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  1. #26
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Missoula, MT
    Posts
    22,463
    Pfff, you're all wrong. Old 190 square tail explosives. And yeah, do the bevel at .5 and 3.
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Posts
    1,887
    Echo beer league ski or race ski. I would be hard-pressed to get rid of my Dynastar Speedzone 12s for this purpose, even though they don't get used but a few days a year. If I do get rid of them, it will be for an actual race ski. I've never raced, FWIW.

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Squamish BC.
    Posts
    707
    I’ll second the Blizzard Brahma’s. I’m in the same boat as you with no carvers. I rented a pair for a day of skiing icy groomers after a week of no snow. They held an edge very well on icy firm and I could ski fast and confidently. They were also good off piste in soft choppy leftovers.


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  4. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Squamish BC.
    Posts
    707
    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Pfff, you're all wrong. Old 190 square tail explosives. And yeah, do the bevel at .5 and 3.
    I also 2nd the explosives. They have a long turning radius,but great edge hold.


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  5. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    1,744
    Quote Originally Posted by DumbIdeasOnly View Post
    What do you see as the advantage to a Curv GT over the Head Monster 98 or Kastle MX99?
    They're easier to get on edge and will have more grip. (For the park scenario I can see why wider would be better).

    I'm on the east coast so that gives me my bias, but if you're going to be driving the skis on hard snow days why compromise*?



    *Assuming you have wide skis already.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    6,748
    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    For legit bulletproof days where you're not leaving the groomers, nothing beats a real GS ski. A couple years ago I put in a drunken lowball ebay bid on some Fisher RC4 World Cups that no longer meet current FIS spec.
    Have a pair of something similar to this en route, 183 and 30m (shortest FIS GS for women). Seems kinda nuts, but the price was right. Hopefully the race plates can be re-drilled for other bindings.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    西 雅 圖
    Posts
    5,361
    I went the real FIS GS ski route, and they rip (I detuned the side edge from 3 degrees to 2 to make them a bit 'friendlier" at normal speeds). Used the Blizzard Outlet site mtnlion suggested and got the 186 women's World Cup ski. True, I can't use my Zero G Tour Pros with them (could have used the ZG Guide Pros with the Cochise alpine sole, though) - have a pair of Lange RS 130's for those days (chances are you'll want a more powerful boot than your touring boot):

    http://blizzardskioutlet.com/product...duct=*40130101

    PS You have to order them online and pick them up at a shop you designate in Canada . . . also, they come with plates for Marker comp bindings (mine are 20 DIN).

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    NWCT
    Posts
    2,363
    FIS GS skis fucking rip groomers, but those groomers better be pretty empty, and you’d better be on them. As long as you stay in front and drive them, they’re a blast. If you get lazy or have bad habits, they’ll let you know real quick. But for setting an edge, dragging knuck, and nuking on straight up ice, there’s no better tool.




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  9. #34
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    9,863
    Amen.

    Have 5 days on Stockli WRT-STs, and they seem to have hit the sweet spot between FIS SLs and GSs. I've had to pawn most of my belongings, but if some one even looks at my WRT-STs with a raised eyebrow I will rip the skin off their pus filled bodies.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Posts
    1,887
    People always say race skis will kick your ass if you get back seat or whatever. Heard the same thing about my kastles. I have no race background and am not especially talented and I don't really get these comments. Are people talking about standing up on their heels in a turn and daydreaming?

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    OW
    Posts
    653
    Quote Originally Posted by mattig View Post
    People always say race skis will kick your ass if you get back seat or whatever. Heard the same thing about my kastles. I have no race background and am not especially talented and I don't really get these comments. Are people talking about standing up on their heels in a turn and daydreaming?
    Pretty much. As was said before, you need to be in charge of the skis because they will take over if you let your guard down. That's not to say that you can't skid turns with them but you better be the one directing the skid.

    A lot of love for the FIS GS skis but where I'm at, these are only good for early and late season (or before 10 a.m.). Simply too fast for crowded pistes. When I have to be on the pistes during busy times, I prefer a proper SL ski. Still can be fun but much more controllable in tight spots.

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    494
    Try the new Blizzard Bonafide (20/21 model) in 189. Basically a fatter GS rocketship. And you can ski it off piste as well.

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Posts
    72
    I snagged a set of blizzard quattro 8.4ti for my groomer day escapades, pretty damn fun to ski when conditions are boring.

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Posts
    231
    Quote Originally Posted by The Tortoise View Post
    They're easier to get on edge and will have more grip. (For the park scenario I can see why wider would be better).

    I'm on the east coast so that gives me my bias, but if you're going to be driving the skis on hard snow days why compromise*?


    *Assuming you have wide skis already.
    Easier to get on edge - yes I agree, especially at lower speeds.

    More grip - I'm really not sure. My experience of dedicated non-race stock front side skis (never tried race stock) is that they seem to want to make many more short to medium radius turns than I do most of the time. It's been generally hard for me to disentangle the influence of more aggressive tunes on these skis vs. width in determining grip. There are generally construction differences in the front side vs. all mountain models which are probably making the front side skis torsionally stiffer and thus better carvers, but some of the burliest all mountain skis are close to wide GS cores (Dynastar LP comes to mind). That's a long way of saying that if all you want is a ski that will grip instead of slip at the top of a really icy run, I think the super burly metal all mountain skis are pretty close to dedicated front side skis and tune matters a lot.

