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One Quiver or Not to One Quiver

dlague

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To start - I am about 6' weight 195

I have what I consider a One Quiver ski. I ski on a pair of Rossignol Phantom 87's 179 cm (few years old now) that my wife won at a ski movie after she bought $20 work of raffle tickets. Turns out I was looking for a new ski and that one fit the bill perfectly IMO. I have enjoyed them a lot! This ski has an incredible side cut so it carves up groomers really nice and handles ice with out much problem. The shovel is pretty wide so it floats pretty well too on crud and powder alike! They generally do well off-piste as well when the conditions are softer or powder! In harder days in the woods where it is a little more bumped out they tend to be too stiff. Dimensions - 130/87/116.

However, back in January, I skied a few runs with Savemeasammy. He asked about skiing hurricane and since I generally limit my bump skiing (torn ACL three years ago) opted not to that day. Well that kind of bugged me a little and inspired me to ski more bump terrain this season. I really enjoyed it more and more as the season progressed, but the skis I have are certainly not suited for it. I can put the tip on one bump and the tail on the other and not flex them very much. As a result, hitting a bump slightly off was like riding a bucking bronco. Don't get me wrong, I love the stiffness especially on hard surfaces and at speed. They ski nicely on bump runs with a little more spacing.

Now as I research new skis, I have read when it comes to mogul skis that narrower is better to allow for better transitions from edge to edge. Another aspect to many bumps skis that I have found is being longer and having softer tips. Narrower, longer, softer! Some of the skis that I have read about (2014) are Dynastar Twister, Hart f-17 Classics and Volkl Wall Mogul to name a few. Now this all flies in the face of everything else I have been looking at since I want the ski to do it all!

Here is where the problem lies. On any given day, I could get of the lift and start down a groomer then decide to head into the woods for a while then pop back out somewhere on a groomer - you could even throw in some short bumps runs in that mix. I never really set out to do anything specific I like it all. So.... How many people bring multiple sets of skis? If you do then technically you are aiming at a specific type of skiing depending on the planks that are on your feet! That seems to be too much work. So what do you look for if you want a ski that does pretty good in the bumps, yet are technically wider for off piste skiing, do well at speed and carve pretty well! A few that I have considered so far are Blizzard Bushwacker, Line Prophet 85/90, Volkl Kendo or Bridge, Rossignol Experience 88 or Rossignol Soul or Sin 7's - there are others too!

Am I washed up trying to find a single ski? Or get a separate bump ski, and keep it at the base a do targeted bumps runs when I wish?

BTW we have a set of ChopStix 131 under foot for those real powder days.
 

Puck it

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I am pretty much on one ski all year except in powder. Hell and Backs. I may ski my Palmer 03's a couple of time if things are really hard, but even then with sharp edges the H&B's are still adequate.
 

Smellytele

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I have one ski for powder and 1 for everything else. Well I have a beat up pair I use for rock skis that used to be my everything else ski.
 

WWF-VT

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I have skied 50 days this season and was on a pair of Volkl Bridges on about 45 of those days. I did demo a Volkl RTM 81 that I might pick up for hard snow days next season. Overall the Bridge is a solid one ski quiver.
 

dlague

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I am pretty much on one ski all year except in powder. Hell and Backs. I may ski my Palmer 03's a couple of time if things are really hard, but even then with sharp edges the H&B's are still adequate.

I have skied 50 days this season and was on a pair of Volkl Bridges on about 45 of those days. I did demo a Volkl RTM 81 that I might pick up for hard snow days next season. Overall the Bridge is a solid one ski quiver.

Both of those skis are in the mid 90s under foot do you ski bumps a lot or primarily glades/groomers?
 

WWF-VT

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Both of those skis are in the mid 90s under foot do you ski bumps a lot or primarily glades/groomers?

I ski everything, and when you spend a lot of time at Mt Ellen that means a lot of bumps. At Sugarbush we ski more "woods" than "glades".
 

Savemeasammy

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I like my F17 classics in most conditions, the exceptions being crud and ice. They are a bump ski, but hart markets them as suitable as an all-mountain ski. If we cross paths, I would be happy to let you take them for a test drive.



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Savemeasammy

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Also, I'm not sure about the length thing... Bump skis are fully cambered, so I'm not sure if you'd want to go "longer" than what you would normally ski. FWIW, I am 5'9, 160ish, and ski on 175's.


