Yet another what ski for me thread

[abraham]

So I broke my favorite pair of skis and am in the market for a new pair for the next few years.

I will be using them mostly at Stevens pass, but probably do a solid two weeks at snowbird. Im 5'7 and about 170lbs have no race background but like a stiffer ski.

I want something with a long but not exaggerated rocker, 105-115 waist that floats decently in pow but will work pretty well on a day with 0 new. I do not need a ski that stays on the bottom. I don’t really hit anything bigger than 15 ft but am still working my way up, like to ski chop at significant speed but probably slower than some of you. I enjoy a ski that is comfortable popping off things and gapping between moguls. I dont really care about how well the skis spin but am learning 3s and I don't ski switch enough to care. Thinking about a 185-195 ski, not too set on size in that spectrum.I am more interested in ski for lift serve but could end up putting dynafits on if I like the skis enough.

Currently have:
195 superbros
185 Praxis pows
195 FGS (I think)
183 M103

Skis I have liked:
192 bros with a slight, but continuous rocker. Before the tapered tip. 35Ish turn radius and 115 underfoot. Favorite skis ever, enough rocker to slide but subtle enough that I felt most of the ski was on engages when I put it on edge. Felt like I could ski anything on these, straightlines, pow, trees, whatever. These were my daily skis for the last 2 seasons at the bird. I rarely grabbed the praxis pows because I could ski better all day on these and felt I wasn’t giving up too much performance in soft snow. This is the ski I want to replace.

Praxis pows- effortless in soft snow not my favorite on hard stuff. Bring them out to play in the slush at the end of the season occasionally. Could be longer but its really not a big deal to me. Durable as fuck, haven’t coreshotted them yet and have had them for ~6 years.

186 EHP- Never got on the bigger ones but felt comfortable on these, not sure I could use them as much as my bros on harder days but probably would be ok with grabbing a different skis on hard days. Liked the rocker profile but I only had a few runs on them. Strangely preferred them to the Renegades. But I was not able to get the balance point right on the Renegades.

186 Comis- The blem ones with extra fiberglass, had no rocker. Skied them in a wide variety of conditions in the 08-09 season at snowbird. Tips are too fat and so is the entire ski but I felt comfortable even on days where the snow was hard. Now I prefer something with a bit of rocker for use in soft snow.

195 SuperS7- I skied this a bunch this year, borrowing them from my roommate. I thought the rocker in the tip was a bit more than I wanted. In the tail I wanted a bit more stiffness to stand up on and catch myself when I land poorly. I liked how playful the skis were but hated the feeling of the tip loading up while skiing through chop. The skis handled fine if I pushed though but mentally it was harder to trust them with that feeling in runouts. Not sure where they were mounted, maybe +1, but more center mounted than most of my skis. Could be a bit stiffer and straighter.


Skis I have disliked:
188 S7- Too soft and I hated the tip shape. See Super7 but much worse

18x CRJ-too pivoty for an everyday ski. Only had 1-2 runs on them so its hard to judge, but I think not the ski for me.

18x Bentchetler from 2-3 seasons ago. Also had very few runs but didnt click and the bases were stupid soft.

193 m103- Sank to the bottom too much, turn radius was too long for me most of the time and I wasnt a strong enough skier at the time. Bases were strong but sidewalls not so much. May mount them back up for shits and giggles.

18x Billy goat from 3(?) years ago- seemed too turny and didnt like the amount of shape in the tail. Only skied a few runs though.

189 Hellbents- fun but too soft for me and not what I'd want everyday. Rocker was probably excessive

192 lotus 138- Not sure which Flex or rocker, didnt like the feel of the ski for whatever reason. Felt like the praxis pows were more planted and didnt get as pushed around. Only skied for 2-3 days but never felt like it was an improvement on the pows. Sold them.


