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East Coast All-Mountain...

WVC7

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Posts
8
Location
NH
Just got on pugski this morning and excited about all the great stuff. With the pandemic our family moved up for the year to our ski house in NH and should be getting many more days on the mountain. Looking for some suggestions.

Looking for a ski that will work well for me. I ski all runs and my ideal conditions would be packed-powder down a steep double black. Currently have an old Rossignol Exp 84 from a few years back (not current style) and that ski is not stable at all. It's the worst. I don't want super-heavy skis like the brahma and enforcer, but do need stability. I also want something that does well in crud.

45 years old, 5 10 and 225.

I do like the stability of mid- 80s-90. I am looking at Liberty Evolv 90/84, K2 Mindbender 90ti, Stockli SR 88, Armada 92 Declivity.

Concerns:
Liberty the 84 or 90? Does edge grip of 84 make up for decreased versatility? Had heard the tail is hard to release and locks you in? Would like to be able to ski some moguls, but hard snow performance is paramount.
K2 Mindbender: Too heavy and not great on hard snow. I know good swing weight, but they weigh a ton just picking up in shop.
SR88: really surprised they only have a 175 this year (last year 177) and the versatility? I think 177-180 would be right. Stockli really needs to increase size options. Seems crazy not to have a ski between 175 and 184.
Declivity: It is ok on hard snow/ice. That is mostly what we have in NH, but would be nice to pretend otherwise.

Demoed SR 95 last year and thought a bit wide.

Thanks appreciate any thoughts.
 

silverback

Talking a lot about less and less
Skier
Joined
Sep 16, 2016
Posts
1,411
Location
Wasatch
45 years old, 5 10 and 225.

I do like the stability of mid- 80s-90. I am looking at Liberty Evolv 90/84, K2 Mindbender 90ti, Stöckli SR 88, Armada 92 Declivity.

Welcome, there is so much to learn and unpack living in the mountains. Enjoy the journey. A few thoughts:

Try not to confuse waste width with stability. There are very stable 65mm wide skis 90mm wide skis and 115mm wide skis. Same with less stable skis. By "stable" do you mean that the ski is calm and damp at really high speeds? Likes big turns more than short turns?

Good crud skis are rarely light weight.

Rather than looking for a ski for your ideal conditions, as you get more opportunities to ski, you'll realize it is better to get skis that are good for the conditions you are likely to find on an average day. Another thing you will want to consider (and will get a lot of support for here) is that you should consider multiple skis so you can have more ideal skis for the conditions on a given day.

How are your boots?
 
Thread Starter
TS
W

WVC7

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Posts
8
Location
NH
Thanks for the ideas. Ski at Waterville Valley and head over to Cannon as well. Boots are Atomic Hawk Magna (wide feet)
 

wooglin

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Jan 27, 2020
Posts
1,460
Location
Center of the Civilized World

Vinnie

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Posts
268
Mindbender 90ti’s maybe on the heavy side, but I don’t notice it when skiing. Weight and stability usually go together. It’s an all-mountain ski not a front-side carver. It will be a blast in packed-powder and any condition where you can set an edge. Really hard-pack performance will depend on your skills. It rewards a forward stance when putting it on edge. If you ski it more centered it pivots easily.
 

ADKmel

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Posts
2,344
Location
Southern Adirondacks NY
I ski the East, I love my Liberty V76's. I have no problem skiing them from frozen cord to about 6" fresh with ice in the troughs. very smooth ride. They reward good skiing and do what you ask of them. No tip chatter, good in crud

if money is no problem and you want fatter- Renoun z-90's are amazing too. They were my 1 ski quiver until I got on the Liberty, they stiffen on ice and at speed and get loose in slop, they are incredible amazing in all conditions.

So many skis, hope you can demo.
 
Thread Starter
TS
W

WVC7

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Posts
8
Location
NH
ended up going with SR 88. Best call ever. Can handle most conditions and edge grip is very good.
 

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