Ski the East...or not?

[snoseek]

70 was a shitshow 10 years ago when I did that drive from golden to loveland or winter park almost daily. I can only imagine it being worse now. It got to the point where I started skiing areas down south/west off 285 as it was less stressful. Im done with the front range...I had my fill. West slope is more my speed.

Road up little cottonwood is starting to piss me off as well but at least its a quicker drive, 13 miles of dumpster fire and done. Also the payoff is better.

Don't skip loveland imo.

 

[GregoryIsaacs]

While I don't want to say don't ski Loveland - Skiing on the first day you are there and not acclimated can be an issue. I usually try to acclimate on the first day. Walk around Breck then ski the second day.

I know this and did the same thing at Jackson two years ago and felt the burn for sure but think it would be better to pull it off than try to ski on the Sunday travel day... my flight is at 530pm out of DIA

As for Loveland its amazing how I had to scratch and claw to get one day there with my buddies. It wasn't until I sent them an old AZ thread did they finally shut up! Had to concede a day at vail though and spent like $189 on the day pass HA

 

[BenedictGomez]

As for Loveland its amazing how I had to scratch and claw to get one day there with my buddies. It wasn't until I sent them an old AZ thread did they finally shut up! Had to concede a day at vail though and spent like $189 on the day pass HA

They're all about Vail and dont want to ski Loveland?

You need better (ski) friends.

 

[deadheadskier]

A lot of people I know out west have around a 108 to 110. Some go for the big ones at 117 120. Like I said before I had zero trouble on 117's in all the condition JH had..but never encountered ice. The Kore 117's are very stiff so they handle hardpack well. A lot of older powder skis were noodles and would fold on conditions like that. Things have changed a bit. Material science for one.
I think my 105's are almost perfect on any condition as long as they are sharp. Ice at the top of runs at Stowe can be pretty hairy but I don't have a problem with it. My Sultan 85's do handle it better but they are tanks and heavy.

117 do not handle hard pack well. Sorry. Tune em' razor sharp, they just don't. The physics of the ski do not work. There's a reason race skis have remained very narrow all these years later after the wide ski revolution. They perform vastly better on hard pack. Same goes for bump skis.

I've made this analogy many times before. Just because you can turn a philips screw with a flat head driver, doesn't make it the right tool for the job.



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[kingslug]

Saying 117s do not handle hard pack well is like saying cars that are a certain dimension do not do something well..you cant group all skis of a certain dimension into 1 category..material science..is science..the Head Kores are made different than other skis..which are made different than other skis...try them..then see.

 

[deadheadskier]

Saying 117s do not handle hard pack well is like saying cars that are a certain dimension do not do something well..you cant group all skis of a certain dimension into 1 category..material science..is science..the Head Kores are made different than other skis..which are made different than other skis...try them..then see.

Hmmmmm, if that's true, I suppose we will see Shiffrin skiing in a World cup race on Kore 117 and Dale Earnhardt Jr racing Talladega in an 18 wheeler.

I have no doubt the OP can probably ski hard pack fairly well on the Kore 117 and so could I, but a ski of those dimensions is a very poor choice for those conditions. There are probably 100 models of skis if not more that would be a better choice for hardpack including every other model in the Kore series. In the East, about 90% of the days in a season, the Kore 93 would be a better tool for the conditions than the 117.

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[dlague]

I ski Salomon Rocker 2 at 122 under foot 185s all the time and they ski really well. I ski them in bumps, in the trees, open ungroomed and on groomed runs. I love them. I have Chams that I ski in early and late season but did not do that this season.

As far as traffic leaving at 2:30 on Sunday has worked for us I do not care what people are reading. Last Sunday we opted for the back way which was the first time we decided to do that because it was snowing. Locals know how to avoid the traffic. There are side roads off the 70 and once we get to the Express lane we take it.

Yesterday the 70 was easy peasy. Friday nights heading west not good, 7-9 am Saturday heading west can be tough. Sunday evening heading east can be tough as well if you do not know some of the side roads and do not want to use the Express lane.

So when I vacationed in Colorado, we did not take a day to acclimate. Skied the first day. We ate bananas before skiing. Took Ginko Baloba and Ginseng for two weeks before coming out and we were fine. Altitude Adjust was good too. Everyone is different though. We skied Cooper the first day to start off easy. Then skied A Basin, Keystone and Loveland. Vail is lower so that may be good. I would hit Loveland and A Basin if you have the Gems Card.

BTW we skied 60 days last season doing day trips - just saying. We know first hand.

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[kingslug]

My Kores will probsbly not see many east coast days unless it dumps..i bought them for the west..were hardpack exists as well...
Want to replace my sultans with the kore 93

 

[prsboogie]

Hmmmmm, if that's true, I suppose we will see Shiffrin skiing in a World cup race on Kore 117 and Dale Earnhardt Jr racing Talladega in an 18 wheeler.