What I've thought about but haven’t tried:

Cochise
EHP
Wrens
Billy goat
Rossi

Squad7

RC112

Praxis

concept
RX
Woo2.0
GPO

Moment

Bibby pro
Belafonte

I have no idea how to pick between the praxis models, no idea if Im missing something obvious (probably) and havent had a chance to try any of these so Im just stuck reading reviews. Any advice would help. Help me narrow it down or make my choice even harder. I have most of the summer to decide

[JayPowHound]

Cochise...


And yea, try to demo some? Lotsa skis on that list that should be easy to come by at yer friendly local dealer.....

[SupreChicken]

Hard to imagine you disliking the 193 praxis MVP from that description. Good presale pricing to be had...I would email Keith your post and see where he directs you. If you want to go fatter, 192 gpo is $$$$.

IMHO of course

[D(C)]

The Bibby Pro would be a pretty safe recommendation for what you're after. They're so versatile and well-rounded, most people who know how to drive a directional ski should be able to enjoy them. They're what I hoped the Super 7 would be after owning original S7s and wanting something a bit more stout with less splay.

[abraham]

Yeah the season is almost over at stevens. Im going to look into demos for this weekend and next and maybe some demos at crystal after that. i have no problem buying without sampling but like trying skis anyway.

My problem with praxis is that there are 4 models that are interesting to me and I have no idea how to pick between them. But I have been eyeing that presale and I know the skis are built excellently. I'll send an email and see what they recommend.

How does the bibby pro compare to the original 186 bibby? I really doubt I can go wrong with any of the options listed but I can overanalyze while saving up the money.

[sf]

I want something with a long but not exaggerated rocker, 105-115 waist that floats decently in pow but will work pretty well on a day with 0 new. I do not need a ski that stays on the bottom. I don’t really hit anything bigger than 15 ft but am still working my way up, like to ski chop at significant speed but probably slower than some of you. I enjoy a ski that is comfortable popping off things and gapping between moguls. I dont really care about how well the skis spin but am learning 3s and I don't ski switch enough to care. Thinking about a 185-195 ski, not too set on size in that spectrum.I am more interested in ski for lift serve but could end up putting dynafits on if I like the skis enough.

I have no idea how to pick between the praxis models, no idea if Im missing something obvious (probably) and havent had a chance to try any of these so Im just stuck reading reviews. Any advice would help. Help me narrow it down or make my choice even harder. I have most of the summer to decide

Most of the skis you mention is above or in the upper part of the 105-115 range you mention, nothing wrong with that, just sayin...
The 190 praxis BC has great float for a 106-waisted ski, pretty nimble, and skis hardpack well. In a med/stiff it is pretty stiff underfoot, with medium tip and tail. It should definitively be on your list. That being said; they are pretty light and tend to get thrown around a bit in crud etc. Not much, but since you mention skiing chop it might be a deal-breaker. On the other hand, if you talk to Keith he'll probably make you a non-carbon version, adding a bit of weight and stability.

[buttahflake]

line influence 115.

[skimaxpower]

Buy my 182 Czars for cheap. Local-ish. Could meet in Seattle. 111mm waist. Tip rocker, camber under foot.

[marshalolson]

if you like the 192 big bros, you will love faction 13's (blue, japan art graphic ones).

[Shorty_J]

GPO looks remarkably similar to the Billy Goat in dims... maybe a bit more subtle tip and tail rocker though.

[HighWest]

I enjoyed the 195 Super7 in everything but deep pow for same reasons you mentioned. The soft snow performance of the Bibby Pro was fun as hell, but I did not enjoy the way it chattered on hard pack though. To be fair, I think I tuned them like shit, and that could've screwed them up. The Squad7 has been ridiculous in everything, inspires confidence and results in high speed and daring those shitty landings. The two pairs of Praxis in my house are beautiful and I have a hard on for the GPO, but haven't tried it yet.

[Chugachjed]

Why not get another pair of 192's? Is that too obvious? I've been on a pair for 3 seasons with carbon, lhasa tip, and long slight rocker. They kill everything, they're light and powerful and with the little bit of rocker they carve to slarve to smear with the greatest of ease.