• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

I’m looking for fast cruising skis and local shop recommends k2 mindbender 89 ti and nordica enforcer 88

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
28,186
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
I’ve been out of the loop for a while regarding equipment, but I noticed a lot of skiers with wide boards now.


I’m still skiing on old Volkl supersports :whistle:

Maybe find a shop with a good demo program then and try some stuff out. Both different models and sizes. Most of the time they'll apply the cost of the demo towards the purchase price.
 

ColdRain&Snow

Active member
Joined
Nov 28, 2021
Messages
275
Points
43
Location
New England
Maybe find a shop with a good demo program then and try some stuff out. Both different models and sizes. Most of the time they'll apply the cost of the demo towards the purchase price.

Bill@gmol recommended a place near stratton called Equipe sports, they have some type of demo program, he also said you can lease new skis for the season there. I’ll probably check it out next week.
 

bigbob

Active member
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
Messages
741
Points
43
Location
SE NH
Volkl Mantra M 6, 100 underfoot but they don't ski like a 100. My knees don't get sore from skiing eastern powder ( ice) with these like today at times at Loon.
 

KustyTheKlown

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
5,471
Points
113
Location
Brooklyn
Volkl Mantra M 6, 100 underfoot but they don't ski like a 100. My knees don't get sore from skiing eastern powder ( ice) with these like today at times at Loon.

i have been just absolutely ripping the hardpack on my new fischer ranger fr102s. .
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
28,186
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
It depends what you really want to do. DHS would say I'm skiing a ski way to wide (96 in the waist) all of the time. The reality is for me that its really only too wide when there is boiler plate. I don't have race quality carving technique, and at 45 I don't strive to.

I don't think someone has to have great carving technique to appreciate the performance advantage of something purpose built for groomed snow. Just like someone doesn't have to have strong powder skiing skills to appreciate a ski built for that.

As for not striving to get better, last year at 46 I started racing because a buddy had been hounding me to join his team for years and years. I ended up really enjoying it. I actually look at racing / carving as something I can get a lot better at. First time I've thought about skiing in that way in 20 years. There are guys in their mid 60s who smoke me on race nights. Moguls, trees etc, I'm just trying to hold onto those skills. Was way better at 25 when I was more athletic. But racing I feel i can get better at because I've never focused at it except for a few weeks in high school before a season ending wreck

I bought a set of used Rossi Beer league skis, 185cm with a 23M radius. Probably should have gone with the 179 and 19 for how tight the rec GS courses can be, but the performance is better yet still than the already excellent Heads. Just incredible edge bite and no chatter. It just allows me to ski faster with more confidence that my edge is going to hold. I'll still carve and ski fast on my 107 waist skis too, but there's a lot more skidding involved.

I like having a few different tools to work with. Those 107mm Nordicas I ski maybe 3-6 days a year. Unless I break them, they'll last me 15 years like my last set of powder skis I bought in 2000. Still have and could ski the old ones actually.

But, there are plenty of people out there a lot better than me that rock a one ski quiver just fine. The 90 waisted Steadfast would be my choice of what I have if I only could pick one. Most versatile
 
Last edited:

ss20

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
3,985
Points
113
Location
A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
I too have the Mindbenders. 90ti. I use them when we haven't had a storm in a while. They are good on groomers, but not great (however, I can carve at a decent level and have some Blizzard skis for that... 72mm underfoot and a ton of metal). The Mindbenders are fine when I am not trying to push to 100%. 0-80% they are great on the hardpack.

DO NOT buy anything over 100mm for carving. It goes well beyond performance. Depends on your body size, but starting at the 90mm-105mm waist range, you will be putting severe pressure on your knees skiing on hardpack. In just the 15ish years of 100mm waists being common, there are already substantial studies done that show wide skis are horrible for your MCL, ACL, and every facet of your knees. We don't know the long-term effects yet of what will happen to the teens that only ski of 100mm+ skis their entire lives. My widest ski is a 115mm Nordica Enforcer (last year it saw maybe 10 days of action in Utah, hopefully 15-20 days this year). I can feel the awkward stress it puts on my knees on the hardpack- you do not need to be an instructor, pro racer, or doctor- you can feel it as a layman.
 

ColdRain&Snow

Active member
Joined
Nov 28, 2021
Messages
275
Points
43
Location
New England
I too have the Mindbenders. 90ti. I use them when we haven't had a storm in a while. They are good on groomers, but not great (however, I can carve at a decent level and have some Blizzard skis for that... 72mm underfoot and a ton of metal). The Mindbenders are fine when I am not trying to push to 100%. 0-80% they are great on the hardpack.

DO NOT buy anything over 100mm for carving. It goes well beyond performance. Depends on your body size, but starting at the 90mm-105mm waist range, you will be putting severe pressure on your knees skiing on hardpack. In just the 15ish years of 100mm waists being common, there are already substantial studies done that show wide skis are horrible for your MCL, ACL, and every facet of your knees. We don't know the long-term effects yet of what will happen to the teens that only ski of 100mm+ skis their entire lives. My widest ski is a 115mm Nordica Enforcer (last year it saw maybe 10 days of action in Utah, hopefully 15-20 days this year). I can feel the awkward stress it puts on my knees on the hardpack- you do not need to be an instructor, pro racer, or doctor- you can feel it as a layman.

Thanks, this is the type of stuff I wouldn’t know without asking for experienced opinions (y)
 

x10003q

Active member
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
936
Points
43
Location
Bergen County, NJ
Here is a deal on a ski that is right in your wheelhouse - Fischer RC One 86 in 182 - i have nothing to do with the site

If you have money to spend - Stockli AX, AR, SR88 also would work for you. Equipe in Stratton might stock these.

Stay between 75mm and 90mm
 
Top