Imagine this scenario:
It's Friday. And you're all packed for a week long ski trip half way across the country (or across the world). And you make last check of the weather for your destination. Lo-and-behold, they predict a dump in 48-72 hours, 1-3 ft!
You have the chance to swap out your "all-mountain" ski for your powder plank. But the reason you had it in your bag was, the condition is currently "hard-pack". And it'll stay that way for the next 2 days still, till the snow comes. So you REALLY do need a REAL all-mountain ski, only one that will let you REALLY enjoy the powder, not just struggle in it. What would you take? (assuming you can have any ONE ski you want, but just ONE)
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Only the question is hyperthetical in a sense I don't have the skis yet, but I'm looking for one that can go in the bag in situation like that.
And the scenario is every bit as real. I was half way around the world when a foot of snow fell on day 2, and another foot on day 4, with 2-4" all the other days in between. What I found was the "midfat" (of ~75mm) I rented at the resort was barely enough to lfoat my boat (literally)! So if I'm going to own my own for situation like that, I'd be better off going a bit wider than 75mm, right?
But how wide should I go? How wide is too wide for the groomers, though? I'm sure a 90mm waist would be great for the bottomless powder. But until the storm came, there wasn't much base to speak of. So, man-made hardpack was the expectation. And in fact, due to poor visibility, we were limited to the groomers for 2 of the days because the only thing to stop us from going accidentally into the next valley were the trail markers lining the groomer runs. And the snow on it got skied out pretty quickly, down to the man-made base. And the "mid-fat" chattered madly on it.
What's the compromise ski that would be wide enough to let a (near) powder virgin to enjoy the powder without struggling too much, and still perform adequately on trail?
I know, I know, I ought to get my skill up to the task instead of just buying another ski. But honestly, how often do we east coasters get real fluffy, bottomless powder to pratice on? I'm afraid I AM looking for a quick fix to allow me to enjoy the freshies without having to put in weeks and weeks of snow time to learn to ski powder I may never again see more than another few days the rest of my skiing life!
Thanks, in advance, for all your input.
It's Friday. And you're all packed for a week long ski trip half way across the country (or across the world). And you make last check of the weather for your destination. Lo-and-behold, they predict a dump in 48-72 hours, 1-3 ft!
You have the chance to swap out your "all-mountain" ski for your powder plank. But the reason you had it in your bag was, the condition is currently "hard-pack". And it'll stay that way for the next 2 days still, till the snow comes. So you REALLY do need a REAL all-mountain ski, only one that will let you REALLY enjoy the powder, not just struggle in it. What would you take? (assuming you can have any ONE ski you want, but just ONE)
*****************
Only the question is hyperthetical in a sense I don't have the skis yet, but I'm looking for one that can go in the bag in situation like that.
And the scenario is every bit as real. I was half way around the world when a foot of snow fell on day 2, and another foot on day 4, with 2-4" all the other days in between. What I found was the "midfat" (of ~75mm) I rented at the resort was barely enough to lfoat my boat (literally)! So if I'm going to own my own for situation like that, I'd be better off going a bit wider than 75mm, right?
But how wide should I go? How wide is too wide for the groomers, though? I'm sure a 90mm waist would be great for the bottomless powder. But until the storm came, there wasn't much base to speak of. So, man-made hardpack was the expectation. And in fact, due to poor visibility, we were limited to the groomers for 2 of the days because the only thing to stop us from going accidentally into the next valley were the trail markers lining the groomer runs. And the snow on it got skied out pretty quickly, down to the man-made base. And the "mid-fat" chattered madly on it.
What's the compromise ski that would be wide enough to let a (near) powder virgin to enjoy the powder without struggling too much, and still perform adequately on trail?
I know, I know, I ought to get my skill up to the task instead of just buying another ski. But honestly, how often do we east coasters get real fluffy, bottomless powder to pratice on? I'm afraid I AM looking for a quick fix to allow me to enjoy the freshies without having to put in weeks and weeks of snow time to learn to ski powder I may never again see more than another few days the rest of my skiing life!
Thanks, in advance, for all your input.
