Adding a wide(r) ski for westbound travel - am I in the ballpark?

[Jarngreipr]

Looking to add a ski over the summer for all-around use when we (eventually) travel to ski. Home hill is 300' of vertical in MN and my current skis are well suited to this - K2 iKonic 84 (177cm) and Dynastar Speedzone 12s (72mm, 174cm). A third pair in 95-100mm width would let me travel with that and the K2s (or skip bringing the K2s altogether) but will see practically zero usage at home. Mo skis are mo bettah so I'm ok with them gathering dust for the majority of their life, plus there is some kind of flawed reverse logic that helps me justify traveling more to ski in general because of having the skis to begin with. Anyways, destinations on the list are Fernie, Brighton, Big Sky, Wolf Creek, and Grand Targhee. Generally speaking, we'll travel in late March/early April over spring break and I'm trying to keep expected snow conditions in mind. I'm a 6'0 185 advanced skier but don't push the envelope all day since I'm usually skiing with my kids so I want a unicorn ski that works well enough for everything, isn't super burly, and is fun to boot. Current candidates below in no particular order...am I off the mark with where my criteria is pointing me?

Nordica Enforcer 100, 179
K2 Mindbender 99 Ti, 177
Fischer Ranger 99 Ti, 181
Salomon Stance 96, 182
Elan Ripstick 96, 180
Blizzard Rustler 9, 180
Nordica Enforcer 94, 179

 

[Shawn C.]

Nice list of directional skis. Looks like you know what type of ski you want/like. That's a good start and they should be good for a variety of western conditions.

 

[tch]

You might want to think about what “feel” you want/like. From my experience, Rustler 9, for instance, will feel a lot different than Enforcer 100. One is lighter, more playful; one is more solid, planted. I liked one, did not like the other.

Your take is most important, however.

 

[Mike King]

Personally, my daily driver this year has be a 66 under foot slalom ski. On every day with more than 4 inches, I've been on my 84. I've skied my 98's exactly twice this season, and perhaps 5 times in the last 2-3 years. And that's in 68 days of skiing this season, 85 last (curtailed by Covid), and 50 the previous (aborted due to injury). I'm actually thinking of downsizing to a daily driver in the mid-70s.

So, my question to you is is your desire for a wider ski an aspirational one? Do you think that having a wider ski will bring deep powder days? Do you have the technique to ski your 84 off-piste? Because if you have that technique, I suspect you will have a much better tool for the conditions you are likely to find out west with that 84 than with a wider ski.

You can always rent a wider ski out west if conditions warrant.

Mike (a ski instructor, not a shop rat -- they seem to push wide skis which lead to bad technique when narrower skis are a more fun option in most conditions out west)...

 

[noobski]

Nordica Enforcer 100, 179
K2 Mindbender 99 Ti, 177
Fischer Ranger 99 Ti, 181
Salomon Stance 96, 182
Elan Ripstick 96, 180
Blizzard Rustler 9, 180
Nordica Enforcer 94, 179

Mike's asking the right questions, but here are my reactions...

I'm roughly your size and ability...Midwest running 400 vertical. I sky the following here and out west.

Rossi Black Ops 98 - favorite all around. Ski it everywhere.
Kastle 89's - just purchased, been demoing friends. Love it for here and will use it frontside outwest. Ski is in a totally different class of ski.
Salomon QST 99 only ski out west. It's fun and forgiving but light and chatters. Good for primarily soft. The Rossi is above is good for almost everything I ski but deep. But then I would rent deep.

Of your list, I've demo skied

Enforcer 100 - fun, meets your criteria, possibly the best candidate here to have for fun and handle most powder up to 6-10 depending on ability. Different than what you're using.
K2 Mindbender Ti. Different ski to me, I couldn't get into it. I'm just not sure why.
Elan Ripstick 96, 180 - consider Black Edition. FUN.
Blizzard Rustler 9 - different ski, one of my favorites. Stable. awesome. Different than the Enforcers.
I don't own a dedicated powder ski (Would rent instead) so of your list, I would probably want the Blizzard for myself since I would want to cover most conditions other than moderate to deep powder since I would rent anyway. I also like ripping on groomers and don't like chatter in crud. Blizzard ski and brand just delivers. It's different than the rest though. You could also possibly pull this one and the Elan 96 out at home as well.

But with all that said, given your destinations and your plans to shelve it other than west trips, and if you want different than you're used too, probably Enforcer 100.

 

[Noodler]

Personally, my daily driver this year has be a 66 under foot slalom ski. On every day with more than 4 inches, I've been on my 84. I've skied my 98's exactly twice this season, and perhaps 5 times in the last 2-3 years. And that's in 68 days of skiing this season, 85 last (curtailed by Covid), and 50 the previous (aborted due to injury). I'm actually thinking of downsizing to a daily driver in the mid-70s.

