Help choosing at 108/112 touring skis for powder in B.C.

[charlier]

I plan to purchase a new powder specific touring ski for my ski touring in B.C. I weigh 145 lbs with my touring pack and 5’8” tall. I am a finesse skier and I have a forward, lightly driving stance stance. Looking for a easy, poppy/playful and accessible ski for long multi day tours that I can bend underfoot (not planks). Weight is important, but downhill performance is most important. For work skis, I have Amer Sports MTN binding on an Elan Ripstick 106, but want a ski that is a bit lighter, wider underfoot and can deal with steep tree skiing, open powder bowls, and couliors - a turny ski without a stiff and punishing tail.:I am considering Line Vision 108 (175) or Pandora 110 (178 or 170). For touring, I usually go for a shorter length that can give me fast radius turns in trees. I also considered Moment Bella/Wildcat tour (172) or Moment Deathwish Tour 112 (174) but thought that the Moment Tour skis might be too stiff. Suggestion, comments, etc are welcome.

 

[AngryAnalyst]

I’ve never done a multi-day tour, so I am probably less familiar with the weight trade offs that requires than you are. I rarely wish my Wildcat 108 Tour was lighter and I do think it goes downhill very well for how light it is.

I’m a much larger person than you are and I tend to like really big skis, so I am probably not the best person to ask about whether the Moments are too stiff. That said, the flex of the 190 length of the 108 is never something I notice which I mean as the highest possible compliment. I am much more aware of dialing things back due to my touring boots and bindings than I am because of ski flex. I also can’t recall ever having an issue bending the ski either, even when doing my best to stay on my feet in crust and skiing pretty slow.

Never tried a deathwish, so I can’t help you with that comparison. My wife does like her Bella (108) and uses them for touring as well. The only weakness I’ve found in the Wildcat is that on really steep firm snow I’ve sometimes wished for a flatter tail for a more secure feeling on edge. I fixed that by buying the new Commander Tour.

Not sure if you have a binding system you like already, but I also want to plug the Moment Voyager as being a very nice product. Not too fiddly, the stance is “ok” for me and it does offer a good connection to the ski.

 

[charlier]

I will use an Amer Sports MTN binding (Slalom or Atomic) with Zero G 120 tour boots. I will not user the skis on steep firm snow, that is not an issue for interior B.C. winter ski touring.

 

[AngryAnalyst]

Gotcha, I use the Hawx XTD 130 to drive the Wildcat 108 Tour. I think it’s a well matched system and Moment’s touring cores are dialed for their weights. I don't know if that helps at all.

I can’t speak to the Line skis you’re looking at unfortunately. The other skis on my touring short list if you’re interested are the WNDR and 4FRNT models. I've been on the Intention 110 inbounds and I thought it was a surprisingly capable ride for how light it is, but you would pick up nearly ~300 grams per ski vs. the Moment Wildcat 108 in a comparable length.

 

[charlier]

I considered the WNDR 110 cambered skis, but the Moment and Line skis were a bit lighter weight. I think that all my choices are very good on the downhill. For now, I prefer a slightly softer ski flex without a punishing stiff tail. That said, my spring/summer volcano ski is a Blizzard Zero G 95. That ski has a relatively stiff tail and is super turns on steep summer corn.

 

[firebanex]

I am also wholly unqualified to answer anything about multi day touring skis but you may also want to consider the Renoun Citadel 106. I'm a much bigger person than you and I was surprised and impressed with how much float and powder performance I got out of that ski. Riding mine with a more resort touring setup with a pair of Shift bindings and SLab MTN boots. It really floats above it's waist width numbers. I'm terrible at describing things so I suggest that you go read the Blister review of the ski to really get a feel for it. It's a special ski.

 

[charlier]

@firebanex - I had not considered the Citadel 106, but its fairly lightweight, at about 1600 gm. I worry about a carbon fiber ski, mostly from its potential nervous or chattery behavio. I will mount the skis with a fairly lightweight tech binding. Blister's review was a bit confusing for me. In the mix, so far is Line Vision 108 (they seem so soft), WNDR 110 cambered (178cm), Moment WildcatBella 108 (179 cm), or perhaps the Citadel or Liberty Origin BC.

 

[firebanex]

The Citadel is the weirdest ski I've ever had in that regard. It's not nervous or sketchy at all, it's insanely more stable from the HDT than it has any right to be. Sure it's carbon construction, but it doesn't feel like that at all. Definitely had standard construction skis that were way more nervous and cattery than the Citadel is.

I did take them to Alyeska for a day in March when I had new touring liners cooked for the boots I use with them. It hadn't snowed in a couple of days and the spring sun was doing it's freeze thaw thing to the snow, no complaints about how the skis performed on the morning ice or anything else I found. During that day of skiing the notable moments was hitting 60mph coming out of some of the lower runs on the North Face runs. I was getting a bit freaked out from the speed but the ski was totally calm and collected.

