First post! Please help 5’11 choose a ski!

[Wouldskieveryday]

Thank you for accepting me to this community! This is my first post so forgive me if I do or say anything incorrect.



I am looking to purchase my 3rd ski (got promoted recently) and am totally lost and conflicted. I want something free ride-y twin tip with tip and tail rocker, playful, from 95-100 underfoot. But should I just buy a powder ski instead? I don’t know.


Context:

My current mountain is Killington, VT but I am moving to Michigan next year and will probably ski Utah and Colorado with trips to Europe and Japan so I want a new daily driver or powder ski.

I have around 3 seasons/ 30 days of experience and consider myself a progressing intermediate skier when confident (can ski most blacks in VT and some doubles in Japan), but after a bad fall I tend to get in the backseat and lose confidence.


Skis I have right now:

• East coast all mountain carving ski: Elan Wildcat 86C Black
• My for fun all mountain ski: Line Sakana 105

Skis I’m considering:

• Season Nexus 102: Learned how to carve on these! Felt pretty good and could handle groomers and powder in Japan. But not very playful or fun.
• Salomon QST

Thank you!!!!

 

[Verve]

Welcome we’re the same height! It opens up a lot of options for unisex skis that don’t always come in shorter lengths.

Are you thinking QST 106? I’ve enjoyed that one. What are you looking for that the Sakana isn’t doing well for you right now? (Not that we need a reason to want more skis, but just to get more of a sense of your preferences).

In the more daily driver all-mountain direction you could also look at the Rustler/Sheeva 10. Even more twin-tipped would be the Unleashed series from Nordica. You can likely demo their narrower versions somewhere in Killington. I know we have the Rustler 10 up here at Sugarbush to demo.

 

[marzNC]

Welcome!

Paging @Olesya C

 

[teppaz]

Based on your description (free ride-y, twin tip, playful), I’d mention the Icelantic Maiden 94 or 104. I skied the 101 on a stormy day at Targhee last season and it was pure fun. The Maiden line was redesigned in 2025 to have a bit more stability and dampness (good move) but its essential spirit is said to remain the same. Definitely worth a demo if you can find one.

 

[spoicegurl]

Thank you for accepting me to this community! This is my first post so forgive me if I do or say anything incorrect.



I am looking to purchase my 3rd ski (got promoted recently) and am totally lost and conflicted. I want something free ride-y twin tip with tip and tail rocker, playful, from 95-100 underfoot. But should I just buy a powder ski instead? I don’t know.

I know you said QST, but you should really try and demo some sheeva 9's. It's exactly what you're looking for! The freeride shape/rocker profile makes it so fun and easy to pivot the skis through variable terrain and powder, and it just so happens that the ski can carve WELL too. I think it will handle ice and crud a bit better than the QSTs and Icelantics someone suggested

 

[Olesya C]

I am 6'1" and over 180 pounds. I own and love Rustler 10, it's an incredibly versatile and easy-going, fun ski in my opinion. It handles hard pack and ice incredibly well for a 102 mm wider ski, is super fun in bumps and trees, can easily handle some powder too. Happy to tell you more about other options I demoed in the past.

 

[tika55]

I'm not quite your height (5'9", 170 lb ish). I tried the QST Luxe (92 maybe?) and haaaated it. So chattery. Possibly it was too short but I would definitely demo this one if you haven't.

 

[K.LoSki]

I am 6'1" and over 180 pounds. I own and love Rustler 10, it's an incredibly versatile and easy-going, fun ski in my opinion. It handles hard pack and ice incredibly well for a 102 mm wider ski, is super fun in bumps and trees, can easily handle some powder too. Happy to tell you more about other options I demoed in the past.

Did you demo/try the rustler 9 or the sheeva as well? I demo'd the rustler 9 and i absolutely loved it but didnt get a chance to demo the 10 or the sheeva. I thought the sheeva might be too light and chattery.

 

[spoicegurl]

If you have an 85 and a 105, I would personally look for a fatter ski for your quiver instead of filling the gap - only because you mention skiing pow in utah, japan, etc and the line sakana probably feels very nimble for a 105cm because of how much sidecut it has.

