New skis recommendations

Well, after a fun season with my Crappy Blizzard TG4's, I think for next season I want to get some new skies. Now since my son has had a blast with his Scratch skies, and since we've been going all over the mountain, I'm considering getting a pair of twin tip skis. But before I go thru and list everything I've looked at, I have a few questions.

Length

My current skis are 170. My observation is that many people are going with shorter lengths for newer skies. Is there a general rule of thumb?

Weight

I looked at a pair of Dynastar Trouble skies, and I noticed they seemed a whole lot lighter then my current skis. How does weight play into the use of a ski?

Width

In looking at the Twin tips at shops recently, there seems to be a great deal of variance in the width of skis. How fat is too fat, and how thin is too thin? I know it's a matter of preference in some cases, but will a fat ski be harder in downhill, but easier in trees? Not sure exactly how to word what I'm asking here, hopefully you understand what I'm asking.

I guess I'm looking for opinions on skis that I can grow with. I plan of keeping my Blizzards for now, just to have another pair, but I might replace those after a time as well. I just don't want to buy myself into way more ski then I'm ready for.

I really liked the feel I got from a pair of Dynastar Trouble Maker skis:



I'd also like feedback on things to avoid in a new pair of skis that may make bad habits even worse. Sometimes I've had problems in trying to force a turn in some terrains, I'd have to get something that encourages that 'bad behavior'. I also feel however, that my current TG4s are sometimes leading my to force things, they feel 'heavy', and perhaps a bit too long.

My 2 cents.

tcharron said:

Length
My current skis are 170. My observation is that many people are going with shorter lengths for newer skies. Is there a general rule of thumb?

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I don't think there's a general rule of thumb, especially these days with so many different ski designs out there. I have a pair of K2 Apache Cheifs in a 188 length, a pair of K2 Axis XTs in a 181 and a pair of Metron M11s in a 162 length. With the wider skis they're now making, you can go shorter. I found that I prefer the longer skis for speed and stability.

tcharron said:

Width
In looking at the Twin tips at shops recently, there seems to be a great deal of variance in the width of skis. How fat is too fat, and how thin is too thin? I know it's a matter of preference in some cases, but will a fat ski be harder in downhill, but easier in trees? Not sure exactly how to word what I'm asking here, hopefully you understand what I'm asking.

Click to expand...

There are a number of factors to take in to consideration here; sidecute, stiffness, etc. In general, it might be a good idea to stay away from anything bigger than 80 mm in the midsection. Any thing wider than that would be more of an off piste ski.

Oops. almost forgot the mandatory; demo, demo, and demo.

Minor correction. My current skis are TG3's, not TG4's.

You need to provide some more information in order for us to give you a proper recommendation. For instance, we need to know your height, weight, age, number of years of skiing experience, and what level of skier you are (beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert). Most importantly, we need to know what kind of terrian you like to ski (mostly groomers, moguls, powder, trees, terrain park, etc. or all of the above).

Also, what are you looking for these new skis to do (i.e. help you to progress to the next level, improve your bump skiing ability, serve as your powder day ski, etc.). Also, why do you think you want twin tips? While there are several benefits to twin tips, the primary use of them is to be able to ski "switch" or backwards down the hill and to be able to do certain tricks in the terrain park. If those features don't interest you at all, you may be unnecessarily limiting yourself by only looking at twin tips.

Once we know this information, we can provide suitable recommendations.

madskier6 said:

You need to provide some more information in order for us to give you a proper recommendation. For instance, we need to know your height, weight, age, number of years of skiing experience, and what level of skier you are (beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert). Most importantly, we need to know what kind of terrian you like to ski (mostly groomers, moguls, powder, trees, terrain park, etc. or all of the above).

Also, what are you looking for these new skis to do (i.e. help you to progress to the next level, improve your bump skiing ability, serve as your powder day ski, etc.). Also, why do you think you want twin tips? While there are several benefits to twin tips, the primary use of them is to be able to ski "switch" or backwards down the hill and to be able to do certain tricks in the terrain park. If those features don't interest you at all, you may be unnecessarily limiting yourself by only looking at twin tips.

Once we know this information, we can provide suitable recommendations.

Click to expand...

IMO One of the biggest benefits of having a twin tip that I've found is to be able to back out of a hairy situation or a bad line in the trees in deep powder conditions.

madskier6 said:

You need to provide some more information in order for us to give you a proper recommendation. For instance, we need to know your height, weight, age, number of years of skiing experience, and what level of skier you are (beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert). Most importantly, we need to know what kind of terrian you like to ski (mostly groomers, moguls, powder, trees, terrain park, etc. or all of the above).

Click to expand...

6'2", 200 pounds, approx 2 years (several years, 15 year hiatus, and last year and a half actually). I'd say Intermediate skill level, but to put it better, I tend to hang around blue terrain, with the occasional black when it doesn't involve too much steep. :-D. I've found this year I'm having allot of fun on bumps and in the trees, not so much on the strait downhill. I've been having fun venturing into the terrain park, and would like to continue getting more confidence. Basically, I've been having allot of fun with everything that involves bouncing around.

madskier6 said:

Also, what are you looking for these new skis to do (i.e. help you to progress to the next level, improve your bump skiing ability, serve as your powder day ski, etc.). Also, why do you think you want twin tips? While there are several benefits to twin tips, the primary use of them is to be able to ski "switch" or backwards down the hill and to be able to do certain tricks in the terrain park. If those features don't interest you at all, you may be unnecessarily limiting yourself by only looking at twin tips.

Once we know this information, we can provide suitable recommendations.

Click to expand...

Being able to switch to backwards is actually one of the reasons why I was looking at them. I've gotten to the point where I can helicopter down some hills and it was an absolute blast. But when doing this, it was much harder to control side to side while backwards.