So, my question to you is is your desire for a wider ski an aspirational one? Do you think that having a wider ski will bring deep powder days? Do you have the technique to ski your 84 off-piste? Because if you have that technique, I suspect you will have a much better tool for the conditions you are likely to find out west with that 84 than with a wider ski.

You can always rent a wider ski out west if conditions warrant.

Mike (a ski instructor, not a shop rat -- they seem to push wide skis which lead to bad technique when narrower skis are a more fun option in most conditions out west)...

Where's the "double like" button?

 

[DocGKR]

As a 6' 210 lbs person who skis Tahoe, the Salt Lake vicinity, and the Colorado resorts around Silverthorne, you will probably get more use out of a versatile 88-90mm ski (ex. Liberty Evolv 90, Dynastar M-Pro 90, Nordica Enforcer 88, Volkl Kendo 88, etc...).

 

[BMC]

I think your list is excellent. I know for my preferences I could easily choose a number of those skis, and be happy.

I live in Oz (where my everyday ski is a Blizzard Brahma, 88mm underfoot). I travel to Japan pretty much every year, either to Hakuba or Niseko. In Hakuba, which mixes deep powder days with firm days, I’ll take a circa 100mm underfoot ski as my OSQ (currently the Nordica Enforcer 100, previously the Salomon QLab). I can say most definitely that works as a OSQ there in firm and powder days. I think pretty much any of the skis you are considering will work for the intended use. You just need to decide which best fits your preferences.

In Niseko incidentally I have a 2SQ, adding a DPS Wailer 112 for the deeper days. I could get away with a narrower ski as a OSQ if I had to though.

 

[jmeb]

Here is a different perspective. Wider skis cover up for technique issues. I won't deny that.

But is the point of your travels out West to work on technique issues or to enjoy what comes at you in the most fun way possible? For some people, fun is found through refining technique, bending a ski, carving great turns. I seriously admire them. For others, its for having a ski that does more work for ya and allows you to enjoy the mountain how you want to. I seriously admire some of these people too....there isn't a single paid patroller on my hill on a daily driver ski sub 90mm.

Do you really want to rent a ski you don't know and learn it when it starts snowing significantly? Logistics and learning and all that turn me off from that approach.

I'm not ashamed to say my most common skis are 98s, 107s and 112s -- all about equally split. The all cover up some things I lack in technique. I'm still a relatively able skier (that is...I ski well enough to pass one of the harder ski patrol ski tests in the West.)

I disagree that a narrow ski is a "more fun" option in the West most days. Because what makes for "fun" is highly personally dependent. I skied yesterday at Abasin. They reported 1" of new, and it snowed throughout the day. I had more fun skiing my 107s (Black Crows Corvus) than I did my 90s (Liberty Evolv90). And I A-B'd them back to back. What you like depends on how you ski, and what you ski.

Personally, I'd grab one of your listed skis. They are all excellent.

 

[BMC]

Mike's asking the right questions, but here are my reactions...

I'm roughly your size and ability...Midwest running 400 vertical. I sky the following here and out west.

Rossi Black Ops 98 - favorite all around. Ski it everywhere.
Kästle 89's - just purchased, been demoing friends. Love it for here and will use it frontside outwest. Ski is in a totally different class of ski.
Salomon QST 99 only ski out west. It's fun and forgiving but light and chatters. Good for primarily soft. The Rossi is above is good for almost everything I ski but deep. But then I would rent deep.

Of your list, I've demo skied

Enforcer 100 - fun, meets your criteria, possibly the best candidate here to have for fun and handle most powder up to 6-10 depending on ability. Different than what you're using.
K2 Mindbender Ti. Different ski to me, I couldn't get into it. I'm just not sure why.
Elan Ripstick 96, 180 - consider Black Edition. FUN.
Blizzard Rustler 9 - different ski, one of my favorites. Stable. awesome. Different than the Enforcers.
I don't own a dedicated powder ski (Would rent instead) so of your list, I would probably want the Blizzard for myself since I would want to cover most conditions other than moderate to deep powder since I would rent anyway. I also like ripping on groomers and don't like chatter in crud. Blizzard ski and brand just delivers. It's different than the rest though. You could also possibly pull this one and the Elan 96 out at home as well.

But with all that said, given your destinations and your plans to shelve it other than west trips, and if you want different than you're used too, probably Enforcer 100.

Incidentally, if I was recommending a ski from your list for the intended purpose, I would also recommend the Enforcer 100.

 

[goaliedad]

300 feet of vertical, and based in St. Paul .... Afton? Or Buck Hill?
You have a good list of choices there for west coast skiing. Lots of good advice already, so I won't chime in. I will add that when you come west, make sure to bring at least the 84's .... while we definitely have great snow days, in a typical season, there are lots of days where front-side groomers are your friend, if it hasn't snowed in a while!

