Help a Dad find new skis for jumps/moguls/park with the kids

D

dadairking

New member
Hello, my name is Eric and I ski in THE NORTHEAST, NH and VT. I am very strong intermediate skier type II that skis mainly groomers pretty aggressively, but last couple years my kids (10 and 12) got me into moguls, jumps and some really basic park stuff. I loved it and I want more…and need to get better at it to keep up with the kids.

What I'm looking for in this future pair of skis is a LIGHT and PLAYFULL ski that will be QUICK UNDERFOOT and will be good for:

Cruising groomers for hit side hits and jumps/basic tricks from natural features.

Really basic park stuff, mostly smaller jumps and skiing switch (landing switch eventually) a little bit of rails and boxes- not a ton but I'll try them. I don’t think I’ll do much spinning on the new skis other than trying to spin in the air off jumps or on the ground - i learned to do whirlybirds on the ground last year for example. I dont think I need a super soft ski as I'll really be focused on jumps- If my dad air goes from 1 foot to 3 or 4 feet this year and I learn to do a 180 or 360 off jumps, I’ll be psyched. I’m not going on the X games anytime soon. Well, ever.

Moguls- my 10 year old daughter LOVES them, I suck at them, gotta get better

Trees/glades- yeah, my daughter loves them too and I also suck at them.

Powder- not a big concern, I’m in the northeast, just need them to not totally suck in it when we have some.

I am 52 (still 25 in my head) 6’3 215 pounds average athletic ability and my BUDGET IS no more than $600 without bindings.

Skis I’m considering: Armada ARV 96, J skis All play

I ski enforcer 88s now, love them, awesome for charging groomers, not so much the other stuff. The new skis need to be capable on groomers to cruise and look for jumps etc but doesn’t need to be a ski that can hard charge.

Thanks, my kids got me back into skiing 6 years ago after a 15 year break, skiing with them is AWESOME and I need to keep up with them!
 
Length matters too. As skis get shorter they will work better in bumps, but not as well for jumps. So you have a decision to make there.

I chose allplay for a similar purpose at about eyebrow length, intentionally a little short, but haven't skied them yet. Fairly soft and based on reading ARV is a little stiffer, so allplay a little more bumps, arv a little more jumps.
 
Check out the Black Crows Camox. Super fun ski that has a directional bias so it still rips on groomers. I skied my dads for 3 seasons back when I lived in Europe because I could ski everything except pow on it. Park, groomers, side hits it’s awesome (and expensive). ARV 96 and Allplay are 2 of the most boring skis ever just because there’s so many better options (in my opinion). A Sego Bighorn 96 could unironically be a good option as well, my buddy has a pair here in NH as his touring skis but he still rips the park in them too and loves them, he’s half the reason I got a BH 106.
 
I have a pair of ARV 96s, they would work well for you but the longest they come in is a 184 which might be short for you. I’d also consider the J Skis Masterblaster.
 
14324839:sarc said:
Length matters too. As skis get shorter they will work better in bumps, but not as well for jumps. So you have a decision to make there.

I chose allplay for a similar purpose at about eyebrow length, intentionally a little short, but haven't skied them yet. Fairly soft and based on reading ARV is a little stiffer, so allplay a little more bumps, arv a little more jumps.
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yeah, I ski shorter skis, always seemed to like them a little on the short side. My enforcers are 179's and come up to the tip of my nose so they arent really all that short. I dont ski super fast (I top out at mid 40s or so) and I want the skis to turn quick and be agile so I will probably always go a little short.

Here's where i get confused about the size i should get, 179ish vs 184ish:

I've heard twin tips ski shorter, so the ARV in the 184 should ski like my 179s other than the whole metal vs wood deal. If thats right I will probably go 184 if I go with the ARV as the 177 seems like it would be too short even for my tastes.

But, J reccomended the the all play in the 178 after I filled out there online ski finder tool. heres what he said:

"Lengthwise I would suggest the 178 cm ski as a really good option for you. They will be easier to turn in tight spaces, while still have good stability for a skier of your size."

Any advice is appreciated.

And at the end of the day, how much difference is a couple inches of ski really going to make?

Thanks!
 
14324840:animator said:
Check out the Black Crows Camox. Super fun ski that has a directional bias so it still rips on groomers. I skied my dads for 3 seasons back when I lived in Europe because I could ski everything except pow on it. Park, groomers, side hits it’s awesome (and expensive). ARV 96 and Allplay are 2 of the most boring skis ever just because there’s so many better options (in my opinion). A Sego Bighorn 96 could unironically be a good option as well, my buddy has a pair here in NH as his touring skis but he still rips the park in them too and loves them, he’s half the reason I got a BH 106.
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Thanks, I will look at the black crows a bit harder, I can demo them locally as well which is hard to do with the skis Im looking at.
 
14324879:ericforman said:
Nordica soul rider!
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I looked into those because i really like my enforcers but read in a few places that they arent that good in bumps and trees. I can demo them locally so i will do that. have you skied them?

Thanks!

