What do YOU look for in a +/- 100 wide ski?

[tromano]

'A skier' is more than just technical ability level. It is the speed, style, preference, physique, aggression, etc. The speed Marcus is skiing is not something I witness very often here in Europe. Especially not off-piste.

Yep which is why I have been saying, you don't need to ski like Marcus for these skis to work well.

 

[Cheizz]

That was not the conclusion I was moving towards, but sure...

 

[François Pugh]

Yep which is why I have been saying, you don't need to ski like Marcus for these skis to work well.

I think the question is do you need to ski as fast as Marcus to get the tips of those skis up out of the snow (assuming of course that is what you want them to do).

 

[Rod9301]

Question:
Would your purpose of a ~100 mm ski be different if you were skiing in the West vs East/Europe? In places where deeper snow is less frequent or soft snow skiing is more limited because of terrain, trees, it being off-piste (back-country, not controlled/patrolled), would you pick a 100 mm ski with different strengths? Or would you look for the same ingredients that a 100 mm ski in the West has, but in a narrower package?

One could argue either way, I suppose. In the East/Europe, a 100 mm ski is more freeride & soft snow oriented than a 100 mm ski in the Rockies. Or, the versatility and other attributes of a 100 mm ski in the West would be more suitable in a 90-95 mm ski for the East/Europe. Which option would you guys pick? And why?

Eastern us is not at all like Europe.

Prevailing winds come from the south west everywhere, so the clouds have plenty of chances to discard moisture before they get to the east coast

In Europe, the Alps are close to the Atlantic, so they get a lot of snow.

 

[Cheizz]

If only that were true... Some places get a lot of snow, some typically don't (and aren't that close to any sea, nor get snow from that direction). More important is the ski culture, I think, and how that translates to what skis people are on. In that sense, I do think Europe is more like the US East Coast than the Rockies and surrounding areas.

 

[Tim Hodgson]

What I look for in a 100mm ski is something which will allow me to aspire to do all these moves on skis in trees:


(I have good skis but I am still working on the moves . . .)

That was not so bad, that was not bad was it?

 

[François Pugh]

Personally I would rather have a wider ski and a narrower ski, but if you had to choose only one for both soft and hard conditions, then 100 +/- makes some sense. At 150 lbs, albeit on softer snow than you will find in Ontario Canada, despite including groomed runs, I found 96 mm was the ideal compromise, so it doesn't surprise me that heavier folks might go for a bit wider as their compromise ski.

For me, one thing I do still require from my compromise ski is torsional rigidity; needed to provide enough (for my tastes) turning force or stopping force on even the soft groomers you will find on low-tide days on Vancouver Island.

 

[tromano]

I think the question is do you need to ski as fast as Marcus to get the tips of those skis up out of the snow (assuming of course that is what you want them to do).

Depends on the snow. Some days you can't be on top with anything. Other days a 100ish charger will float fine.

There's a reason Marcus is using the Cochise for some lines and the Bone in other spots.

IMO, the reason is more likely that a narrower ski makes you go slower due to peas float = more drag. Thus having more ski let's you ski even slower lines fast and opens up more line options. Thus more freeride fun.

 

[tomahawkins]

There's a reason Marcus is using the Cochise for some lines and the Bone in other spots.

Good Blizzard marketing? ;-)

Steepness also plays a big part. If "Out West" means low angle terrain and dry light snow (e.g. CO, Japan), the need for float becomes a premium. My home mountain is one of the snowiest places on earth, but the combination of skiing high angle slopes with heavy martine snowpack, float is not that important. I like to try wide skis, but more often than not I switch them out for my M88s.

 

[tomahawkins]

On the topic of float, I wonder how planning on snow actually works. One would think it is just like how a boat plans on water, but it's not. A planing boat hull creates a stagnation point where the flow separates between water rushing under the boat and spray shooting out the front or sides in the case of a vee hull. This stagnation point produces the greatest pressure distribution on the hull and provides the lift (and drag):

Planing boat theory – Bluejacket Boats

Waterskiers and wakeboarders alway have water spraying out the front because of this stagnation point, but a skier or snowboarder straightlining it down a powder field does not. Why? Something different must be going on.

 

[Tim Hodgson]

Personally I don't notice any difference in wakes between a flat bottom boat hull and a flat ski except for the rooster tail kicked up by the boat's prop.

 

[ScottB]

I think it's because water is a fluid and obeys the physics of fluid mechanics and snow is a compressible solid (like foam rubber) so different physics. Although some similarities

Water is incompressible, snow is not. That's why water shoots out.

 

[Atomicman]

Enforcer 100 or 104

 

[tazdevl]

What @Philpug said.

 

[tazdevl]

Phil’s quote didn’t carry over… I also want something that can hold a decent edge/carve decently. We can get some sudden temp drops in the front range that firm up the runs pretty fast.

What do I look for in a 100mm ski? I look for versailtity. I want a ski that is going to handle some deeper snow if needed but not send me back to the car if the mountain gets skied out.

 

[Craig@Vail]

I am debating adding a +/- 100 waist ski to my lineup. I’m currently on an enforcer 88 and an Atris. That quiver is pretty good for my needs but I can always tinker, ya know!

If I were to add something in the 100 range would fit nicely but the question is what type of 100? Something like an enforcer 100 or something like the DPS 100 rp?

I’d use this ski for low end pow days, a day or two after the storm, or when visiting a bigger mountain like snowbird (canyons is my home turf).

The skis I’m currently interested in are the following, and as you can see, they straddle the line between more piste focused with off trail chops and off trail focused with piste chops:
Enforcer 100
Justis
Camox
Wailer 100
Ranger 102

Check out my comment I posted tonight on the DPS F100 rp, if you want to know more about that ski