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Looking for new ski advice

Revolver

Booting up
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Joined
Oct 10, 2022
Posts
8
Location
Ontario
Hello folks,

First time poster here and looking for some feedback on purchasing new skis.

I'm 43, 5' 11", 200 lbs. and a fairly advanced skier. I live in Ontario and mostly ski local hills in Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec or Mont Tremblant and have a trip planned for Killington for the holidays this year. The hills nearby always end up getting icy at some point during the season.

I currently ski on 2012 Volkl Tigershark 8ft's, which were an advanced/expert carving ski with a wood core and titanal. The Tigershark's have a lot of grip when things get hard, and they're fast and damp, which are all characteristics I would like in a new ski. They're great early in the day, but at 69mm underfoot the waist is narrow and when there's fresh snow accumulation or as things get choppy and bumpy throughout the day the Tigersharks don't do as well, so I'd like to find something more versatile. I ski mostly on-piste, so that would be the priority, but having the versatility to do some moguls or trees would be a nice bonus.

I've done a lot of research and narrowed my list down to the following, but am having a hard time deciding without being able to ski them. I think a wider carving ski is going to suit my conditions and ski habits best. The V.Werks are intriguing, but I would probably only go for them if I could find a good deal due to the price.

Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB
Elan Wingman 82CTi
Fischer RC One 82 GT
Volkl Deacon 84
Volkl Deacon V.Werks

If anyone has any feedback based on the above, or other suggestions, I'd love to hear it. Another option is to keep the Tigershark's for when conditions are good and buy a wider ski for different conditions and terrain, but I'm not sure if I would swap ski's in the middle of the day to accommodate for deteriorating conditions.

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
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East Coast Scott

Getting off the lift
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Joined
Apr 3, 2021
Posts
251
Location
Maine
Appears you are looking for something in the lower 80mm range. Don't count out the Blizzard Brahma 82 and another one could be the Nordica Doberman Spitfire 80.
 

charlier

Fresh Tracks
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Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Posts
607
Location
Seattle & Rossland, B.C.
Thoughts about a Elan Wingman 86CTi for a front side ski for western North America. I am a good skier and weigh 145, 5’8”. After last years winter snow drought, I skied groomers and would like narrower skis. The other ski, a Stöckli 88 Stormrider.
 

Jilly

Lead Cougar
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Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,411
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Belleville, Ontario,/ Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Eastern Ontario skier too! My daily driver is a tuned down race ski...Rossi Hero ST Ti. But I do have an 88 in the quiver. It's too soft. I demo'd the Brahma 82's in Lake Louise at the start of the season in 2019. So much better than the Head Joy (can't remember model and don't care!) I was on the day before. If the deal on the SA 88's hadn't been what it was, the Brahma 82's would have been in the quiver instead.

There will be a ski show - last weekend of October, International Centre...
 

Wendy

Resurrecting the Oxford comma
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Hello folks,

First time poster here and looking for some feedback on purchasing new skis.

I'm 43, 5' 11", 200 lbs. and a fairly advanced skier. I live in Ontario and mostly ski local hills in Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec or Mont Tremblant and have a trip planned for Killington for the holidays this year. The hills nearby always end up getting icy at some point during the season.

I currently ski on 2012 Volkl Tigershark 8ft's, which were an advanced/expert carving ski with a wood core and titanal. The Tigershark's have a lot of grip when things get hard, and they're fast and damp, which are all characteristics I would like in a new ski. They're great early in the day, but at 69mm underfoot the waist is narrow and when there's fresh snow accumulation or as things get choppy and bumpy throughout the day the Tigersharks don't do as well, so I'd like to find something more versatile. I ski mostly on-piste, so that would be the priority, but having the versatility to do some moguls or trees would be a nice bonus.

I've done a lot of research and narrowed my list down to the following, but am having a hard time deciding without being able to ski them. I think a wider carving ski is going to suit my conditions and ski habits best. The V.Werks are intriguing, but I would probably only go for them if I could find a good deal due to the price.

Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB
Elan Wingman 82CTi
Fischer RC One 82 GT
Volkl Deacon 84
Volkl Deacon V.Werks

If anyone has any feedback based on the above, or other suggestions, I'd love to hear it. Another option is to keep the Tigershark's for when conditions are good and buy a wider ski for different conditions and terrain, but I'm not sure if I would swap ski's in the middle of the day to accommodate for deteriorating conditions.

Thanks in advance for the help.
A very versatile east coast ski is the Blossom AM77. It’s strong enough for carving, but just soft enough for bumps and trees. It’s my east coast ski. Online sales only through premier skis.com. Will be pricier than all but the VWerks, probably.

