Widest Everyday EC Ski

[bennettc14]

What's the widest ski you'd use everyday on the Right Coast? I'm considering picking up a pair of XXLs for the job but also to use every year when I venture out west. What do you guys rock at Jay and Stowe?

[soul_skier]

allentaylor uses 110 for everyday, samtheman uses 105, i would say that some XXLs for everyday is far from normal, and will get some strange looks, but is perfectly doable

[Brock Landers]

Skied my Gotamas quite a bit on normal days last year. With a decent edge, they rip groomers. This year I didnt sharpen em so they didnt perform as well. XXLs wouldnt be so bad.

[SpinalTap]

I skied a 115 all season long. 179 Bro Fat.

I broke my mid-fats early in the season, and never got around to replacing them. That said, there were definitely days when I longed for skinnier skis, but still had a ton of fun riding the fatties.

[2nd mate]

last year: pistol 95
next year: brocker 112 me thinks
all but 1 east day at jay and did end up with more days on hellbents than seth. still would be a stretch to call them my everyday plank though.

[birdman829]

I don't think you'll have any problem on anything under 115 if you keep a nice edge on them (my quiver next year will be 93mm and 130mm). That being said, I still have a backup pair of 67 mm waisted ice skates because I don't mind tearing up icy groomers when the conditions dictate and its more fun on those.

[snowmonster]

Starting in mid-March, my everyday ski was a B Squad (100 underfoot). Good on deep days and holds an edge quite well in hardpack. Before that, I had a ski which was 94 underfoot (B4) which was pretty good though it wasn't as grippy on ice as the Squads. Great in the trees though or when you needed quick maneuverability.

[allenataylor]

I find that width only gets annoying when skiing bumps. Then all that happens is that you smash the tips together a lot. Like soul said I rock a supercharger blower as my everyday ski. Praxis powder as a storm day ski, and a 189 b-squad for going very big or fast or both. I think I would feel weird riding an everyday ski narrower than 95mm.

[bennettc14]

I find that width only gets annoying when skiing bumps. Then all that happens is that you smash the tips together a lot. Like soul said I rock a supercharger blower as my everyday ski. Praxis powder as a storm day ski, and a 189 b-squad for going very big or fast or both. I think I would feel weird riding an everyday ski narrower than 95mm.

There are a ton of good deals out there for Blowers right now. What length do you ski and how are they on hardish groomers?

[allenataylor]

I ski them in a 185. They are great unless things are truly icy, think 1/2" rain crust icy. The tails aren't stiff enough on real icy stuff. I actually have a lot of fun with them on groomers too. They are surprisingly stable at speed for how soft they are. The tips are really long and soft for powder so they tend to flap around at speed but that doesn't make too big a difference. If I were to buy a different pair I might go with the 190's and mount them a little forward just to get a little more tail.

I don't know how the enforcers compare in stiffness but if they are a little stiffer they might make a slightly better everyday ski.

I weigh 185, and have them mounted with 916 labs.

[bennettc14]

Yea I'm looking for skis next season from 100-115 waist that are stiff enough for the hardpack. Trying to narrow down my quiver to one for EC and WC skiing. Would love a pair of Bros but they are pricey. I feel something like an ANT would be perfect. Don't think I could push a Squad around. Guess I have some time to think about it though.

[Spartacus087]

Look for a blem deal. Splat is always getting rid of blems for super cheap.


Yea I'm looking for skis next season from 100-115 waist that are stiff enough for the hardpack. Trying to narrow down my quiver to one for EC and WC skiing. Would love a pair of Bros but they are pricey. I feel something like an ANT would be perfect. Don't think I could push a Squad around. Guess I have some time to think about it though.

[C.O. Jones]

I don't know how the enforcers compare in stiffness but if they are a little stiffer they might make a slightly better everyday ski.



I haven't skied the blowers, but I flexed them a while back. IIRC, the blowers were a bit softer throughout, especially in the tail.


Yea I'm looking for skis next season from 100-115 waist that are stiff enough for the hardpack. Trying to narrow down my quiver to one for EC and WC skiing. Would love a pair of Bros but they are pricey. I feel something like an ANT would be perfect. Don't think I could push a Squad around. Guess I have some time to think about it though.

After I trashed my tele gear this year, I spent the latter part of the season alpining on some Nordica Enforcers. IMO they're pretty much the perfect everyday/between storms ski (EC or out west)...98 underfoot can deal with pow leftovers, two sheets of metal makes them wicked stable, and the sidecut/construction makes carving on ANYTHING possible. I haven't tuned the edges once and can still carve true EC ice with confidence.

The flex is versatile, with a medium-soft nose transitioning into medium-stiff underfoot and through the tail. Combined with the metal, they either flowed over crud or bashed through it - very solid and confidence-inspiring feeling overall.

There were only one or two mentions of them on here before I bought them, and both were a bit negative, but I think it's a great ski. The twintip looks funny but has never once affected how I ski, no hooking or inability to release a turn. They're not twitchy while straightlining, either.

