Who makes a short (170ish) 115+ touring ski (shredding wmn ski)

[Boissal]

I perused the numerous "what ski for my lady friend" thread but didn't really find much relevant info on the fat-and-short ski segment.

Ms Boissal (5'6", ripping skier, 100% touring) was stuck in ancient-gear hell when I met her and had not updated her touring setup in damn near a decade. I convinced her to come out of the dark ages and she ended up with a couple pairs of DPS, Nina 99 and Yvette 112 (skinny and less skinny Wailers). She likes both a lot and spends most of her time on the 112s as they are super playful and easy to ski. Watching her it's clear that they're a bit short for her, that massive shovel turns then into a 150cm long ski that sucks at speed. When she's out on the 99s (same length) she skis twice as fast, even is shitty conditions, and it's clear she can handle a stiffer ski that's true to its length.
This year she beefed up her boots and bought a pair of ZeroG 105 in 172 cm to use as her daily driver. She's selling the 99s and will most likely get rid of the 112s too (they have clunky bindings and are quite heavy). I'm thinking she'll miss the big guns on deep days and I'm curious to see if she could get on something bigger and longer and start skiing really fast all the time.

Problem is, I'm not seeing too many options for something that is > 115 mm underfoot and in the low 170s long without getting too heavy. And that isn't made by BD who can't make a ski that doesn't suck the fun out of skiing IMO (which I'm not interested in getting in a fight about). The Backland 117 was on my radard but it doesn't come in a reasonable size (177 is too long). I think 10mm wider than her ZeroGs is a minimum unless we go into a radically different shape like a Hoji CC in 171??

I know there are probably 3 women at most posting here, what are you touring on when it's deep? And for guys who tour with women who send hard, what are they on?

[mall walker]

I'm pretty sure Voile and BD both make lightweight fatties in that-ish length. V8 / Helio 115? The new BD stuff is made by Blizzard... b-bear will tell you go Hoji, and she fuckin rips.

[Boissal]

I'm pretty sure Voile and BD both make lightweight fatties in that-ish length. V8 / Helio 115? The new BD stuff is made by Blizzard... b-bear will tell you go Hoji, and she fuckin rips.

Thanks. Hoping to hear from b-bear on this actually, she was my target audience!
BD could outsource their manufacturing to anyone and the product would still be meh. The design blows chunks, execution doesn't matter. The only BD stuff worth using in the winter are nuts. They make cheap anchors to leave behind.
I have an admittedly irrational dislike of Voile stuff. Never tried any of their gear, I'm sure it's great but I look at it and want to stay away. Maybe graphics from the 80s and names from the department of exuberant exaggeration? The HyperDrifter 171 looks like it fits the bill but I'd have to cover the name with tape...

[toast2266]

Moment Wildcat Tour comes in a 174, which will actually measure roughly 171. Also a super fun ski (or at least the men's version in a longer length is).

[Boissal]

Moment Wildcat Tour comes in a 174, which will actually measure roughly 171. Also a super fun ski (or at least the men's version in a longer length is).

MUSTACHE ROCKER.

I'm sold. I need these. For myself.

[GoSlowGoFar]

Not “touring” specific but it seems the weight is pretty manageable, especially with a lightweight binder. https://www.momentskis.com/products/bella-116

Coalition Snow (women’s owned ski manufacturer) also makes the Nieve which could be an option but I feel they’d ski similar to the Yvette.

[Toddball]

4frnt Hoji CC -- comes in 171cm and 179cm, only 112mm waist though
Moment Wildcat Tour -- 174cm, 116mm waist
Atomic Bent Chetler 120s come in 176cm, is that too long?
Line Vision 118s come in 175cm

you already mentioned the Voile Hyper Drifter -- 171cm and 178cm x 118mm/121mm waist. I agree the graphics are kind of dumb and the camber profiles seem dated, but I had a great time on the V8s when I demoed them.

I have the same irrational dislike of Armada that you do of Voile, but the JJ or VJJ UL might work: 116mm waist, in 165cm or 175cm length.

That's all I can think of.

[HAB]

Ms. HAB skis the 162cm Bella (skinnier one from a couple years ago, not the 116) with Vipecs as her touring ski and loves them. The Bella 116 is basically the women's version of the Wildcat, if the 174 length works, I'm with toast that the WC Tour would be great.

I also own and love the 190cm Bibby (Wildcat before it became the Wildcat).

[johnnyg82]

Mindbender 115 Alliance?

https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...-115c-alliance

[Boissal]

Thanks all, good list to start churning through. Why is it so hard to find ski dimensions only without going through 5 different links... Anyway, I think actual feedback from people who are on the ski makes more sense so the above is super helpful.

[auvgeek]

174 WC Tour would be my rec, but I haven't skied it and that tail is awful twinned for touring. 169 Praxis might also be worth a look but seems too short if she's on the 172 Zero G 105.

