Top 5 skis of all time

[WaistDeepGroomers]

For me (just a personal list):

-Moment Deathwish
-Atomic Automatic
-SkiLogic Bomb Squad
-Line Blend
-Stretching for a fourth from my personal quiver history, I might say 4FRNT EHP

[Dexter Rutecki]

Wonder what the best selling skis of all time were?

Of course that would be difficult to work out with some ski names staying the same for years as the construction changed and others changing name with little change except the topsheet.

I think it may still be Rossi 4S (may have posted this earlier in the thread). I know it was the best selling as of 1990 or whatever, and I believe that if you do restrict it to a ski that had the same construction for however many years then it would be the 4S (there was a throwback version at one point but I never saw anything about its sales--the original 4S was identified as the best selling ski ever in different publications).

[Marshal Olson]

Wonder what the best selling skis of all time were?

Of course that would be difficult to work out with some ski names staying the same for years as the construction changed and others changing name with little change except the topsheet.

pretty sure within a single design/iteration, it is the Salomon x scream series (yellow).

[Marshal Olson]

I was stoked to rescue this one from the trash. At some point I'll pick up bindings and boots and take it out.

awesome score!

[XXX-er]

I think it may still be Rossi 4S (may have posted this earlier in the thread). I know it was the best selling as of 1990 or whatever, and I believe that if you do restrict it to a ski that had the same construction for however many years then it would be the 4S (there was a throwback version at one point but I never saw anything about its sales--the original 4S was identified as the best selling ski ever in different publications).

4S was the slalom ski and the 3G was the GS ski, i seen alot more 3G but maybe that was as a result of being out west

i still have an old rossi heli ski that was sposed to be a 3G with a hellofacopter on the top sheet as a tele ski

[kid-kapow]

IMO all snowboarding did was hasten the development/adoption of fat skis, they would have made it to the market and widespread adoption if snowboarding never existed. Ski manufacturers were experimenting with radical shapes in the 80's and 90's (radical being a relative term) for reasons that had nothing to do with snowboards (yes, fat skis were directly influenced by snowboards, but there were experimental race skis that were wide at the shovel and tail and those also impacted the development of 'fat' skis). Just as I wouldn't argue that a ski (the first ski?) should be on the list of most important snowboards ever, I don't see why a snowboard would ever count as an influential ski. If you go that route then you also have to have a skateboard on the list, and then a surfboard, etc. Doesn't make sense if you ask me, and again, skis were headed in the direction they have gone independent of the cafeteria trays.

sure thing dude. If we want to argue counterfactuals and long term convergence toward a specific state of affairs where gear is optimized to particular uses regardless of outside influences, why not.

I tried to prevent a debate on the matter with the "it is kinda beside the point" part, but I guess I could've been more explicit. The idea was not to spark a debate on how (or even dumber, if) snowboarding culture or designs/shapes have influenced ski culture or shapes/designs, more just give a nod in that direction. It was besides the point, so nm.

[ill-advised strategy]

There was a guy in Crested Butte in the 90s who cobbled 2 pairs of 210 GS skis into a pair of gigantasaurus fat skis. There was also a former nordic jumper there playing around with skiing pow on jumping skis, cutting length off the tails of old jumping skis, etc.

all that stuff was fun…it was an exciting time to be a young adult.

[grskier]

Where I grew up, Elan had a big presence, so the SCXs were everywhere the first few years they came out, where I went and raced in college, way more K2... point being that will weigh on some's opinions of the shape ski revolution.

1080 should be on everyone's list whether you ski switch to the road or you sit in your chair near the road with a coors original and mock the kids that send it.

