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to my fellow domestic abusers of skis - what has been most bombproof?

deadheadskier

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That’s old school thinking. Do some research on these. These are totally daily drivers for east coast woods. slap a pair of cast p18’s on there and you got topnotch go anywhere ski setup.

And, no shit. The eastern rocks will not touch these fucking skis. If you’ve seen the shit that I’ve been skiing over for the past month you think my skis would be beat to shit. Hardly a scratch on them.



Fact

Old school thinking to not go with a 108 as an EC daily?

Somebody needs to tell that to the engineers designing skis then. And be prepared to get laughed at.

The vast majority of people on the EC are on skis way too wide. Call it aspirational conditions ski choice, vs realistic conditions ski choice. All things being equal, you are giving up a massive amount of edge to edge quickness going with a 108 over something in the 85-95 range.

At its most basic level, tree skiing is not too different than bump skiing in terms of technique. Hell most of the winter, except for a day or two after a storm, it's exactly the same. EC glades are basically mogul trails with trees.

How wide are bump skis? Some of the most narrow skis on the market. There's a performance reason for that. I read and hear people asking all the time how to improve their tree skiing skills. Most of the time, going with a narrower, more responsive ski is all that's needed to make a massive improvement.
 

Bosco DaSkia

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Bullshit. A World Cup zipper line has nothing to do with skiing in the woods. The variations in snow quality and quality , not to mention the rocks, branches, and stumps,make for vastly different conditions than a manicured zipper line.

The width of the ski has less to do with it’s responsiveness then the techniques the skier uses with the ski.

Now, if the person using the skis has shit for skills to begin with, then they need work on that before going bigger.
 

KustyTheKlown

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im not worried at all about my skill level.

i just currently have a 106 i like a lot and i need to replace a 92, and i have been trying to hew towards 90s for east coast day to day to get ahead of future knee issues.

and i view typical skied-in eastern tree skiing as being a lot more 'surfy' than bump skiing. lots of riding the waves and pivoting around trees. much less zipper lining.
 

Bosco DaSkia

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Exactly. That’s why I like the MVP. Wicked surfy and slarvey. Perfect for toolin’ down a woody roller coaster set of bumps.
 

letitsnow1

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I think a ski around 90 is perfect all round ski for the east coast.
I do the most damage to my skis when it's unexpected. I can ski thin cover with bare spots all day and just end up with a few scratches but I usually do the worst damage when it's good coverage and I manage to hit the one rock. I snapped a ski right in half on stich line the first day killington opened Needles this year
 

drjeff

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I missed out on these..View attachment 64565
One of my ski friends has that Bob Ross pair of J's on the right with a pair of NTN Tele bindings on them. I still get a chuckle every time I see the graphics on both the top sheet and bases!

And from them having been on my tuning bench this past weekend, if you ski over enough rocks/ledge/other hard, jagged objects, you definitely can ding up a pair of J's
 

deadheadskier

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Bullshit. A World Cup zipper line has nothing to do with skiing in the woods. The variations in snow quality and quality , not to mention the rocks, branches, and stumps,make for vastly different conditions than a manicured zipper line.

The width of the ski has less to do with it’s responsiveness then the techniques the skier uses with the ski.

Now, if the person using the skis has shit for skills to begin with, then they need work on that before going bigger.

Damn. Didn't realize we had Candide Thovex among us.

I'm sure the few dozen members of this forum who have skied Northeast trees with me over the years will all back you up and say, "That DHS is almost always on a 90 underfoot in the trees except for storm days. Probably because he lacks the skills and technique to ski a 108."

If we share a run someday, promise you'll go easy on me so I can keep up on my Kendos? Pretty please
 
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thetrailboss

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im not worried at all about my skill level.

i just currently have a 106 i like a lot and i need to replace a 92, and i have been trying to hew towards 90s for east coast day to day to get ahead of future knee issues.

and i view typical skied-in eastern tree skiing as being a lot more 'surfy' than bump skiing. lots of riding the waves and pivoting around trees. much less zipper lining.
They now are WAY too popular, and as a result not cheap, but the Head Kore may be a good option.

Regardless, in an ideal world you would demo a few different brands and makes and see what works best. These days demo days seem to be few and far in between and there are just so many indy brands.
 
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kingslug

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They now are WAY too popular, and as a result not cheap, but the Head Kore may be a good option.

Regardless, in an ideal world you would demo a few different brands and makes and see what works best. These days demo days seem to be few and far in between and there are just so many indy brands.
I have 3 kores...92,105,118.
I only ski the 105 now.
I managed to break a pair of the 92s...they are very light. The 105s have been holding up pretty well. I would not consider them bomb proof...but are pretty easy to swing around.
Not good on ice...a bit floppy.
 

thetrailboss

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I have 3 kores...92,105,118.
I only ski the 105 now.
I managed to break a pair of the 92s...they are very light. The 105s have been holding up pretty well. I would not consider them bomb proof...but are pretty easy to swing around.
Not good on ice...a bit floppy.
True. I’m also thinking of the Monsters as being damp and durable. So far my Kores (87, 95ish) are great.
 

1dog

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Old school thinking to not go with a 108 as an EC daily?

Somebody needs to tell that to the engineers designing skis then. And be prepared to get laughed at.

The vast majority of people on the EC are on skis way too wide. Call it aspirational conditions ski choice, vs realistic conditions ski choice. All things being equal, you are giving up a massive amount of edge to edge quickness going with a 108 over something in the 85-95 range.

At its most basic level, tree skiing is not too different than bump skiing in terms of technique. Hell most of the winter, except for a day or two after a storm, it's exactly the same. EC glades are basically mogul trails with trees.

How wide are bump skis? Some of the most narrow skis on the market. There's a performance reason for that. I read and hear people asking all the time how to improve their tree skiing skills. Most of the time, going with a narrower, more responsive ski is all that's needed to make a massive improvement.
see this all the time in lift lines - west powder skis on bullet proof - one day maybe I will follow them to see what they are doing - slide stepping I'm sure. but boy they look cool in line. . .
 

drjeff

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see this all the time in lift lines - west powder skis on bullet proof - one day maybe I will follow them to see what they are doing - slide stepping I'm sure. but boy they look cool in line. . .
The vast majority of East Coast skiers, the vast majority of the days of the season, really shouldn't be on anything wider than the mid 80's (I'd even argue mid to upper 70's) with something in the upper teens radius and a touch of tip rocker. They'd likely be much happier when heading down the hill
 

Hawk

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The vast majority of East Coast skiers, the vast majority of the days of the season, really shouldn't be on anything wider than the mid 80's (I'd even argue mid to upper 70's) with something in the upper teens radius and a touch of tip rocker. They'd likely be much happier when heading down the hill
So I must be in the vast minority. I ski the Salomon QST 106 and it is perfect for everything Sugarbush other then skiing all day icy bumps. I use my Black Crow Camox for that. The QST106 has and 18m raduis, 106 under foot and tip rocker. It skis super fast on groomers and edges perfect. it smooths out the mixed snow condtions. it turns exactly like you want it in the woods around tight trees and floats in powder. The idea that you have to ski 80mm or less is antiquated.
 
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