Quest for perfection - skis that have come close

[D(C)]

If you've paid attention to my Gear Swap activity over the past few years, I have been through a lot of skis. I find things I like about most skis I use, but even with those that are absolutely great, I'm always looking to improve upon a ski's weaknesses. Through my quiver quest, I have sometimes taken steps away from perfection but have learned in the process.

My ski highlight reel:

188 Rossi S7 (May 2009 - Apr 2010) - so versatile, I could use them anytime anywhere and know I'd be covered. Sold them because they were a touch floppy and planed slow in pow.

188 Rossi RC 112 (Jan - Apr 2010) - great charging ski, just about right but a touch too stiff in variable snow, leading to a jarring ride.

190 Moment Bibby Pro (Mar 2012 - Apr 2013) - this is the ski I wanted the S7 to be. It has the same versatility but more integrity. Tough in trees at times. Sold to try 184 Bibbys (too short, lost the magic) and now 192 2014 Bibbys (we'll see).

182 Moment Garbones (May 2012 - present) - an improvement upon the RC 112. They're noticeably less jarring while still being a great charger, and the shorter length adds versatility. Honestly these have no downsides other than them not being made anymore.

It's funny how I nearly found it in 2010 and have come back to very similar skis 2 years later after dabbling in many options.

Sorry for the blog. Just getting excited about the snow. I'd be interested to hear from other serial quiver swappers regarding your quest.

[smartyiak]

I am not the most learned person in this area...but the Worth Magic is pretty excellent in all respects. It's only been out for a year, but I used them about 30days last year and am not looking for any new skis this year.

Do Work is gonna back me up on this one.

[marshalolson]

fun thread. here is my personal highlight real.

igneous FGS (1999-2002) -- 88mm waist @ 195cm might seem quaint these days, but these were the crushers back then.
atomic powder plus (2002-2005) -- i still think these things are as good as any modern metal ski out there.
Lotus 138 (2006+) -- started belt-sanding spoon into these in 2006/7. 6deg base edge, 1cm deep into the base = awesomeness

[schindlerpiste]

Only downside to Garbones is a flared tail. The perfect ski: Kastle MX98 squaretail. That is why it is making a comeback.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

5 year search for a go-to winter touring ski. I've owned these and tried a few more:

190 Lotus 120- most fun I've ever had on skis, but not my favorite to skin or climb with because they're long and tip-heavy. Imperfect balance when not in powder. Found myself reaching for other skis when conditions were uncertain.

180 Praxis BC- Just about perfect but wanted more length in some conditions. Should never have sold.

191 Lhasa Pows- 186 would have been better for touring. Great resort ski for me if I lived 2000 miles west. A little picky about stance, but very rewarding as well.

185 Worth Humpback, Carbon Response Core- Another excellent pair of skis. Nearly as fun as the Lotus 120's in pow, but more versatile. More user friendly than the Lhasas. But a bit soft in the tip and tail. I should have ordered the stiffer Power Core.

187 Praxis MVP- Another ski that was better for riding lifts than for touring. A bit stiff for billy goating, survival turns and tight trees. Prefer less tail rise for touring. If I were good/stupid/young enough to ski fast all the time these would be great because they haul ass in all kinds of 3D snow despite being pretty light.

Countdown 4's- Still have these. Small for a go-to winter ski, but great for spring and long tours. Stiff, but easy because of the shape. Tail rocker is long but low. Works great. Would love to try some of Down's bigger skis.

This year:

Trying out the 190 Praxis BC's and 186 Lhasas. Will probably leave one pair in Italy since the price of flying with skis has become insane. I'm a bit nervous that the tips on the Praxis are softer than on my 180's. But hand flexing only tells so much.

Skis I still want to try:

Prior Husume XTC
183/187 Bro Fat
Lotus 120 Spoons
G3 Zen Oxide C3
Worth Humpback Power Core
Worth Magic
Voile Charger
Countdown 3 Carbon and 6
Praxis Freeride in a medium flex
Cham 107 High Mountain

[Timberridge]

the K2 Four

[kc_7777]

I could talk about this stuff all day.

