Deciding Which Pow Skis to Get

AALT

AALT

Active member
So, im 5'6 122, im a good skier, and am going to get pow skis. I know a lot of the guys at evo, and have a discussion with them about it, and they helped me narrow it down to the 179 Obsetheds and the Bent Chetlers. Which one would you suggest? I want something that is playful, and i know the bent chetlers will be big for me, but i will eventually get used to them. I know Sean Pettit uses the Obsetheds now, so im thinking those might be a playful and floaty ski. Im just worrying that the Bent Chetlers might slow me down and will be too big for me and will be a a ski too big for me considering that Chris and all of the Atomic pro riders ride it as a primary ski.
So whats your opinion? Bent Chetlers or 179 Obsetheds
 
before i answer this, are you still growing? Also I don't think the 179 Obsethed will feel like any less ski than the Bentchetler?

 
It's 4cm and both are rockered, so they will ski shorter than they are. You should be fine with either, I would go with the bentchetlers
 
Im 5"9 and like 140 so not the biggest guy in the world and I have the benchets and their so damn pimp and if your a decent skier you will be in love with those bad boys they shred hard.
 
I'd go with the new obesthed, at ur weight I think 117 underfoot sith a slight pintail design is going to ski better in pow than 123 underfoot. This years seth is wayyyyyy more poppy and fun than they have been in years past.
 
Yeah, im still growing, im 15. I am a good skier, and am looking to use them for backcountry kickers and pillows and such. Watching guys ski the Bent Chetlers plowing through everything sort of give me an idea of how they are like too, they seem playful, but im thinking the Obsetheds are probably going to be more playful then them as they are slightly smaller underfoot and height wise. Do you think skiing switch might be not as easy with Obsetheds?
 
get the obsetheds. they would be a better fit for ya, plus if you put touring bindings on, k2 has skins for all their skis.
 
They are a symmetrical side cut, which the bentchetlers aren't, they just have a tapered tail and less rocker in the tail than the tip. More comperable to the tail rocker on the fujas. This means while the tail may not float as well as the tip, they should still be pretty easy to ski switch
 
Skiing switch is not gonna be easy on the obsetheds, the mounting point is a fair way back and they don't have that much tail rocker. I also didn't find them all that playful feeling when i checked them out. I'd say 117-123 underfoot is also almost too fat for someone that only weighs 122 pounds. You won't sink at all and i just think it will be more work moving all that ski. If I were you i'd look at a mid-fat ski about 110 underfoot with some rocker. That will be plenty of ski for you as a powder ski now, and if you got big, it could fill the middle role in a quiver.

177 Atomic Blog might be a great option for you, basically a narrower Bentchetler, cheaper too.

4frnt CRJ has some people raving about them, clearly a good ski but never seen a pair.

Surface One Life? Again people love these even though they are funky looking.

Line SFB: Playful, fun and not stupidly fat.
 
So the New Life Anthony B's look like theyll probably be the ski for me, ill ask the guys at evo about em soon.
 
The 177 Blog would be more appropriate ski for you definitely. 110 underfoot, pretty much a mini bent chetler. It's going to ski super poppy and still have great float in pow for someone who is under 150lbs. And people stop claiming the obsethed is pintailed... its far from pintailed.
 
bent chetlers really arent that big in person anyway. and like any ski they only look big when they are not on your feet.

really hard decision dude. i love the bentchetler but i would have to go seth. so versitile and can still rip in chest deep blower.
 
I'm gonna grab some new lifes as well. I'm about 10 lb heavier than you and a couple inches taller, but they should be sweett.
 
what the hell are u talking about, they have a shit load of rocker in the tail. it may be less than the front but is just as mush as say the benchetlers tail. I own the ski u can ski pow switch easy
 
51110-obsethed-2011-5.jpg


this is the tail rocker. its the same as the old obsethed (also pictured), which was not 'a shit load'. its 10/20 rocker as in 10mm over 20cm. I am sitting next to a pair of bentchetlers which have roughly 20/30 tail rocker, 20mm over 30cm, so double the height and an extra 10 or cm of length, the bentchetlers also have a much more symmetrical sidecut. maybe you can ski switch on them easy, i can ski pow switch on my lizzies which have no rocker at all, but i'm 100% it is much easier on a ski actually designed for it. so.. 'what the hell are u talkin about'.