The skis on your list all get accolades from readers on this site, so I guess it will be just the personality of the ski or the price that may help you decide.
 

Ivan

Out on the slopes
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Dec 26, 2018
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479
Location
Binghamton, NY
I was in the same boat last season, facing pretty much the same choice. Based on the reviews here and on other websites, bought the Fischer RC One 86 GT. Have only skied them once, so don't really have much to report.
 

DocGKR

Stuck at work...
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Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Posts
1,689
Location
Palo Alto, California
I am typically on sub-70mm race skis or sport carvers when on-piste, then switch to an 88-90mm ski for "All Mountain" resort use (love the Salomon Stance 90).

However, I also have used 72-85mm skis for the veritable one-ski on-piste resort cruiser ski: my favorite is the 181 Rossi Hero Elite Plus Ti, but the 175 AX, 177 e.Rally, Nordica Spitfire 76 & 80, as well as the AR, Stance 84, Liberty Evolv 84, Rossi Experience, and various Deacons are all nice options I've tried.
 
Thread Starter
TS
R

Revolver

Booting up
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8
Location
Ontario
Appears you are looking for something in the lower 80mm range. Don't count out the Blizzard Brahma 82 and another one could be the Nordica Doberman Spitfire 80.
The Brahma 82's were also on the list but I thought having 2 Blizzard's here would be too much. :D The Spitfire 80's look like a good option too.
 
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Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Team Gathermeister
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Nov 14, 2015
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12,616
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Maine
Hello folks,

First time poster here and looking for some feedback on purchasing new skis.

I'm 43, 5' 11", 200 lbs. and a fairly advanced skier. I live in Ontario and mostly ski local hills in Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec or Mont Tremblant and have a trip planned for Killington for the holidays this year. The hills nearby always end up getting icy at some point during the season.

I currently ski on 2012 Volkl Tigershark 8ft's, which were an advanced/expert carving ski with a wood core and titanal. The Tigershark's have a lot of grip when things get hard, and they're fast and damp, which are all characteristics I would like in a new ski. They're great early in the day, but at 69mm underfoot the waist is narrow and when there's fresh snow accumulation or as things get choppy and bumpy throughout the day the Tigersharks don't do as well, so I'd like to find something more versatile. I ski mostly on-piste, so that would be the priority, but having the versatility to do some moguls or trees would be a nice bonus.

I've done a lot of research and narrowed my list down to the following, but am having a hard time deciding without being able to ski them. I think a wider carving ski is going to suit my conditions and ski habits best. The V.Werks are intriguing, but I would probably only go for them if I could find a good deal due to the price.

Blizzard Thunderbird R15 WB
Elan Wingman 82CTi
Fischer RC One 82 GT
Volkl Deacon 84
Volkl Deacon V.Werks

If anyone has any feedback based on the above, or other suggestions, I'd love to hear it. Another option is to keep the Tigershark's for when conditions are good and buy a wider ski for different conditions and terrain, but I'm not sure if I would swap ski's in the middle of the day to accommodate for deteriorating conditions.

Thanks in advance for the help.
Of the skis in your list, the Fischer is probably the one that's the "most different" from what you have now. Specifically it's arguably the one with the most significant design adaptations for 3D snow - tip taper and early rise. This makes more difference than width when it comes to handling fresh snow, bumps, and trees. I'd put that at the top of my list given your stated criteria.

On the other hand, you leave some possibly unintentional hints that suggest you actually don't like to ski 3D snow and strongly prefer smooth groomers. Emphasis below is mine.

Another option is to keep the Tigershark's for when conditions are good and buy a wider ski for different conditions and terrain

(Most of us would probably have replaced your "good" with "bad".) If you're just paying lip service to the whole off-piste thing, to keep up appearances, then are you sure you have the right list?
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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Nov 17, 2015
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7,615
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Great White North (Eastern side currently)
Location, location, location. You ski Ontario and Quebec. Narrow is better. However, you have a short radius ski. If you get something with a longer turn radius it will be easier in the conditions where the Tiger shark 8 ft is giving you trouble.
Sure, rocker and tip rise make things easier in deep snow and less than ideal conditions, but the biggest problem with the narrow short radius ski in snow that is not boiler plate or fresh groomed, is that the ski want's to dial up a tighter turn than the platform is capable of holding. A longer ski helps. A wider ski helps. However a longer radius helps a lot too.

BTW you didn't say what length of Tigershark you are on.
 