(Minnesota transplant here .... learned to ski at the Marthaler Park rope tow in WSP, then Afton ...)

 

[Blue Streak]

Nice list of directional skis. Looks like you know what type of ski you want/like. That's a good start and they should be good for a variety of western conditions.

OK, I give up. What is a “directional” ski?

 

[Noodler]

OK, I give up. What is a “directional” ski?

Skis designed to go in one direction, as opposed to those that can be ridden switch.

 

[peterm]

Just want to point out that it's easy to say "just rent on a powder day" but in my experience renting on a powder day is very much hit and miss. If you have the luxury of taking 2 pair of skis on your trips then it seems like a no-brainer to select one of them to maximise the fun factor on powder days. Those are the days you'll remember 5-10 years from now...

 

[AtleB]

Skis designed to go in one direction, as opposed to those that can be ridden switch.

Just a follow up, directional skis generally have a flat tail and there is more ski in front of you than behind you.

 

[AtleB]

One way to look at justifying dedicated powder skis is that they generally won't see a lot of use, therefor they will last for ages.
I'm still working on justification for all the complimentary powder skis I have purchased..

 

[noobski]

Just want to point out that it's easy to say "just rent on a powder day" but in my experience renting on a powder day is very much hit and miss. If you have the luxury of taking 2 pair of skis on your trips then it seems like a no-brainer to select one of them to maximise the fun factor on powder days. Those are the days you'll remember 5-10 years from now...

This is a really fair point.

If you're onsite/mountain, it's a lot easier. But if you're driving in for the day, can be very difficult if not impossible to get powder skis on a powder day.

That said, The Enforcer 100's (or any of the skis OPs thinking about) don't strike me as just powder, but could get OP to most powder up to 12 but then going probably want to rent above a foot anyway (that's again assuming similar midwest ski abilities). I would certainly add 100 to my quiver, but probably nothing higher given his objectives.

 

[Blue Streak]

Skis designed to go in one direction, as opposed to those that can be ridden switch.

Got it.

 

[Ken_R]

Looking to add a ski over the summer for all-around use when we (eventually) travel to ski. Home hill is 300' of vertical in MN and my current skis are well suited to this - K2 iKonic 84 (177cm) and Dynastar Speedzone 12s (72mm, 174cm). A third pair in 95-100mm width would let me travel with that and the K2s (or skip bringing the K2s altogether) but will see practically zero usage at home. Mo skis are mo bettah so I'm ok with them gathering dust for the majority of their life, plus there is some kind of flawed reverse logic that helps me justify traveling more to ski in general because of having the skis to begin with. Anyways, destinations on the list are Fernie, Brighton, Big Sky, Wolf Creek, and Grand Targhee. Generally speaking, we'll travel in late March/early April over spring break and I'm trying to keep expected snow conditions in mind. I'm a 6'0 185 advanced skier but don't push the envelope all day since I'm usually skiing with my kids so I want a unicorn ski that works well enough for everything, isn't super burly, and is fun to boot. Current candidates below in no particular order...am I off the mark with where my criteria is pointing me?

Nordica Enforcer 100, 179
K2 Mindbender 99 Ti, 177
Fischer Ranger 99 Ti, 181
Salomon Stance 96, 182
Elan Ripstick 96, 180
Blizzard Rustler 9, 180
Nordica Enforcer 94, 179

All those ski are awesome around here except the Ripstick 96 might be too light and flexy for you and the Mindbender 99 too heavy and too much of a handful in moguls.

 

[Jarngreipr]

Personally, my daily driver this year has be a 66 under foot slalom ski. On every day with more than 4 inches, I've been on my 84. I've skied my 98's exactly twice this season, and perhaps 5 times in the last 2-3 years. And that's in 68 days of skiing this season, 85 last (curtailed by Covid), and 50 the previous (aborted due to injury). I'm actually thinking of downsizing to a daily driver in the mid-70s.

So, my question to you is is your desire for a wider ski an aspirational one? Do you think that having a wider ski will bring deep powder days? Do you have the technique to ski your 84 off-piste? Because if you have that technique, I suspect you will have a much better tool for the conditions you are likely to find out west with that 84 than with a wider ski.

You can always rent a wider ski out west if conditions warrant.

Mike (a ski instructor, not a shop rat -- they seem to push wide skis which lead to bad technique when narrower skis are a more fun option in most conditions out west)...

No, not aspirational and not a magic wand for powder days every time we travel. It's really a question of "will I have more fun on a wider ski?" No problem skiing the 84 off-piste, to a point, so it's more about whether something wider will be "better" in general based on expected conditions across the whole mountain, groomers included. My presumptive answer is "yes", hence a list of skis, but maybe the answer is really "no" and then I call it good with the 84s I have.