P.s to the OP i'd get 179 one lifes over 174 new lifes.
 
As usual, I agree with Twig, there isn't a need to go 120+ underfoot.

The Surface One Life in a 179 would be killer. I've skied em in 3 feet, and they ruled. Little stiffer flex combined with the 3-stage rocker makes 'em feel playful and stable all at the same time. Totally unsinkable as well.

The Blog would be a good choice as well, and probably much more readily available. Lighter than the One Life and definitely a bit softer, it would certainly do what you want it to admirably. Either ski is gonna be an awesome choice, and probably much better than the Obsethed and BC.

Oh, and the Obsethed? Not playful at all. Too soft and damp and floppy. Watch Petit ski them in The Way I See It, they flap like a bird. I found them lacking the energy and pop of the other skis mentioned.
 
Okay, but would the 179 obsethed be more playful then the 183 Bent Chetler? Cause they are a bit smaller, and Pettit does ski really playfully on the Obsetheds in the Way I See It, but i have heard that they are pretty damp and not playful. The blog is sort of out of the question, the guys at Evo said that i might as well get the Bent Chetlers if i was going to get the blog. So Why the One Life over the New Life? I would think the new life would be a funner ski and is a little smaller but still fat, does it ski deeps well? pillows? how about the One Life?
One Life- 179New Life- 174Bent Chetler- 183Obsethed- 179
 
Honestly, the guys at Evo are wrong. Sorry but 177cm/110mm underfoot and 183cm/123mm underfoot are going to handle like completely different skis. To say that you might as well get the Bentchetler is pretty crazy. Yes it has more waist but so what, at 120 pounds you just don't need 123mm, in fact i think it will actual hinder your skiing. That extra width wont float you any more because you would already be floating on 110mm. But the Blog is both shorter and narrower, it will be more manuverable (even in pow) and it will give you plenty of float.. Hatviet seems to ski them for pow and hes like 6'1 and 200 pounds.

But I reckon the One Life will probably be better for you than the Blog, especially in Washington since its stiffer and more rockered. It will float better (not that that will be a problem for you) but it will also be more able to charge through the thick snow you get up there. Big rocker will make switch easier, etc. Probably the perfect ski for you. The blog will be better on groomed, but that aside, go for the one life.

IMO:

1) One Life

2) Blog

3) Chetler (but really i wouldn't bother over the blog)

Forget the other 2.

 
Partly because when you grow much 174 will be too short except as a park ski. Partly because I don't really see the point of a fully symmetrical ski unless you will be landing and skiing switch 40-50% of the time. Its actually much easier to ski pow if you can sink your tails a bit and i think you might have too much float on those. I found that a bit of a problem when i had EPs. In thick snow I had to almost sit back a bit in order to force the tails down. And also similar to the Bentchetlers, i still think 122 waist is a bit pointless for you.

Disclaimer: If all you want to do is jib and hit bc booters the New Life could be perfect.
 
I see blake nyman skiing them on tougher stuff, but i understand how that could be a problem. When skiing powder/good days, im looking to hit cliffs, pillows and tougher lines.
 
Thats obviously true, Blake does kill big stuff on New Lifes, as does Ant. But those guys are pros. People skied huge lines on 2 meter straight skis that were 60mm underfoot. You CAN ski just about anything on any ski, I could charge on my EPs but it was scary as hell. The point of picking the right ski is to make the type of skiing you want to do as easy as possible, so you can do it as long as possible and push it as far as your ability and guts will allow you. For cliffs and tougher lines One Life > New Life. For charging the new life would probably be my last pick of all the skis mentioned, purely because it is (mainly) a jib ski.
 
JJ's !!!!! Best powder skis for lighter people. They are super light with awesome swing weight (due to a shorter core w/ tips and tails filled with filler). I would seriously consider them. As a smaller dude, you are definitely going to want something light for when you are in the air. New Ep's are also something to consider, a little stiffer this year and a really easy ski to ski despite being 185.
 
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