Mid-Fat All Mountain ski?

Boston Bulldog · Dec 10, 2014

I'm in the market for new skis and I'm looking for a solid all mountain ski between 85-95 in width. I know all about the Rossi 88's, but I'm trying to explore other options as well.

I'm an aggressive skier who likes to carve fast and hard, but is at home in the trees and can handle medium pitch bumps without a problem, but can get tentative when the bumps get too steep. Any recommendations? I did a quick google search which brought the Fischer Wateas, Line Prophets, Volkl Kendos and Blizzard Bushwhackers on my radar. Having a ski that can bust through crud and hold an edge well on classic East coast freeze/thaw cycles is a priority for me.

Thoughts? TIA!

BTW: I'm 6'0, 175.

gmcunni · Dec 10, 2014

i had similar search/desire for ski. ended up with the Line Prophet 98. 1 season on them so far and very happy. they like to go fast.

i am shorter and fatter, went with 179 but after skiing them could easily have gone up into mid 180s

WoodCore · Dec 11, 2014

Blizzard Brahma

skiMEbike · Dec 11, 2014

^ what he said ^

I just picked up the Brahmas this year & loving them

St. Bear · Dec 11, 2014

Either go to demo day, or spend the $90 or whatever it is at a resort that let's you demo a few skis from their rentals. This will help you decide how you feel about rocker, metal, flat tails, etc.

Farleyman · Dec 11, 2014

I have the Salomon quest 98s and love them, I've skied powder, groomers, ice slush ect ad they've held up to anything. Picked them up for $290 at the end of last season and put a $130 set of the Rossi axial 2 bindings on them. Great set up for the $$

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Cornhead · Dec 11, 2014

I went with the Volkl RTM 84's, 181. Previous skis Volkl Mantra, the RTM is definitely more at home on groomers than the Mantras, quicker edge to edge, I've yet to get them in fresh snow, but at 181, full rocker, and 129mm shovel, 111mm tail, I expect them to be decent in powder too.

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Farleyman · Dec 11, 2014

RTMs can handle everything. Here's a video of my buddy bob and I at Cranmore with 11" of powder on top of ice, he's on the RTM 84s. He has some other powder videos on his utube page too

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lwGtvGdpAdc

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buellski · Dec 11, 2014

Blizzard Bonafide

deadheadskier · Dec 11, 2014

Based upon my Vagabond's performance, if I were in the market for a midfat right now, I'd try and buy a set of Nordica Steadfast while they're still available.

Boston Bulldog · Dec 11, 2014

Anyone skied the Bushwhackers?? They seem similar to the Brahmas, maybe a bit lighter and playful?

I'll be demoing this weekend at Sunapee, so we'll see how it goes.

KevinF · Dec 11, 2014

I skied the Bushwacker's for a while; in some ways, they're a dreamy bump ski, and in others they're not. I found the tip to be very vague, and I like to ski bumps in a proactive manner. I found the ski to do too much of the work for me. Obviously it's a popular ski though; it does make it hard to mess up.

I demo'd (and bought for this season) the K2 Rictor 90 (or something like that). I haven't been on mine yet this year, but of the various skis I tried (Head Rev 85, Rossi Experience 88, Vollkl Somethings, Blizzard Brahma) it was by far the best at "everything" while probably not being the best at any one thing. I tried demo'ing it three or four times up at Stowe, and I never did find anything -- short turns, long turns, slow speed, high speed, bumps, trees, groomers, ice, soft snow, etc. -- that it didn't handle just fine.

Boston Bulldog · Dec 11, 2014

KevinF said:
I skied the Bushwacker's for a while; in some ways, they're a dreamy bump ski, and in others they're not. I found the tip to be very vague, and I like to ski bumps in a proactive manner. I found the ski to do too much of the work for me. Obviously it's a popular ski though; it does make it hard to mess up.

I demo'd (and bought for this season) the K2 Rictor 90 (or something like that). I haven't been on mine yet this year, but of the various skis I tried (Head Rev 85, Rossi Experience 88, Vollkl Somethings, Blizzard Brahma) it was by far the best at "everything" while probably not being the best at any one thing. I tried demo'ing it three or four times up at Stowe, and I never did find anything -- short turns, long turns, slow speed, high speed, bumps, trees, groomers, ice, soft snow, etc. -- that it didn't handle just fine.