Ski buying/owning philosophy: Try a ton of skis, sell the losers, keep the winners, only focus on the price differential.....ie I bought Cochises for $499, sold later on ebay for $370, then bought Deatwishes for $450....you are only out $80 ($450 - $370)....as you still have a pair of skis....and you "lost" $80 making the switch. Then divide the $80 by the number of ski days on the Cochises....eg $80/8 = $10 per day.....as long at that number is less than the cost to demo you are doing fine.

I have had other various skis over that last 2 years, but below are the main ones I have used in variable and deeper snow, which is probably what interests most here:

185 Line EP Pro (2011 season) – great Manning Park ski (= light, dry, untouched snow), so fun

185 Armada JJ (Dec 2011 – Jan 2012) – bought it cause of the hype, sort of liked it but it felt short and unstable, skied it 10 days then sold it for a decent price as they were sold out everywhere

Then…..seasons pass at Baker and joined tgr…..problem really started!

185 Mr Pollards Opus (Dec 2011 – Jan 2012) – always had Line skis prior to being on tgr (Bacons, EP Pros, Blends), the Opus is a sweet ski, but was a bit soft in Baker’s denser powder. Sold it to buy Lib NAS Pows.

181 LibTech NAS Pow (Jan 2012 – April 2012) – Sold the Opus and bought these as they are everywhere at Baker. I regret ever selling this ski, it rips everything! Perfect Baker ski.

185 LibTech FF5 (Dec 2012 – Feb 2013) – I really wanted to like this (5 point design, stiffer than JJ), but it was the first year they made this ski and the rec mount was at -9….felt wrong, should be at -6, as it is very similar to a Bibby, but I could not get a straight answer from LibTech so I sold it.

182 Moment PB&J (Dec 2012 – April 2013) – great all around ski, mounted at +1 (-4cm = mistake….should have gone -1 = -6cm). Sold them as the Deathwish (-6) replaced it.

184 DPS Wailer (Dec 2013 - Jan 2013) - again, bought on hype on tgr and from some of my university students. Skiied it in virgin pow at Manning Park, unbelievable. Skiied it in crusty, heavy, manky Baker chunder.....almost killed me. Sold it.

185 Blizzard Cochise – (Feb 2013 – Mar 2013) – bought it due to tgr reviews, wanted to really like it, awesome on groomers but at Baker there are no groomers. Mount at -10 (rec) it just felt long in the tip, was just having more fun at Baker on the Bibbys and Hojis so I sold it. If I skiied big open bowls it would have been great

184 Bibby (Feb 2013 – April 2013) – felt so good after the FF5 with the f’d up mount, only problem is I put MFDs on it, but still an awesome ski, only sold it as I had too much overlap with the Deathwishes and Hojis. But if I had to own just 1 ski this might have been it. Felt perfect at -6 (rec).

184 Deathwish (Feb 2013 – April 2013) – demo’d these to try ditry moustache camber, played around with the mount position with the demo bindings, liked it at -1 (-6cm) and had so much fun I that bought a pair. They effectively replaced both my PBJs and Bibbys as a fun, do everything ski.

187 4FRNT Hoji (Feb 2013 – April 2013) – first rockered ski, love these so much at Baker, feels like cheating when in soft snow. Mounted with Sollyfits (Radicals and STH 16s), gonna ski these until they die.

This year I still have the 187 Hojis and 184 Deathwishes (and some 183 Line Blends). As I have rented a ski cabin at Baker for the season starting Dec 1 and am only teaching Mon and Tues. I can ski Wed – Sunday all winter so I expanded the quiver…..cause it is so easy to switch skis at Baker as you can park right at the lift.

These skis below are new to me and I am very excited to try this year:

182 Belafonte – needed a ski for ripping to beat my 16 year old son, and I’ve always wanted to own some Moment Garbones, so these should do the trick.

