Best mid or 'fat' ski that can still hold an edge on hard snow in a pinch

patentcad · Mar 24, 2005

I'm an Eastern skier. My main skis are Volkl Five Stars. Love them, but I'm looking for something more suited to powder and junk, but that can also hold an edge on harder snow in a pinch. I'll mostly be bringing them out on soft snow days, so that's not a big priority. But ability to float in junk and powder is a MUST. I'd prefer a ski/binding combination that is available at a good discount at the moment. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

riverc0il · Mar 24, 2005

if you like the 5star and the volkl feel, give the 7 24 pros a shot. they are billed as volkl's frontside/backside ski, but i think they would like hard pack better than powder, especially given how heavy those suckers are. i am of course partial to the dynastar 8000 for everything not groomed, but can still handle the groomers well to get to the goods. you might also want to look at the elan m666, that's a friggin good ski.

thetrailboss · Mar 25, 2005

Yep, the Volkl 724 is also good.

Read my review on the Head IM75's...man, can they hold on ice!!!

:wink:

ALLSKIING · Mar 25, 2005

I know the k2 crossfire is a really nice ski.

catskills · Mar 25, 2005

Try picking up a used pair of FATS like Rossignol B3 or Pocket Rockets for powder days. Nice to have a pair of FAT powder ski in your quiver for over the knee powder days.

The Volkl 724 EXP is a nice mid fat with a 74mm width waist under foot. Your 5 stars are 68mm width waist. The 724 EXP is not as demanding as the 724 PRO.
http://www.volkl.com/ski/7_24_series.shtml. On eBay there starting to see some good discounts for the 724 EXP.

Another mid fat that I thought carved well on groomers and handled the crud was the Dynastar Legend 4800 with its 74mm waist.

If you really want a do anything ski take a look at next years '06 Volkl Unlimited AC4 and AC3. For mid fats they have an awesome carve turn radius specs. Sorry no discount on these skis for awhile. See www.vokl.com/ski and click on sneak peak lower right.

FYI the '06 Volkl Allstars just got 2mm wider and is now 70mm waist under your foot. The Allstars replace the 6 Stars and are softer than the 6 Star but stiffer than the 5 star.

Good luck.

Greg · Mar 26, 2005

catskills said:
The Volkl 724 EXP is a nice mid fat with a 74mm width waist under foot. Your 5 stars are 68mm width waist. The 724 EXP is not as demanding as the 724 PRO.

I demoed this ski and like it a lot. Like all Volkls, it wants to go fast though. I'm looking for a pair of Dyna 8000s as they're a bit softer than the Volkl and probably better for the terrain I prefer - natural snow trails and bumps.

patentcad · Mar 26, 2005

Volkls are known for their wood core. Are there other skis with wood cores out there?

riverc0il · Mar 26, 2005

dynastar

i've seen it myself

thetrailboss · Mar 26, 2005

Most skis are woodcore. Heads are. Some Salomons are foam.

awf170 · Mar 26, 2005

line skis are wood core

riverc0il · Mar 27, 2005

there are a lot of hybrids out there merging woodcore with metal based cores. rossis are foam to the best of my knowledge. i would actually guess closer to less than half of skis have a true wood core. i am surprised line is wood core, i would have figured they would be foam core to be extra light for the park kids.

highpeaksdrifter · Mar 27, 2005

2005/2006 Nordica Hotrod Top Fuel. The best ski I've ever been on. I don't feel like typing alot right now, but check out the reviews at this link.