Hmmm, the shop that's running the demo in Sunapee doesn't carry k2. Out of the other ones that you tried, which one was the best all around? Brahma? I heard the Head one is pretty good but it can get skittish at high speed.

KevinF · Dec 11, 2014

Boston Bulldog said:
Hmmm, the shop that's running the demo in Sunapee doesn't carry k2. Out of the other ones that you tried, which one was the best all around? Brahma? I heard the Head one is pretty good but it can get skittish at high speed.

I'm kind of inbetween lengths with the Brahma / Bushwacker (same ski in terms of dimensions, just different constructions, or so I've been told). I'm 6'2", 175... the 173cm length is a bit short due to the early rise construction, the 180cm length felt a bit long for bumping.

I probably tried the Volkl Kendo, as I was looking at things in the high-80s / low-90s underfoot. A quick look at Vokl's website shows the Kendo is the one that fits into that description.

mishka · Dec 11, 2014

Boston Bulldog said:
I'm in the market for new skis and I'm looking for a solid all mountain ski between 85-95 in width. I know all about the Rossi 88's, but I'm trying to explore other options as well.

I'm an aggressive skier who likes to carve fast and hard, but is at home in the trees and can handle medium pitch bumps without a problem, but can get tentative when the bumps get too steep. Any recommendations? I did a quick google search which brought the Fischer Wateas, Line Prophets, Volkl Kendos and Blizzard Bushwhackers on my radar. Having a ski that can bust through crud and hold an edge well on classic East coast freeze/thaw cycles is a priority for me.

Thoughts? TIA!

BTW: I'm 6'0, 175.

I did not ski any of your choices except for older watea94.
Only from reading available online ski description and specifications I think you will be better off with Volkl Kendos if compared to Blizzard Bushwhackers.
Per your requirements skis should be relatively stiff, tail rocker not necessary. metal will make skis heavy but will handle ice better. Another option finding skis with a lot of carbon fiber in layup.
My personal favorite for exec the same conditions you describing MR87 but I am biased lol

BenedictGomez · Dec 11, 2014

The Line Prophet 90 is a great all-mountain ski. Not so wide underneath that it's cumbersome on groomers, it will plow through crud, death cookies, and cut-up snow like an M1 Abrams tank, feels confident on ice, and it's serviceable in the woods.

Not the greatest in moguls, and the heavy metal means it's not the quickest turner in the woods. Those 2 things, IMO, are its' limitations, which all skis have if the reviewer is either honest and/or capable of determining weaknesses in the first place. When I read, "ZOMG this ski has NO weaknesses" I immediately thing, "ZOMG that reviewer is probably a low-level intermediate".

Boston Bulldog · Dec 11, 2014

Wow, thanks for all the responses guys!

BG I'm a little concerned with the fact that Line is known to have product quality issues (Sidewalls toast after one season etc), but your description is exactly what I am looking for. How long have you owned Prophet's and how are they holding up?

Mishka: What does tail rocker do exactly? Does it liven up the ski a little more?

mishka · Dec 11, 2014

imo tail rocker help get away with less technique or skied turns, less precise carving. Stiff flat tail require, at least in my 87s compare to similar size MR86(with tail rocker), respect and precision in the turns.
I'm not to the best source to explain all this mechanics.... I just make skis lol welcome to do experiment yourself try MR86 and MR87 side-by-side.

drjeff · Dec 11, 2014

Head Rev 90's - classical Head edge hold on Eastern hard pack, but enough width underneath and playfulness on soft snow with a mid 16 meter radius that can turn tight and also make some big old arcs!

Boston Bulldog · Dec 13, 2014

After demoing the Brahmas, Kendo's, Fischer Motives and Rossi 88's I bought the Brahmas at 180 length. That ski is a beast and trucked just about anything that was thrown at them, all the while staying surprisingly nimble on quick turns. When I turned them loose, they seemed to have no speed limit and its carving ability was spot on, even on ice.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Mid-Fat All Mountain ski?

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