Powder skis for petite women

[GuloGal]

I just popped in to say I got my first 112 skis last year (DPS Pagoda tour) and they are actually my favourite skis now. They are mounted with an ATK pin binding but they are still the smoothest skis I own on resort days unless super hard and icy. I have a large quiver of (mostly touring) skis, and I think my desire for mid fats (102-108) has dwindled after buying these. Thinking I will get the heavier model and mount with an alpine binding. They are intuitive, quick, floaty, and even though they are very light and have a pin binding, they feel more damp than a lot of heavier skis I've tried.

Anyone who says you don't NEED fat skis - sure, need is relative. But they bring me a lot of joy! I smile way more skiing these than any previous 102, 104 or 106 skis I've demoed or owned (which is a lot).

I have skied Salomon rocker2, Faction Prodigy 3.0, QST 106, Rustler 9, Rossi rallybird 102, DPS zelda 106 for comparison.

 

[mustski]

I love my Volkl Ones (116) in powder. They make skiing powder more fun!

 

[Sokolva]

Thanks for this thread, I came here for exactly this hoping there would be a discussion to answer my questions. I’ve never owned fat skis for powder before but absolutely love it and want to get some and ski even deeper powder. My family is talking about Japan next year and I am stoked. My dream Pow skis are the Moment Ghost Trains in 168 length, but as soon as I posted seeking them out on Reddit I had a bunch of men saying I don’t need it and it’s too wide for a woman of my height. I was confused by this because this length was literally made and recommended for women and guys of my size a few years ago and discontinued because they weren’t purchased enough. To be fair, the men responding didn’t realize that it is slightly narrower in the sizes made for petite skiers, but I was surprised that me looking to purchase something was met with immediate warnings and resistance and guys telling me to get narrower skis not really made for powder. Sounds like the width is totally fine for a dedicated deep pow ski, which makes sense.

 

[rivarunnamomma]

I just popped in to say I got my first 112 skis last year (DPS Pagoda tour) and they are actually my favourite skis now. They are mounted with an ATK pin binding but they are still the smoothest skis I own on resort days unless super hard and icy. I have a large quiver of (mostly touring) skis, and I think my desire for mid fats (102-108) has dwindled after buying these. Thinking I will get the heavier model and mount with an alpine binding. They are intuitive, quick, floaty, and even though they are very light and have a pin binding, they feel more damp than a lot of heavier skis I've tried.

Anyone who says you don't NEED fat skis - sure, need is relative. But they bring me a lot of joy! I smile way more skiing these than any previous 102, 104 or 106 skis I've demoed or owned (which is a lot).

I have skied Salomon rocker2, Faction Prodigy 3.0, QST 106, Rustler 9, Rossi rallybird 102, DPS zelda 106 for comparison.

I second what @GuloGal says about 112 DPS Pagoda Tours. I live in an area with lots of soft snow, and I ski mine every day both touring and in resort. They can carve a great turn and do okay in chop too.

 

[Jerez]

Too bad they are so bloody expensive! Whatbis the "heavier model"?

 

[marzNC]

Bumping In case someone is hoping to find a deal on powder skis now that most ski resorts are closed, or over the summer.

I skied my DPS Zeldas, 106 underfoot, more than usual this season. Meaning a few days, but not in deep powder because I didn't get lucky for the ski trips out west. I've been working on carving technique with instructors in the last couple seasons. It's that much easier for me to get the Zeldas on edge these days. Makes for an interesting comparison to what happens with the Stormrider 85s.

As someone who mostly flies for ski trips to big mountains where deep powder might be available, I would stick to using my all-mountain skis for fluffy powder or demo'ing wide skis instead of owning powder skis. My Zeldas get housed in New Mexico with my primary ski buddy. So if a trip involves him, then I have them. I've flown with a ski case/bag with two pairs of skis a few times. Not what I prefer to do most of the time.

 

[Aerlind]

I picked up, on mega sale, a pair of Liberty Genesis 101s to use as powder skis. I know the “101” width is still considered narrow for a powder ski, but I didn’t want to buy a ski I’d only use for those mega-dumps, instead choosing something that wouldn't be ridiculous in 3-5” of fresh snow but could still hold its own on deeper days. I’m not heavy, only 115lbs, so that was a factor too. They’re not mounted yet so I’ll report back next season with how they do. Even if I hate them, they were $250 brand new, so I can at least break even if I decide to mount and sell them after skiing a few times (especially since I already have a pair of “extra” downhill bindings after converting a different pair of skis to touring skis, so my cost there is just the mount.)

 

[Jerez]

I have the old version of the Genesis in 106 (Envy) and still love them. I bet you will love yours too. And the 101 won't punish you if it is a dust on crust situation.