Looking for my first pair of powder skis

corynett

New member
I live in Maryland but usually get at least a week out west each year. I'm 6' 3", 235lbs, and my 185 Volkl Walls (87 waist) are just not enough to keep me afloat on powder day's. Overall I'm a very hard charging, speed hungry type skier, hence why I love the Walls. I'm finally looking at getting some real powder skis for those days when it snows. I demo'd some Kastle BMX 115's in the 193 length last year than those were great, just a little pricey. I'm looking for something I can get cheap and so far I have found the following relatively cheap skis online, any thoughts? Or anyone selling?

Nordica Enforcer 110

Black Crows Anima

Volkl Confession

Salomon QST 118

Rossignol Super 7
 
topic:corynett said:
I live in Maryland but usually get at least a week out west each year. I'm 6' 3", 235lbs, and my 185 Volkl Walls (87 waist) are just not enough to keep me afloat on powder day's. Overall I'm a very hard charging, speed hungry type skier, hence why I love the Walls. I'm finally looking at getting some real powder skis for those days when it snows. I demo'd some Kastle BMX 115's in the 193 length last year than those were great, just a little pricey. I'm looking for something I can get cheap and so far I have found the following relatively cheap skis online, any thoughts? Or anyone selling?

Nordica Enforcer 110

Black Crows Anima

Volkl Confession

Salomon QST 118

Rossignol Super 7

Have you read blister reviews on these? I'm pretty sure they have time on all these skis.

Just a heads up...the Rossi 7 skis are seen as Jerry or dad skis and they'd probably fold up on you because of your size.
 
14062958:mystery3 said:
Have you read blister reviews on these? I'm pretty sure they have time on all these skis.

Just a heads up...the Rossi 7 skis are seen as Jerry or dad skis and they'd probably fold up on you because of your size.

You're referring to the soul 7 HD. Pretty sure he's talking about the super 7, a ski used by very badass freeriders.
 
14062965:-arc- said:
You're referring to the soul 7 HD. Pretty sure he's talking about the super 7, a ski used by very badass freeriders.

There’s two Super 7’s, the RD and the HD. The RD only comes in a 190, it’s 118 underfoot with a 30m radius; it’s a badass freeride ski. The HD is 114 underfoot and just as soft and weak as the Soul 7. The RD isn’t produced in large number and it’s difficult to find, most people on Super 7’s are riding the weak ass HD.
 
14062965:-arc- said:
You're referring to the soul 7 HD. Pretty sure he's talking about the super 7, a ski used by very badass freeriders.

14062978:-eREKTion- said:
There’s two Super 7’s, the RD and the HD. The RD only comes in a 190, it’s 118 underfoot with a 30m radius; it’s a badass freeride ski. The HD is 114 underfoot and just as soft and weak as the Soul 7. The RD isn’t produced in large number and it’s difficult to find, most people on Super 7’s are riding the weak ass HD.

It doesn't really matter how great the ski is...it looks like every rental Jerry pow ski Rossi makes so everyone just assumes as much.

Also there's no reason to go with it given the other skis he's looking at.

**This post was edited on Sep 30th 2019 at 9:28:35pm
 
14062986:mystery3 said:
It doesn't really matter how great the ski is...it looks like every rental Jerry pow ski Rossi makes so everyone just assumes as much.

Also there's no reason to go with it given the other skis he's looking at.

**This post was edited on Sep 30th 2019 at 9:28:35pm

Tbh, I'd take the Super 7 RD over any other ski on OP's list for pow. Maybe, the Enforcer 110 if I wanted more all-mtn performance. I could not give less of a shit what my skis look like and the Super 7 RD is pretty rad.
 
Looks like there are still some 2019 Super7 RD's available online priced in the range of the others, maybe a little higher. How does that ski compare to the others I listed?
 
14063000:corynett said:
Looks like there are still some 2019 Super7 RD's available online priced in the range of the others, maybe a little higher. How does that ski compare to the others I listed?

