Can you advise me on what to do?

[drjeff]

Si, jack of all trades but master of none.

And considering how few masters of any trade there are out there, these "1 ski quivers" are all that the vast majority of the skiing population will ever need. I firmly believe that

 

[Kingslug20]

To me powder and spring snow are pretty much the same..I prefer a 105 with rocker to surf it.
I've watched people try skinny skis in these conditions...pure misery. A 93ish ski can be fine with these conditions..but you need a bit of skill.

 

[snoseek]

You're really missing out.

Naw I'm good. My years out west I always had 3 or more skis at all times to choose from. Back here an enforcer is all the ski I need. If I take a trip west I have a few pairs sitting in a friend's garage plus whatever westcentric skis he has. The snow here is consistently firm.

 

[Kingslug20]

I have to try the enforcers...heavy suckers though...

 

[raisingarizona]

And considering how few masters of any trade there are out there, these "1 ski quivers" are all that the vast majority of the skiing population will ever need. I firmly believe that

Totally. It's perfect for the 1 to 5 times a year recreational skier but if you're more serious about skiing then it's a different story.

 

[Edd]

My Kore 93 can bite a decent edge, no metal which I prefer for mixed terrain as they’re light and good off trail. But if it’s nothing but groomers, my 78 width carvers are rocket ships. It’s a very different day when I’m on those. I find that fun but you are managing skis more so I get the desire to simplify it; to each their own.

 

[Smellytele]

I have 3 pairs of skis. 88’s for early season groomers. 97’s for an everyday ski. Then a pair of 115 for powder and spring afternoons.

 

[deadheadskier]

Its not 1990 anymore you don’t need 70width race skis to carve anymore…the technology has advanced

Yes and no. A 90+ ski has physics working against it for carving. You can carve a wider ski pretty well these days, but the performance pales in comparison to a purpose built carving ski. And a purpose built carving ski performs not as well as a race ski. There's a reason why race skis have the dimensions they still do these days. It's kinda like how race cars aren't built like SUVs.

I'm 5'8" 185#. I have a 4 ski quiver and probably will be dropping down to 3.

Nordica Doberman GSM Pistons 180cm - 69mm waist used for racing. The carving ability of these skis on even absolute bullet proof snow is unreal

Head iRally 177cm - 76mm waist, my primary daily driver for mid season on packed snow. Even fine in a few inches. They both rip at carving and perform very well in moguls.

Nordica Steadfast 178cm - 90mm waist. I use these in spring conditions and up to 6-8" or so of fresh. These were one of the highest rated carving All Mountain skis when they were released, but they aren't in the same league as the iRally at carving

Nordica Vagabond 181cm and 107mm waist. Use these for 8"+ days. However, once things get mostly tracked out, I quickly switch back to the Steadfast

Both Nordicas are getting long in the tooth. Once I break the Steadfast, I'll probably replace both them and the Vagabond together with something like a Volkl Mantra M6 at 96mm or an Enforcer 94. I just don't use the Vagabonds enough primarily skiing in NH. If I were a Northern VT skier, it would be different.

Generally speaking I think people in the East are on skis far too wide. People seem to buy skis for the conditions they dream about and not the conditions they are actually skiing most of the time.

 

[cdskier]

Generally speaking I think people in the East are on skis far too wide. People seem to buy skis for the conditions they dream about and not the conditions they are actually skiing most of the time.

I'm inclined to agree with this. I only have 2 skis at the moment:

Salomon S-force Bold with an 84mm waist
Nordica Hell & Back with a 98mm waist

I use the Salomon for early season, hard pack, icy days, etc. I use the Nordicas once we get to at least packed powder conditions. I also found I prefer them in the spring (I use to think stiffer skis were better for plowing through the crud and super soft snow...but I changed my mind recently and now like my wider, softer skis better).

This year I kept track of how many days I used each ski. Out of 41 days, I used the Salomon 23 days and the Nordicas 18 days. While I'd like a wider true powder ski, I just don't think I would use them that often to justify it. Maybe they would have been good for 3-4 of the days I used the Nordicas?

 

[deadheadskier]

That's why I'm considering dropping the Vagabonds. They only get used 2-4 days a season. If I skied Sugarbush on North, it would probably be more like ten days. So, it's just one more set a skis to maintain. I'd probably be better off just demoing for days we get a foot plus.

