Headed to Tahoe & have the ability to buy new skis... what should I buy?

BenWhit

BenWhit

Active member
Hey guys & gals,

I'm headed to Lake Tahoe for a week in March, hoping to get into some really aggressive and potentially deep terrain. This will be my second foray out west after spending a week in the Wasatch Valley and Northwest Utah two years ago. While in Utah, I did not get to ski the terrain I wanted to as a function of each day being 55 degrees and record-low snowfall.

I'm currently skiing on the 2013 Armada Alpha 1 (182), mounted at center with a Rossi FKS 12. I definitely love the shape and side-cut as well as the flex-profile. This has been by far my favorite ski I've owned. With that said, this will most definitely not be an appropriate ski for terrain I might (and hope to) encounter in Tahoe. It's an 82mm waist and definitely geared more towards park skiing, which is something I have been doing less and less of as the years go by.

I'm looking for a mid-width-waisted ski, if that makes sense. Something between 98-108mm that will effectively be my one-ski quiver. I'm on the larger side (6'2", 200lbs) so I'm looking for something a little bit stiffer than the Alpha 1. I'm not looking for a full rocker profile but definitely prefer the early rise-camber-tip rocker profile. The ski needs to rip groomers, be stable at speed, handle the crud, float in the pow, and still be passable in the park should I decide I want to hot-lap with my buddies. I get that this is asking a lot of a ski and is not completely realistic, but I'm not looking for something that excels in all categories, more so looking for a jack of all trades.

The skis I currently have on my radar are the following:

Armada TST evoAIR

Armada ARV 106

K2 Marksman

4FRNT Raven

Line Blend

Line Supernatural 100

Some of the various Black Crow models also pique my interest.

All of these skis are different in their own right and highlight a different aspect of skiing. Just looking for some insight and direction here.

Thanks!
 
oooo Hmu if you wanna shred when you get down here.

Throw the blend off that list, way way to soft for what you want. I dont know too much about the rest of those skis, but you should also look into the 194 4frnt devastator...killer ski, and it used to be my one ski quiver down here.
 
topic:BenWhit said:
Hey guys & gals,

I'm headed to Lake Tahoe for a week in March, hoping to get into some really aggressive and potentially deep terrain. This will be my second foray out west after spending a week in the Wasatch Valley and Northwest Utah two years ago. While in Utah, I did not get to ski the terrain I wanted to as a function of each day being 55 degrees and record-low snowfall.

I'm currently skiing on the 2013 Armada Alpha 1 (182), mounted at center with a Rossi FKS 12. I definitely love the shape and side-cut as well as the flex-profile. This has been by far my favorite ski I've owned. With that said, this will most definitely not be an appropriate ski for terrain I might (and hope to) encounter in Tahoe. It's an 82mm waist and definitely geared more towards park skiing, which is something I have been doing less and less of as the years go by.

I'm looking for a mid-width-waisted ski, if that makes sense. Something between 98-108mm that will effectively be my one-ski quiver. I'm on the larger side (6'2", 200lbs) so I'm looking for something a little bit stiffer than the Alpha 1. I'm not looking for a full rocker profile but definitely prefer the early rise-camber-tip rocker profile. The ski needs to rip groomers, be stable at speed, handle the crud, float in the pow, and still be passable in the park should I decide I want to hot-lap with my buddies. I get that this is asking a lot of a ski and is not completely realistic, but I'm not looking for something that excels in all categories, more so looking for a jack of all trades.

The skis I currently have on my radar are the following:

Armada TST evoAIR

Armada ARV 106

K2 Marksman

4FRNT Raven

Line Blend

Line Supernatural 100

Some of the various Black Crow models also pique my interest.

All of these skis are different in their own right and highlight a different aspect of skiing. Just looking for some insight and direction here.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Just get a Kartel 98 or 108
 
13756032:Session said:
Just get a Kartel 98 or 108
Click to expand...

ah, I hadn't really considered ON3P but will definitely add these to my list. they are the upper bound of my price range but not out of the realm of possibility.
 
ON3P Kartel 98/108

4FRNT Devy

Caravan SB 100/110

Those are probably the only 3 brands I still recommend. ON3Ps are amazing though
 
13756092:.lencon said:
4FRNT Devy

Caravan SB 100/110

Those are probably the only 3 brands I still recommend. ON3Ps are amazing though
Click to expand...

Alright. It would appear that 4FRNT's entire lineup for this were Editor Picks in Freeskier's Buyer Guide. I can only view online, my copy never made it to my house.. but i digress. Will definitely take a look.
 
13756105:BenWhit said:
Alright. It would appear that 4FRNT's entire lineup for this were Editor Picks in Freeskier's Buyer Guide. I can only view online, my copy never made it to my house.. but i digress. Will definitely take a look.
Click to expand...

Don't ever pay attention to awards in magazines, especially Freeskier. The only take one run to test out the skis. While 4FRNT is a good brand that makes good skis, you cant tell a lot about a ski from just one run.

The only reviews you should really trust are the ones on NS, TGR, and Blister Gear Review. All the other magazine reviews are either marketing or they only tested the skis for one run.
 
13756108:.lencon said:
Don't ever pay attention to awards in magazines, especially Freeskier. The only take one run to test out the skis. While 4FRNT is a good brand that makes good skis, you cant tell a lot about a ski from just one run.

