Hey guys. Just wanted to take a shot at some comparisons since I just got back from a trip to BC where I demoed a bunch of skis. Just wondering if what I feel resonates with anybody else. What surprised me was that what I thought I would love, I actually hated. Skis are really personal preference I am finding out. I know that these skis are not really all from one category, but testing a wide range was very helpful to me.
My stats: 5'10", 195 lbs, Intermediate +, 42 years old. Ski 15+ days/year.
My gear: Tecnica Mach1 120 (haven't bought skis yet, but plan to!)
1. Blizzard Brahma 88 - 166. First ski tested. The specs on this ski said I would love it. Heavy, stiff, burly. Took it out on the hard pack corduroy at Beaver Creek (BC). This is a very demanding ski. Could be that I had a bad tune, but skis felt dull and unforgiving, and very, very chattery. I can say that if I was a technically better skier, I would probably like them a lot more.
2. K2 Mindbender 90. 170cm. A very good ski. Light, solid, smooth, fairly damp. Skis true to length. I might have preferred the 163 more though. Feel like the 85 may be the sweet spot for this one, but didn't test it.
3. Head Kore 93. This ski has a good reputation, but sorry to say--I really hated it. It felt like planks of wood under my feet. Slow edge to edge and skis wanted to wash out if I didn't keep edges fully engaged through the entire turn. Felt very unstable and unforgiving.
4. Atomic Vantage 75. Very generic, unremarkable. Not very energetic. Seems like a retro ski, sort of old school.
5. Head I-Titan Super shape. Heavy, stiff, but really good, solid, businesslike. It does exactly what it is meant to do on the groomed runs. Very stable. Very good carving ski. But not playful and not really for off-piste IMO.
6. Elan Wingman 86 CTI 172 cm. Everything I read said that this ski would be too light for me. But asking around the ski shops, everybody said that this ski was special and that I needed to try it in the CTI version (which is supposed to be much better than the TI version). So I did. Bottom line, this is the best ski I've ever tested for on-piste. Skis slightly shorter than length because it is very light. Very fast edge to edge. Very stable, forgiving, and good from groomed to crud. Playful, fun. Damp, but you can feel everything you want to feel. The carbon transmits information and feel so well, you know that this is special. I think also that the amphibio tech with dedicated left and right skis makes sense too, not just a gimmick. Very intuitive from edge to edge. On my last day we got some fresh powder and the ski was still very good in 4-5 inches or less; but over 5 inches, not so much. Maybe with a lighter person, the float would be there, but not for me at 190+. That is why I think this is probably not truly an all-mountain ski (as advertised), but it is an almost all-mountain ski, as it is the ski you want for almost everything frontside. So what I might do is buy this one and use it for 80% of the time -- and on powder days, demo a Ripstick 96 or 106...
So the Wingman is awesome, but I haven't yet tried the Ripstick in order to compare. Has anyone compared the Wingman 86 to the Ripsticks? I would assume based on their shape that the Ripstick would not be quite as good as the Wingman on groomed runs, but I am honestly not sure. Please let me know.
My stats: 5'10", 195 lbs, Intermediate +, 42 years old. Ski 15+ days/year.
My gear: Tecnica Mach1 120 (haven't bought skis yet, but plan to!)
1. Blizzard Brahma 88 - 166. First ski tested. The specs on this ski said I would love it. Heavy, stiff, burly. Took it out on the hard pack corduroy at Beaver Creek (BC). This is a very demanding ski. Could be that I had a bad tune, but skis felt dull and unforgiving, and very, very chattery. I can say that if I was a technically better skier, I would probably like them a lot more.
2. K2 Mindbender 90. 170cm. A very good ski. Light, solid, smooth, fairly damp. Skis true to length. I might have preferred the 163 more though. Feel like the 85 may be the sweet spot for this one, but didn't test it.
3. Head Kore 93. This ski has a good reputation, but sorry to say--I really hated it. It felt like planks of wood under my feet. Slow edge to edge and skis wanted to wash out if I didn't keep edges fully engaged through the entire turn. Felt very unstable and unforgiving.
4. Atomic Vantage 75. Very generic, unremarkable. Not very energetic. Seems like a retro ski, sort of old school.
5. Head I-Titan Super shape. Heavy, stiff, but really good, solid, businesslike. It does exactly what it is meant to do on the groomed runs. Very stable. Very good carving ski. But not playful and not really for off-piste IMO.
6. Elan Wingman 86 CTI 172 cm. Everything I read said that this ski would be too light for me. But asking around the ski shops, everybody said that this ski was special and that I needed to try it in the CTI version (which is supposed to be much better than the TI version). So I did. Bottom line, this is the best ski I've ever tested for on-piste. Skis slightly shorter than length because it is very light. Very fast edge to edge. Very stable, forgiving, and good from groomed to crud. Playful, fun. Damp, but you can feel everything you want to feel. The carbon transmits information and feel so well, you know that this is special. I think also that the amphibio tech with dedicated left and right skis makes sense too, not just a gimmick. Very intuitive from edge to edge. On my last day we got some fresh powder and the ski was still very good in 4-5 inches or less; but over 5 inches, not so much. Maybe with a lighter person, the float would be there, but not for me at 190+. That is why I think this is probably not truly an all-mountain ski (as advertised), but it is an almost all-mountain ski, as it is the ski you want for almost everything frontside. So what I might do is buy this one and use it for 80% of the time -- and on powder days, demo a Ripstick 96 or 106...
So the Wingman is awesome, but I haven't yet tried the Ripstick in order to compare. Has anyone compared the Wingman 86 to the Ripsticks? I would assume based on their shape that the Ripstick would not be quite as good as the Wingman on groomed runs, but I am honestly not sure. Please let me know.