Negatives? They're on the heavier side, but that's the tradeoff for solid woodcore with two sheets of metal. The performance makes it worthwhile.

If you're going for a two-ski quiver, I'd say this one's a good bet, with something fatter for the deep days.

[C.O. Jones]

Yea I'm looking for skis next season from 100-115 waist that are stiff enough for the hardpack. Trying to narrow down my quiver to one for EC and WC skiing. Would love a pair of Bros but they are pricey. I feel something like an ANT would be perfect. Don't think I could push a Squad around. Guess I have some time to think about it though.

Regarding ANTs - they were stiffest in the nose, then loosening up a bit as you moved toward the tail. After using a few skis like this (and owning ANTs) I've found I prefer the opposite on the EC. In pow, it's going to be a lot harder to bring that tip up, and they're a lot less forgiving in trees. Conversely, the benefits of that super-stiff forebody aren't as noticeable when you're bouncing through tight spaces, rather than arcing down an open bowl.

Not saying they're not doable, or even ideal for another skier - just giving my .02 as food for thought.

FWIW, I ski Jay and usually ski just a little faster than I should :D

[bennettc14]

How would VCTs (189s) or Mojo 105s (191) fair out east? Both are supposed to be pretty good overall, I know the Mojos are decent on groomers. I also demoed some LPs over a month ago at Snowbird. Felt like they could do everything but would just prefer something a little wider for better float.

[mojorisin]

hey, buy my 184 kawasaki green squads. 100 waist, not that stiff, good float and edge bite. great in crud. this sounds like the ski you're looking for, seriously. cheap. pm if interested

[njfreeskier]

hey, buy my 184 kawasaki green squads. 100 waist, not that stiff, good float and edge bite. great in crud. this sounds like the ski you're looking for, seriously. cheap. pm if interested

yeah one of my friends uses them as an everyday and loves em. i say the same thing about my 182 vcts. i absolutely love them. floaty in the pow, super stable, pretty good on groomers, i can carve some sweet gs turns with them, and really durable edges and bases. at 104 in the waist...its definitely manageable.

bros are a very solid choice as well

[bennettc14]

What do you ECers think about the new Quads in comparison to the Sqauds from last year?

[2nd mate]

i once rode a zx-7 and to hear about a kawasaki ski makes the rum, vodka, tequilla mix laugh out my pie hole.:eek::eek::D
i hope i sleep better then i feel.
Never thin your quiver please. that would be space time disruption continum bad.

[snowmonster]

What do you ECers think about the new Quads in comparison to the Sqauds from last year?
I have a 174 B-Squad from '06-'07 but have never skied the B-Quad. From what I understand, aside from a new topsheet and some "rubber" under the toe and heel, the Quad is essentially the same as the shorter B-Squads (the 194 and 189 B-Squads are 104 underfoot while the 184 and shorter ones are 100). If you look around, there's usually a $200 to $300 price differential between the B-Squads and Quads so, unless the topsheet and the anti-vibration materials are very important for you, I would recommend the B-Squads. They're stiff as advertised but not ridiculously so. When I was looking at buying this ski, I was talked out of it several times because they said I wouldn't be able to turn them (am short and stocky). But, so far so good. Not as crazy stiff but you have to actively drive them and stay on top of them otherwise they can get away from you. On the up side, you can really push them and they remain stable at speed and in inconsistent snow.

Good float, doesn't get deflected in crud and they grip well on ice. Best uses are on wide open spaces where you can really rip it. They can be a tough in moguls because of their stiffness and can be hard to turn in the trees. In fact, do not take them in there. Overall, I love' em and they've become my everyday go to ski. Hope that helps.

[yodaottis]

Lib tec nas is also worth looking into. 100-ish waist, fairly deep sidecut, rails on hardpack/ice and has decent float. Great every day ski, originally bought them for deeper days and within a week the pair I usually used for all conditions were in the basement like an inbred cyclops while I took the libs for car rides and ice cream.

[bennettc14]

Anyone else care to share?

[Damian Sanders]

90mm is a good waist width if you're not skiing pow 90% of the time. Good for bumps, carving, ice, etc, but still good for pow/trees.

[mordy07]

I think the Prophet 90 or 100 would both be great choices for out east. I'm not sure I would go much wider than 100-105 for a pure everyday ski.

[buckethead]

my everyday skis:

170 W9.1FF (105mm) for days mostly in tighter bumps+trees
180 buddha 'sploder (95mm) when a turnier ski is desired
190 K2 'sploder (95mm) when i'm looking to ski fast and have a little more room to let 'em run, though found these very manageable in soft bumps

i only skiied my narrower 76mm fischer big stix as a rock ski this past sunday...and took one run on my 180 spalding 390s (my first skis) for kicks

[Shu Shu]

I got some great opinions and info on wide and reverse/reverse skis and their EC applicability in this thread, you might be interested in it.

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118734&highlight=mags+reverse