I have no doubt the OP can probably ski hard pack fairly well on the Kore 117 and so could I, but a ski of those dimensions is a very poor choice for those conditions. There are probably 100 models of skis if not more that would be a better choice for hardpack including every other model in the Kore series. In the East, about 90% of the days in a season, the Kore 93 would be a better tool for the conditions than the 117.

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Stop feeding the troll!! Lol

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[BenedictGomez]

In the East, about 90% of the days in a season, the Kore 93 would be a better tool for the conditions than the 117.

Sadly, I'll take the OVER.

 

[crazy]

Hmmmmm, if that's true, I suppose we will see Shiffrin skiing in a World cup race on Kore 117 and Dale Earnhardt Jr racing Talladega in an 18 wheeler.

I have no doubt the OP can probably ski hard pack fairly well on the Kore 117 and so could I, but a ski of those dimensions is a very poor choice for those conditions. There are probably 100 models of skis if not more that would be a better choice for hardpack including every other model in the Kore series. In the East, about 90% of the days in a season, the Kore 93 would be a better tool for the conditions than the 117.

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Everything that you say about narrower skis working better on harder snow surfaces is true. Obviously ski racers are going to keep using narrow skis! And I agree that the Kore 93 would work better almost all of the time on the East Coast than the 117, unless you're really lucky and live next to Jay Peak and only go skiing when there's a dump of new snow :razz:! The other exception is if you're Andrew Drummond and are mostly heading out into the backcountry. Exceptions aside, your point stands.

That said, what's changed in the last few years is that ski manufacturers have started producing wider skis that actually perform pretty decently on harder snow surfaces. Oftentimes that means rocker-camber-rocker instead of full rocker, larger sidecuts, and different materials or construction. This doesn't mean that wider skis work better than narrower skis on hardpack, they generally don't, but the performance differences have gotten a bit smaller.

I kept skiing my narrow race skis even after my high school ski racing days for many years. It wasn't until recently that I tried skiing on wider skis, and boy was it so much more fun to do things other than carve on hard surfaces. My daily driver is now in the 85-90 range, and my powder/west coast ski is in the 105-110 range. I've used the 105-110 ski a few times this season, but of course the 85-90 gets most of my use. I've skied race skis out west plenty of times ... but I will not go back to that. The wider skis are so much more fun. But I have nothing but respect for people who love skiing narrow skis. It's all personal preference. Different skis perform better or worse in certain conditions, but ultimately it's about what's enjoyable to you. Unless you're Mikaela Shiffrin :beer:!

 

[kingslug]

Well said

 

[deadheadskier]

Everything that you say about narrower skis working better on harder snow surfaces is true. Obviously ski racers are going to keep using narrow skis! And I agree that the Kore 93 would work better almost all of the time on the East Coast than the 117, unless you're really lucky and live next to Jay Peak and only go skiing when there's a dump of new snow :razz:! The other exception is if you're Andrew Drummond and are mostly heading out into the backcountry. Exceptions aside, your point stands.

That said, what's changed in the last few years is that ski manufacturers have started producing wider skis that actually perform pretty decently on harder snow surfaces. Oftentimes that means rocker-camber-rocker instead of full rocker, larger sidecuts, and different materials or construction. This doesn't mean that wider skis work better than narrower skis on hardpack, they generally don't, but the performance differences have gotten a bit smaller.

I kept skiing my narrow race skis even after my high school ski racing days for many years. It wasn't until recently that I tried skiing on wider skis, and boy was it so much more fun to do things other than carve on hard surfaces. My daily driver is now in the 85-90 range, and my powder/west coast ski is in the 105-110 range. I've used the 105-110 ski a few times this season, but of course the 85-90 gets most of my use. I've skied race skis out west plenty of times ... but I will not go back to that. The wider skis are so much more fun. But I have nothing but respect for people who love skiing narrow skis. It's all personal preference. Different skis perform better or worse in certain conditions, but ultimately it's about what's enjoyable to you. Unless you're Mikaela Shiffrin [emoji481]!

My daily driver is a 90. It will likely be replaced with either Head Kore 93 or Nordica Enforcer 93.

My general point is more directed towards folks who ski something 100+ as a daily ski in the East at a place like Loon or 120+ out West and make comments about performing well in bumps or hard pack. Yes the rocker / camber profile helps a lot. The gap has gotten smaller. However if you value precision, the performance difference is still night and day. This is why all ski designers still produce a race ski, bump ski, powder ski etc with a certain profile.

