Skis fell off of my friends car, time to shop!

funk~

funk~

Member
On our way back from the hill, my beloved armada THalls, that I've been shredding the past couple years, fell off of my friends rack at like 60mph when he forgot to lock it up.

They're pretty fucked.

So here I am, end of the season, and frantically trying to get back on a pair of park skis to salvage the slushy spring fun here in the west.

I loved my THalls, but they were the older ones that were really fucking stiff. On top of that, I'm a pretty skinny build (5'10, 135lbs) so they felt like wood planks to my pencil legs. They charged nicely and were really stable on jumps, but I'm just looking to have more fun in the park these days on a softer ski.

I would prefer to stick with armadas because I've had good experiences with their durability, but I'm more concerned about getting on a playful ski that I won't need to replace next year.

I've read the only review that was written about the BDog, and it seemed like a good match for what I'm looking for, but after some sifting through some threads regarding it, a lot of people said it sucked dick because it never hooked up when you were trying to carve.

I also read the reviews and looked at some threads regarding the Al Dente, although I am deterred by the lack of symmetrical rocker, and people saying it had a wacky imbalanced flex pattern.

So I come seeking advice on some skis that check the following off:

-rocker (preferred tip and tail)

-wider park ski (90-100)

-soft flex for my skeletal figure

-general playfulness

-could charge a little bit when i want to boost side hits, trees, etc.

-fairly light

-can handle some new snow

-can handle medium kickers (20-30ft)

-really nice for presses, butters, etc.

This ski will be used for general fuckery on the way to the park and in the park, as I have a wider ski for the deeper days. In the park it'll be:

60% rails, jibs, buttering off everything

40% small to medium sized kickers

If you have any experience with the Al Dente or the BDog, or have a different ski to suggest, please let me know!

On a final note, I'd prefer a ski I can find for moderately cheap right now, BDogs are $384 on backcountry for a comparison.

Thanks homies.
 
A little more on the expensive side but I demoed a pair of Icelantic Gypsy SKNY the other day and they were amazing. They are a reverse camber ski that is soft and playful tip to tail but has great torsional rigidity. I was pleasantly surprised at how hard they charged, and that was on east coast ice. I found them awesome for all around the mountain and the held up very well on jumps. I would definitely recommend the ski, especially if you will be out west on softer snow
 
13393660:CaptTurner said:
A little more on the expensive side but I demoed a pair of Icelantic Gypsy SKNY the other day and they were amazing. They are a reverse camber ski that is soft and playful tip to tail but has great torsional rigidity. I was pleasantly surprised at how hard they charged, and that was on east coast ice. I found them awesome for all around the mountain and the held up very well on jumps. I would definitely recommend the ski, especially if you will be out west on softer snow
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+K Thank you for the recommendation, I'll check them out.
 
if you want to stick with armada theres the bdog and alpha x. alpha being more stiff. if you could get the Bdogs for cheap i would pull the trigger
 
If you aren't liking the reviews on the BDog and Al Dente, then you might want to look at other companies besides armada since those are really the only 2 skis that seem to cater to you.
 
13394800:.lencon said:
If you aren't liking the reviews on the BDog and Al Dente, then you might want to look at other companies besides armada since those are really the only 2 skis that seem to cater to you.
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My bad I think my initial post explained it wrong.

I was hoping to get more peoples insight on the two skis, since there was actually only one written review on the BDog and the Al Dente seemed hit and miss for people. I'm still thinking about the BDog given the price right now!

I also am open to other companies!
 
13394808:funk~ said:
My bad I think my initial post explained it wrong.

I was hoping to get more peoples insight on the two skis, since there was actually only one written review on the BDog and the Al Dente seemed hit and miss for people. I'm still thinking about the BDog given the price right now!

I also am open to other companies!
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Pm wolfbackpack on here. He has bdogs.