[XXX-er]

yeah the 1080 ^^ was Mike Douglas

apparently he still rips

[hoarhey]

^^^
canadien air force
Mike Douglas "the godfather"

[Marshal Olson]

Buuuuttt.... JF Cusson

[detrusor]

For me, the super non influential skier

Fischer big stix 84

Stockli DP pro

Lhasa pow

LP pro 105

Volkl explosive R SL (first real ski, 204….sooooo fun)


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[XXX-er]

^^^
canadien air force
Mike Douglas "the godfather"

Yup also switchback entertainment, we have all watched the Salomon freeski TV vids

[tuco]

Most influential, imo

- head standard - first metal skis
- k2 extreme - mostly for marketing reasons
- Atomic powder plus - still holds up
- Volant spatula - you know why
- db tabla rasa - first lightweight high performance skis

The Standard wasn't the first metal laminate, but it was the first step to the modern construction we know with plastic sidewalls, plastic base and most important, integral(glued, not screwed) edges.
Further pushing the Head Standard to most influential is Howard Head commissioned a foundry making sawblades in France to build these edges. This foundry was the humble beginnings of Salomon, who within 20yrs had bindings on skis used in the Olys.

[Marshal Olson]

well, first as in the first metal skis to actually successfully function as skis!
But indeed lots of firsts, including first "cheater ski", haha.
Didn't know that about the backstory on the edges/foundry. Pretty cool indeed.

[ddraver]

I'm not sure I have the knowledge to compete with the ski-historians on here but the Seth Pistols were the skis that made me immediatly think "Skiing is different now"

I'm gutted I didn't have the confidence to buy some in my first season.

I spent many holidays in a row on Dynastar Legend rentals too. I love the way they just seemed to scream "GOOOO!!!!" every time you pointed them down the fall line!

[dewey]

non-objective/based almost entirely on personal experience/perception and in no order:

k2 kvc comp (Mahre bros Olympics)
Rossi 4s
Salomon 1080
Dynastar Flame BIG
Dynastar Legend Pro Rider ('03 Orange ~99mm - still the best ski)

[Evil E]

Most influential, imo

- head standard - first metal skis
- k2 extreme - mostly for marketing reasons
- Atomic powder plus - still holds up
- Volant spatula - you know why
- db tabla rasa - first lightweight high performance skis

I agree with this but I think you have to wedge Volkl explosiv in there. I had those k2 extremes


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[hoarhey]

Yup also switchback entertainment, we have all watched the Salomon freeski TV vids

I was mainly referring to the Ski Movie 3 when they were trying to RE-invent themselves


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[XXX-er]

ski movie 3 looks to be 20yrs old ?

the switchback guy was up here trying to shoot a story on the hankin-evelyn 6 years ago so hardly epic but Salomon liked/ wanted it,

he told me every year they were pitching a bunch of ideas to Salomon ( deep pockets eh ) who pick what storys get made into Salomon freeskitv I somehow remember 6 shorter stories under 20 min a year so maybe you see more stuff than you think ?

last i ran into buddy in a bar he was shooting a Toyota Tacoma commercial ( more deep pockets) and he bought me a beer

[Mustonen]

So this is mostly top 5 most influential. Which is great. I suspect top 5 best is going to be heavily weighted toward current models.

What about top 5 skis that are no longer made? Skis like:

HALS Renegade

Rossi RC112

Salomon Q Lab

Kneissl T@nker

Volkl Sanouk

[schindlerpiste]

^^^Nice list

[Mustonen]

^^^Nice list

It was kinda fun to think through it, though I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. “Which skis might I buy over current offerings if they were available today?” That list isn’t actually very long. I’m not gonna go buy a pair of Head Supercross Ti even though I really enjoyed them at the time. A 1080 isn’t a good ski by today’s standards. An Explosiv can’t hang with today’s Mantra/Katana.

What’s your list?

[schindlerpiste]

It was this:
My list:
Rossignol Strato 102 (Beats out Dynamic VR17, Spalding Sidereal, Head 360)
Volkl Exploder (The best ski for a long time)
Atomic R:11 (Beats out Volkl 5* for early parabolic)
Kastle MX98 Squaretail ...for all around ass kicking
Blizzard Bodacious
But, before typing Bodacious, I was thinking of the Sanouk for my powder ski. I understand all the hoopla about the Lotus 138 type ski, but not to me. Also, I think that I mistakenly typed Atomic R:11 when I meant tp type Atomic 10:20 Beta Ride.

There would have never had been a Mantra or Katana without the Explosive.

[wasatchback]

Black Pearl 88 is the best selling ski ever in the US.