Help Needed: Libstick 88 vs Black Pearl 88 vs ?

[JK800]

I would love to hear from you all, rather than some guys at the ski shop.

I am a (former) intermediate skier returning to the slopes after years of being away (broke and being a new mom). My home resort is Mt. Baker Ski Area in Washington State. Based on online reviews, I am thinking that these may be my best options:

Libstick 88 - LibTech
Black Pearl 88 - Blizzard
Soul 7 HD - Rossignol
Camox Birdie Women’s- Black Crows

I am looking for a ski that will handle a variety of conditions and will help me feel confident. I overcame my fear and taught myself to ski as an adult. 8 seasons ago I was able to do the majority of the runs at the resort, and could get down double black diamonds (it was not pretty).

Any advice you have on these skis (or others) would be greatly appreciated!! Bonus if you also have binding recommendations.

Thanks!

 

[marzNC]

Welcome! It's helpful to know your stats, meaning height and weight. Then Divas who are closer in size are more likely to chime in. I know my comments as a petite skier aren't as likely to be useful to someone who is much taller.

If you'd like to "meet" other Divas in your area, look around for a Getting to Know You thread under Divas Only after a few more posts. @Christy lives in WA and there are others as well I think.

 

[Jilly]

The Rossi Soul line was discontinued last year. So you would be looking for older skis.
I would add in the Atomic Maven to your list.

 

[JK800]

Welcome! It's helpful to know your stats, meaning height and weight. Then Divas who are closer in size are more likely to chime in. I know my comments as a petite skier aren't as likely to be useful to someone who is much taller.

If you'd like to "meet" other Divas in your area, look around for a Getting to Know You thread under Divas Only after a few more posts. @Christy lives in WA and there are others as well I think.

Thanks for the tips! And I am 5’10 and 130 pounds.

 

[JK800]

The Rossi Soul line was discontinued last year. So you would be looking for older skis.
I would add in the Atomic Maven to your list.

Thanks, I will! I feel so out of the loop. I appreciate the heads up.

 

[bsskier]

Welcome. Although I have no exposure to the other skis, my vote is the Black Pearl 88. It's a tool that gets the job done every time. It's fun, it's confidence boosting and it's popular for a reason. It's so popular you should have no to trouble finding a pair to demo. Once you buy, you'll have them forever (like @marzNC). I think the 2021 and 2022 versions of the 88 are super fun. Demo. Demo. Demo.

 

[JK800]

Everyone seems to love the Black Pearl 88s in the reviews. My old reservation was the width and if they would hold up in a big PNW powder day.

 

[JK800]

Welcome. Although I have no exposure to the other skis, my vote is the Black Pearl 88. It's a tool that gets the job done every time. It's fun, it's confidence boosting and it's popular for a reason. It's so popular you should have no to trouble finding a pair to demo. Once you buy, you'll have them forever (like @marzNC). I think the 2021 and 2022 versions of the 88 are super fun. Demo. Demo. Demo.

 

[JK800]

Thanks for your input!

 

[JK800]

Has anyone ridden the Libtech Libstick 98? I want to support a local manufacturer, but it seems like the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 is the safe bet.

 

[marzNC]

Everyone seems to love the Black Pearl 88s in the reviews. My old reservation was the width and if they would hold up in a big PNW powder day.

Honestly, now that I've been lucky often enough in recent years to really enjoy deep powder, I use wider skis if there is fresh powder that's deeper than 10-12 inches. Meaning fluffy powder. If the snow is heavier, then I'll go for wider skis for more than about 8 inches. I used to rent demo skis before I bought a pair of powder skis used from a Diva a couple seasons ago.

For what it's worth, my Alta instructor doesn't want anyone on skis wider than 100mm for a powder lesson. That included my VA ski buddy who is over 6 ft and a very athletic man.

 

[fgor]

I own the 2018-2020 BP88 and I think it's a great ski (not a universal opinion btw but it is popular!). I demoed a bunch of skis before buying it as a sort of beginner-intermediate skier. I still haven't demoed the 2021-22 BP88 but everything I've heard about it is very good!

However - and YMMV if you're a better skier than I, or just better in powder (we don't get it often here, so you don't really get many chances to practice) - I don't think it's great in a lot in powder. My experiences are that I just tip dived on it, a lot. Now I'm definitely completely rubbish at powder skiing, but I did end up buying a wider ski (just over 100mm), just for those powder days. It's also good in spring slush!

However I wouldn't ski that wider ski every day, it's not as much fun on groomers

 

[Christy]

You ski the snowiest ski area in North America, and, not a place that people go to stay in the groomers. Go wider than 88. I ski Crystal and my daily drivers are the BP 98. Even when there's not new snow I love them.

I actually did have as pair of BP 88s that were too long for me in normal conditions, but I really liked them on powder days! That was before I got the 98s. That was kind of an odd thing though. I don't think anyone recommends going longer rather than wider for powder skis.

 

[newboots]

Please demo before you buy! I can speak only about the Pearls, and can’t say anything at all about powder! The BP 88 is an extraordinarily popular ski, but people either love it or hate it. Try before you buy!

 

[scandium]

I don't like the Black Pearls. They're a polarising ski and I would always say demo (or if you can get a great deal, the $$ may not be such an issue) because you may end up with a ski you hate, which is a pain if you can't sell them for the same price.
If you are used to stiffer skis then the Santa Ana (probably the 93) would probably be a better choice. Don't be scared by the reviews putting the skill level at advanced - the newest version is very accessible. There's definitely more you could add to that list....

 

[fgor]

Oh yeah, the current version of the Santa Ana 93 is a fun and confidence inspiring ski imo. Fantastic ski for intermediates like me. I liked it even better than my Black Pearls :[ my poor wallet.

(I mean I ended up buying the SA88 not the SA93 but we have very different snow conditions over here - for your snow area, sounds like the 93 would be the minimum width you'd want to go!)

 

[Pequenita]

I overcame my fear and taught myself to ski as an adult.

Yay! Also, if you can swing it, consider taking some lessons on your new skis.