    Only reason to compromise is that it's usually hard to swap skis in the middle of the day and there is some limit on how many skis one can transport.

  15. #40
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    1,290
    My daily drivers are last year 180 Bonafides with a .5/3. They grip.

    On wide open days, I do wish they were longer.

  16. #41
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Winthrop, WA.
    Posts
    1,593
    I've been tinkering with this question for the past 10 years and have some observations. A couple inches shorter and a few lb heavier for reference. First, if you are really serious about getting after it, just say NO to the touring boot.....not even close. Used my XTD 130's a lot inbounds and....no. Get a legit 130 flex at a minimum, and if you truly want to turn it up to 11, get a plug boot. A properly setup plug boot is a whole nuther level of power and precision....and a fucking bitch to get in and out of. They can be had really cheap. Next, get a real live FIS race ski. Again, they can be had for a song. But, they are not all created equal. I once had a pair of 193 RC4 GS skis that were really easy to get along with and fun recreational groomer skis, but not the man eaters I was hoping for. Next picked up a pair of 188's that were a couple years newer..........WHOLE different experience. The part about groomers needing to be pretty clear is not a joke. Truly like being on rails, and sometimes like rails that won't let you off. Also, GS skis need some room laterally, can be hard to really bend them into a sharp corner. Same experience with a few SL skis, but they are MUCH more versatile with respect to turn shape and can be perfect for groomer skis. This is where I think you should be looking.

    Been looking for that Goldilocks ski ever since. A couple days ago I tried my latest acquisition, a pair of Head Rebels 188 30m skis that came straight from a FIS athlete. Nope, not even close to the power I was hoping for (They're for sale if anyone is interested). So, to conclude this ramble, get some real boots and a pair of FIS SL skis and do things you never thought possible on ice.

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    YetiMan
    Posts
    13,370
    Older Head monster 103 with a perfect tune would probably be ideal if you could find a clean pair.

  18. #43
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Inside the Circle
    Posts
    4,168
    Picked up a pair of Liberty V92s and they rock on ice but are very versatile as well. I'm 6'0" and 180# so a bit lighter. I ski in Scarpa Freedom RS (130-ish flex) boots. I feel like these carve as well as my Fischer RC4 GS cheater skis did BITD but are way more versatile. Skied them on Sunday at Magic and they performed very well in icy chutes, variable snow with broken crust chunks, smallish moguls, and I couldn't find a speed limit on smooth, hard groomers. My buddies were slip-sliding around and I was leaving trenches. A very solid option if you want something that can cover a lot of bases and still get it done on the loud powder.

    Edit to add: they are 179cm length and felt stable at high speed.

  19. #44
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Posts
    649
    Just spent the week at Squaw Alpine on Pro Riders and Mantra 102s. Both more than held their own and I had a blast skiing some real firm and straight up ice I hadn't seen since I was back east on Atomic ARCs. Gear whore I am has picked up some Brahmas though!

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  20. #45
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    6,748
    Picked up a new pair of 2016 183 Fischer RC4 WC GS (FIS, 30M, medium flex), and then ran across a deal on used pair of 1st gen 178 MX88 (which are a lot stiffer than expected, especially the tail). Not sure I want to keep both, might let the GS sticks go. They do look like a riot on groomers though, 65mm waist, 90mm tip, Race Booster plates.

  21. #46
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Hell Track
    Posts
    13,845
    Quote Originally Posted by 1000-oaks View Post
    Picked up a new pair of 2016 183 Fischer RC4 WC GS (FIS, 30M, medium flex), and then ran across a deal on used pair of 1st gen 178 MX88 (which are a lot stiffer than expected, especially the tail). Not sure I want to keep both, might let the GS sticks go. They do look like a riot on groomers though, 65mm waist, 90mm tip, Race Booster plates.
    If you want something that's even slightly versatile, the MX88's will be way better. But for laying legit trenches in ice, the RC4's will be noticeably better.

  22. #47
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    578
    Interesting range of comments on whether race stock skis do (or should) kick your ass if you aren't on top of them. I picked up in ski swaps (for a grand total of $110 CDN) Blizzard WC Slaloms and Rossi WC GSs. Both are a real blast, but the Rossis are more user friendly and much easier to vary turn radius and skid if you want to. Still looking for a pair of cheap SuperGs (maybe ladies or juniors) though I think I will give DHs a miss

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    420
    If you want to CARVE railed turns on legit ICE, you probably need a race stock GS ski (if you are not familiar with term “race stock”: most likely has the acronym FIS/WC in the title, and will have a radius of 25-30 meters.... overall indicating it was a FIS-legal race ski when it was made). It ain’t my business, but just be careful if you aspire to do this type of skiing (bodies slide on ice just like ski edges).

    If you just want a ski that won’t lose an edge for just short parallel turns on steeper terrain, probably anything under 90mm with a stiff titanal laminate layup will be astronomically better than what you have.

    As others have noted, if you get a ski 99mm wide, it’s gonna disappoint you for this purpose.


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