The only reviews you should really trust are the ones on NS, TGR, and Blister Gear Review. All the other magazine reviews are either marketing or they only tested the skis for one run.
Click to expand...

hm, good to know. I did not know that.
 
13756119:BenWhit said:
hm, good to know. I did not know that.
Click to expand...

Honestly the best way to find out good or bad things is to make these type of threads on NS. At least I find them the most helpful.
 
13756018:Profahoben_212 said:
oooo Hmu if you wanna shred when you get down here.

Throw the blend off that list, way way to soft for what you want. I dont know too much about the rest of those skis, but you should also look into the 194 4frnt devastator...killer ski, and it used to be my one ski quiver down here.
Click to expand...

Are you in Tahoe full-time?

Do I really need a wide ski like this when I ski primarilly on the east coast? probably not. Do I have the luxury of a little cash burning a hole in my pocket? Maybe.

It's looking like the Devastator will be on my list.
 
13756136:BenWhit said:
Are you in Tahoe full-time?

Do I really need a wide ski like this when I ski primarilly on the east coast? probably not. Do I have the luxury of a little cash burning a hole in my pocket? Maybe.

It's looking like the Devastator will be on my list.
Click to expand...

Me and lincon are down hurr at unr. Devs are a dank ski man
 
Hey, I'm a rep for Rocky Mountain Underground (RMU). I raced for 14 years, skied mostly on K2 and then Volkl, since they hooked me up with free skis at the time. Since then I skied Rossis and finally started skiing RMUs. Honestly, the RMU Rippah's have turned out to be my favorite all-mountain ski so far. Definitely more stiff than all other park skis that I've ridden, which makes them waaay more stable at higher speed. I can hook you up with 20% off if you're interested!
 
13756105:BenWhit said:
Alright. It would appear that 4FRNT's entire lineup for this were Editor Picks in Freeskier's Buyer Guide. I can only view online, my copy never made it to my house.. but i digress. Will definitely take a look.
Click to expand...

the Gauchos and Devastators are skis you should definitely consider if you may be interested in 4FRNT. Both have the same ideal specifications you're asking for only one of them (the devastators) have a bit more rocker in the nose/tails than the gaucho does.

The devys are incredible, though. Im on like season 3 with them and they're still holding up like a fucking tank, ive slammed them on rocks during sharky-ass powdays and rough landings and skied away just fine, I landed on a rock last year that would have easily blown out the sidewall or completely snapped the ski entirely and i was honestly blown away that there was maybe a coreshot in the base. Ill try to keep this short and sweet because I could go on and on about how awesome the skis are (And how kick ass the 4frnt lineup is this year) but its got a perfect rocker profile as well as sidecut for what you're interested in, perfect width underfoot (108 @ 184cm for me) and the ski handles just about anything you can put it through, deep pow included. They struggle a bit on those stupid-deep days but its still a ski that can hold its own no doubt. It sounds like its going to be a killer all-mtn ski for you and maybe a killer east coast pow/crud ripper if you choose to ski a few days back home (I think you're from the east, correct me if im wrong.)
 
13756228:E-Bracht said:
Hey, I'm a rep for Rocky Mountain Underground (RMU). I raced for 14 years, skied mostly on K2 and then Volkl, since they hooked me up with free skis at the time. Since then I skied Rossis and finally started skiing RMUs. Honestly, the RMU Rippah's have turned out to be my favorite all-mountain ski so far. Definitely more stiff than all other park skis that I've ridden, which makes them waaay more stable at higher speed. I can hook you up with 20% off if you're interested!
Click to expand...

That's good to hear, will definitely look into them. I'm a bit on the larger & stronger side, so I need something that can handle the stress that i put on it.

13756520:DeebieSkeebies said:
the Gauchos and Devastators are skis you should definitely consider if you may be interested in 4FRNT. Both have the same ideal specifications you're asking for only one of them (the devastators) have a bit more rocker in the nose/tails than the gaucho does.

The devys are incredible, though. Im on like season 3 with them and they're still holding up like a fucking tank, ive slammed them on rocks during sharky-ass powdays and rough landings and skied away just fine, I landed on a rock last year that would have easily blown out the sidewall or completely snapped the ski entirely and i was honestly blown away that there was maybe a coreshot in the base. Ill try to keep this short and sweet because I could go on and on about how awesome the skis are (And how kick ass the 4frnt lineup is this year) but its got a perfect rocker profile as well as sidecut for what you're interested in, perfect width underfoot (108 @ 184cm for me) and the ski handles just about anything you can put it through, deep pow included. They struggle a bit on those stupid-deep days but its still a ski that can hold its own no doubt. It sounds like its going to be a killer all-mtn ski for you and maybe a killer east coast pow/crud ripper if you choose to ski a few days back home (I think you're from the east, correct me if im wrong.)
Click to expand...

Yeah the devastator is definitely emerging as the front-runner. What's your height/weight if you don't mind me asking? I have a hard time with a lot of skis feeling to soft because I weigh upwards of 200lb and put a lot of demand on a ski being that I have particularly strong legs.

Yes, I'm on the east coast. I felt that a ski that is 98-108 would be the perfect width to not make the ski completely obsolete out here and could perhaps give me a completely different experience than skis I'm used to skiing (
 
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