As for other companies, I'd recommend either kitten factory or ON3P. My buddy (shin-bang) has kittens and I'm sure he can tell you a thing or two about them. They are made with the same materials as ON3P, which is known to be bombproof, except they use different cores and topsheet material. I have the kartel 106 and have spent time on the Kartel 98. I would Highky recommend the 98 for what you want. They do everything you want them to do. Now, they don't have the siftest flex, but the rocker makes them sooooo playful. Really an awesome ski. Has a nice flex pattern and symmetrical rocker so it doesn't feel wierd. Hopefully I helped a bit and hopefully shin bang can help you out as well. If you have any questions with the ON3P just let me know!
 
13395148:.lencon said:
Pm wolfbackpack on here. He has bdogs.

As for other companies, I'd recommend either kitten factory or ON3P. My buddy (shin-bang) has kittens and I'm sure he can tell you a thing or two about them. They are made with the same materials as ON3P, which is known to be bombproof, except they use different cores and topsheet material. I have the kartel 106 and have spent time on the Kartel 98. I would Highky recommend the 98 for what you want. They do everything you want them to do. Now, they don't have the siftest flex, but the rocker makes them sooooo playful. Really an awesome ski. Has a nice flex pattern and symmetrical rocker so it doesn't feel wierd. Hopefully I helped a bit and hopefully shin bang can help you out as well. If you have any questions with the ON3P just let me know!
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+K Thank you, I pm'd him!

I was looking at the kartel 98s, the only deterrent for me was the price, although you do get what you pay for in terms of durability.

Do they have much of a notable flex at all or is it mostly reliant on just sweeping up onto that fat rocker? My friend has the old jeffs and he is not that big of a guy but he can really butter on those things just because of the massive rocker. It looks like such a good time, I just wish they were a little bit cheaper!

I'm also living in Portland currently so it would be awesome to support a Portland company!
 
The B-Dog/Alpha X do feel weird in the carve when centre mounted, but they are a lot of fun other than that.

I'm virtually identical size to you and probably ski a similar ratio of stuff. I'm currently riding the Faction Prodigy which is pretty much my perfect ski but not really designed for skiing park (not the widest edges, little to no reinforcement). But I've centre mounted my pair and the flex is perfect. If you can find a cheap pair I guarantee you'll love them.

The Candide 2.0 in a 178 is also a great option and reinforced for park riding but it's a little stiffer. The Kartel 98 seems like it would be a great option but I haven't ridden them. From what I've heard they are softer than other ON3Ps but not actually soft compared to your k2s/lines. Then you have the normal other candidates Line Blend/K2 Shreditor 102 which are definitely soft and buttery, I'm sure you'd like either.
 
13395932:funk~ said:
+K Thank you, I pm'd him!

I was looking at the kartel 98s, the only deterrent for me was the price, although you do get what you pay for in terms of durability.

Do they have much of a notable flex at all or is it mostly reliant on just sweeping up onto that fat rocker? My friend has the old jeffs and he is not that big of a guy but he can really butter on those things just because of the massive rocker. It looks like such a good time, I just wish they were a little bit cheaper!

I'm also living in Portland currently so it would be awesome to support a Portland company!
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There is some flex to them but I think it's easier to use the rocker than the flex since it's already there and so pronounced.

They're having a sale right now that you could check!
 
13402938:MartianMan said:
Sweet icon.

Check out the Nordica Soul Rider and Faction Prodigy as well.
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Hate to be that guy but the soul riders are absolute trash. they look fun and all and are a fun ski but ik a bunch of people who have completely destroyed them in less than a month. One friend only got 2 weeks out of his before they were unridable. if you dont shred like everyday super hard I would recommend the Dynastar Slicer. Kind of softish flex but super poppy. edges arent super durable but that the only issue I've had. The Rossignol Slat are like the same ski but even softer. Not super sure about the durability but I have a friend who went through a pair in a year but they were last years model and they have probably fixed their durability issues.
 
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