My girl is a little under 5'4" (like 5'3.5") and on the 175 Black Crows Corvus Freebird as her pow-touring ski. She skis pretty hard and hasn't needed anything wider for CO. I do wonder whether a 5'6" lady needs a ski that's 115+ underfoot for touring, but YMMV. I guess I'm saying, I'd personally see how she does on the 172 Zero G 105 before buying a wider pair. I also don't think a 177 highly-rockered pow ski is too long for a 5'6" lady who charges but again YMMV.

If she can handle a 177, maybe consider the 177 Protest.

[toast2266]

I do wonder whether a 5'6" lady needs a ski that's 115+ underfoot for touring, but YMMV.

I mean, does anyone really need a 115+ touring ski?

I've seen your quiver pic. You seem to be aware of the n+1 phenomenon.

[auvgeek]

I mean, does anyone really need a 115+ touring ski?

I've seen your quiver pic. You seem to be aware of the n+1 phenomenon.

I don't have a 115+ touring ski...

But my point more had to do with body weight vs float. A tiny lady doesn't need nearly as much ski as a big dude to experience the same amount of float.

I'm really not trying to talk anyone out of buying skis, just giving my $0.02.

[Boissal]

I do wonder whether a 5'6" lady needs a ski that's 115+ underfoot for touring, but YMMV. .

Probably more of a want than a need, especially since I'm the one getting the ski for her (she hasn't even mentioned needing another pair).

I get what you're saying though, I find myself skiing my 104s all the time and my 114s come out only because they're staring me in the face on a deep day, not because they're work so much better. I think a 10 mm difference between skis isn't enough to make a true difference if they have the same overall profile, at least for me. BITD the Wailer 105 + Lotus 120 combo was great since there was no overlap between the 2 skis at all and no question about which one had to be skied when. Now that shapes have evolved enough to be super versatile the line is more blurry IMO. I think going slightly wider than the ZeroG 105 with reverse camber design would be a much more noticeable change than just upsizing by 15 mm but keeping the same profile. I should probably rephrase my OP actually, I'm not necessarily looking for something much wider, rather something that's less for all-around snow conditions and more for high-speed soft snow.

[auvgeek]

If you're offering to buy her another pair of skis, I wonder if she'd be better off with a Zero G 85/95 or Backland UL 85 for spring touring? Just a thought. And again, my comment was mostly because smaller people don't need as much float as larger people. Her skiing a 115 is probably like us skiing a 125-130.

Agree with you on the rocker profile 100%. That's why I suggested the 177 Protest above.

Edit: what about the 176 Atomic Bentchetler? I bet that would be super fun for her and IIRC, they measure short.

[DGamms]

What Auvgeek said... 176cm BC 120.

I love my 184cm BC 120. So fun and surprisingly versatile for the width.

[toast2266]

I don't have a 115+ touring ski...

I think I found your problem.

[auvgeek]

I think I found your problem.

I'm wrong either way, I guess -- either I'm called out for having too big a quiver, or the problem is I don't have enough skis...

To be fair, I had a pair and got rid of them cuz I didn't ski them enough. I could definitely see getting another wide touring ski at some point, but it's pretty far down the list.

But dude asked for feedback from women. Honest question: how many women do you know who typically tour on something 115+ underfoot (outside of the PNW)? What skis are they touring on? All use the Wildcat Tour? I was providing feedback from the women I know who tour, and they don't really tour on skis that wide. Several times, I've discussed buying my wife pow-touring skis, and she's said the Corvus Freebird is plenty of float for her. Again YMMV.

[toast2266]

I'm wrong either way, I guess -- either I'm called out for having too big a quiver, or the problem is I don't have enough skis...

Oh, I wasn't calling you out at all. I'm a firm supporter of large quivers.

I just think it's funny when someone asks for examples of a fairly specific ski, and people come in and say "you actually want something different" even though it's stated in the original post that she already has a narrower touring setup. If she wants a 115+ pow tourer, then she should buy one. If she decides she doesn't like it, then she can sell them.

If it was a guy (even a short, light guy) asking the same question, no one would bat an eye at the idea of a fat touring ski.

[auvgeek]

If she wants a 115+ pow tourer, then she should buy one. If she decides she doesn't like it, then she can sell them.

Completely agree. And if Ms Bossal was asking for a fat touring ski because her 105 underfoot skis don't have enough float, I would never have mentioned it. But *she* wasn't asking for recommendations -- her hubby is asking. And before she's even skied her new Zero G 105s. So it's a totally different situation then the one you described. And frankly, I think we should generally encourage women to pick out their own gear so they're not stuck using gear that their boyfriend/husband decided they'd like best.

Since Bossal specifically asked what the lady-mags like b-bear were using, I thought it was worth mentioning that the ladies I know who are the strongest backcountry skiers don't typically tour on 115+ underfoot. That said, I recall that b-bear loves the Hoji @ 112 underfoot so as always, YMMV.

[DGamms]

Again, using the original criteria:

- 115+ underfoot
- not too heavy
- low-mid 170s length
- doesn’t suck the fun out of skiing
- can still charge reasonably hard
- not BD

I still vote 176 cm BC 120. Probably comes in around 1600gm.

