Eastern tree skiers...

[assman]

What ski are you using and what length is working for you? Thanks

[SB]

BG's in 186 or 191, Bros 191, Chargers 181. YMMV

[PlayItLeo]

I've got some major overlapage going on in the tree ski department, but at 6' 175 I'm rocking:

Rossi S3 186 - soft, playful, pivoty, quick. Great in shallow pow and bumped out trees

Surface One Life 189 - stiff as fuck, super short running length, charge or play, quick, surfy. Tips a little wide for bumped tree lines, but way fun in soft snow

Praxis Pows 185 - in soft snow this is the greatest tree ski in the history of mankind

[Beetman]

189 Black Diamond Reverts

[::: :::]

what exactly makes a tree ski? short radius side cut?

[Beetman]

I like a little rocker for easier turning, but to each his own...

[EEC]

Praxis Pows 185 - in soft snow this is the greatest tree ski in the history of mankind

X2

I'm still looking for a good harder snow ski, I used to love my 180 Volkl explosivs but sold them awhile ago when I moved out west for a season. Currently on 180 moment Tahoes which are fun but a little too soft for my taste.

[strawjack]

between my kids and me -

184 old mantra
180+/- CRJ
180+/- Line Influence 115
187 Praxis MVP

Personally, anything with some camber under foot is going to work. Rocker is helpful...for everything in the woods. I'm 6' and I really don't need over 180-184, but I'm old school, so dropping to the 187 from 191 was a step down. Now I think I should have gone even shorter.

Everyone is happy with all the boards above.

I dig the praxis, but they are not as good on the groom back to the lift as the mantra, but I don't care about groomers...at all. The 9D8 would prolly be a nice compromise if you like a little groomer skiing. I'm sure that ski rips.

[Smails]

For me the 183 Shiros have been awesome.

[MarcusBrody]

186 Billy Goats
187 Head Rock n Rolls

If I was only skiing tight trees, I'd soften the Billy Goats 1 point on a 10 point scale. I might for for the 180 on the Rock n Rolls for a bit more quickness, but I do like the extra float when I'm in untracked sections.

[weasel1]

Well....any of them. :-)


Shameless spam. Shameless.

[Todd Zander]

PM Benny Profane

[weasel1]

well then let's just throw in the praxis RX as long as were going there.
b

For sure. Damned fine EC tree ski. My ride before......

[ticketchecker]

Wailer 112 in 178

[ghosthop]

Depends on your skiing style but I personally prefer a more center mounted ski in tighter situations.
I ski a 174 Rossi S6.

[gaijin]

what exactly makes a tree ski? short radius side cut?

This is the biggest misconception out there, imo, regarding tree skis.

A shorter radius will result in tighter carved turns, but that shorter radius also puts the pivot at the other end of the radius. (After, and out of the carve, instead of before and into it.)

Most tree skiing is done with pivoted turns, so choose a longer radius for smoother pivots that will reward your open fields with arced turns when you put the hammer down.

Short radius pivots out of the carved turn make the ski feel inadequate and over-driven. Long radius pivots into the carve is how it works most naturally, imo.

Renegade, btw.

[Roder]

For what it's worth, I think the main determinant is length. I ski a lot of tight trees, EC bumps and steep, narrow chutes, and rarely see any reason to go above 180 in length. I'm a 6'1, 175 lb dude. With a good modern ski a lot of the stability concerns that used to drive people to longer skis are no longer an issue, to my mind. I've skied a 192 (wailer 112) and a 180-something Volkl Kendo and while I noticed a tiiiiny bit more stability at speed, I noticed a LOT more awkwardness in the trees and in tight spaces. For me, the trade-off isn't worth it.

To add: just like with a dedicated bump ski, if you're skiing mainly trees, I think you want something on the softer end of the spectrum. I don't like a noodly feeling out on groomers at all, so I end up in the medium-stiff range, knowing that I'm going to absorb more impact and have to work harder to avoid getting tossed around in the trees. But if I was getting a dedicated tree/bump ski, I'd definitely err on the softer side.

[ctw55]

Deviation Mode 188. Stable yet still can pivot and be fun in the tight trees

[BigDaddy]

Color is probably the most important consideration in the east...


Pink bottoms seem to work best (but Assman already knows that):

[Cocximus]

Snowblades FTW

[yellofin]

PM Benny Profane

Best elf tree skier at hunta

[yellofin]

Wailer 112 in 178

Also wailer 99 186 with dinadukes
Those 2 cover it all

[SB]

So Worth guys,

Which sticks in yo quiver would you recommend for a 6' 200ish guy, skis aggressively, loves tight trees, walks on the beach, yada yada yada?

[icelanticskier]

these topics never cease to amaze/amuse.

carry on

rog

[Beetman]

What is awesome is that the recommended skis run the whole gamut of ski construction. Stiff, soft, long radius, short radius, rockered, cambered, short, long, blah blah blah.