 

[Mike Rogers]

I ski Rogers Pass almost every weekend in the winter, and the Deathwish Tour is my go-to ski 90% of the time. I also ski the regular Deathwish (I'm on my second pair of those skis), so the shape is pretty familiar.

I probably have about 70 days on the tours. They're paried with Marker Alpinists and Dynafit Hoji Frees.

Compared to the regular Deathwish, the tour feels less stiff, and it floats a bit better at low speeds (maybe the softer flex). It doesn't have the same speed limit as the full weight, and it's not as much fun on rough terrain, but it works well for most of the snow I encounter mid-winter.

Generally speaking, traditionally mounted directional skis are more intuitive to me than freestyle skis, and I found I really gelled with a -1 (from the line) mount point. On the line, I had to really concentrate on staying centered.

The deathwish and the deathwish tour are my favorite tree skis. They're very easy to ski at slower speeds, and easy to turn/slide/pivot.

My partner, Liz is on the full weight one (174) at the resort, and she's shorter and lighter than you. She doesn't find it to be too much.

Liz skis the Wildcat Tour 116 for deep days....and she's very happy on them. She prefers her 4fnt Ravens on less deep days though.

I'm on the 184cm, but i am 2-3 inches and more than 30 pounds heavier.

The WNDR intention 110 looks good, but according to Moment and WNDR websites, the WNDR is 250g/ski heavier at 184/185 cm. In my opinion, 2000g per ski is pretty heavy for long days and multi-days. You're kind of at resort weight with the intentions. I'm sure they ski nicely though.

Anyway, I am a big fan of the Deathwish Tour. I have 4 ski touring quiver, but I'm going to cut back, simply because I choose the Deathwish for almost everything other than long distances in the spring.

 

[charlier]

I ski Rogers Pass almost every weekend in the winter, and the Deathwish Tour is my go-to ski 90% of the time. I also ski the regular Deathwish (I'm on my second pair of those skis), so the shape is pretty familiar.

I probably have about 70 days on the tours. They're paried with Marker Alpinists and Dynafit Hoji Frees.

Compared to the regular Deathwish, the tour feels less stiff, and it floats a bit better at low speeds (maybe the softer flex). It doesn't have the same speed limit as the full weight, and it's not as much fun on rough terrain, but it works well for most of the snow I encounter mid-winter.

Generally speaking, traditionally mounted directional skis are more intuitive to me than freestyle skis, and I found I really gelled with a -1 (from the line) mount point. On the line, I had to really concentrate on staying centered.

The deathwish and the deathwish tour are my favorite tree skis. They're very easy to ski at slower speeds, and easy to turn/slide/pivot.

My partner, Liz is on the full weight one (174) at the resort, and she's shorter and lighter than you. She doesn't find it to be too much.

Liz skis the Wildcat Tour 116 for deep days....and she's very happy on them. She prefers her 4fnt Ravens on less deep days though.

I'm on the 184cm, but i am 2-3 inches and more than 30 pounds heavier.

The WNDR intention 110 looks good, but according to Moment and WNDR websites, the WNDR is 250g/ski heavier at 184/185 cm. In my opinion, 2000g per ski is pretty heavy for long days and multi-days. You're kind of at resort weight with the intentions. I'm sure they ski nicely though.

Anyway, I am a big fan of the Deathwish Tour. I have 4 ski touring quiver, but I'm going to cut back, simply because I choose the Deathwish for almost everything other than long distances in the spring.

Thanks for the input. I wish that I could try skis before purchasing. I am also considering the Moment Wildcat Tour 108. I was told that the ski is a bit softer than the Deathwish Tour.

Great to here about mount point. I prefer directional skis with a traditional mount point and do not want tooncentrate on feeling centered while skiing. I will follow your suggestion.

I agree that the WNDR is a bit heavier for long touring days - for me that is about 5-6k vertical. I considered the DPS Pagoda Tour 112 - the width and weight seems nice, but the skis are super expensive. It’s hard to justify a ski that costs almost twice as much as the Moment or WNDR skis.

As I reduce my quiver, I will use my new wide touring ski and my Blizzard Zero G 95 for spring and summer missions (wonderful ski). Perhaps I will mount the intention 110 cambered ski woth Alpine or Shift binding for inbound/slack country at Red Mountain.

 

[James]

considered the DPS Pagoda Tour 112

Currently on sale for $900 for184.

DPS PAGODA Tour 112 RP Skis 2022 - Teton Wasatch Ski Co.

DPS PAGODA Tour 112 RP Skis The best untracked snow is worth walking for. Long uphills in the traditionally deep...

tetonwasatch.com

 

[charlier]

Currently on sale for $900 for184.

DPS PAGODA Tour 112 RP Skis 2022 - Teton Wasatch Ski Co.

DPS PAGODA Tour 112 RP Skis The best untracked snow is worth walking for. Long uphills in the traditionally deep...

tetonwasatch.com

James - thanks for the link. If I purchase a Pagoda Tour 112, I would try to find a 178 cm ski. Still, $900 is a lot of money for a ski.