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Greg

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Time for new skis this year. Have not paid much attention to technology at all in recent years. Still on 2007 Dynastar Legend 8000s as my all mountain ski. Want something nimble, great in bumps and decent on the rest of the mountain. Not interested in bump-specific skis, but need to ski as well as the 8000s in moguls which I love. Whatcha got for recommendations?
 

dlague

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We these are 79 underfoot, however, the Dynastar Cham 87 ($229 2014 model at Evo) has many of the shape characteristics and from a performance perspective sound similar based on reviews I have read. I have the Cham 97 and they carve super nice. They float well on powder and crud.

Other skis might be Rossi Experience 84($425 with Bindings 2015 at Evo), Rossi Sin 7 ($349 2015 at REI), Dynastart Powertrack 84 ($400 with Bindings 2015 at Evo) there are others but here is a start.
 

skiNEwhere

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I just got some blizzard latigo's which match everything you just said. I obviously haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I got them due to all the rave reviews.

I'd research them a little bit.
 

dlague

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you should demo before you buy

Ideally, that is the way to go. But lining up demo days can be tough. Some shops will let you demo for a fee which is another alternative. However, I have never purchased skis based on a demo so far. I typically will look at a ski from a technical perspective (sidecut, rockered or not, camber or not, stiffness, dimensions, construction, etc.), watch/read reviews, product descriptions and even price considerations are part of it.
 

steamboat1

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Time for new skis this year. Have not paid much attention to technology at all in recent years. Still on 2007 Dynastar Legend 8000s as my all mountain ski. Want something nimble, great in bumps and decent on the rest of the mountain. Not interested in bump-specific skis, but need to ski as well as the 8000s in moguls which I love. Whatcha got for recommendations?
Still love my 8000s although they've been relegated to being my rock skis. I now have Dynastar Outland 80XTs. I'm pretty happy with them but they discontinued making them too. They have a slight rocker in the tip & tail with traditional camber in the middle. If you like Dynastar skis (which I do) I think their new comparable all mountain model is called Powertrack 84 (they also make a 89 & a 79). Same thing, slight rocker in the tip & tail with traditional camber in the middle. If you can find them to demo out of a shop they'll usually take the cost of the demo off the cost of buying the ski. Hope you're happy with whatever you decide to buy.
 

Hawkshot99

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I just got some blizzard latigo's which match everything you just said. I obviously haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I got them due to all the rave reviews.

I'd research them a little bit.

Not sure if you're talking to me or Greg. But those skis are impossible to find for demo.

I owned the Bushwacker and loved them. Skied the Brahma a few times, and really enjoyed them. I was not a fan of the Latigo however. I felt they had to much rocker for the width of their waist personally. They felt extremely twitchy to m, and I could not get comfortable on them. They kept wanting to hook and shoot to the sides hard.

*I demoed on a groomer day*
 

skiNEwhere

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I owned the Bushwacker and loved them. Skied the Brahma a few times, and really enjoyed them. I was not a fan of the Latigo however. I felt they had to much rocker for the width of their waist personally. They felt extremely twitchy to m, and I could not get comfortable on them. They kept wanting to hook and shoot to the sides hard.

*I demoed on a groomer day*

Curious as to where you found a demo. Was it a special "demo day"?

I'd say I search for skis similar to how dlague does, by looking at the numbers. I've yet to talk to any one who hasn't liked the ski. Worst case scenario, if I don't like them, I feel like I got a good enough deal that if I were to resell them I'd at least break even.
 

Hawkshot99

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Curious as to where you found a demo. Was it a special "demo day"?

Not sure what a special demo day is to you. But I manage a ski shop, and attend multiple demo days every winter/spring.

I'd say I search for skis similar to how dlague does, by looking at the numbers. I've yet to talk to any one who hasn't liked the ski. Worst case scenario, if I don't like them, I feel like I got a good enough deal that if I were to resell them I'd at least break even.

To m they were just way to twitchy feeling. They have alot of rocker for such a narrow ski. I enjoy a very turny ski such as a SL, but these didn't personally feel like they were predictable turny I guess... I truly hope you enjoy them, not everyone enjoys the same gear.
 

Greg

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Thanks for the suggestions.
 

Greg

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So far picked up new Krypton Fusions, Look Pivot 12s and some K2 comp poles. Considering Dyna Powertrack 89s in 179 for skis. The Dyna/Look/Diabello/K2 combo has been my last few setups. Yeah, I know I should demo... lol
 

deadheadskier

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Nothing wrong with going with what you know.

I've never bought a set of skis I've demoed. If you're buying a year out, the model you demo may not be around.

Only been stuck with one set of skis over the years I truly didn't like and had no use for.
 

drjeff

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Let's be honest, nowadays most skis with the same genre are pretty good and tend to be fairly consistent from manufacturer to manufacturer - its not nearly as variable as it used to be years ago when there was far more variability from company to company.

Nowadays if you know you want say a mid fat "do most things well" 1 ski quiver, you're likely to not go wrong no matter who makes the ski as the differences tend to be subtle rather than dramatic.

Now if you're debating if say a mogul specific ski will be able to handle a decent powder day in the trees as well as it can a firm bump run, then the need to demo is likely greater
 

Cornhead

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Think I'm set except for a pair of "decent" rock skis. You know your skis are toast if you're not happy with them as rock skis. I'd like something with at least some edge left, a little ptex would be nice too.

I got a brand new pair of Volkl RTM 84 UVO's under warranty. Today I ordered a pair of Volkl Kuros. I always wanted to learn to snowboard, now I can learn with one on each foot! 132mm underfoot, 5.2"! I was going to get them in 195, but I wussed out and got the 185's, I figured it was better to err on the short side, thinking 195's might be a bit much in the trees. 195cm is 6.4 ft. 185cm is a mere 6 ft, still taller than me. Maybe I'll be motivated to drop some lard if I don't float enough, I think I'll be fine. Now the question is, will both pair fit in my bag to bring West when I visit my Son?

Got a sweet deal on the Kuros, new 2014 model, $279, no tax, no shipping, skis.com through Amazon. I'm having my shop mount the bindings currently on my Mantras, see skis unworthy of rock ski status, they'll be installing larger brakes, obviously. The brakes are $50, I assume about the same to mount the bindings, so the total will be $379, I can live with that. They should last a long time, I'll only ski them when it snows. You can blame me if this Winter sucks. Can't wait to ski them both.
 
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