Help Needed: Best All Mountain Skis for advanced skier

[Olesya Chornoguz]

@seatosnow not sure if you are still looking for skis or what length you are looking for, but I am selling 170 cm long Kicker POTUS all-mountain skis, go here

 

[Soujan]

Funny thing for me is that the skis I have liked the best and use the most are the ones I bought online without demoing. I did a lot of online research. The skis I demoed and bought (and also spent the most money on), the Goode Nirvana, I used for one trip and now they sit in my basement. I have the Nordica Inifites and the Kastle LX82. I loved the Infinites and have moved onto the LX82 which are stiffer. I'll hold onto the Infinites because they are easier to cruise and are more forgiving. Kastles are definitely not forgiving. I have buyers remorse for the Goode. I fell in love with them after I demoed them on a snowy day but they are too soft for east coast ice.

 

[SallyCat]

Yup....ya never know what you're gonna get in the East. And as I get older, I have to brace myself on those super-windy, or wet, subzero, or low visibility days.

And the conditions on the ground....good god. I figure you learn something no matter the conditions, so last year I forced myself to stay out on, literally, piles of granular snow pushed around on sheets of ice. Not sure what I learned, but I was definitely grateful to arrive at the bar uninjured at the end of it.

 

[SnowHot]

Hi, I'm new here and in a dilemna about what skis to get for this season in New Zealand. I mainly ski at Mt Ruapehu, which doesn't have a lot of fresh powder, so ski on groomed trails & off piste & often a bit of crud & sometimes ice (although I prefer to head back to the club then!). I'm 5'5/6" and 64kgs/140lbs.

I've been recommended the 2018 Blizzard Black Pearl 88s by my local shop.

I had K2 Burnin' Luvs (2006 model!!) for about 8 years and loved them - I found they were nice & stiff with a lot of rebound energy & were great for carving.

When I finally found the money to replace these, I was recommended Dynastar Cham 87s a couple of years ago and bought them, however I don't like them much as I find they are too soft and lacking the energy/responsiveness/rebound like that the K2 Burnin Luv's had. They don't seem to edge so well in the ice either (they are great in the powder & crud though).

I have been told (by a male on another forum) that if I find the Chams too soft, then I will probably find the Black Pearl's too soft as well and that I might prefer the Blizzard Brahmas (88mm) or the Bonafide (98mm) or the 17/18 Volkl equivalents Kendo (90mm) or the Mantra (100mm), however these look like men's skis so not sure if they would suit?

Can anyone tell me how the Black Pearl 88s compare to the Cham 87s & the K2 Burnin Luvs? And if these don't sound suitable, what would you recommend?

If you were standing in front of me on the ski wall I'd give you three recommendations with different tenacity, in the range of what you're looking for.(okay, 4)

• K2 OoooLaLuv - A little wider than the burnin luv, amped up in energy over the burnin luv, a little more progressive with a tiny bit of rocker in the tip(almost unnoticeable but works well)
• Volkl Flair 81 - This ski is powerful, busts through crud, kills the groomers.
• Armada Victa 87Ti - For 87mm under foot, it carves quite nicely. Its got enough float to handle a little powder, (boot top) and handle crud well. Because it has metal, its stronger than the Black Pearl in the same category but its not so strong that you'll feel like you can't relax.
• Head Wild Joy - Carves nicely, light weight, powerful and just floaty enough to handle boot top snow. This is the 90mm waisted ski that Head was missing from its Joy line up. Amazing ski.

 

[echo_VT]

can i ask those in this thread for advice too?

i'm an advanced skiier (beginning stages of advanced - i can ski double blacks with good snow fairly well, but if it has iffy snow, i can get down but i feel uncomfortable doing so) - but i'm not an expert and not even close IMO.

i have the chance to buy 2017-2018 nordica santa ana's 93 underfoot for 40% off - however i demo'd the atomic vantages 95 underfoot last year and altho i looked really good while skiing (says my ski friends) and skiied really well on them, i felt they were too advanced of a ski for me. i test rode the fischer ranger 98w and i thought they were really fun and playful but i didn't get to take them down really challenging terrain unfortunately.

in any case looking for advice. should i just get used to the fact that i probably need a better ski to move fully into advanced/expert? or should i trust how i felt? i didn't feel uneasy on the atomic vantages, i just felt it was a ski that just wanted to go which i wasn't OK with ALL of the time.

also should i go for the nordica santa ana's? i feel like they are such a good price it's hard to say no.

 

[SnowHot]

If you feel like the Vantage 95 is too advanced for you then the Nordica Santa Ana is definitely not something you should consider.
If you're looking for something in that width range, the K2 Fulluvit 95 is a little more forgiving than the Vantage, but with many of the same attributes.
Another option is the Dynastar Legend W 88

 

[echo_VT]

If you feel like the Vantage 95 is too advanced for you then the Nordica Santa Ana is definitely not something you should consider.
If you're looking for something in that width range, the K2 Fulluvit 95 is a little more forgiving than the Vantage, but with many of the same attributes.
Another option is the Dynastar Legend W 88

thank you for the recommendations!

 

[echo_VT]

i'm looking around and i was on the men's atomic vantage 95 ski. does that matter? i thought there was just one ski, but thot i should clarify i wasn't on the women's ski.

 

[Jilly]

Same ski inside. Just different cosmetics.

 

[echo_VT]

ah gotcha. i'm going to see if i can demo the K2 fulluvit 95 and the dynastar legend w88 early in the season this year and make a decision.

 

[nopoleskier]

ah gotcha. i'm going to see if i can demo the K2 fulluvit 95 and the dynastar legend w88 early in the season this year and make a decision.

I agree the k2 fulluvit95 is more forgiving than the Vantage 95, turns nicely, carved well, was playful, I demoed while skiing summer (july) snow CA conditions, some firm but mostly bumps and soft snow.

If you are skiing mostly the east coast you may like the 88's They may be easier to get over on edge vs the 95 since we have more hard pack/ice than out west. looking forward to your review after demoing

 

[echo_VT]

i've found that i generally don't like skis in the 80 widths, that 95-100 is a sweet spot for me. but thanks! it might be some time til i get to demo them and come back here. earliest i'll get to is when our local mtn opens will be Thanksgiving at the earliest.

 

[Aspenaut]

If you feel like the Vantage 95 is too advanced for you then the Nordica Santa Ana is definitely not something you should consider.
If you're looking for something in that width range, the K2 Fulluvit 95 is a little more forgiving than the Vantage, but with many of the same attributes.
Another option is the Dynastar Legend W 88

I LOVE my Fulluvits. I demo'd a bunch of skis last spring looking for an advanced all mountain ski, including the Santa Anas, a couple of different Head Joys, Blizzard Black Pearls, and a couple of others and the Fulluvits were by far the most fun and versatile for my skiing style for all different terrains and conditions.

 

[echo_VT]

that's so neat. i really gotta demo ASAP