best new england 'all-mountain' ski

[neuvip]

Hey guys, I've been thinking about upgrading my skis and have been reading all sorts of all-mountain ski reviews. I truly like to ski the whole mountain on any given day. I think I may be asking for too much in a ski b/c I ski so much different terrain with different styles. I'm just as happy cruising the blues wide-track GS style, searching for fresh snow in the trees, or linking short turns on the blacks or moguls with my skis as close together as possible. Ideally I'd have 2 pairs of skis I guess, but that's not practical b/c I don't want to have to go change skis halfway through the day. Are fatter skis (about 80mm underfoot) really going to hinder my ability to carve on the groomers and link short turns in the bumps? And are more narrow skis (about 70mm) really going to hold me back from enjoying fresh snow in the trees and the occassional 'powder-day?' What's a guy to do?
For reference, I'm 6'1", 195, 25 years old, and am in really good shape and ski pretty hard. I've been on 188cm K2 fours since 99/00 and am looking for something a little more shaped and a little shorter. I mostly ski New England resorts like Killington, Sunday River, etc. but spend a few days out west and would like to try more off-piste stuff like Tuckerman's, etc. Thanks for any help.

[Catul]

Tough choice, hard to get one that really does everything well I'd imagine. You should check out the Volkl AC3, probably in a 170cm for your height/weight.

[neuvip]

170, really? I was talking to a guy when I was out at Keystone last weekend and he said something I hope is true. He went from a nice GS race ski to Salomon 1080s after riding the GS skis for a few years. He said he was planning on buying a nice fat ski for the good days in CO and keeping the GS skis for hardpack days (which is something I was considering for myself, but not buying a true powder ski.) Anyway, he said the new shapier 1080s not only rocked in the soft/deep snow but he liked them better for the rest of the mountain too, including the groomers. I'm thinking if I go from a 1st generation shaped ski at 188 to a shorter, more shaped ski at 170-175 I'm going to like them better on everything, no matter what.

[skibum1321]

I just got Dynastar Legend 8000s and they've been a great all mountain ski. They hold their own in the bumps and can carve pretty well too. They're great in pow although I haven't had a ton of that to play in yet. Mine are a 178 and I'm 6'2" so I imagine you would be about the same. Give them a shot sometime.

[badskier]

Take a look at the Atomic Metron B:5 and Metron M:11 skis. Atomic markets them as all-mountain skis. I've got the M:11's and really like them, but I'd only rate myself as a low-mid intermediate skier, so I have no idea how they'd handle moguls and things like that.

[Catul]

Originally Posted by neuvip

I'm thinking if I go from a 1st generation shaped ski at 188 to a shorter, more shaped ski at 170-175 I'm going to like them better on everything, no matter what.

I'm 6'2" 210lbs and went from first generation shaped skis (late 90's) in 191cm to Volkl 4 Star (and soon 5 Star/S5) in 175cm, so that's the way to go

I posted here about some skis I demo'd last month, check it out.

[NYDrew]

sounds like you might be interested in metrons. 5 stars also fit your description, but they dont feel like they would be too agile in the back country

[riverc0il]

5 stars definitely aren't as good as other option in powder and trees. i highly recommend the dynastar legend 8000. the elan mantis m666 is a great ski to check out. if you favor the groomers ever so slightly, the volkl unlimited ac3 or ac4 might be worth a demo as well. it really depends what you like in a ski. lots of great things are said about the metron, i haven't found an atomic i've liked yet though, your milage may vary.

i disagree with catul about legnth. 170 is a tad short in my opinion. we are similar weight and height (i am 6'1" and 210 lbs) and ski 178. i also have a 183 for groomers, but really find the 178 ideal. 175 wouldn't be bad either, 170 would be too short for me. again, your milage may vary.

[neuvip]

thanks for all the advice, guys. i've heard the same 2 skis mentioned a lot in reviews and forums: the legend 8000 and the elan 666. i'm going to try to demo as many as possible, especially those two. what about salomons? they were all the rage a few years ago.

[normofthenorth]

I demoed a ton of skis -- about 16 different models, maybe 6 or 7 brands -- 2 years ago in Whistler. (I live in the East and usually ski twice a year in Whistler and one week at Tremblant.) I preferred the Salomon Scream Pilots (and the Crossmax's, though I couldn't find enough of them to demo or buy). I liked the Scream Pilot 10 Hots a lot, liked the Scream Pilot 8s better, and LOVED the Scream Pilot ( Womens the most, and bought them!

I'm a 5' 11" 180-pound athletic guy, I ski single and double diamonds in the East and mostly single diamonds at Whistler, ungroomed steeps and deeps when I can. When I ski the groomed, I often carve at pretty high speed. (One day at Tremblant last December, I didn't get skiing until noon, then squeezed in 14 top-to-bottom runs for 31,000'+ before the lifts closed at 3:30, so I'm not slow.) I demoed skis around 170 cm long, and bought used rental 170s. (The design of the Salomon Scream Pilots changed around 2003 from a narrow waist to a wider waist; mine have the older, narrower waist.)

I find that many of the new designs, including these Salomons, are "damp" enough for me at high speed and torsionally stiff for good edge hold, so I can use a softer ski (easier to carve at any speed) than I ever could before. And I obviously like a ski with soft flex.

A few weeks ago in Whistler, we got FIVE FEET of FRESH (and SOLID) SNOW during the week, and my skis were obviously on the skinny side for the ungroomed. Several times, I just tipped over on the ungroomed deep-snow flats (tough to get back up!!!), and once I blasted from the groomed (Emerald) toward the trees into the fresh, and my skis (together and in pretty good balance) just submarined! The one that released almost refused to be found again!

So I started demoing some of the newer and wider "all-mountain" skis. I've tried three pairs so far:
Head Monsters, which I ended up not trusting on the carve -- the two of them slammed me down once by carving different radius turns on the groomed at speed;
Rossi Zenith Z9s, which seemed very nice, though they "chattered" a bit on the slicker groomed, a minor annoyance; and
Atomic Metron M9s, which I enjoyed the most. Huge shovel, short turning radius, lots of flotation, soft flex, no problem on the steeps and deeps. (I took them on Whistler Bowl and Shale Slope, for you Whistler fans.) Not too $$$, either, as these skis go. Heavy, but I can live with that.

I plan to do some serious rental-demoing when I go back to Whistler in March, and I'll probably buy a pair of demos if they're for sale. So far, I'd be happy with the Atomics, but I certainly want to try some of the Salomons, too.

I do want a ski that holds on slick and icy, too, and there was no chance to test that at Whistler in Jan-Feb. (Darn!!)