So easy to ski. Measures 174ish straight pull. Lots of tail rocker so it’s never a handful to manage. Floats amazingly well even at slow speeds. Mount point is so progressive (2.9 cm from TC) that mounting back 2-3 cm still provides a ski that floats incredibly well and feels natural carving in 2D snow:

Yes, I own the ski... so yes, I’m biased. Doesn’t make me any less right though

[babybear]

As mentioned above (mallwalker that made my day) I love my hoji’s - just works well in every condition for me. But I’m also not the best to ask bc I’m so biased lol.
And I should note that I’m also stupidly willing to carry a lot of weight uphill

Maybe think about the Line Pandora 110 or Vision 118 too? Pandora is a 170 and would have a bit more camber underfoot and the vision 118 a bit less camber and longer turning radius but shortest is 175 but I think that wd be totally fine for her length-wise
The Pandora is pretty light and a couple of my ripping lady friends absolutely love them as a resort ski too so with kingpins or a pin binding, that could be a good setup for up and down
I had some Pandora’s and liked them too but it was when the longest was a 172 and it was just too wee for me (i think I have more junk in the trunk than Mrs boissal)

[skis_the_trees]

Praxis GPO comes in shorter lengths. 116 waist.

[Boissal]

As mentioned above (mallwalker that made my day) I love my hoji’s - just works well in every condition for me. But I’m also not the best to ask bc I’m so biased lol.
And I should note that I’m also stupidly willing to carry a lot of weight uphill

Maybe think about the Line Pandora 110 or Vision 118 too? Pandora is a 170 and would have a bit more camber underfoot and the vision 118 a bit less camber and longer turning radius but shortest is 175 but I think that we be totally fine for her length-wise
The Pandora is pretty light and a couple of my ripping lady friends absolutely love them as a resort ski too so with kingpins or a pin binding, that could be a good setup for up and down
I had some Pandora’s and liked them too but it was when the longest was a 172 and it was just too wee for me (i think I have more junk in the trunk than Mrs boissal)

Thanks. That's the 2nd recommendation for the Hoji, the 1st one coming from a lady I used to tour with a lot and who is use a 180+ cm version at the resort.

Again, my OP could be re-written fto state that 115+ underfoot is not necessarily as important as getting on a shape of ski that is different from the traditional ZeroG.
As far as auvgeek's comments about shorter/lighter people not necessarily needing truly wide skis to achieve the right level of float, that's probably true. Maybe the 105s are more than enough for MsB. Hard to say as for now she's been on 99 and 112 and and the new planks are right in between. It's probably worth at least trying a bigger ski now, especially considering that the new designs don't really weight more than skinnier skis from a few years ago. If there's no weight penalty and it works better she can keep the fatter ski and if it's redundant she can ditch it.

Regarding women picking their own gear, I obviously agree. I'm not going to be the one hauling the skis up and riding them down so I really have no say in the matter. Picking the ZeroGs surprised me, it wouldn't have been my first recommendation, but I certainly won't be telling her that she should have bought something else. The goal here is to give her another option for days where a more pow-oriented shape could be fun. I have a decent track record of picking skis that she was sketicpal about at first and ended up really liking. Xmas is around the corner and I'm generally uninspired but a pair of skis is a gift I can get excited about. And if she doesn't like them she'll sell them at 2nd Tracks for a bunch of puffies, shells, baselayers, midlayers, whatever she needs to fill in tiny gaps in her large collection.

Anyway, good recommendations from everyone, I need to dig into all of them. Except auvgeek's suggestion of going skinnier, that's just blasphemy
Ms Boissal refused to take her skinny skis to the Sierra in June and sent Bloody Couloir in hard snow on her Wailer112s (I was terrified the whole time). The only time she relented and took the 99s out was to ski 6000' glacier runs in France. This is her spring setup, the skinny sticks are mine:

[babybear]

I was thinking more about this this weekend and I keep coming back to the thought that she should try the Line Pandora 110
It's similar to the turning radius that it sounds like she likes with her current DPS's (the pandora has a 16.5m radius) and while it's similar to her yvette's, I would expect it to be quite a bit floatier.
I've never skied those dps's though so just judging from the specs
and the Pandoras only weight ~1500g too

Since you are in 4frnt-landia you should definitely see if you can get her on a pair of hoji's to try though
I would say my friends that have not like the hoji's, tended to be turnier skiers though and wanted more sidecut than the 30m radius of the hojis (that is what I like about them but they are not for everyone) but worth trying I think for the fun of it

and side bar: I wouldn't have tried Hoji's had my husband not suggested I demo a pair. so I think the folks ribbing you about trying to "pick" gear for your wife are missing the point that we all introduce our SI's to new ideas (ie my husband existed off of egg sandwiches and plain pasta bbb- before babybear) and hey you want to buy her a fun gift. nothing wrong from my perspective fwiw