Waist size...

[Tin]

I took about 8 years off from skiing because of hockey and when I got back into it I realized that everyone was on some giant waist skis. Aside from powder what are the benefits over the bigger waists? Is there a guide for what is ideal for bumps, trees, etc or all personal preference?

 

[MadMadWorld]

Well my waist size is a 36 in case you were wondering

I personally don't think waist size matters a whole lot in the bumps. Skis with more shape are easy to maneuver but the stiffness of a ski is the real equalizer. Softer skis are easy to flex which makes it easy to drive the tips down. In the trees, a wider waist gives you more float. If you are skiing tightly spaced trees you want a light ski so sometimes it's a balancing act between waist size and weight. Basically, there is no right or wrong way. There is no perfect ski and each one has trade offs. Decide how you primarily want to use the ski and you will have an easier time making a decision.

 

[Savemeasammy]

I'm skinny, therefore my skis are skinny.

The waist on my skis is about 65. My tips are probably as wide as a lot of the waist size of many skis at 103.


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[dlague]

My skis are more of an all mountain ski with dimensions of 131-87-119. Having had a more narrow ski before these float a little more. The side cut is important in this case which allows the ski to arc nicely. I have a partial twin tip which is fun to play on.


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[Puck it]

98 for everyday. 118 for pow days.

 

[Tin]

Ever have a problem with the 118s in heavier type snows Puck It? How are they on an everyday basis?

 

[yeggous]

88 for my daily driver, 110 for soft snow


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[deadheadskier]

88 for my daily driver, 110 for soft snow


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how are the E88s on hard pack? bumps? and in 6ish inches of snow?

My daily driver is a Fischer Motive 84. I'd rate them an A- on hard pack, B- in bumps and a D in anything over 6 inches of snow, especially if the snow is heavy.

I like them and got them specifically for hard snow performance knowing I would be skiing a lot of NH hard pack when I moved here and wouldn't get to enjoy the N. VT powder frequency. I feel I somewhat overcompensated for hard snow performance and gave up too much elsewhere as a daily driver. The E88's are certainly on the radar as a replacement down the line.

That will come after soft/powder ski replacement though.

 

[snoseek]

96 and 114. the 96 is my daily driver and plenty good for firm conditions, back east maybe something mid 80's for hardpack would be appropriate....I don't race so I don't need a stiff mid 60's ski

 

[Smellytele]

89 on my every day skis. 115 on my powder skis. Another thing is the rocker vs non rocker. Even on 115 I still have a camber (non rocker) so they are okay on harder pack, groomers and such. When you add the rocker you kind of limit yourself to powder. My 115 Black diamond Amperages can handle just about any condition that my 89's can handle.

 

[MadMadWorld]

89 on my every day skis. 115 on my powder skis. Another thing is the rocker vs non rocker. Even on 115 I still have a camber (non rocker) so they are okay on harder pack, groomers and such. When you add the rocker you kind of limit yourself to powder. My 115 Black diamond Amperages can handle just about any condition that my 89's can handle.

Depends on whether you go full rocker or not. That can make a big difference

 

[Cheese]

68mm GS carver
68mm SL carver
74mm Bumps & crud
117mm Powder

The E88's are certainly on the radar as a replacement down the line.

That's what's missing in my quiver as well. I have no desire for anything between the 88 and my 117s. I skied the Kastle FX84 which I also enjoyed though so now I'm torn between that and the E88.

 

[Puck it]

Ever have a problem with the 118s in heavier type snows Puck It? How are they on an everyday basis?

They are actually 117's. I made a typo. They are Skilogik Rock Star's with full rocker. I wish I had gone woith the 188cm instead of the 178cm. They in pow and slop. However, they are horrible on hardpack. If you have never seen them. These are it.

 

[Smellytele]

Depends on whether you go full rocker or not. That can make a big difference

Correct. My 115's have camber but do raise up at the ends a little more than "normal".

 

[bigbog]

If you go off-resort a bit the crud and windblown-crud present a real need for some shovel stiffness...no pivoting between trees in windblown stuff, but where the snow is better I think skiers do have more choice...and some added width definitely helps in more dense, NE pow. Less hooking up...etc.

 

[wa-loaf]

70 mm and 108mm .... I sold an 84 and 94 to get the 108. I do miss the 84 some so will probably fill that hole for next season.

 

[yeggous]

how are the E88s on hard pack? bumps? and in 6ish inches of snow?

My daily driver is a Fischer Motive 84. I'd rate them an A- on hard pack, B- in bumps and a D in anything over 6 inches of snow, especially if the snow is heavy.

I like them and got them specifically for hard snow performance knowing I would be skiing a lot of NH hard pack when I moved here and wouldn't get to enjoy the N. VT powder frequency. I feel I somewhat overcompensated for hard snow performance and gave up too much elsewhere as a daily driver. The E88's are certainly on the radar as a replacement down the line.

That will come after soft/powder ski replacement though.

The E88 rips on hardpack. They are great in crud, and decent in bumps. When the snow gets excessively soft and deep you're better off going wider. Something around 100 under foot with be better in spring slush, but given the gripper nature of the 88 on hard snow it is worth the trade. As for your six inch dump, they don't do so well when it is untracked. Their snub nose tends to submarine when the snow gets more than a few inches deep. Wait an hour or two until it turns to cut up crud and that is where the 88 comes into its own.


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[Cheese]

I took about 8 years off from skiing because of hockey and when I got back into it I realized that everyone was on some giant waist skis. Aside from powder what are the benefits over the bigger waists? Is there a guide for what is ideal for bumps, trees, etc or all personal preference?

When you go wide on hard pack you sacrifice edge to edge transition quickness. If one is trying to support an upright object from tipping using the base, build a wider base. A skier is an upright object so widening the base (ski width) makes it harder to tip. Harder to tip translates to a longer transition time and more work for the skier. If there's no concern about how quick a ski can be transitioned edge to edge or how much work it is to get the ski on edge, disregard this post.

 

[SandwichTech]

I ski Cannon 99% of the time and like a 78mm carver for any day. Even when I have other widths available, I find that instead of checking conditions I just grab the 78s and go.

 

[hammer]

70mm and 88mm...bring out the 70s for hardpack and the 88s for everything else, sure the 88s would be fine for all that I do.