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David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
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I'm looking for something in a 105 - 110 cm ski for the occasional soft snow in MI but more for the 2 weeks I spend in the Rockies every year. While we all want powder the reality is it will be used in crud 90% of the time. I'm looking for decent float, stable at speed, crud and quick enough if I'm in trees.

I currently ski Head SS Rally in a 177 for those hard pack carving days. Stockli SR88 for my daily driver in a 186. I am north of 50, 250 during the coming ski season and I've shrunk down to 5' 11.5". I used to live in CO in my mid 30's and in my head I'm still that guy!

A few I've looked are the Ripstick 106, Enforcer 110, 100Eight, Kore 105, Shaggy's Ahmeek. As far as I can tell most reviewers are 1/2 my size so I'm not finding good reviews for me.

Any thoughts or personal experiences are welcome.
 

Guy in Shorts

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Managed to find soft enough conditions to log 31 days on my Faction Dictators 3.0 which are 106 underfoot. Super stable big mountain charger that paves it’s way thru crud. They were my favorite spring ski when conditions got soft and the bumps grew large. I have the 182cm length which is perfect for the tight Eastern trees. Being a 250# clyde the only problem that I had with the Dictators is they got the call on some days when my Volkl Katana’s would have been on my feet.
 

firebanex

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A few I've looked are the Ripstick 106, Enforcer 110, 100Eight, Kore 105, Shaggy's Ahmeek. As far as I can tell most reviewers are 1/2 my size so I'm not finding good reviews for me..

I'm 6' and 220# before I put any gear on, I totally get where you are coming from when reading reviews of skiers that barely crack 170#, a ski simply does not act the same for me as it does for them.

Ripstick 106, I think its not burly enough when I've read between the lines of the reviews in the last two seasons, I like how the shape looks tho, looks fun!
Enforcer 110: An excellent choice. I skied the 100 for 3 seasons in all conditions and locations and wished I had the 110 for the deeper days. I never felt lacking of performance from this ski.
100Eight: Also a pretty solid choice, I not skied it, but reading the reviews it was a ski I considered for myself.
Kore 105: I want one, I just have too many skis already. It's stiff enough I think it will handle my size but it might be a bit sketch at higher speeds on harder snow.
Shaggy, I got nothing, don't know anything about this ski.

Other suggestions I would have for you. Black Diamond Boundary Pro 107. The tips are a bit soft but the rest of the ski is plenty stiff to be confident in crud and odd conditions, the ski floats so well for me and feels incredible in the trees, mount it on the line it's perfect. In crud it likes to go smoothly over everything and isn't bothered by it much.
 
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David

David

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Just to clarify... When I'm skiing fast it's on groomers. We don't get enough deep snow in MI to he good enough to ski fast in trees and crud. If I'm planning to ski groomers I'd likely have my 88's.
 

Andy Mink

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The Moment Wildcat is the new name for the Bibby which enjoyed great reviews for a wider do-all ski. It is a bit wider than you mentioned but maybe worth looking into. They go all the way up to 190cm and are noted as being "burly" but playful.
 

Bad Bob

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Enforcer.

I'm 6' 66 years old, and was 220 when I climbed on these the first time. Fast slow skid em carve aggressive finesse, they just don't care. They are also pretty forgiving of mistakes. Maybe the best crud buster I have been on. Lots of good choices, these won't let you down.
 
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David

David

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Enforcer.

I'm 6' 66 years old, and was 220 when I climbed on these the first time. Fast slow skid em carve aggressive finesse, they just don't care. They are also pretty forgiving of mistakes. Maybe the best crud buster I have been on. Lots of good choices, these won't let you down.
And which ones were they?
 

Ken_R

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I'm looking for something in a 105 - 110 cm ski for the occasional soft snow in MI but more for the 2 weeks I spend in the Rockies every year. While we all want powder the reality is it will be used in crud 90% of the time. I'm looking for decent float, stable at speed, crud and quick enough if I'm in trees.

I currently ski Head SS Rally in a 177 for those hard pack carving days. Stockli SR88 for my daily driver in a 186. I am north of 50, 250 during the coming ski season and I've shrunk down to 5' 11.5". I used to live in CO in my mid 30's and in my head I'm still that guy!