Typically folks making such comments can't buy a carved turn or link a half dozen steep bumps before bailing across the fall line. They don't have the skill set to tell the difference, so I just kinda laugh at the comments.

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[dlague]

If I ski Breck on Peak 8 bowls 90% of the time a wide ski performs best. Skiing Montezuma Bowl or East Wall then again a wider ski performs well. At Loveland off Chair 9 or other higher terrain then the wider ski performs best. It handles chop, powder and crud with ease. Groomers are not my concern since they ski well there too. The snow here is almost always carveable using any ski. Back easy, I agree that a mid fat does better unless you are a snow chaser.

BTW my wife skies the Volkl 100eights and they carve very well for her. Volkl did a really nice job with those.

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[deadheadskier]

Sorry Dave

No offense, but you really don't have the skill set to know the difference. Skiing a 122 underfoot ski as a daily driver virtually anywhere except a place like Valdez heli-skiing is silly. The best freeride skiers in the world, guys like Candide Thovex, are likely on something 108 or less in typical resort conditions in Colorado.

And don't take this as me saying you are a bad skier. You are an average advanced recreational skier. You skid turns more than carve and don't have quick feet in bumps. Glad you have fun on those 122 Solomon's, but someone with a higher skill set is going to demand much more precision with their gear.

I probably come across as an asshole here, but nothing I'm saying is untrue about aki design. That's why manufacturers produce the varying ski products they do.

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[skiur]

I often laugh when I see people skiing with 110+ width skis on a 10 degrees day when it rained the day before.

 

[crazy]

My general point is more directed towards folks who ski something 100+ as a daily ski in the East

I often laugh when I see people skiing with 110+ width skis on a 10 degrees day when it rained the day before.

These are fair criticisms. I have noticed more and more people skiing fat skis out east on days that really don't warrant them. I mean, whatever floats your boat, but when Sunapee is icy from not having a new snow in over a week, those 110 width skis really aren't very ideal :razz:!

When I go out west, almost all of my runs are off of the trail in bowls, glades, moguls, and more. I've found that this newer generation of wide skis does very well on western hardpack, to the point where I the only ski I bring with me is my wide 105-110 pair of skis. Western groomers are softer and have lower skier density than out east, at least where I ski. Believe it or not I'm still able to carve some nice turns on my 105-110 skis out west. Obviously the wide skis are less ideal for carving, but when I'm out west, carving isn't my top priority like it can be here in the east.

 

[dlague]

Sorry Dave

No offense, but you really don't have the skill set to know the difference. Skiing a 122 underfoot ski as a daily driver virtually anywhere except a place like Valdez heli-skiing is silly. The best freeride skiers in the world, guys like Candide Thovex, are likely on something 108 or less in typical resort conditions in Colorado.

And don't take this as me saying you are a bad skier. You are an average advanced recreational skier. You skid turns more than carve and don't have quick feet in bumps. Glad you have fun on those 122 Solomon's, but someone with a higher skill set is going to demand much more precision with their gear.

I probably come across as an asshole here, but nothing I'm saying is untrue about aki design. That's why manufacturers produce the varying ski products they do.

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Wow! Thank you Judge DHS, expert extraordinaire.

First the skis I am on have a great balance of rocker and camber with 20 mm of side cut. They handle all the non groomer stuff that a narrower ski would sink in. Because of the balance of the ski, taking them on groomers is not an issue at all. I love the way they ski since they float over everything. Skis have come a long way and I have raced on narrow skis, switched to mid flats and still have then but i will continue to ski a ski that gives me most of what I want.

Anyone reading the DHS bullshit - ski what you want, ski what you like, ski where you want. This is not a competition of skier wits or skill. It is a fucken forum.

DHS I have skied with you and you have nice skid turns too. Sorry about going there but you did - expected.more from you!

I hope to be as good as you when I grow up. Nah, I am happy with my abilities.

Have fun!

BTW I-70 sucked today! Not!



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[dlague]

These are fair criticisms. I have noticed more and more people skiing fat skis out east on days that really don't warrant them. I mean, whatever floats your boat, but when Sunapee is icy from not having a new snow in over a week, those 110 width skis really aren't very ideal :razz:!

When I go out west, almost all of my runs are off of the trail in bowls, glades, moguls, and more. I've found that this newer generation of wide skis does very well on western hardpack, to the point where I the only ski I bring with me is my wide 105-110 pair of skis. Western groomers are softer and have lower skier density than out east, at least where I ski. Believe it or not I'm still able to carve some nice turns on my 105-110 skis out west. Obviously the wide skis are less ideal for carving, but when I'm out west, carving isn't my top priority like it can be here in the east.

Someone who gets it!

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[VTKilarney]

Did Highway Star hack DHS’s account?