As far as what I'm looking for these new skis to do for me, I'd like to be able to cut turns tighter then I can with the Blizzards. Which is also why I was looking at a shorter ski with more shape to them. When I tried bumps with the Blizzards, I found it sometimes difficult to get them around the bumps. Perhaps it isn't the skis, but I'm aware that the TG3s are fairly entry level. They also don't have much flex to them, which when going down some of the bumps and to a milder extend in the park I can feel. I know anyone can ski anything anywhere if their good enough, I just feel resistance in my current skis when I'm trying out some newer things. Don't get me wrong, their nice cruisers, and I'll keep them for cruising. But I'd just like to be able to explore more.

from_the_NEK said:

IMO One of the biggest benefits of having a twin tip that I've found is to be able to back out of a hairy situation or a bad line in the trees in deep powder conditions.

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i agree fully. also i like the fact that they're so much lighter. i can do without the intergrated bindings and traction control systems that come on a lot of ski models. many twin tips seem to closely resemble the way ski were made before all that.

here is my 2 cents:

i currently own a pair of salomon scream 10 pilot. on 3/17-18 i got 2 hours free demo at Stowe. i tried a pair of head mojo. my current salomon is 170cm. before salomon, i owned an old rossi 200cm. i actually wanted to try volkl karma 160cm. they only had mojo 172cm. but, of course, beggers cannot be chooser, so i went ahead and tried the mojo.

let me tell ya, it made a lotta difference. on 3/18, Stowe got dumped, so i skiied in a lots of powder. mojo was much easier to work with than my salomon in powder. on that day, there were bumps everywhere in stowe. i mainly skiied on national and liftline with mojo on. wow. mojo was much more stable through the bumps. where my salomon has a tendency to turn a bit faster than usual at faster speed through the bumps, the mojo required a lot less work due to less tendency.

going backwards, it is much easier to spin around. although my salomon has a much more rounder back tip than a normal slalom ski, it would be a bit more work to spin around and all. but, the mojo was much easier to spin around. i was very impressed. definitely easier to pull of a trick. my next pair is going to be a twin tip. definitely.

based on my research, Line skiis are somewhat suspect. my friends were complaining of its durability. i've heard very good things about armada and scratch also.

good luck with your search and let me know what you end up with....

my g.f. switched to karma's this year. they have really made her a better skier in pow, bumps, and all sorts of natural terrain. myself i'm on 4frnt and they have changed the way i look at the mountain. i will never be on heavy g.s. or slalom skis again.

from_the_NEK said:

IMO One of the biggest benefits of having a twin tip that I've found is to be able to back out of a hairy situation or a bad line in the trees in deep powder conditions.

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I love how mine exit turns...the back ends just slip right out allowing me to make rapid turns to check speed in tree and whatnot..

M

I love it when the mods move a post and even fix the spelling..... NICE...truly that spelling was ticking me off...i kept saying skies like the skY...HA

Anyway..thanks MODS



M

SkiDog said:

I love it when the mods move a post and even fix the spelling..... NICE...truly that spelling was ticking me off...i kept saying skies like the skY...HA

Anyway..thanks MODS



M

Click to expand...

I'm there for ya...

get last august addition of ski and skiing mag. they have a bunch of skiis they reviewed. I have been buying skiis for years based on those test and have not been dissapointed yet
if you want a quick turning radius look at atomic they have the most radical side cuts out there. They are a bit to turny for me but they are a geat brand. I know people that swear by them.

SkiDog said:

I love it when the mods move a post and even fix the spelling..... NICE...truly that spelling was ticking me off...i kept saying skies like the skY...HA

Anyway..thanks MODS



M

Click to expand...

Hehe, I tried to fix it after the fact, but once you set the subject, it wont change it in the index.

I am a big fan of the K2 Public Enemies. I am on my second pair and love them.
They are 85 mm under waist, but I can ski them very easy in the short stuff. The width isnt a problem. They handle powder great, as far as I can tell. Never skiid a true powder ski.
They are a pretty stiff ski compared to most twin tips. This is because they are not really a park ski. K2 advertises them as 70% all mountain, and 30% park. For a park ski you typically want a real soft ski, but this ski doesnt ski too well on the rest of the mountain.
When it comes to length, I personelly am 5'11" 240 lbs. I have them in a 174(had a 169 last year.) I prefer the 174 as they are a bit more stable, but turn just as good. You need to remember that you loose some edge with them compared to a non-twin because of the turned up tail.

Compared to a integrated ski, they are very light. I have a Axial Scratch binding on them, and they are very light compared to my Mutix's.

...Demo, Demo, Demo

tcharron said:

.........I'd also like feedback on things to avoid in a new pair of skis that may make bad habits even worse. Sometimes I've had problems in trying to force a turn in some terrains, I'd have to get something that encourages that 'bad behavior'. I also feel however, that my current TG4s are sometimes leading my to force things, they feel 'heavy', and perhaps a bit too long.

Click to expand...

I kinda like to think of skis as being the "icing on the cake"...that is, they interpret what I'm telling them to do...from my actions inside my boots...and perform THAT type of ride... If your boots are working for ya', schedule some lessons...simply to get that extra set of eyes...looking at how your skiing is, and how much better you can be doing "X" or "Y"...by moving/standing in a "Z" manner.
...Usually the ski that puts the biggest grin on your face is the one that's good for you.....you often know it when you feel it.....it sounds like so far it's been Dynastar's [Big]? Trouble. Yes, weight usually will put you in one or maybe one of two lengths....depending on the speed at which you comfortably ski at... Different skis often ski differently(duh)...viva la difference'...

$.005
steve