A few I've looked are the Ripstick 106, Enforcer 110, 100Eight, Kore 105, Shaggy's Ahmeek. As far as I can tell most reviewers are 1/2 my size so I'm not finding good reviews for me.

Any thoughts or personal experiences are welcome.

I demoed a bunch of skis in that width range including the enforcer 110 and my fave on one demo day was the Kastle BMX 105 180cm. Next was pretty even between the DPS Wailer 106 alchemist in 185cm and the new 2019 Salomon QST 106 in 188cm. All three worked very well in powder and chow. The Kastle worked great in firmer snow as well but the only thing is I felt I was in between sizes.

The Enforcer 110 185cm I liked but felt a touch heavy and slower for some reason. Not as fun as the Patron but definitely beefier.

The Blizzard Rustler 11 192cm I demoed was a beast. a total Destroyer! But, not great for confined spaces. Want to try the shorter lengths.

I really loved the Rustler 10 188cm in firmer snow conditions. It was a blast and held a great edge. Probably one of the most versatile skis I demoed. That would be my pick for a OSQ resort trip ski. But the DPS was so much fun... humm tough choice.

(I am 6-2, 190 lb)
 

BS Slarver

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@Ken_R - was it the BMX HP or regular that you demoed ? Seems to be a lot of love for that ski and wondering who is on HP and who’s skiing the regular layup. 180 seems a tad short given your size, did you get a chance to demo in any pow of depth ? Wondering about that length as it gets deeeeper ?
 

Ken_R

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@Ken_R - was it the BMX HP or regular that you demoed ? Seems to be a lot of love for that ski and wondering who is on HP and who’s skiing the regular layup. 180 seems a tad short given your size, did you get a chance to demo in any pow of depth ? Wondering about that length as it gets deeeeper ?

I demoed the non-HP and there was not much pow at all, 4-6" maybe. It certainly didnt feel short but the 189 felt a bit too long and with an unbalanced flex. The 180 felt spot on and definitely NOT wimpy even though it was the non-HP version, its not a light ski. I did demo the QDT 106 188cm in Somewhat heavy 10" of pow and did great even at higher speeds. I dont see the Kastle behaving much different. The Kastle certainly felt VERY capable on firmer snow in between powder stashes.

My Powder skis are a pair of Moment Deathwish (112mm wide) 190cm long. Eventually I want to get a ski like the Kastle to replace it as my resort powder ski. Might go wider since I live in CO.

This is me enjoying some pow in Loveland on my Black Crows freebird 102mm wide skis (185cm long). Its my touring setup so it has dynafit bindings but works well when conditions are soft. I demoed the QST on similar conditions earlier in the day.

LovPowDay5.JPG
 

martyg

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I think that you would be limiting yourself with anything wider than 100. Maybe even 95. Skiing crud is about more angulation, less turn. A wider ski doesn't allow you to easily create more pronounced angles. As per John Siefert's body of research once you get wider than 80 on hard snow you are compromising ability to edge that ski due to vector forces.
 
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David

David

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So are you saying my 88
I think that you would be limiting yourself with anything wider than 100. Maybe even 95. Skiing crud is about more angulation, less turn. A wider ski doesn't allow you to easily create more pronounced angles. As per John Siefert's body of research once you get wider than 80 on hard snow you are compromising ability to edge that ski due to vector forces.
So are you saying my 88's would be better in deep crud than a a 105-ish? If that's the case I need to work on my technique...
 

AngryAnalyst

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So are you saying my 88

So are you saying my 88's would be better in deep crud than a a 105-ish? If that's the case I need to work on my technique...

Not the person you replied to above but your point seems correct to me as well. If by crud we all mean unpacked snow with some sort of weird compaction per the Wikipedia page on types of snow, I have never found it to be mostly about edge angles per se, at least not in a way a narrower ski would help, and I too prefer wider skis in it. Add me to the list of people doing it wrong I guess...

