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]

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 (8) 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!!)

 

[Greg]

I just went from 182 cm K2 Axis X Pros ('02?) to 170 cm Volkl Unlimited AC3s. I'm 6' and 165 lbs. Be sure the Dynastar Legend 4800/8000 and the Volkl Unlimited AC3/AC4 are all on your demo list. I'm very happy with the AC3s by the way.

 

[SkiDoc]

Hi everybody, first post here but lurking for a while. I am looking for a similar type of ski here. I prefer to get off the groomed, but being a primarily VT skier, it can be challenging sometimes. I also love to play in bumps, and spend some time on the blue/easier black groomers with the girlfriend. I demoed the Dynastar 8000s in a 178 (BTW I am 6'1 195lbs) in january and thought they were competent and versitile, but I wasn't really in love with them, I think I'd like something a little quicker turning, so the AC-4 seems very intriguing to me. Is the 82mm width too much for on piste quick turns and bumps? Also, for those who have tried both, how does the AC-4 differ from the AC-3?

I think other skis that could be good in this category include the Nordica Nitrous, Elan Magfire 10, 12 or m666, and K2 Apache Recon. I haven't tried any of these yet, but thats my not in any order demo list.

 

[ALLSKIING]

Hi everybody, first post here but lurking for a while. I am looking for a similar type of ski here. I prefer to get off the groomed, but being a primarily VT skier, it can be challenging sometimes. I also love to play in bumps, and spend some time on the blue/easier black groomers with the girlfriend. I demoed the Dynastar 8000s in a 178 (BTW I am 6'1 195lbs) in january and thought they were competent and versitile, but I wasn't really in love with them, I think I'd like something a little quicker turning, so the AC-4 seems very intriguing to me. Is the 82mm width too much for on piste quick turns and bumps? Also, for those who have tried both, how does the AC-4 differ from the AC-3?

I think other skis that could be good in this category include the Nordica Nitrous, Elan Magfire 10, 12 or m666, and K2 Apache Recon. I haven't tried any of these yet, but thats my not in any order demo list.

I just skied the AC3 and the AC4 and thought they both preformed great. I also skied the K2 Apache recon and bought them after the demo.

 

[SkiDoc]

Just curious, why the Recon over the AC3 or AC4? I am going to have a look at all of these.

 

[ALLSKIING]

Just curious, why the Recon over the AC3 or AC4? I am going to have a look at all of these.

I felt that they were all equal on the groomed trails but to me the recons were the best in the powder and crud...the piston binding could have alot to do with that.

 

[riverc0il]

personally, i found the legend 8000 to be the quickest turning and most nimble in it's class, far quicker than the volkl 724 pro (although they did make changes in the unlimited series, but i doubt enough to make it that much quicker). the volkls are a lot heavier in either case. m666 is fairly comparable to the legend 8000, imo. i liked the legend better but you might have a different experience. unless you ski powder a lot, you might want to consider getting a slalom or GS race ski (depending on your preference of radius) or a recreationalist equivelent. as someone that skied non-groomed a lot but no powder, i used to ski a volkl p50 motion which was the recreationalist equivelent of their GS ski and the thing did everything except powder, totally ripped tight and quick turns with lots of pop.

 

[NYDrew]

The Rossi Z9, the first ski that got it totally right and can do totally everything.

 

[SkiDoc]

I am currently on a 2003 Bandit X (last year before the B1 softer version took over). I really have no desire for a groomer rocker, I would always rather jump into the cruddiest snow in the trees or ungroomed slopes, so while my powder opportunities are occasionally limited by geography, I would like to get the widest ski that still is usable for bumps and can make good short radius turns when on the groomers. I was under the impression that the AC3 and AC4 were much quicker turning than the prior 724 series of volkls, which have been described as stable but somewhat truck-like. I do agree, the Dynastar 8000 skis much quicker than its sidecut suggests. It was a great ski, it just didn't particularly thrill me. No real reason why, just personal preference.

 

[awf170]

I have never skied it, but from I heard the new public enemy with the 85mm seems like the perfect ice coast ski. Yes I know many people think that is too fat for an everyday ski but IMO thats the perfect size. I would really like to try this ski but I don't need a new ski so I don't even want to try it and like it.

 

[DEVO]

Dynastar Legend 8000 for sure! I have mine mounted with solly s810 with the riser plates (AXE+) so they are quicker edge to edge than if they were mounted flat. These puppies are wide enough for all New England conditions and have enough sidecut that they still rip groomers. I can't say enough about how much I love these skis. I even like them in the bumps.