186 4FRNT Renegade – Owl version, I have read too much about these and just had to try em, set them up with Sollyfits (Radicals and STH 16s).

187 4FRNT YLE – I was trying to replace the feel of a centered powder ski like the Opus, but a bit stiffer….and had some bindings laying around and got them for $315 from Backcountry, couldn’t resist at that price.

182 Moment Comi – tgr community convinced me I needed a stupid fat ski for Baker, phoned Moment and they had some 2012 swallowtail Comis in back. Mounted with Sollyfits, will be fun in deep Baker pow.

Skis I want to try:
Moment Ghost Train (rocker matches sidecut...works on the Hoji!)
Rossi Sickle/Scimitar (rockered skis, cheap but sound fun,)
Line Sick Day 110 and 125
4FRNT Devastator (waiting on more reviews, if I really like the Belafontes won't need these)
LibTech NAS Pows again! (still pissed at the FF5 debacle, but do want to support them some day)

And should probably break out of Line, Moment and 4FRNT brands one day......ie ON3P, Praxis, etc.....but feel really comfortable with all their skis

K

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Ski buying/owning philosophy: Try a ton of skis, sell the losers, keep the winners, only focus on the price differential.....ie I bought Cochises for $499, sold later on ebay for $370, then bought Deatwishes for $450....you are only out $80 ($450 - $370)....as you still have a pair of skis....and you "lost" $80 making the switch. Then divide the $80 by the number of ski days on the Cochises....eg $80/8 = $10 per day.....as long at that number is less than the cost to demo you are doing fine.

exactly.

[undertow2]

exactly.

Last time I checked $499 from $370 is not $80... And I gave up a long time ago looking for the "Unicorn" ski...! I love everyone of the skis in my current quiver and each to me has a place... To date one of my all time favorites is my 191 ON3P Billy Goat as it just flat out gets after it... Pow, chopped up - you name it I have not found a condition I do not like them in when there is any fresh at all... However, I also have 192 Mr. Pollards Opus, which is complete opposite of my beloved Billys and this ski everytime puts a smile on my face, which at one point this type of ski I would have made fun on... And I know the same will hold true for my newly purchased 193 Praxis MVP's and 190 Line Sir Francis Bacon... Since I am no longer looking for that elusive "Unicorn" ski this is the reason I can justify hording and huge quiver overlap...

Now almost every ski I have purchased over the past several years were either done as a pre order or bought at the end of the year with a pretty big price drop... Right now I am eyeing a pair of 193 Volkl Shiros that I have found for $399 along with 192 Line 115s for $322... And as KC stated above I am really looking forward to the reviews on the 4Frnt Devastator... And if any and all of these skis are purchased I will just keep what I have and pull them out when I get the itch as again I know everyone will put do it for me...

[Power_Sauce]

Armada ARG -> Praxis Protest -> Lotus 138 Pure. This chain changed the way I view skiing pow.

[liv2ski]

I have had a lot of fun skis in the relatively short time I have been skiing (10 years). The conclusion I have come to. I will likely never ski as well, at my age, as the skis are capable of, on some rippers feet. That said, my focus this season is to take lessons and practice, practice, practice and to be very happy with the 4 pairs of skis I have. As I bought 3 pairs of them in the last 9 months, it would be great if I could just stick with them for a few years

[kc_7777]

Last time I checked $499 from $370 is not $80... ...

Hey undertow....never say that to your wife! Or ever talk to my wife!!!

It is not $499 - $370.

Focus their mind on the "differential" to switch. Use this logic.....

Say you invest $499 in a pair of skis (eg. $499 for Cochises in this example). You own 1 pair of skis. Then you then sell the Cochises and buy Deathwishes for $450. You still own 1 pair. Cost you $80 to switch ($370 in and $450 out).

Another way look at it is what is the cash out? = $499 Cochise + $450 DW less the $370 sale proceeds in = $579 total cash out.