Honestly, the skis you listed aren't all that similar... The Anima has a lot of tail rocker and is a lot softer than the others. The Enforcer 110 is more of an all-mountain ski than a powder board. The Confession is a ultra-traditional pow-carver both in shape and mount point. The QST 118 is very very rockered and definitely the most pow-specific. The Super 7 RD has a fairly progressive mount, it's stiff, and has a long radius; so it's not really that much like any of the other skis on your list. I'd maybe call classify it as a slightly chargier Enforcer or an easier Confession.
 
$750 or less, preferably less so I can spend that money on a trip out west this winter. Since I only get out west for a week or so per year I can't justify dropping too much on them
 
Do you want to land/takeoff switch? Tricks n shit? Use them inbounds for the days after a storm? Or just straight mach chicken pow shredding? Do you ski with a more forward (pressure on the shins and tips) or more neutral?
 
Here’s a link to someone selling a pair of one of the best all around powder skis ever made in your perfect size. Moment Bibby(Blister top sheet) which is now called the Moment Wildcat. More versatile than anything on your list.

Great in powder, destroys crud and can rip on soft groomers at high speeds with ease.

Guy has 10 days on these skis and wants $400($750 new) with no bindings. Add a pair of 2019 Attacks2 13 for about $120 plus mounting and you’ve got an amazing ski for about $200 under budget.
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/329525-FS-190-Moment-Blister-(Bibby)-Pro-and-183-Black-Crows-Orb
 
14063023:corynett said:
$750 or less, preferably less so I can spend that money on a trip out west this winter. Since I only get out west for a week or so per year I can't justify dropping too much on them

$750 skis+bindings? Either way that's a pretty healthy budget. Often around here when folks say they're on a budget they usually want to find skis for $23 and half a sandwich.
 
If you're not trying to ski switch or spin or otherwise have a playful ski whatsoever, the Volkl Confession is one of the best options on the market for skiing stupid fast in chop and pow. But it's a fairly niche ski — not easy to pivot, definitely not easy to spin, and overall feels best when you're skiing wide-open terrain where you can get it up to speed.

The Rossignol Black Ops 118 is the best ski I've used when it comes to being ridiculously stable in chop, but it's still balanced, skis switch well, and doesn't feel nearly as one-dimensional as the Confession. If you want a lighter, less stable alternative, see the 191 cm Icelantic Nomad 115.

If you want something that falls in between the Confession and Black Ops, the Nordica Enforcer 115 (used to be called the Enforcer Pro) is worth a look. It's slightly less stable than the Confession and Black Ops, but is significantly more forgiving and playful than the Confession.

The 190 cm Moment Wildcat also warrants consideration. Not quite as stable as the skis above, but way easier to flick around in tight terrain.

The Super 7 RD also makes sense and falls in the same class as the 190 Wildcat — not super heavy, but very stable for its weight. Probably the quickest of the skis I've listed, and I'd say it's a bit less stable than the 190 Wildcat, mostly due to its more tapered, hollowed-out tips.

189 cm J Skis Friend and ON3P Jeffrey 116 should also be on your list. The Jeffrey is similar to the Black Ops 118, but maybe a touch less stable and easier to pivot. The 189 cm Friend is similar to the Jeffrey in terms of stability, but probably a bit more forgiving.

Lastly, the DPS Koala F119 is a super stable ski that's still fairly playful thanks to deep-ish rocker lines and a -6 cm mount point. I doubt you'd be able to find it cheap though.
 
14063026:jca said:
Do you want to land/takeoff switch? Tricks n shit? Use them inbounds for the days after a storm? Or just straight mach chicken pow shredding? Do you ski with a more forward (pressure on the shins and tips) or more neutral?

Probably not so much on the tricks and switch, maybe occasionally. Yes inbounds during after fresh snow. More neutral.
 
