Lost in the noodle jungle (advice pls)

C

Cyklar

New member
Hello, NS newcomer here!

Winter is closing in and so too is my craving for a new pair of skis. I have planned to expand my one-ski quiver with another pair for this season, and my question is what ski to get, quite simply. The ski I'm riding today is the Armada TST 2011/2012, which I plan to slap some touring bindings on (and maybe even switch out for a wider ski eventually, since I'm getting a second pair).

I am 190 cms tall (yes, I'm European - should be around 6'3, according to google), and weigh about 75 kgs (165 lbs, again, google), and I would classify myself as a pretty advanced skier. I love to ski powder, but that's not what I'll be using this pair of skis for (I'll be using my TSTs for that) - what I'm looking for is a pair of skis to use when the pow level is low.

I rarely ski park, and on the off-chance that I do I throw 3s at most, so I'm not looking for a pair of die-hard park skis. I am looking to improve in the park - but I won't be doing rails with this pair of skis since I want the edge fresh. What I want, quite simply, is a pair of playful skis to ski and have fun around the mountain with that aren't too soft and neither too hard, i.e. nice to butter with, but doesn't back down when put hard on edge (if it's even possible to have both). I'll be skiing in BC this season.

I've been doing my research, and have concluded that Line Chronic 185 would be my best choice, but I am worried about the flex - I've heard that they are quite soft.

Other skis I've been looking at are the Salomon NFX and Atomic Punx - but have read very mixed reviews so I can't quite get a hold of what kind of ski any of them are.

So now I call to you for aid, will you help a brother out?

Kind regards,

Jakob
 
Hi,

The skis you have mentioned as options are pretty much pure park skis. Maybe go for something like an ARVti for an all-mountain ski? There are quite a few skis in this category so there should be plenty of options. Just make sure the ski is long enough since you are tall.

To me the TST seems to match some of your criteria as well, it could be easily used for what you are describing.
 
13516736:Deviate said:
Hi,

The skis you have mentioned as options are pretty much pure park skis. Maybe go for something like an ARVti for an all-mountain ski? There are quite a few skis in this category so there should be plenty of options. Just make sure the ski is long enough since you are tall.

To me the TST seems to match some of your criteria as well, it could be easily used for what you are describing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply!

Yes, I know that they are all park skis, but I guess that the playfulness of the park skis is what allures me - more so than their big booter performance, if you catch my drift.

I had a look at the ARVti, and to me it feels more like a modernized replacement for the TST than a complement (97 mm waist vs. 102 mm waist, both skis sport tip and no tail rocker, for example) - or am I in the wrong here?

To me the TSTs are heavy and stiff. In my opinion they are excellent when it comes to powder and big turns on hard edge in a soft piste, which I thoroughly enjoy. What I want in this new pair of skis though, is something that's easier to maneuver in close quarters, something that I can be more impulsive with. I want them to be nimble, lightweight, and playful - none of which I consider the TSTs to be.

I don't know if my description is any good, but I'm doing my best. If anything is unclear just holler and I'll try to clarify.
 
Arv-ti seems like it would fit the bill. It's more of an all mountain park ski, opposed to the tst which is exclusively all mountain.
 
if you live in BC and arent super serious about the park (hell, even if you were) i don't see any reason to get a ski skinnier than like 95 in the waist

id suggest the ARVti or something in that range. very capable in the park, but has enough balls for the rest of the mountain as well. i just dont see any upside to getting something skinnier and softer for you
 
I would say that the Shreditor 92/102 would be a great choice for you, they are both pretty soft (102 is softer than the 92 imo). Also the Kartel 98 would also be great choice and are a bit stiffer than the 102s but similar to the 92s. I would also look at the J skis whip it, these are dope skis and are great for butters.
 
ON3P kartels would fit the bill, but they're pretty expensive to ship them to Europe. See if they have a dealer.

Your next best thing would be a Salomon Rocker 2 100 or K2 shreditor 102.

And if you get lines you should be looking at the Blends rather than chronics.
 
Hey op. Is this your first season in BC? If you are comin from Europe you wi find a few things differnt. Firstly the snow, it's wet and heavy here. You will actually find ainthing like the tst will be good apart from when it snows. Then you will actually want somthing wider.