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drjeff

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I've got a 2 ski quiver - a pair of 175cm, 75mm waist tradional camber 14.5m radius carving skis and a pair of 185cm 108mm waist full rocker powder skis. They are polar opposites, but both great for me in their elements. I skied my carving skis about 40-45 out of my 60 days last season and the balance on my powder skis. They are so different in how they ski and what they accel at that almost never do I wish I was on the "other" pair on any given day.

I think that too many people with 3-4+ ski quivers end up trying to micro manage their ski choice to a finite set of conditions that they may only encounter for a few days a year, or maybe even a few runs on a certain day, that they can take away from the overall enjoyment worrying if they should go back to the ski rack/car and get a different pair for a specific set of conditions!

I've always said that for most skiers the $$ they're pondering spending on a specific niche ski to expand to a 3rd, 4th or 5th+ ski quiver more often would be better spent on a high level lesson or two! "Good" skiers can make almost any ski turn how/when they want it too, less skilled skiers tend to hope a certain ski will let them turn in a specific condition a little better
 

Scruffy

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Here is where the problem lies. On any given day, I could get of the lift and start down a groomer then decide to head into the woods for a while then pop back out somewhere on a groomer - you could even throw in some short bumps runs in that mix. I never really set out to do anything specific I like it all. So.... How many people bring multiple sets of skis? If you do then technically you are aiming at a specific type of skiing depending on the planks that are on your feet! That seems to be too much work. So what do you look for if you want a ski that does pretty good in the bumps, yet are technically wider for off piste skiing, do well at speed and carve pretty well! A few that I have considered so far are Blizzard Bushwacker, Line Prophet 85/90, Volkl Kendo or Bridge, Rossignol Experience 88 or Rossignol Soul or Sin 7's - there are others too!

Am I washed up trying to find a single ski? Or get a separate bump ski, and keep it at the base a do targeted bumps runs when I wish?

BTW we have a set of ChopStix 131 under foot for those real powder days.

I ski like you do, I never know where the run will take me. Trying to find a ski that does it all is a compromise. Bumps and ice are the real crux, and I'm always in the bumps, but prefer to ski the woods if they are filled in. I have a big quiver, but I hate bringing multiple skis to the hill. I make an educated guess as to what the conditions will be and bring the ski that I think will make me the happiest. Sometimes the weather and conditions are not as predicted and I just live with the choice I made. As skis evolve, I'm always looking for the one ski that does it all, but it's a work in progress.

I just purchaesed two new skis for next year to replace my Volkl Mantras (pre rocker ) and my Nordica Hot Rods. I picked up a pair of Kastle FX84s and Blizzard Bonafides. The FX84's are nice and seem to fit the bill for an all mnt 50/50 ski that handles bumps ok. I have not skied my Bones yet. I've also heard good things about the Head Rev 85's for an all Mnt ski that skis bumps well, but I have not tried them.
 

thetrailboss

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Boy, first a season pass thread and now new skis. You are busy! ;) And you're giving us more to talk about, keep it coming.

So being out west I cannot really speak (anymore) to east coast skis and specific models. I have the same dilemma regularly though because I ski like you--multiple things in one run!

For many years I had a one-ski quiver because it seemed like you could find "all mountain expert skis" that performed well in most conditions. In my opinion not so much any more, especially rocker technology and different sidecut profiles coming into play. I have three different pair of skis for out here that are all fat but have varying stiffnesses--a stiffer fat ski (it is essentially a fat GS ski), a fat softer twin tip, and a fat rockered powder/deep snow ski. IMHO having a stiff and a softer ski might work for you if you can find the right models and are willing to bring two pair of skis to the slopes and take the time to swap out. It can be a pain and a hassle--sometimes more than it's worth. I try to bring the right pair of skis for what I expect to ski on the day and leave my other pair on the car in the locked rack. I find that now I usually don't swap out unless the conditions change.

If you do go with one pair (I have a quiver of five skis that I regularly use...I'm sick obviously) my opinion is to think about what you prefer to ski most of the time and performance you're willing to sacrifice (a little) in order to get better performance in what you like most of the time. For example, you said bumps. Generally you want a softer ski for bumps and trees. They will be OK on groomers, but you will notice that they may chatter or not hold edge on ice or at high (read: generally very high) speeds. Like BDFreetuna speeds. So if you like groomers but are not going to be ripping huge, fast turns on a regular basis, then a softer ski may be all you need if you want trees and bumps.