14063039:Greg_K said:
Here’s a link to someone selling a pair of one of the best all around powder skis ever made in your perfect size. Moment Bibby(Blister top sheet) which is now called the Moment Wildcat. More versatile than anything on your list.

Great in powder, destroys crud and can rip on soft groomers at high speeds with ease.

Guy has 10 days on these skis and wants $400($750 new) with no bindings. Add a pair of 2019 Attacks2 13 for about $120 plus mounting and you’ve got an amazing ski for about $200 under budget.
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/329525-FS-190-Moment-Blister-(Bibby)-Pro-and-183-Black-Crows-Orb

Not sure if there is some trick to that forum, can't reply or post anything in the gear/swap threads.
 
You have to post a certain amount of times on TGR before you can post in certain threads. Sent you a PM.
 
our style sounds similar , I’m looking at the on3p woodsman , supposed to be between the Jeffrey and wren ??‍♂️

where do you ski out east ?
 
I haven't looked at any ON3P skis yet. Good skis? I really don't ski much out here, it's just not worth it for more than a day or 2 a year.
 
14063292:corynett said:
I haven't looked at any ON3P skis yet. Good skis? I really don't ski much out here, it's just not worth it for more than a day or 2 a year.

Well at a day or two a year, ON3P's will last you a few hundred years.
 
A sneaky ski that won’t get a ton of mentions on here but checks a lot of boxes is the 196cm or 188cm Fischer Ranger 115 FR. Absolute charger, that someone your size can handle. Blizzard Rustler 11 is another. Both you’d be able to find for the low. You could push it with the ARV 116 if you mount at -1.5ish. I’m your size and hated the ARV’s on the line, loved them when I moved them back. Not a true “charger” but I’ve skied em very hard without folding over.
 
14063301:-eREKTion- said:
Well at a day or two a year, ON3P's will last you a few hundred years.

I usually get a week in out west each year, so probably not a few hundred, but definitely a while given my days skied per year. Wish I could ski more, just so expensive to fly out and get a place to stay. Maybe one day I'll move out there somewhere.
 
14063305:FapMasterFLEX said:
A sneaky ski that won’t get a ton of mentions on here but checks a lot of boxes is the 196cm or 188cm Fischer Ranger 115 FR. Absolute charger, that someone your size can handle. Blizzard Rustler 11 is another. Both you’d be able to find for the low. You could push it with the ARV 116 if you mount at -1.5ish. I’m your size and hated the ARV’s on the line, loved them when I moved them back. Not a true “charger” but I’ve skied em very hard without folding over.

I had seen the ranger 115, Blister review seems favorable, and you're right, I think I could get the fairly cheap. Might start looking more into those, definitely seems like a less popular ski for whatever reason.
 
14063340:corynett said:
I had seen the ranger 115, Blister review seems favorable, and you're right, I think I could get the fairly cheap. Might start looking more into those, definitely seems like a less popular ski for whatever reason.

Ya severely overlooked if I didn’t already ha e a 98mm ski is get the 102fr

do u ski the east ? Where?

i ski snowshoe a lot and go up north some out west once a year we could share trip costs maybe bunk ??‍♂️
 
Found some used Salomon QST 118's for sale (ski only), $300, bottoms look fine but they were previously mounted. Would that be an issue for mounting new bindings?
 
14063373:corynett said:
Found some used Salomon QST 118's for sale (ski only), $300, bottoms look fine but they were previously mounted. Would that be an issue for mounting new bindings?

No issue, a long as the holes are filled properly.

When you have two or three mounts on a ski you starts to have problems finding room for another mount with enough space between the existing screw holes.
 
Just pulled the trigger on the Enforcer Pro's. Super stoked! Thanks so much for the help and advice everyone, I really appreciate it. Definitely learned a lot about powder skis the past few days. Now it just needs to start snowing so we can shred!
 