Some gifted people can absolutely ski every type of snow on skinny skis, but most normal skiers (including me) seem to find wider easier in most soft snow. At the other end of the spectrum I see very few free ride athletes using skinny skis on soft snow.
 

AngryAnalyst

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Also, my experience as a larger human (6 ft, 220) was I didn’t love most 105ish offerings I’ve been on. They don’t float much better than narrower skis at my size and the best thing about them has been stability in chop and crud.

I have a Kastle FX104 I rarely use now because if it’s soft I want something wider or more modern. I seem to like tail rocker a lot more than most on this board though.
 

JohnnyG

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The Moment Wildcat is the new name for the Bibby which enjoyed great reviews for a wider do-all ski. It is a bit wider than you mentioned but maybe worth looking into. They go all the way up to 190cm and are noted as being "burly" but playful.

The Moment Commander 108 may be a good option as well.
 

martyg

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So are you saying my 88

So are you saying my 88's would be better in deep crud than a a 105-ish? If that's the case I need to work on my technique...

David - The word "better" is a slippery slope. It is so vague as to be meaningless.

A wider ski allows skiers with limited pressure control skills (we can influence our ski through pressure control, edging, or rotary motions) to comfortably ski snow they would not be comfortable on. The flip side is you have less feedback from that ski, which if you have limited pressure control skills is a thing that allows you to be comfortable in those choppy conditions.

With a narrower ski you have to have more advanced pressure control skills, and you pick up the advantage of a ski that can carve. As a ski instructor and retired product developer from the industry I can say with confidence that on the design ./ manufacturing side everyone is familiar with John Seifert's work on ski width, vectors of force on joints, and carving. Skis much over mid-80's simply are not made to carve from a materials, layup or profile standpoint. You can get that ski over, but you are skiing from your hips, not your feet. That is not efficient. You will have profound moments of instability as your COM is not over your BOS, and you are stressing knees.

So it will be a toss-up. Do you want a ski that will allow you to ski pow and crud more effectively (does not make you a better skier) that is essentially a crutch, and it will be of limited utility on the hardpack that you will be skiing between those shots, or....

... do you want to up your skill game, have a ski that will rip on hardpack - which is probably what you will be skiing 70% of the time, and challenge you to develop pressure control skills in manke snow - and help to make you a better skier?

Enjoy the journey.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-good-skier-marty-grabijas/
 

Ken_R

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David - The word "better" is a slippery slope. It is so vague as to be meaningless.

A wider ski allows skiers with limited pressure control skills (we can influence our ski through pressure control, edging, or rotary motions) to comfortably ski snow they would not be comfortable on. The flip side is you have less feedback from that ski, which if you have limited pressure control skills is a thing that allows you to be comfortable in those choppy conditions.

With a narrower ski you have to have more advanced pressure control skills, and you pick up the advantage of a ski that can carve. As a ski instructor and retired product developer from the industry I can say with confidence that on the design ./ manufacturing side everyone is familiar with John Seifert's work on ski width, vectors of force on joints, and carving. Skis much over mid-80's simply are not made to carve from a materials, layup or profile standpoint. You can get that ski over, but you are skiing from your hips, not your feet. That is not efficient. You will have profound moments of instability as your COM is not over your BOS, and you are stressing knees.

So it will be a toss-up. Do you want a ski that will allow you to ski pow and crud more effectively (does not make you a better skier) that is essentially a crutch, and it will be of limited utility on the hardpack that you will be skiing between those shots, or....

... do you want to up your skill game, have a ski that will rip on hardpack - which is probably what you will be skiing 70% of the time, and challenge you to develop pressure control skills in manke snow - and help to make you a better skier?

Enjoy the journey.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-good-skier-marty-grabijas/

That all sounds great. But the reality is that yes, you can ski pow on very narrow skis no doubt, I have done it, you need to be going pretty fast though, specially if the snow is heavy-ish, slow down in a transition area (flattish zone) and you are done. Better like post-holing...

The beauty of most of todays wide skis is that they can ski hardpack quite well, obviously they are not ideal, but they work well for the occasional firmer snow areas between powder runs. If used daily on hardpack they will kill your knees though.
 

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