The he tst is really light but it is maybe not the most playfull. How do you find the fle of the nose compared to the tails?

in terms of park skis they are a great choice for carving but you will probably want somthin a bit bigger as others have said. In Europe I could happily shred a park ski but they just don't work as well out here. I use (or used) the on3p jmo. They are 102mm with a big rocker and a mid soft flex. They actually turned out to be my fav all MTN ski out here as they handled the most conditions.

When i I took the NFx out sure they rip the groomers so hard but they are just not verstile. If you find some deeper snow they can't keep up. And for that reason I more reserved them just for the park.

I think the arv ti is a great choice or look at the blizzard peacemaker or salomon rocker 100
 
Hello guys, and thank you for your input!

Since last visiting this thread I have pretty much completely reconsidered what type of ski I'm on the lookout for. My idea when making this thread was that the TST would be my more powder-y tool in my two ski quiver, but have come to realize that maybe it's more appropriate as the slimmer, more allround weapon for riding in BC. I did have my doubts at first, but after hand flexing it and comparing it to my brother's Halo 2 it seems to me that getting a slimmer ski wouldn't really serve any purpose, and instead getting a fatter ski for the powder days is the way to go. Am I wrong here or is that a good idea?

And yes, Tom, it will be my first BC season - my first time on the other side of the Atlantic, even.
 
13518305:Cyklar said:
Hello guys, and thank you for your input!

Since last visiting this thread I have pretty much completely reconsidered what type of ski I'm on the lookout for. My idea when making this thread was that the TST would be my more powder-y tool in my two ski quiver, but have come to realize that maybe it's more appropriate as the slimmer, more allround weapon for riding in BC. I did have my doubts at first, but after hand flexing it and comparing it to my brother's Halo 2 it seems to me that getting a slimmer ski wouldn't really serve any purpose, and instead getting a fatter ski for the powder days is the way to go. Am I wrong here or is that a good idea?

And yes, Tom, it will be my first BC season - my first time on the other side of the Atlantic, even.
Click to expand...

yeah, i don't think you'll ever wish you had something skinnier than the tst for your uses. my 2 cents
 
13518305:Cyklar said:
Hello guys, and thank you for your input!

Since last visiting this thread I have pretty much completely reconsidered what type of ski I'm on the lookout for. My idea when making this thread was that the TST would be my more powder-y tool in my two ski quiver, but have come to realize that maybe it's more appropriate as the slimmer, more allround weapon for riding in BC. I did have my doubts at first, but after hand flexing it and comparing it to my brother's Halo 2 it seems to me that getting a slimmer ski wouldn't really serve any purpose, and instead getting a fatter ski for the powder days is the way to go. Am I wrong here or is that a good idea?

And yes, Tom, it will be my first BC season - my first time on the other side of the Atlantic, even.
Click to expand...

I think you have it. I would guess you will ride the tst most of the time but if we get a good snow year big fat skis like the rocker 122, bent chetler, pettitor or opus will be so much fun. if you prefer charging look for tip rocker only but if you want a more playfull pow ski look for the big twin rockered pow boards like the ones I mentioned above.
 
13519927:tomPietrowski said:
I think you have it. I would guess you will ride the tst most of the time but if we get a good snow year big fat skis like the rocker 122, bent chetler, pettitor or opus will be so much fun. if you prefer charging look for tip rocker only but if you want a more playfull pow ski look for the big twin rockered pow boards like the ones I mentioned above.
Click to expand...

Or magic j
 
13519927:tomPietrowski said:
I think you have it. I would guess you will ride the tst most of the time but if we get a good snow year big fat skis like the rocker 122, bent chetler, pettitor or opus will be so much fun. if you prefer charging look for tip rocker only but if you want a more playfull pow ski look for the big twin rockered pow boards like the ones I mentioned above.
Click to expand...

13520162:B.Quincy said:
Or magic j
Click to expand...

Hello, and thank you for your replies!

I did end up getting a pair of rocker2 122s with Guardian 16s at TC -3,5cm. I was choosing between the R2 and Opus - but the Opus went out of stock in Europe (seriously, could only find it in a few super-expensive places) just as I was about to make my decision, so the decision was ultimately made for me :)

My brother got the Magic Js to go along with his Halo 2s a couple of months ago, so he'll be shredding those in BC. It will definitely be interesting to see how they perform :)
 
awesome choice. the r122 is one of my very fav pow skis and having the guardians will open up alot of possibility's. Enjoy them man
 
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