I'm not going to get into widths because really nowadays the technology is changing quite a bit and most skis are fat with the big thing being sidecut and rocker profile.

In the meantime, do some reading online. The internet is so great for finding the "real dirt" on skis and how theywork...both in mags and in forums. I'd also demo unless you find consistent feedback as to how a ski performs and you know exactly what you want.
 

Cannonball

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A one ski quiver is absolutely possible and is fine. I have 2-3 pairs of skis and a half dozen boards. But it's not because I'm trying to always micro-manage performance, it's because I just really enjoy mixing it up. Like Scruffy said, I make an educated guess based on the forecast, who I'm going with, and what I feel like doing that day. I rarely bring more than one ski/board option to the mountain. I'm not even always trying to bring the best tools for the conditions. Sometimes it's fun and skill-building to push yourself on the wrong equipment! If I'm going by myself or I know that the group I'm with won't be pushing super hard I'll often bring skis that are totally wrong for the conditions/terrain. It's like swinging a baseball bat with a doughnut...it makes everything seem easier when you get back on the right gear.
 

Puck it

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Both of those skis are in the mid 90s under foot do you ski bumps a lot or primarily glades/groomers?


All of the above, but only groomers until the snow is deep enough. Most glades that we are essentially bump runs with the trees as obstacles.
 

frapcap

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I have 3 sets of skis, but only use one of them regularly. The first is a long pair of Xscreams that I might use 1-2 times a year on days when there is no coverage at all in the trees but the snow is entirely variable. They are very responsive and are very good on groomer and crud. I used to think they were okay in the trees and bumps until I got a newer set of all mountain skis.

The set I'm referring to are the Crimson TI. They're a bit fatter under foot (91), but not so fat they they're bad while cruising at speed on groomed surfaces. They're a dream in the woods and hide my lack of finesse on bumps as I learn. In powder a foot or less, they're pretty great. Anything over, they're tough to work and aren't ideal but we don't really get snow like that very often here anyway. They feel stiff on groomed surfaces and have plenty of camber so I can let them run. There is a good bit of flex and maneuverability in tight places though, which is my favorite thing about them. Overall, they ski very well on groomed surfaces when you really lean them over and can plow right through that crud field after the bumps, and are a blast in the trees. Very enjoyable and unless its a week day where the trails have cord on them most of the day and the trees aren't an option I will use them for 90% of the season and not even pack another set of skis.

The last set I have are some older Atomic Drive 7's. They were the first ski I ever bought. They're pretty terrible at anything that isn't a groomed surface, but when they're on the defined slopes, they're very fast. Transitions are very quick, they cancel out a bit of the vibrations on choppy surfaces, but the feature I like most of all is that I can let them run on any groomed surface- the harder, the better. Ice is never a problem with them, neither are areas that are skied off over the course of the day. They just keep on gripping. When they're on a totally groomed surface on a mid week day, I feel supremely confident and let them run as fast as they can. Occasionally I'll take them into the bumps just to remind myself what I need to work on in regards to my form since they identify everything that I'm doing wrong and exploit it. I don't really use them very often since, like the OP, I ski just about anything on any given day.

All that being said, the answer to your question is yes, you can find an all mountain ski that lets you do it all. The other two skis I was coming it to were the Line Prophet, Blizzard Cochises, and the Bushwacker. The Prophet were a close second, but I chose the TI's based on the (much lower) price and have been very happy with my choice.
 
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Cannonball

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Thats correct.Who needs a container to carry 1 item?

Here is one gallon of milk. please carry it without a container.

But yes you are correct, a quiver is meant to refer to plural. The phrase "one ski quiver" is an intentional twist on that concept, meant to convey one thing that does the job of many.
 

dlague

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I like my F17 classics in most conditions, the exceptions being crud and ice. They are a bump ski, but hart markets them as suitable as an all-mountain ski. If we cross paths, I would be happy to let you take them for a test drive.



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That would be cool! Warning! We will cross paths! :beer:
 

Glenn

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One ski. The more you have, the more you wish you were on something else no matter what you're out on. I ski one ski, all conditions. I do have a set of twin tips that a break out the spring.
 
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