Ski buying advice for an old head

Thenowhereman42

Thenowhereman42

Active member
I haven't skied heavily in several years and want to get back on the hill regularly. I skied on a pair of Rossi Scratch Ghettos for years. Blew out an edge on a rail, JB Welded it back in, held for another 2 years. Things were tanks but they're dead now. My other skis are some Surface prototypes I came across for basically free. They're like 135 wide double rocker, I bought them for Wyoming powder but have been using them as all mountain skis for the past few years. People make fun of me.

I want a new pair of sticks for when it's not deep pow. I've really gotten used to the double rocker and love it a lot. Back in the day you had rocker park skis like Kung Fujas and I wanted to get something like that. But it seems all park skis now are rocker/camber/rocker. I like not having a perceptible edge lol. Running length of like just the boots. But not insanely wide. Any recommendations?

If that's not a thing anymore, I haven't kept up with the tech so it might not be. Basically ima do big mountain and maybe hit some jump lines. Was never big on rails. I don't get crazy on jumps, prolly 60 feet max. And I do pretty serious sidecountry out West, cliff drops, no fall zones sometimes. If it's not mandatory drops I'm basically hitting it. I always rode this stuff on just like park skis, and now I'm riding it on boats. So yeah I'd appreciate any advice.

Oh and if you can get them in a longer length that's dope. My Rossis were 181 but I'd really like around 190. Also I'd prefer something I can get outet/used.
 
4frnt devastator comes to mind, blizzard rustler 11's have a small amount of camber but not much and I've never heard a bad thing about em. Old candide 4.0's if you can find them were pretty much full reverse rocker but maybe a little too wide. Can't think of anything else that's full rocker and not super wide nowadays
 
the devastators as mentioned might be the ski. Vishnu wide (maybe plus). could also look into ON3P, but their prices might be a bit steep.

i always see skis like the obsethed and hellbents on my local second hand website. you might find something like that for a nice price too.
 
Volkl Revolt 104. I use them as my pow / all-mountain freestyle skis on the east coast. They feel super supportive, can hold an edge, and float decently in pow. I also can rip through the park whenever. Overall my favorite all-mountain ski I have ever had.
 
14476521:lil.Boye said:
the devastators as mentioned might be the ski. Vishnu wide (maybe plus). could also look into ON3P, but their prices might be a bit steep.

i always see skis like the obsethed and hellbents on my local second hand website. you might find something like that for a nice price too.
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i would strongly advise against getting Vishnu's if you're trying to do anything other than butters on knuckles and slow jibs. they ski like wet pool noodles.
 
14477400:eastcoasticeicle said:
i would strongly advise against getting Vishnu's if you're trying to do anything other than butters on knuckles and slow jibs. they ski like wet pool noodles.
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The pluses are stiffer and have a slight difference in personality. Firmer and faster feeling.

the keys are just like a midfat parkski. Hand felt them and shocked how stiff they were
 
I love big ol' rockered fatties for everyday riding, too. A lot of it comes down to how heavy/playful/flexy you prefer your skis, but here's what I've used the past decade or so:

Moment Chipotle Banana + Pivot - Current Resort Setup - I love these things. They have a full rocker that's mellow enough to ride more like a rocker-flat-rocker and are super powerful with a giant (35.5m) sidecut radius. They're on the heavier/stiffer side of what I've ridden in the past and thus don't really come to life until you build some speed, but when you do they are crazy fun. Oddly they don't have the best flotation for a 120mm+ underfoot setup (likely due to the stiff-by-modern-standards tips), but they plane up just fine once you get them going. They're big and burly with a weird sweet spot and definitely not for everyone, but if you're the right kind of weird they're a ton of fun.

Bent Chetler 120 + Shift - Previous 50/50 Setup (that I still ride occasionally) - These skis are really light and playful, pretty much a blast in any condition provided you're okay with a small amount of camber underfoot, a tight (19m) sidecut radius, and the "hooky" GS-style turns that accompany them. I really dug these for a few seasons, and they're definitely my fatties of choice for the occasional park day given how light and flexy they are (minus the Shifts, of course.) Being so light they were also solid for mellow day tours. As soon as I had them out the first day I could see why Mr. Benchetler rides the way he does. My only real gripe with them was their tendency to hook up and get overpowered in crud, which was what ultimately led me to the more charge-oriented Chipotle Bananas.

Moment Exit World + Kingpin - Previous Dedicated Tour Setup - These were a rocker-flat-rocker with Moment's weird little "triple camber" zones on either side of the flat underfoot zone that they claimed added some all mountain grip (it's still featured, and seemingly well-received, on the Deathwish and Deathwish Tour.) In my experience they were great for what they were made for - deep, soft backcountry days - and not much else. They were too light and flexible to really get after it in any kind of variable to hard snow, and the flat zone underfoot was very, very short making them, at times, extremely squirrely. I miss them a little for their best days but still remember their worst.

Surface New Life Anthony B + Jester Pro - Previous Resort Setup - These skis were my entrance to the fat/rockered category, and I still bust them out once a year or so. I will never get rid of them. Symmetrical shape, crazy Surface rocker, relatively stiff (compared with other "powder" skis of the time), and just a freaking blast. Definitely learned how to ride with a more balanced, centered, light on my feet style because of these skis and never looked back. While they weren't perfect for anything, they were pretty fun no matter where you took them.
 
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