Ski width

sky_steezy

sky_steezy

Member
How much does the width of a ski affect its ability to carve? Will a 106 powder ski still carve on hard pack?. I'm looking for something that will do good on anything but is mainly thick for powder, I already have a thin park ski. Thoughts on sizes? Thanks.
 
100-110 at the waist would be my suggestion if you really want a powder one that still carves on hard pack. Ive got a 104 blizzard peacemaker and 105 hart outback and they both still charge on hard pack. Ive ridden both of them in powder as well and theyre great at keeping me afloat. The peacemakers are still fun in the park and on rails as well. They carve super well, most will due to new designs but once you get 110 and higher you will definitely feel it
 
Obviously underfoot isn't the only thing to consider, but it does make a difference. I've got a pair of Rossi soul 7's (108 underfoot). The width is excellent for the off piste, pow and trees of the pacific northwest. On groomed runs and inbound terrain they are okay. Id say the biggest difference between the fatter skis and thinner ones that I've noticed is the effort you need to put in in order to tilt the ski enough to really engage the edge. Often times when im making large radius turns, I won't get that "locked in" feeling. Each carve is skidding a lot more than Id like it to. In order to stop this you need to keep a wider stance, get a whole lot lower and angulate your body more than you would on thinner skis. It takes a bit to get used to, but eventually you can definitely rip. The only other thing that can trip you out is at high speeds the tips like to chatter up and down, not a huge problem to me, but if your a pussy it might scare you into to speed checking... (Speed checks always bounce). But really though it shouldn't be an issue. Personnally I would go for a thinner ski, I've demoed a few 98 underfoot skis and had one hell of a time. Most skis are different and its worth a demo day to find which one you really like enough to drop a couple hundred bucks on.

Hang Loose
 
Ive got the old bacons at 108 before they changed the shape. I love this ski in pow and on groomers, my only hate for these skis is that they will wash if im not carving them which can get annoying. However, any ski with camber underfoot and a decently schaped sidecut should be able to hold an edge to some extent. Just make sure it has a decent sidecut and a decent camber underfoot and you should be okay
 
I have ON3P Kartel 106's and they kill everything from hard pack to fluff. I can make that ski carve very well on hard snow. The narrower waist width will make the ski transition faster from edge to edge. I like to make long arched out turns which doesn't make waist width a factor. If you see yourself making tight slalom turns, I would recommend a narrower waist width.
 
I have Salomon Q-105s and they carve as well as if not better than my old pair of gs skis. They have this stuff in the tip that stops rocker chattering and it works like a charm. They are so stable that you can straight line groomers comfortably, I hit 110 kph (68 mph) on them. They don't have tail rocker like the rocker2s so they carve like a beast, but they are wicked in powder, I rocked them in 2+ feet of Utah powder and had no problems. They are the best one ski quiver in my opinion, and I'm not a fan of that term. Overall 10/10 would recommend these skis.
 
13810071:SKRockies said:
Ive got the old bacons at 108 before they changed the shape. I love this ski in pow and on groomers, my only hate for these skis is that they will wash if im not carving them which can get annoying. However, any ski with camber underfoot and a decently schaped sidecut should be able to hold an edge to some extent. Just make sure it has a decent sidecut and a decent camber underfoot and you should be okay
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I love those skis, but my tails sometimes get caught up and get squirrely if I straight line it on groomers, gotta keep them on edge.
 
13810087:-skian- said:
I have Salomon Q-105s and they carve as well as if not better than my old pair of gs skis. They have this stuff in the tip that stops rocker chattering and it works like a charm. They are so stable that you can straight line groomers comfortably, I hit 110 kph (68 mph) on them. They don't have tail rocker like the rocker2s so they carve like a beast, but they are wicked in powder, I rocked them in 2+ feet of Utah powder and had no problems. They are the best one ski quiver in my opinion, and I'm not a fan of that term. Overall 10/10 would recommend these skis.
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My mom works for amer who owns salomon, so I've always gotten salomon gear. Salomon is a quality company, going to start using armada though since amer just bought them out.
 
The main difference you will notice when going to a wider ski is the transition time from edge to edge is slightly longer. Takes a while to get used to at first but once you figure it out it comes naturally.
 
A 106 should lay some grooves in the snow. Anything past 107 width only skid turns and slides, so stay under that and you will be able to carve.
 
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