchained]

Top shelf skis for bigger, stronger skiers account for a small sales % for any company and they tend to promptly dumb down the burliest in any line to appeal/sell to more skiers.

The skis you seek are gonna be made by a smaller ski maker with the ability to tailor or custom build to your specs.

In JH, the goto builder is of course Igneous. Not cheap skis, in fact kinda pricey. But dialed into your design and durable as a mofo.

https://www.igneousskis.com

[jackattack]

On3p makes the 191 Jeff 100

[singlecross]

I’m always on the lookout for the 202cm Fischer Ranger 108. I missed a set this year from the Targhee ski swap when my buddy out there phoned me when I was out hiking and didn’t have cell signal.

Who here is holding?

[beeshbeesh]

Anyhow, not saying your crazy. The original DPS Wailer 112 was literally a 15m carving ski edge geo dropped into a fat waist and extended tip/tail tapers to make the 190cm length.

I still think the ski you want is called the Playmaker 101. Is a 18m radius vs a 16.4m radius really a deal breaker?

(edit to add.. no judgement on that. just seems like a pretty fine distinction)

(edit #2... just looked up your enforcer and see they are like 18-19m... was thinking they were low 20's. nevermind! sorry!)

That is also fair. Truth be told, I’d like to have a pair in the 16-18 range. The groomers at my mountain are just steep enough to allow a ski that tight to carve a round turn over and over with controlled speed, but, you see what I’m saying at this point, most skis with that radius aren’t built to hold up to those kinds of speeds forces and my rider weight etc. Thanks for validating my sanity though haha

On the note of dps. They made a foundation 100rp with that shape a few years ago in a 189cm. Anyone got beta on those things?

[Marshal Olson]

Those are after my time, but pretty sure they have a -12.5ish mount point

[beeshbeesh]

Those are after my time, but pretty sure they have a -12.5ish mount point

Woof. That's crazy rearward.

[eSock]

192cm Bent Chetler 120s have a 20m turn radius ¯\_(?)_/¯

[Marshal Olson]

Woof. That's crazy rearward.

The 188cm Elan Playmaker 101 is 187cm straight tape, nice round flex pattern, plenty of torsion for a bigger dude on normal ski run, mounts -6 +/- 2cm, pretty poppy, and reasonably smooth. I measured the test set I used last season at an 18mR, but had no problem closing that radius tighter as a 225lb human. Its pretty light @ 1800g-ish, so quite playful and not for mobbing chop, but you already have a ski for that. Tune was insano race ski setup out of the package, but with a proper freeride setup and detune, it skied really nicely, honestly. Really no horse in the race, just think its the closest thing on the market to what it sounds like you are after... FWIW!

[beeshbeesh]

The 188cm Elan Playmaker 101 is 187cm straight tape, nice round flex pattern, plenty of torsion for a bigger dude on normal ski run, mounts -6 +/- 2cm, pretty poppy, and reasonably smooth. I measured the test set I used last season at an 18mR, but had no problem closing that radius tighter as a 225lb human. Its pretty light @ 1800g-ish, so quite playful and not for mobbing chop, but you already have a ski for that. Tune was insano race ski setup out of the package, but with a proper freeride setup and detune, it skied really nicely, honestly. Really no horse in the race, just think its the closest thing on the market to what it sounds like you are after... FWIW!

Thanks, I'll check it out! Was psyched to see elan going in this direction.