So you are out $80 ($579 - $499) in making the switch, but you got to ski the Cochises for $10 per day if you skiied them 8 days? Cheaper than high end demo shops.

I do hear ya on buying mid to end of season closeouts. My only pair paying full price was the Hojis last winter. Everything else in my quiver was below $500 for brand new skis that retain values of $300 - $375 if you ski them less than 25 days.

K

[shroom]

my mind was spinning there too. sunk costs and all.. awesome way to justify a shit investment!

[BigDaddy]

Best skis and skier....





BigDaddys

[east or bust]

I am not the most learned person in this area...but the Worth Magic is pretty excellent in all respects. It's only been out for a year, but I used them about 30days last year and am not looking for any new skis this year.

Do Work is gonna back me up on this one.

How are they weight wise, would they be a bear to tour on?/threadjack


I know most of you aren't too fond on Line but my SFBs from last year (white topsheet with colorful trees and such) where pretty sweet. Skied them about 35 days out of 40 total, the only thing I would change is stiffen them a bit, other than that they were perfect for me.

[DeathVan]

This question is really style dependent, I like to go fast.

Somewhere there lies a cross between the Line Mothership and the DPS 112RP Hybrid (never skied the RPC)
-I'm hoping it's the GPO

although the original Volkl Gotama (black Buddha/wood sidewalls) never once let me down..hmm

[Chugachjed]

192 bro model. Kills everything, and so smooth.

[hoarhey]

fun thread. here is my personal highlight real.

igneous FGS (1999-2002) -- 88mm waist @ 195cm might seem quaint these days, but these were the crushers back then.
atomic powder plus (2002-2005) -- i still think these things are as good as any modern metal ski out there.
Lotus 138 (2006+) -- started belt-sanding spoon into these in 2006/7. 6deg base edge, 1cm deep into the base = awesomeness

Nice Marshal, how far back in the shovel did you apply the ghetto spoon?

[marshalolson]

Nice Marshal, how far back in the shovel did you apply the ghetto spoon?

tip to tail

[John_B]

Hmmm. That is an intriguing idea for my rock skis.

[XavierD]

185 Cochise

186 Vicik

And obviously the explosive.

[Shu Shu]

JJ-Garbones-Comis-Jag Shark-Concept----(still to be skied GPO)

Went form 88mm all mountain skis to JJs. Was fun for a while and were a great pure pow ski.

JJs->Garbones (105) I wanted to ski fast in crud and re-freeze, and honestly I was curious to see if could even turn them. Ended up being my everyday for 2 years. So indestructible so fast so bad ass so fun. Regret selling. As D(C) mentioned there a no downsides to this ski, it just comes down to style and preference.

Added Comis on the cheap just cause there huge. I think they're an awesome dry snow ski, but the tips are enormous and can be hard to keep under control when snow is wet and heavy. Lots of work/Law of diminishing returns.

Added Jag Sharks to try a more reasonable pow oriented ski with a similar shape to the Garbones. They do everything quite well, but didn't excite me in the end.

Garbones->Concepts. After some soul searching and a particularly bad fall that broke some shit, decided that I wanted to move to a ski that would challenge me to approach terrain in a different way and maybe re-learn how to ski a bit. Won't regurgitate my love affair with the Concepts again, but suffice it to say I could easily never be able to buy another pair of skis and be so stoked on these everyday.

Added GPO just because it looked really fun, cause Keith make sick ass skis, and so I can pretend I'm Tabke when I hit my silly little 10 footers.

[pfluffenmeister]

187 Kastle MX98

191 Movement Goliath

190 DPS Lotus 120 Pure Flex3


... if I had to choose three.

MX 108 is really good as well, more refined than the Goliath; good quiver of one, but not as much of a charger.

[wolfelot]

Dang. Good to see my impulse buys don't even register as numerous!

[abraham]

6deg base edge, 1cm deep into the base = awesomeness

I think I know what I'm doing with my old, dead 193 m103s!