If I didn't race, I'd probably have just two sets a skis. Something in the 70-80 range and then something 94-100 range

 

[djd66]

Nordica Doberman GSM Pistons 180cm - 69mm waist used for racing. The carving ability of these skis on even absolute bullet proof snow is unreal

I may have to check this ski out,... I'd love to have a Pure Carver for all that Ice I seem to be skiing. Do you only use them for racing or do you (would you) use them for cruising on the hill?

 

[cdskier]

That's why I'm considering dropping the Vagabonds. They only get used 2-4 days a season. If I skied Sugarbush on North, it would probably be more like ten days. So, it's just one more set a skis to maintain. I'd probably be better off just demoing for days we get a foot plus.

If I didn't race, I'd probably have just two sets a skis. Something in the 70-80 range and then something 94-100 range

My days are almost all at Sugarbush, and I still don't see getting 10 days out of the wider skis. Although you may be more willing to use them in a wider range of conditions than I think I would. Also depends on the winter too of course. This wasn't a winter with a lot of significant powder days even at SB.

 

[drjeff]

I'll just throw this out there that I find my 68 underfoot Head iSpeeds from a few years ago way more useful across a wide range of conditions and terrain than my Atomic Maverik's that are 95 underfoot and my Kästle FX106's.

Definitely put more days a season on my Heads, and much more likely to grab a pair of Atomic SL race skis that I also have than the wide stuff most days on the hill

 

[deadheadskier]

I may have to check this ski out,... I'd love to have a Pure Carver for all that Ice I seem to be skiing. Do you only use them for racing or do you (would you) use them for cruising on the hill?

So Nordica had two beers league race ski models; the GSR and the GSM. The GSM is the more aggressive of the two, but they are discontinuing it due to low volume. The only difference between the two models is the GSM has the piston race plate that they sell with their full FIS regulation lineup.

I would definitely use the GSM for regular carving if I didn't race. However because I do race, these only get used for race nights and training sessions. I ski 6-8 runs every Sunday on the NASTAR course at Gunstock then race on Wednesday nights at Pat's. I won't use them more often than that as I want to preserve the edges for race nights. I only got these in March and tested them on some bullet proof days and they are unbelievable. Incredible bite and zero chatter.

If I didn't race, I'd probably look at the Doberman Spitfire 76 for a pure hard snow carving ski from Nordica.. That's probably a similar ski to my Head iRally, which are very good on hard snow, but also a bit softer and perform well in the bumps too. They're also just wide enough in the shovel to handle a few inches of fresh. They hold very well on ice, but do chatter some as they're softer than a true beer league ski

 

[Kingslug20]

Think the OP...checked out...

 

[Smellytele]

Think the OP...checked out...

We do that to a lot of posters...

 

[deadheadskier]

Should we add why Vail sucks to this thread? Haha

 

[Hawk]

I'm inclined to agree with this. I only have 2 skis at the moment:

Salomon S-force Bold with an 84mm waist
Nordica Hell & Back with a 98mm waist

I use the Salomon for early season, hard pack, icy days, etc. I use the Nordicas once we get to at least packed powder conditions. I also found I prefer them in the spring (I use to think stiffer skis were better for plowing through the crud and super soft snow...but I changed my mind recently and now like my wider, softer skis better).

This year I kept track of how many days I used each ski. Out of 41 days, I used the Salomon 23 days and the Nordicas 18 days. While I'd like a wider true powder ski, I just don't think I would use them that often to justify it. Maybe they would have been good for 3-4 of the days I used the Nordicas?

Right now I am also using 2 skis. I am 5'-8" by the way.
I have the Black Crow Camox at 97 under foot, 174cm. When there is no new snow, winter conditions, bumps with small anounts of untracted, this is a great ski. Turns quick, pretty good as speed. fun in the bumps. All good.
For everything else I have the Salomn QST 106. So obviouly 106 under foot in a 172 length. This ski is by far my favorite ski. It turns nice at speed. Smooths out the crud, agile enough in the bumbs and woods. A little width and tip rocker for the pow. Lively and fun. 106 is fine for everything in my opinion.
I ski the Salomons probaby 60%-70% of the time.

 

[Newpylong]

Throw me into the mix for board advice for the fall.

5'10" and 210 lbs. Currently on some old 2013 Nordica Hell and Back Steadfasts - 178cm. Feels like a little too much ski, maybe just due to the weight and no rocker.

Demoed some Enforcer 93s last year which I really liked.

Any recommendations for me for a single pair? I ski a little bit of everything, except Powder, I miss those days lol.

 

[Hawk]

I tried and liked the Enforcer 100's They give you a little better platform for Pow days and spring conditions but you can still turn them. Try and Demo them you might like them.....alot.