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Expert vs. Beginner skis

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GA49

GA49

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Going into a bump, mostly, in my experience. The longitudinally bendier, the easier it is to make it come alive at low speeds and also the easier to take the line you want, not the line you have to in the bumps.
Would you say that this applies to chop and tracked out mashed potatos (I don't know what they all that, but basically the 1 footer, random diameter piles of soft snow in random places on the slopes at 2PM on a warm afternoon). I ask because I'm wondering if that ski could be used for both conditions: green/blue 8AM groomers and 2PM warm tracked out piles.
 

KingGrump

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I'm wondering if that ski could be used for both conditions: green/blue 8AM groomers and 2PM warm tracked out piles.

Expand the skillset and almost any ski will do.
Some skis are more suitable in some condition/terrain or another but they will all suffice.

Just be careful of this switching skis at lunch crap.
It's a slippery slope.
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Seldomski

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Would you say that this applies to chop and tracked out mashed potatos (I don't know what they all that, but basically the 1 footer, random diameter piles of soft snow in random places on the slopes at 2PM on a warm afternoon). I ask because I'm wondering if that ski could be used for both conditions: green/blue 8AM groomers and 2PM warm tracked out piles.
I found a slalom cheater to be pretty awful in push piles. The combination of a wide shovel, softer longitudinal flex, large sidecut, and short length was a real challenge. The piles deflected the tip and the tip tries to engage with the boilerplate leading to some pretty tight turns. I aimed for the boilerplate instead and that was a less jarring experience.

A GS cheater though is totally fine arcing through crud without being deflected. Most all mountain skis I have demoed are fine arcing through piles of whatever without being sent off course. If you are skiing primarily on the base of the ski vs the edge, then you will get bounced around more by the piles of crud.
 

zircon

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No, I'm open to suggestions for sure, especially because if I end up getting them after the season BCs are a little pricey.

I actually thought I'd be getting something else but the ski place near me said they have a crap load of BCs in their demo stock.
Guessing from the BCs and Vermont you ski near/at Killington? Plenty of shops around there with huge and varied demo fleets. Also, if you're going to A/B demo like in a previous response, I'd take your own skis the same day. Best to compare on the same day, same conditions.

Would you say that this applies to chop and tracked out mashed potatos (I don't know what they all that, but basically the 1 footer, random diameter piles of soft snow in random places on the slopes at 2PM on a warm afternoon). I ask because I'm wondering if that ski could be used for both conditions: green/blue 8AM groomers and 2PM warm tracked out piles.
Nah, that's a different animal altogether. Multiple schools of thought on those. None of them wrong, but those aren't really solid or static enough to be "bumps." I prefer to make teeny tiny quick turns around those. Others prefer to blast through. Try both and see what you think.
 

AngryAnalyst

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Would you say that this applies to chop and tracked out mashed potatos (I don't know what they all that, but basically the 1 footer, random diameter piles of soft snow in random places on the slopes at 2PM on a warm afternoon). I ask because I'm wondering if that ski could be used for both conditions: green/blue 8AM groomers and 2PM warm tracked out piles.

Those are typically referred to as crud or slush piles depending whether it’s above freezing and how much sun they’ve had.

Not 100% sure I understand your question, but there are absolutely skis that are good at bumps and good at skiing through crud piles. Most of the commenters have been steering you towards narrow tight radius things, to me a big weakness of that style of ski is crudded out groomers because it’s often possible engage the sidecut of the ski without intending to do so if you go through the crud pile.

Generally, all mountain skis are good at skiing through and around crud piles. If you want to blast through them (to me this is the most fun approach by far) you usually want stiff, wide, heavy and long radius. You probably don’t want something super stiff at your ability level, but a somewhat wider ski (say 88-100 underfoot) with some mass to it makes crud fun.
 
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Skisolo

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When I got back in to skiing after a very long hiatus I rented noodly soft skis and soft boots. It was not fun for me being somewhat tall and heavy. They got pushed around on tracked up afternoon groomers and they bent like bananas as soon as I put some g forces on to them. They were also unable to support me if I got back seated or off balance = crash. Once I got on a pair of fat skis with double titanal layers it was an entirely different experience and haven't crashed in like 3 years of skiing. Even when I mess up I can use the flex of the boots and heft of the skis to get back in to position. Sure, they're long and heavy but I have no problems low speed carving them on green baby groomers with the kids so it's not like they require much effort to bend.

I think "advanced"(not race) skis are just flat out better for anyone who is intermediate or better provided you can bend them.
 

LiquidFeet

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So stacking up the Divus vs. Camox, even though the Divus are 82 underfoot which makes getting on edge easier (for me anyway), which of those do you think would be better suited for intermediate practicing?
Narrower skis would be better for building skills if your home hill is in Vermont. The climate in Vermont will offer you "firmmmm" groomers for practice. Soft natural snow crud and bumps will be somewhat rare unless you're near Jay Peak.

Narrow is better for putting the skis up on edge on hard snow where part of the ski doesn't sink into the snow. Once up on edge, the skis will bend, and you will want to be able to feel the bending. So skis that will bend, when on edge, at slow to moderate speeds are also helpful. Noodles are not helpful. Skis marketed as "beginner skis" are more often noodles.

Narrower means 78 at the waist - or less. 60something would be really narrow.

No matter what skis you are on, you will need to be willing to go slow on lower pitch terrain while practicing. Learning takes place when there is little perceived terrain challenge, where no caution is needed. Then the mind can concentrate on what you are doing with your feet and legs and arms and so on. In the absence of terrain challenges, you can concentrate on where on the ski you are balancing, how much the tail swishes out compared to the tip, how round your turns are, etc.
 
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Eric@ict

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Would you say that this applies to chop and tracked out mashed potatos (I don't know what they all that, but basically the 1 footer, random diameter piles of soft snow in random places on the slopes at 2PM on a warm afternoon). I ask because I'm wondering if that ski could be used for both conditions: green/blue 8AM groomers and 2PM warm tracked out piles.
I’ll be the first to say, I know nothing about all the tech that goes into skis and this thread has been a fun read. When I come to the situation you describe I know my current skis (Maverick 88ti) will slice thru with no issue, but what fun is that. I look at all the different turn shapes while navigating the run. The small piles become pole plant targets and now the run is a lot of fun.
 

Cheizz

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Maybe try the Ski Selector at the top of the page.
The 'Ski selector' is not really that. It doesn't select anything for you. It is a ski review filter. You still have to translate your requirements into ski features (such as waist width, category label, etc.) yourself. And that's where most people run aground.
 

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