Going to Whistler this season.. what skis should i buy?

M

Magnuse

New member
I'm moving to Whistler for this season so obviously I need a pair of skis.

Right now I own the K2 Shreditor 102 from 2015 which is a great all-round ski for skiing one week a year in Europe (I live in Denmark), but obviously the 102 mm waist is not going to be a miracle worker when I hit the BC pow.

I'm 5'7-5'8 -ish (172 cm) and have been looking to buy the K2 Marksman (177 cm) which has a 106 mm waist width, but I'm not sure thats wide enough for the deep days.

I'd say that I'm close to expert level and will definitely get there after some time in Whistler, but I haven't had any deep powder days yet, so i don't really know how wide the ski I'm buying should be.

I really love the Marksman but will it do great in deeper snow or should I aim for something wider?

I've also been looking at:

- ON3P Billy Goat (116 mm waist, 179 cm length) - maybe thats to long for my height?

- Black Crows Anima Freebird (115 mm waist, 176 cm)

- Atomic Backland FR 109 (109 mm waist, 175 cm) will that be too short?

And a lot more

Hope you have some great inputs and suggestion

And at last: HAVE A FUCKING AWESOME SEASON GOD DAMNIT ITS NOT LONG NOW
 
If you are already looking at the marksman and think its too narrow, look at the catamarans too. I think if u already have the 102 theres no point in getting the marksman, the 102 and the catamaran will make a solid couple of skis to have in whis
 
I would suggest an ON3P Kartel 116 if u want a ski on the more playful side that can still charge. If u want a more chargy ski that is still surfy, look at the Billygoat for sure.
 
I'd personally go bigger than 177 if you can. I'm just over 5'8" and have all skis in the 180s now. I mean, it's up to you, but something to think about.
 
The marksman wont be much better than your shreditors in deep snow. Are you planning on bringing those? Or only having one pair of skis.

A good one ski quiver width for Whistler is around 110mm.

Dont get the anima freebird, its a soft touring version of the anima.
 
13848577:Mr_pretzel said:
The marksman wont be much better than your shreditors in deep snow. Are you planning on bringing those? Or only having one pair of skis.

A good one ski quiver width for Whistler is around 110mm.

Dont get the anima freebird, its a soft touring version of the anima.
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I second this. The freebird construction restricts the charging capabilities of Black Crows' skis since theyre alot lighter than normal. As well, ive ridden the Venor, Atris, and Nocta from Black Crows and all of them have been super damp, heavy skis; nothing like the shreditor you're used to. Personally Id recommend the Bibby from Moment, the Nomad 115 from Icelantic, or even the Mordecai from Line along with some of the others stated above. All are jibby, playful skis that can hold their own in any condition.
 
Agreed. Size up for a pow ski. 180+ especially if you're an expert.

**This post was edited on Oct 25th 2017 at 2:03:42pm
 
Thank you for your inputs! Really useful stuff. Appreciate it!

So i've changed my mind a couple of thousands times since starting this thread, and I'm probably gonna change it again, but right now it has come down to either the Billy Goat or the Steeple 116 from ON3P.

I can't really find any reviews on the Steeple but evo.com writes

"Call the ON3P Steeple 116 Skis a lighter Billy Goat with a skin notch in the tail and you'll pretty much nail it."

Also the Steeple has a bit more flex than BG.

Kinda leaning towards the Steeple, but the BG just has gotten so much praise and love in reviews..

So main difference is flex and weight and that I would be able to tour on the Steeple. (Anyone know if that's going to be useful in Whistler?)

Steeple 116 on evo:https://www.evo.com/skis/on3p-steeple-116

Steeple 116 on ON3P's website:https://shop.on3pskis.com/products/2018-steeple-116

Billy Goat on evo:https://www.evo.com/skis/on3p-billy-goat

Billy Goat on ON3P's website:https://shop.on3pskis.com/products/2018-billy-goat

**This post was edited on Oct 25th 2017 at 4:33:21pm
 
I wouldn't go too long, depends on what kind of terrain you like to shred. In whistler there are a lot of tight tree areas and being on anything longer than 185 can become a handful in some areas.
 
13848701:Magnuse said:
Thank you for your inputs! Really useful stuff. Appreciate it!

So i've changed my mind a couple of thousands times since starting this thread, and I'm probably gonna change it again, but right now it has come down to either the Billy Goat or the Steeple 116 from ON3P.

I can't really find any reviews on the Steeple but evo.com writes

"Call the ON3P Steeple 116 Skis a lighter Billy Goat with a skin notch in the tail and you'll pretty much nail it."

Also the Steeple has a bit more flex than BG.

Kinda leaning towards the Steeple, but the BG just has gotten so much praise and love in reviews..

So main difference is flex and weight and that I would be able to tour on the Steeple. (Anyone know if that's going to be useful in Whistler?)

Steeple 116 on evo:https://www.evo.com/skis/on3p-steeple-116

Steeple 116 on ON3P's website:https://shop.on3pskis.com/products/2018-steeple-116

Billy Goat on evo:https://www.evo.com/skis/on3p-billy-goat

Billy Goat on ON3P's website:https://shop.on3pskis.com/products/2018-billy-goat

**This post was edited on Oct 25th 2017 at 4:33:21pm
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Unless you're mounting skis with tech bindings, weight isn't factor that's worth stressing. Sounds like you're looking for a do it all ski. Something in the 105-110 range is ideal. You gotta realize that with a resort like Whis, we deal with snow getting seriously tracked out in a really short timeframe. You'll ideally want something that does well in crud, and that's why people recommend the BG so quickly. It's a phenomenal ski for the PNW.
 
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