Best Ski for Jap Pow???? +K etc..

TallTom

TallTom

Member
Hi guys,
I'm fortunate enough to be off to ski pow in Japan next January and can get a killer deal on this years:
Hellbents, EP Pro's, JJ's and ARG's.
I'm 6ft 5, 180lbs and I just cannot decide on which to get. Any recommendations? I have last years blends for all mountain riding so they will just be for skiing powder.
The 189 Hellbents certainly have the length, but I'm just not feeling them! I love the look & design behind the EPs but I'm worried they'll be too small for me. The ARG's are also extremely tempting, but is the design going to be limited to perfect pow only?
Cheers for any help!

 
you want as long of a ski as you can get. Everything will seem extremely short, but the hellbents. The ep pros are too soft for you, the ARG's are too short, as well as the JJ's.

My advice would be to try and find some longer 190+ pow skis
 
It's a shame the JJ isn't longer, I heard that they were going to bring out a 190ish ski but not sure when. I have the 185s which work well for me as i'm exactly 6',. the jjs are amazing!

Also consider the bentchetlers; they now have a 190+ ski now (and it's stiffer i believe), my brother has the 183s and they are such a fun ski, Kinda soft, but very playful.

Also with the jj and bentchetler you still have the option to blast groomers, which they both do very well at for such huge skis! Both are also really good for variable snow conditions, from pow, crusted pow, that old heavy stuff, chopped up crud, groomers, hardpack... they don't struggle at at! keep the edges sharp and even ice isn't a problem!

Good luck and have fun! Very jealous!

 
Go with Hellbents - tey are so fun ski. They're are my daily driver now, they hold edge much better than any ski I have tried. ollies, Nollies, butters presses - dream. An it is on hardpack. If there is even 1" of fresh snow they are better(what I thought to be impossible.) If they fit you with length and you have deal on them - you would not be dissappointed.

PS. I live in east europe(this year we have had max 7" of pow) and 132underfoot is so good so in japanese pow it will kill it.
 
Thanks for all advice (+K to all!). Confirming my fears. Always seem to be a year too soon on these things!
Next years AK JJ's do indeed look pretty ace, stiffened up a bit with a metal insert too and would be a great fit. Maybe I'll be tempted... I'd love the longer Benchetlers too but unfortunately I cant get them (for a good price!).
189 Hellbents it is! Orange base is pretty sick too!
 
192 cm atomic bentchetler ?
it's an excellent ski from what i heard, and it will also serve you great outside of japan + it comes in 192cm size !
 
I imagine they are quite hard to get hold of this far into the season. You'd have to be extremely lucky to get a hold of a pair of them in that length.
 
true, but he's a euro dude, situations over here aren't always the same as in the US, maybe some shady shop has a pair in their storage :)just like i found my EP pros, in the storage cellar of the shop, tucked away behind a dozen of skis, they even tought they were SFBs instead of EPPs :)

 
This year's have a green and white base. Next years have the orange bases.

you might want to look into the 191 ON3P Caylor. it is the same type of ski as the others you listed, and they are the best skis i have ever ridden. plus the length will be better for you, and they are stiffer than the hellbents
 
This years 189's have orange bases buddy trust me :D - the rest are green true. Unfortunately I cant get ON3P's here!
Currently looking into trying to get the Benchetlers...
 
No...

To the OP.

Japan pow is deep, and usually nice. But can also be heavy on the moisture side. I would suggest getting something with early taper. The Wider the better, especially if you have more than one pair of skis. The 189 Hellbent would be pretty sweet, but if you can get a 192 Bent Chetler, or the stiff JJ. I would suggest those. And if you don't ride switch all that often, maybe look at the Rossignol Super 7 or the K2 Pontoon?
 
i just finished a couple of sick weeks of pow shredding in niseko on JJs (185), had an awesome time

i would definitely recommend next years 195 JJs for you as the most versatile option. tons of fun in all conditions. but... you may also want to go fatter. it gets REALLY deep here and the mountain is not very steep so you need all the floatation you can get (assuming you're talking about niseko). there were a couple of days that were nearly unskiable because the combination of deep snow and mellow pitch made it hard to move.
 
id get hellbents, hahah well i have hellbents already. they are sof floaty and soft. i really like the way they ski on anything but ice. if i were to go to japan id be gettin the donner partys from moment
 
Hey mate,
I just finished 2 weeks in Niseko on a pair or Obsethed's and they were sweet on just about everything. Other guys I was riding with were on 2010/11 Fujas and they were pretty happy with them too.
 
no it's even lighter. 3% liquid VS 7% liquid volume.

as Ian Provo told me, "it's the only place I skied 20 overnight inches and still hit crust underneath"
 
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