If you want a forgiving-ish pow ski for your progressing abilities, the bent 110 and DPS pagoda 112 are great options. They're very approachable and decent on groomers. The DPS turns on a dime and is surprisingly easy to get on edge. The bent might feel a little more surfy and less directional.

 

[Olesya C]

Did you demo/try the rustler 9 or the sheeva as well? I demo'd the rustler 9 and i absolutely loved it but didnt get a chance to demo the 10 or the sheeva. I thought the sheeva might be too light and chattery.

I demoed Rustler 9 and it was ok, I liked the 10 better in the spring soft snow/corn/slush conditions, at least for me personally 10 was much more stable and more fun. I didn't demo Sheeva because I would need 180+ length for my weight/height and I am not even sure they have that in a women's ski. I know other women who are lighter/smaller then me that enjoy the Sheevas a lot, so to each their own. Rustler has metal and I am not sure if Sheeva has metal in it, if it doesn't then may not work as well for a taller/heavier and more aggressive skier.

 

[Verve]

I demoed Rustler 9 and it was ok, I liked the 10 better in the spring soft snow/corn/slush conditions, at least for me personally 10 was much more stable and more fun. I didn't demo Sheeva because I would need 180+ length for my weight/height and I am not even sure they have that in a women's ski. I know other women who are lighter/smaller then me that enjoy the Sheevas a lot, so to each their own. Rustler has metal and I am not sure if Sheeva has metal in it, if it doesn't then may not work as well for a taller/heavier and more aggressive skier.

Sheeva has a fiberglass core where the rustler has metal. They did make the Sheeva 10 in a 180 this year, and they used to make them even longer, which I think is rad.

So there is a significant size overlap between Sheeva & Rustler where folks can choose either. Hard to demo the Sheeva in its longest lengths though.

 

[Olesya C]

Sheeva has a fiberglass core where the rustler has metal. They did make the Sheeva 10 in a 180 this year, and they used to make them even longer, which I think is rad.

So there is a significant size overlap between Sheeva & Rustler where folks can choose either. Hard to demo the Sheeva in its longest lengths though.

Yeah it's almost impossible to find women's skis to demo above 175 cm. I have demoed Santa Ana 97 in 179 cm last year and that was a great find. I agree that it is great they make Sheeva in 180 cm length.

I think I mentioned upthread I own Rustler 10 and very happy with it, have many days on them now. They are just right, not too stiff and not too soft. IMHO at my weight/height Sheeva would be too soft even in 180 cm.

 

[MrsPlow]

5'8 here - I have the older version of the Rustler 10 (172). Really like it and I'm planning to replace it with the new version once they wear out. The skis have held up amazingly well given how many days I've skied them (and how many rocks and tree stumps they've run over).

 

[K.LoSki]

I demoed Rustler 9 and it was ok, I liked the 10 better in the spring soft snow/corn/slush conditions, at least for me personally 10 was much more stable and more fun. I didn't demo Sheeva because I would need 180+ length for my weight/height and I am not even sure they have that in a women's ski. I know other women who are lighter/smaller then me that enjoy the Sheevas a lot, so to each their own. Rustler has metal and I am not sure if Sheeva has metal in it, if it doesn't then may not work as well for a taller/heavier and more aggressive skier.

nice! How does it do in bumps/trees? Do you have a more narrow ski for lower tide days as well?

 

[Olesya C]

nice! How does it do in bumps/trees? Do you have a more narrow ski for lower tide days as well?

I love them in bumps and trees, they have a good amount of tail rocker and very easy to pivot. I love to ski bumps and I think Rustler 10 does great in bumps, better then all 100 mm skis I had in the past. I also started to learn to ski switch on them and they are fun for that too.

They have a great edge hold for 102 mm wide ski and I have a great time on groomers IMHO. They are a fairly stout ski and I can ski them really fast on groomers actually, haven't found the speed limit yet. I don't use them in deep powder because I have fatter skis for that, so I usually ski them even when it hasn't snowed in a while out West. I really like them off piste when it hasn's snowed in a while, they deal with manky, old/weird snow well IMHO. They are also a blast in corn and spring slush. I think it's very versatile ski that does a lot of things well. If I lived/skied only out West it would be my daily driver probably.