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=24096

bigbog · Mar 28, 2005

PC,
I'm in agreement with catskills, I've seen a few segments of programs showing mention of the 05/06 Volkls....WoooHooo! As Nordica and Head have come through with great skis...I doubt they'll be silent as to challenging Volkl.... ...Will also be interested in what Elan offers.

thaller1 · Apr 28, 2005

I went from the Volkl 5 Stars to Fischer Bix Stix 7.6. They are 76 underfoot. Great skis for EVERYTHING. Crud, powder, groomers, bumps.... they even have a great edge grip. I fell in love with them at demo days last November and bought a pair the same week.

blacknblue · Apr 28, 2005

I just got a pair of Volkl 724 PROs. I'm lucky enough to demo a lot of skis and they were by far the most impressive. I skied them in Snowbird and Alta through powder, heavy stuff, steep couloirs, groomers, bumps, and hard avy debris... they held up great! Highly recommended. Also, a lot of folks really enjoy the Salomon Pocket Rockets, so give those a test drive, too.

bigbog · Apr 30, 2005

After demoeing some Elan M666s(~76mm underfoot) here in NewEngland over a month ago...I was immediately hooked. I LOVE these things...and grabbed some off of eBay for a killer price 8) last week. I think its competition is Dynastar's Legend 8000, Fischer's BigStixes, and a Volkl or two. I've seen patrollers with Rossi RPMs for the last couple seasons...and Head has a number of nice skis out.

jerzeyjosh · May 4, 2005

Dynastar Legend 8000

I was skiing Snowbird in early April. We got dumped on. I have a pair of Rossi Mtn Viper 9.9's, sweet ski for the east coast, but not the best in powder. I demo'd a pair of Dynastar Legend 8000's. I'M BUYING A PAIR OF THESE! These skis were the sweetest ski's I've ever skied. I ended up skiing on them for 4 days at Snowbird. Crud, no problem. Powder, the best, I floated through powder and steeps like.. wow.. it was awesome. Good edge grip, no problem in the bumps. Smooth turner. Another thing, I saw more people riding these boards at Snowbird than any other ski.

You should try to demo these early next season before you buy anything. Don't mix it up with the 8800. The 8800 is more of a "fat" ski for heli' or living out west. The 8000 excels in powder but is great all over the moutain too. That's what I thought of it.[/b]

awf170 · May 4, 2005

Re: Dynastar Legend 8000

jerzeyjosh said:
I was skiing Snowbird in early April. We got dumped on. I have a pair of Rossi Mtn Viper 9.9's, sweet ski for the east coast, but not the best in powder. I demo'd a pair of Dynastar Legend 8000's. I'M BUYING A PAIR OF THESE! These skis were the sweetest ski's I've ever skied. I ended up skiing on them for 4 days at Snowbird. Crud, no problem. Powder, the best, I floated through powder and steeps like.. wow.. it was awesome. Good edge grip, no problem in the bumps. Smooth turner. Another thing, I saw more people riding these boards at Snowbird than any other ski.

You should try to demo these early next season before you buy anything. Don't mix it up with the 8800. The 8800 is more of a "fat" ski for heli' or living out west. The 8000 excels in powder but is great all over the moutain too. That's what I thought of it.[/b]

snowbird loves those dynastar, u see the snowbird custom ski, the legend 11,000(for the hieght of hidden peak) and my dad demoed them both and he liked the 8800 more on everything except groomed, so for the east the 8000 is a better ski and it can defently handle all of those huges dumps of snow we get :lol:

riverc0il · May 4, 2005

jerzeyjosh, did you try the 8800? that ski is something else for big mountain and powder skiing. i've used the older model from last year twice in tucks this season and it just rips. 8000 is my main ski though, definitely preferable for tight and narrow places requiring quick turns and if you spend any time on the groomers, though it's also designed with natural snow in mind.

i saw a pair of those legend 11000s with the snowbird logo on it selling on an ebay auction. the snowbird legend is the exact same ski as the 8800.

jerzeyjosh · May 4, 2005

I didn't try the 8800. What I said about the 8800 was from other reviews. 8000 is so sweet though. It really held a good edge and could carve some nice turns with it. It was really an effortless ski for me to ride compared to what I'm used to. My main skis, Rossi's, take a lot of muscle. Great ski, quick turner, stable at speed, but takes a lot of muscle at a 193cm length. I skied the 8000 at 165cm, and wow.. what a difference... all around.

Best mid or 'fat' ski that can still hold an edge on hard snow in a pinch

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