Drawbacks of soft, flexy skis

SkiMN

SkiMN

Active member
What are they. I ski a shitty, small, midwest mole hill and the park is about all we have. I'm thinking of getting something soft cause I was thinking it would be fun in the park, but I'm not sure if I'm going to miss that extra backbone somewhere else. So where am I going to want a stiffer ski, is the soft ski worth it or does it have too many drawbacks?
 
soft skis suck on jumps. i think, to be completely honest, anything real soft sucks, and anything too stiff is gonna be too stiff to do anything. get somethin with a nice middle of the road flex.
 
Ok, so I'm on ice consantly, its my idea of snow, and that makes a lot of sense. Considering that I'm on a mole hill doing all park, whats a good ski for me that will have a bit stiffer flex and handle well in the park and pipe?
 
for you id say PE, scratch fs or the ar6. Those are the most common choices, but there common for a reason
 
gunna have to back him up on this one, stiff enough to ride good and you wont wash out on landings easy. As long as you have some strenght to you you can make them bend and pop like no other. ( i used the ar5 just assuming they didnt change everything)
 
Are the differences between the PEs and the AR6s neglagable, or is there something important to consider? I have pretty much narrowed it down to those two on my own. I'm thinking the AR6 might be easier for me to handle for the first week getting used to having a real ski strapped to my feet. I just want to know if I can consider them interchangably or if there is going to be a major difference in how well they work for me.
 
05-06 scratch fs, mine are really stiff, kill in the park, and slay the rest of the mountain...in case you take a trip to somewhere that doesnt suck
 
181 scratch FS or chronics whatever lenth is best for you. Although you may also like the Anthems. Really depends what you wanna do more of. Butters and rails and stuff or jumps. If your answer is both I'd go chronics though
 
scratch fs's or ar6s...i have the karma and i saw it was recommened higher up in the thread, i disagree with that recommendation due to the fact that u mainly ski park u said...the karma is ok in the park but for someone who only skis park its too stiff...definately go with some ar6s or scratches, or possibly some highsociety fr 179s or the classic 180s...www.highsocietyfreeride.com
 
^ u could get away with the classic 175s, since you probably NEVER see powder from ur mountains description
 
i love my soft butterlicious's for everything but landing switch on hardpack stuff. i dont think soft skis have tons of disadvantages if you do just park and want to get into some technical butters and rail tricks. definitely you want a stiffer tail just for stability but in the park a soft nose is really fun. i have my chronics for a stiff park ski and they are awesome too.
 
Why do I keep hearing people say that soft skis suck at jumps? I've been riding the 05/06 fujis all season and I have had no problems with landing what so ever, and I tend to land really backseat switch and regular. The only skis that washout more often than others are skis with realy soft toriz. flex, the old Rossi Scratches are a good example. In short, all you have to do is land over your feet, If you can't seem to land on your feet no ski will help you no matter what the flex.

So yeah go for it and get flexy skis if you ride a lot of park, you'll have a lot of fun.
 
ehh i disagree. it is easier to stomp landings on a longer stiffer ski, because you dont have to land directly over your feet. fuji's really aren't THAT soft either. they are a really good medium flex. with butterlicious landing switch you need to land pretty much on your feet or they will wash out.
 
Not to hijack this thread, but I ski a similarly lame midwest hill and pretty much have to live in the park, but I do take a trip or two each year if I can...how would you guys recommend mounting like the ar6's considering this
 
The biggest thing a stiff ski gives you is stability at speed. If tip deflection is a concern for you (ie, you don't want your ski to get bounced around if it hits chuncks of crud when it is going fast) you are going to want a stiffer ski. The stiffer it is, the less chatter you also get. If you ski in the midwest I would assume that stiffness wouldn't be a huge concern, but if you are dropping cliffs and cornices out west you better have a ski that is stable.
 
How should I mount AR6's for mostly park? Bear in mind I dont want to make them good for only park, hopefully I get to go on a trip or two at some point.
 
well nomsteven recommended you the pe's and the ar6, i would choose the ar6 over the pe's because i ride pe's and i ski the exact same stuff as you do and i was expecting it to be a good ski for me, but in my opinion, i think theyre just a little too stiff and heavy for me but it might be different for you depending on how much you weigh, im 120-125 lbs and 5 foot 3 and i have the 159's, i have also skiied the ar3's im assuming theyre the exact same skis as the ar6 pretty much and i really liked them a lot more than my pe's except that the pe's are a lot more fun all mountain
 
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