**This post was edited on Sep 25th 2021 at 8:29:36pm
 
14324912:mayslay said:
I have a pair of ARV 96s, they would work well for you but the longest they come in is a 184 which might be short for you. I’d also consider the J Skis Masterblaster.
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so I like short skis my enforcers are 179s, the arv in a 184 would be longer than what I am used to, but think I'm ok wiith the 184s because I'm told twin tips ski shorter than regular skis. Is that correct?

Thanks!
 
14324945:dadairking said:
I looked into those because i really like my enforcers but read in a few places that they arent that good in bumps and trees. I can demo them locally so i will do that. have you skied them?

Thanks!

**This post was edited on Sep 25th 2021 at 8:29:36pm
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I ski the dynastar menace 98 as the ski you describe in a 181 (im 5'10 150ish). I would describe both as good in bumps. Menace are great I just was not sure if still around - I think they got discontinued and I think soul rider is maybe most similar...

For reference, I hate skiing bumps on enforcers, mantras, rossi experience, etc. type skis but love it on jskis metals / menace / any kind of more forward mounted twin with a somewhat softer tail. Js are "easier" to ski I would say.
 
Sweet! Gage will most likely answer the company phone. He's a snowboarder personally, so have him forward you over to me (Josh) if he can't answer any of your questions!

14324956:dadairking said:
I took a look and will call you guys next week with some questions thanks!
Click to expand...
 
I'm 6'1 175lbs and got the allplay 178. Was seriously considering the 171, (and armada btw) in part because the radius is shorter, and also because i'm not afraid to make a mistake sometimes. Haven't skied them yet so I don't know how this experiment will work out.

I have a pair of 184 dps 106 and love them for carving or light powder, but in bumps I feel like thay're gonna spear into a bump. They're OK they are just a tight fit, and they do have rocker, not traditional. So was thinking shorter because of that but may not apply with allplay i think it has more rocker.
 
I would recommend the Atomic Bentchetler 100 or the Line Vision 98. The Bentchetler 100 is still a very good groomer ski but also rips in powder, especially with a midrange underfoot its gonna be great in east coast pow. I've seen alot more park skiers using it because its so light and flexy but also has a slight twin tip for skiing and landing switch. The Vision is also very light and playful, literally feels like you have nothing on your feet but is by far one of my favourite skis. Both super poppy but can hold an edge while carving and still float in a good amount of pow.
 
topic:dadairking said:
Hello, my name is Eric and I ski in THE NORTHEAST, NH and VT. I am very strong intermediate skier type II that skis mainly groomers pretty aggressively, but last couple years my kids (10 and 12) got me into moguls, jumps and some really basic park stuff. I loved it and I want more…and need to get better at it to keep up with the kids.

What I'm looking for in this future pair of skis is a LIGHT and PLAYFULL ski that will be QUICK UNDERFOOT and will be good for:

Cruising groomers for hit side hits and jumps/basic tricks from natural features.

Really basic park stuff, mostly smaller jumps and skiing switch (landing switch eventually) a little bit of rails and boxes- not a ton but I'll try them. I don’t think I’ll do much spinning on the new skis other than trying to spin in the air off jumps or on the ground - i learned to do whirlybirds on the ground last year for example. I dont think I need a super soft ski as I'll really be focused on jumps- If my dad air goes from 1 foot to 3 or 4 feet this year and I learn to do a 180 or 360 off jumps, I’ll be psyched. I’m not going on the X games anytime soon. Well, ever.

Moguls- my 10 year old daughter LOVES them, I suck at them, gotta get better

Trees/glades- yeah, my daughter loves them too and I also suck at them.

Powder- not a big concern, I’m in the northeast, just need them to not totally suck in it when we have some.

I am 52 (still 25 in my head) 6’3 215 pounds average athletic ability and my BUDGET IS no more than $600 without bindings.

Skis I’m considering: Armada ARV 96, J skis All play

I ski enforcer 88s now, love them, awesome for charging groomers, not so much the other stuff. The new skis need to be capable on groomers to cruise and look for jumps etc but doesn’t need to be a ski that can hard charge.

Thanks, my kids got me back into skiing 6 years ago after a 15 year break, skiing with them is AWESOME and I need to keep up with them!
Click to expand...

I would say that the bighorn would be the best choice because it sounds like your goal is to make the whole mountain your playground.
 
Thanks for the advice all. One of my local ski shops is having a demo day in early december and I'll be able to demo a few skis, including the armada 96's, the nomad 95, 2 skis I really like, and a bunch of other similar skis.

Cant wait, it will be fun.....and expensive lol
 
So, I found a local NH shop that has a pair of last years ARV's new that they will sell me for $350. I cant say no to that. If I dont like them I will sell them. I'm still going to the demo day to check out a bunch more simillar skis- icelandics, black crows, soul rider and more but for day 1 I'll be on the ARV's with some Look bindings.

I WILL get my Dad Air up to respectable levels this year and my middle schoolers (future new schoolers) are getting park lessons through their school program this year. They are psyched and I cant wait to watch them get better! And as a chaperone I get to watch them learn and learn myself, win win!

Thanks all!
 
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