Thread Starter
TS
R

Revolver

Booting up
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Joined
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Posts
8
Location
Ontario
Location, location, location. You ski Ontario and Quebec. Narrow is better. However, you have a short radius ski. If you get something with a longer turn radius it will be easier in the conditions where the Tiger shark 8 ft is giving you trouble.
Sure, rocker and tip rise make things easier in deep snow and less than ideal conditions, but the biggest problem with the narrow short radius ski in snow that is not boiler plate or fresh groomed, is that the ski want's to dial up a tighter turn than the platform is capable of holding. A longer ski helps. A wider ski helps. However a longer radius helps a lot too.
BTW you didn't say what length of Tigershark you are on.

Do you think the ski's listed above are wider than I should be looking at? The Tigershark's are 168 and short for me.
 
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Thread Starter
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R

Revolver

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Ontario
Of the skis in your list, the Fischer is probably the one that's the "most different" from what you have now. Specifically it's arguably the one with the most significant design adaptations for 3D snow - tip taper and early rise. This makes more difference than width when it comes to handling fresh snow, bumps, and trees. I'd put that at the top of my list given your stated criteria.

On the other hand, you leave some possibly unintentional hints that suggest you actually don't like to ski 3D snow and strongly prefer smooth groomers. Emphasis below is mine.

(Most of us would probably have replaced your "good" with "bad".) If you're just paying lip service to the whole off-piste thing, to keep up appearances, then are you sure you have the right list?
I really just meant when conditions aren't good for the Tigershark's, and smooth groomers is definitely where they excel. I do avoid 3D snow to an extent (when possible), but that's partly becasue the Tigershark's don't do as well there.
 

Jilly

Lead Cougar
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Posts
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Belleville, Ontario,/ Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Having watch @François Pugh ski about 10cm of fluff on his race skis.....I hate to bring it up, but technique has a lot to do with it too. I too have made the choice to ski the Rossi Hero's in 18cm of fluff..

Sometimes it's the tool (ski) and sometimes is the driver...
My 88's that are only 2 years old, have 3 days on them.
 

tromano

Goin' the way they're pointed...
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Layton, UT
The Tigershark is a different class of ski from what the OP is looking at and solve different problems. If you loved the sharks enough to ski them for 10 years, I would be skeptical that a 80mm wide carver ski is an obvious right answer to that same use case. The wider ski addresses what you identfied as your sharks' short comings, but their strengths are not the same. Suggest looking at some skis with SC or RC, or maybe FIS SL in the name just to be sure.
 
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cantunamunch

Meh
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Behavioral sink
Atomic has a Redster WB....

Atomic now have a Q series that could really play to OP's strengths.
Having watch @François Pugh ski about 10cm of fluff on his race skis.....I hate to bring it up, but technique has a lot to do with it too. I too have made the choice to ski the Rossi Hero's in 18cm of fluff..

Sometimes it's the tool (ski) and sometimes is the driver...

You have a point and it would be perfectly valid for most of OP's skiing - except Killington bumps and trees.

On the other hand, you leave some possibly unintentional hints that suggest you actually don't like to ski 3D snow and strongly prefer smooth groomers.

Yep, most of the people picked up on that, I think.

If you're just paying lip service to the whole off-piste thing, to keep up appearances, then are you sure you have the right list?

I think OP has exactly the right list. But I think OP needs two different skis.

A first ski, narrow ski, to replace his Tigersharks (I mean come on, they're 2012s people, how many properly used SLs last three seasons let alone a full decade?).

A second ski for moguls and trees so that he can learn to ski moguls and trees quickly, without massive pisteur frustrations and without pranging his SLs or SL-adjacent piste skis.
 

graham418

Skiing the powder
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Welcome fellow Ontarian. For the majority of your skiing in Ontario and Quebec, a ski in the low to mid 70's is what you want. Apart from some soft muush in the spring, all we get is ice. Or the rare Ontario powder day which is 2cm of fluff. On top of ice.
I have always skied a 15m radius ski, which gives great versatility for our hills
Some skis you might want to consider are Head SS eMagnum, Volkl Racetiger SC, Rossi Heros , I am currently skiing on K2 Disruption STI. Ice, bumps, crud. They do it all.
 

dovski

Waxing my skis and praying for snow
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Jan 7, 2018
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2,859
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Seattle
I would be remiss if I did not recommend a Stockli ski. The AX might be exactly what you are looking for. Super fun and versatile ski which is an excellent carver but can also handle some crud and light pow with ease.
 

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