Advice needed from the west coast

funkmaster

funkmaster

Member
I have skiied all my life near toronto, with the exception of the odd visit to quebec. The closest to powder skiing i've ever done is a couple wet and heavy inches at tremblant on my afterbangs. Next year i'm moving to kelowna, so i'll be skiing mostly at big white and silverstar. I was hoping somebody from the area could give me an idea of what to expect snow conditions wise and if i should look into buying some wider skis(im currently on 181 punx).

Im a total noob on what to look for in powder skis so if anybody could educate me on the topic i would be very grateful

Also to take into consideration, I currently have a chance to get my worst topsheet graphics printed on a pair of ON3P skis at a reduced price
 
i usually try to find something on sale or and old model, so i've never paid more than 350 for a ski but i dont know what pow skis go for so im pretty open minded. I'm mostly interested in what to look for in a pow ski, like waist, rocker profile etc
 
All their skis are awesome and designed for the west coast. I'd look into the Jeffrey if you want something to charge the mountain, and the Caylor if you want a more dedicated pow ski. I haven't ridden any of their skis, but I only ever hear great things about them. One of their team riders graduated from my college, and he rides the Jeffery. http://www.on3pskis.com/team/david-steele/

They are expensive, but you have the chance to get a custom graphic on an awesome pair of skis that will last you a long time... Go for it.

If you can't spend the money, check Craigslist. Anything fat with a bit of rocker is going to be fun.

 
Some more information would be helpful. What do you want to do with the ski and your weight, height and skill level (not in park, on groomed and in crud)? Are you planning on riding or landing switch in powder, are you going to have another set of skis for harder days, do you want something stiffer for charging and crud or a soft, playful ski? There are huge differences between pow skis so you really need to figure out what you want from them before people can give you useful advice.

Now IMO you should look at skis between 110 and 125 underfoot, with a sidecut of around 20m or more (unless you really like slow, unstable, and hooky skis like the JJ). There are tons of good powder skis out there, so do some research and pick one that works for what you want it to do.
 
As i said im used to really small hills (200 feet vertical) so i cant say i know exactly what i will be using it for. I have a pair of atomic punx that seem like a fun ski in conditions im used to like ice, slush, park, groomers etc, so i guess im looking for something for pow days specifically. What i would do on these skis would probably be a mix of glades, dropping some little cliffs, and maybe building some little pow booters now and then. I've never been in the backcountry before seeing as i live near toronto, but I would definately want to give it a try sometime. I definately want a ski i can land switch on in powder.

I enjoy a ski with a medium flex

im 6', 155lbs and i can't say i have much experience out of the park aside from some glades here and there but i learn fast
 
i ski big white pretty often and they get a ton of snow! the skiing there is incredible lots of hidden areas and you best look at getting some monster pow skis. i ride my moment donner parties there or chopsticks and they will destroy anything in front of them. i was there one weekend and it snowed 1.5 feet and it was truly they best day I've ever had.
 
If you can get your graphic printed at a greatly reduced price I would go for the Caylors for all mountain. I rode them for about 60+ days this season. I wrote a short review of the Caylors in my blog, here it is:

Pros

[*]Durable

[*]Good Carving Ability

[*]Good Grip

[*]Great Flotation

[*]Looks Sweet

[*]Scratch Resistant

[*]Smooth Ride

[/list]

Cons

[*]Struggling to find any

[/list]

Best Uses

[*]Bowls

[*]Charging

[*]Crud

[*]Downhill

[*]Faces

[*]Powder Skiing

[*]Skiing switch

[*]TREES

[/list]

Comments about ON3P Caylor Skis 2012:

I have to say the caylors are the best powder ski I've ever used, their powder performance is great I can rip through the trees and put down GS turn in powder, on groomed runs they turn like my prophet 100s, ice they grip better than my prophets, moguls you can make them work and they bomb it through crud and chopped up conditions. The reason why I like this ski so much because it's so versatile, you can ski in pow as easily as skiing forward. ON3P is an awesome company that produces quality skis and provides great customer service.

Also reviews of the Rossi S7 and next year's rocker2 122s

Hope this helps, Joey
 
good to know! i have a feeling next winter is going to be awesome.

^^^helpful review thanks. from what i've read/heard elsewhere caylors seem to be a pretty solid ski, so i think i might go for them if i can afford it
 
Cool here are some skis that might work for you, it is definitely worth demoing a bunch of skis so you can find out what you like, and most shops will take off the price of the demo if you decide to buy the demo skis.

Line Mr. Pollard's Opus: Light and poppy. Feels really good in the air, and has a good swing weight. I found that it could get unstable and nervous in crud at speed, but it is very fast turning in trees and fun in powder.

K2 Obsethed (this years, next years model is different): A little more directional than the Opus, but has enough tail rocker to land and ski switch in powder. A lot more damp and heavier than the Opus, so it does better at speed but it doesn't feel as good in the air. Its tail is very soft so it can fold up on big landings unless you land centered, but that doesn't really become noticeable until the air is 25+ feet. I really like this ski, it would have a place in my quiver if it was stiffer.

Also check out Pettit's new pro model the K2 Pettitor. I haven't skied it but it sounds like what you want.

Atomic Bentchetler: I wasn't a huge fan but you might like it. Search for reviews, it felt like a slightly improved jj to me. Also give the jj a try but remember that as you get better the small turn radius and strange flex pattern may start to get annoying. I couldn't stand the jj's but they work well for some skiing styles.

Some other ideas that I haven't skied but I've heard good things about: the ON3P line up, Icelantic Keepers, and the new Atomic Automatic.

Also check out the 4FRNT CRJ, fun in the air and untracked pow, not as good in crud or hardpack. My favorite ski ever made is the 4FRNT EHP, but it doesn't really match what you want.
 
Forgot to add the 4FRNT YLE, it looks like a very good ski for backcountry kickers and it is fully symmetrical so it will fell kind of like park skis. I'm a little suspicious of a fully symmetrical ski for all mountain skiing, but it might be worth a look.
 
The only upside of Big White compared to Silver Star is it is open later. The drive there sucks as well. Unless you are moving to the rural area just outside Big White I am fairly certain the drive to Silver Star is shorter. Also if you are looking for more big mountain skiing make a few road trips into eastern BC and hit up Revelstoke. I haven't made it out to Kicking Horse or Red but they are on my list to ski and I have heard nothing but good things about them.

That out of the way if you are looking for a powder specific ski I would recommend either Night Trains or next years Salomon Rocker 2 115's. Both really symmetrical. This year's Rocker 2 is as well.
 
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