14063366:SavageBiff said:
Ya severely overlooked if I didn’t already ha e a 98mm ski is get the 102fr

do u ski the east ? Where?

i ski snowshoe a lot and go up north some out west once a year we could share trip costs maybe bunk ??‍♂️

Yeah agreed on width of ski.

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet as they usually are all about it. Shouldn't op be better off looking for something around the 100ish waist range and not looking for a 110 plus? You gotta remember this is a ski he is going to use less than a week a year at a ski resort out west where he may or may not get a powder day. A smaller waist ski with ample rocker and adequate length will still provide good enough float for most days but not totally fuck him on hard pack days.

His current ski is full camber btw

**This post was edited on Oct 3rd 2019 at 10:23:41am
 
14063674:Fogdart said:
Yeah agreed on width of ski.

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet as they usually are all about it. Shouldn't op be better off looking for something around the 100ish waist range and not looking for a 110 plus? You gotta remember this is a ski he is going to use less than a week a year at a ski resort out west where he may or may not get a powder day. A smaller waist ski with ample rocker and adequate length will still provide good enough float for most days but not totally fuck him on hard pack days.

His current ski is full camber btw

**This post was edited on Oct 3rd 2019 at 10:23:41am

Agreed

we skiers can overlook really thinking about what they need , sure were all a little biased on recommendations and given a chance to suggest a ski is like opening a flood gate

doesnt seem like he is an in between ski either ??‍♂️

Are 110+ skis really that bad for western resorts if your good enough to get em on edge? Sure there’s plenty off piste to use that ski even with a week no snow ?

he’s got some powerful stats think he said 6ft 235 should b able to muscle around about anything
 
14063674:Fogdart said:
Yeah agreed on width of ski.

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet as they usually are all about it. Shouldn't op be better off looking for something around the 100ish waist range and not looking for a 110 plus? You gotta remember this is a ski he is going to use less than a week a year at a ski resort out west where he may or may not get a powder day. A smaller waist ski with ample rocker and adequate length will still provide good enough float for most days but not totally fuck him on hard pack days.

His current ski is full camber btw

**This post was edited on Oct 3rd 2019 at 10:23:41am

IMO 110 range skis are totally fine for a daily driver at a western resort, especially if you want some better soft snow performance. Especially with a ski like the enforcer, in my eyes that's an everyday ski.
 
I hear what you guys are saying about the width. If I was looking for replacement skis for what I already have I would probably have wanted closer to 100-105, but since I still have my Wall's I don't need to use these new skis on hardpack days.

When I rented the 115 Kastle's last year I was surprised how skinny they felt, I was expecting it to feel like I had 2x6's strapped to my feet. I am afraid that given my size a 100mm waist ski won't keep me afloat enough, and I have plenty of leg strength to handle the bigger ski.

**This post was edited on Oct 3rd 2019 at 4:15:26pm
 
14063783:corynett said:
I hear what you guys are saying about the width. If I was looking for replacement skis for what I already have I would probably have wanted closer to 100-105, but since I still have my Wall's I don't need to use these new skis on hardpack days.

When I rented the 115 Kastle's last year I was surprised how skinny they felt, I was expecting it to feel like I had 2x6's strapped to my feet. I am afraid that given my size a 100mm waist ski won't keep me afloat enough, and I have plenty of leg strength to handle the bigger ski.

**This post was edited on Oct 3rd 2019 at 4:15:26pm

Your aware it doesn’t snow a foot everyday out west right ? True pow days are actually a lil rare

less your going back country , nevertheless enjoy those skis good choice
 
14063857:SavageBiff said:
Your aware it doesn’t snow a foot everyday out west right ? True pow days are actually a lil rare

less your going back country , nevertheless enjoy those skis good choice

I rode 110 waisted skis everyday last year at Squaw, in everything from frozen chunder, windbuff, crusty rained on crap, heavy wet pow, and father's day slush they were fine. Sure uneven icy bumps are a chore but they get down. I'm opting for more width and more rocker this year, 122mm as an everyday ski.
 
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