Twin Tip recommendation

D

derivative666

Member
This is my 1st post. I have been lurking for a few months now.

I am 39 years old started skiing when I was 3. I live in NJ and have skied anywhere and everywhere between Mad River and Whistler. I spend most days skiing boiler plate and crud in the East Coast and for that I ski Volkl Kendo 191. When I am out west I usually ski Volkl Shiro 193. I am looking for an all around ski that works well on groomers and is playful in the park. My 6 year old loves the park and I want to be able to play with him, I just have never owned true freestyle skis. I am 6'3" 215. Recommendations would be very helpful. So far I am considering Volkl Wall185, Armada Al Dente 188 and have looked at Line blend 185 (however am concerned about durability)
 
I can vouch for the blends durabilty, a friend has been smashing his to pieces for 4 seasons now and they are still going strong.
 
okay well considering the fact that youre a big guy, have lots of skiing experience, and use relatively beefy skis (the two volkls you listed), keep in mind that most park skis are gonna feel like toys to you so your definition of "playful" should be qualified in this case IMO

forget about the line blends, those would feel like you duct taped foam pool noodles to your boots. i think the al dentes are probably too soft for you too

id say go with something more on the medium stiff side, so other posters who pay good attention to park skis could do you the favor of listing some of the more stable, sturdier park skis, cause don't get me wrong, they'll still feel very nice and playful and forgiving, but youre too big and used to real skis to need anything like a line blend

 
Agreed Rubbersoul, thank you for the input. Agreed on the medium stiff. When I talk playful I want something with a lot of pop. I know the Walls would be soft compared to what I am used to but my understanding is they may work well. Like I said earlier I know really nothing about freestyle skis and am looking for your help. My Kendo's are hard chargers quick edge to edge and eat up boiler plate but they spin for shit lol
 
no problem. off the top of my head, some stiffer park skis i can think of are armada ar7 (which i highly recommend), nordia ace of spades, and i think SOME volkl park skis are pretty stiff but you'd have to find out which one(s)

what i would recommend is (waiting for some more knowledgeable people to post in this thread, some dudes on here know allll about the current crop of park skis, OR) searching this site for threads about stiff stable park skis

but the searchbar sucks (no offense NS, why re invent the wheel?), so go to google and put in site:newschoolers.com plus words like stiff park ski or poppy or whatever

and you'll find a bunch of threads where people ask for and receive recommendations for ______ park skis

honestly IMO, as a big fan of my volkl katanas, since you seem to know you like volkls, find out which park skis of theirs are stable and stiffest and check them out cause they'll probably share attributes with what youre used to but be a more playful poppy park ski

 
If you wouldn't mind, you'd be a perfect candidate to test our gear sorter thing. Its still pretty beta, and there isn't a ton of reviews in there yet but I'd be curious to hear what it recommends.

https://www.newschoolers.com/reviews/Skis?order=terrain,1,DESC&limit=10&view=list

As well, I moved this thread into Gear Talk. Some of the people in here are going to be a lot more knowledgeable than the general population of Ski Gabber.

My recommendation to you is to try out a few pairs at a demo day or something. When I'm on the big stuff I like to wear stiff boots and use charging skis. However in the park, I absolutely hate the stiffness. Especially if you're with your 6 year old, you might find yourself getting a pair of old super soft park boots, and wanting to butter your brains out. Something super soft and springy like the Al Dente, the Travelling Circus, the J Skis or a few others might be a blast when you're in the park.

Give it a try and let me know what it says!
 
TY Mr Bishop. Al Dente's are what i originally thought would work well. I was just concerned I would overpower them because of my size and the way I ski. I'd be using these with pivot 14's or pivot 14 xxl depending ww and Dalbello Panterra 120's
 
ON3P Prester, Fischer Night stick, surface blanks, rossi scratch, volkl wall are some stiffer park skis just to add to that list. I'm a little wary of surface durability though, from personal experience but blanks are quite stiff. All the rest are solid options if you're looking for something stiffer
 
From your assessment, you sound like a strong skier who knows what he is doing. I would go with a midstiff directional cambered twin. The most popular design because it crushes it not just in the park, but also around the mountain as well. Lucky for you, almost every company has one. Armada AR7, ON3P Prester, Nordica OMW, Rossi Scratch, Surface Double Times are just a few that come to mind. Demo some. See what you like.
 
Just thought I'd let you know that the beta ski slider worked great, no glitches and it took me right to a pair of candide 1.0s.
 
^That's what brought me to 0N3P. Also thinking about Filthy Rich 186. Thoughts on the ski regarding my size and ability. This would be strictly for park and jib.
 
I think a Jeronimo in a 186 would not only fit the bill for park, but also be a great expansion of your all mountain quiver. It's a little wider than other park options, but it's a great 'mess around everywhere' sort of ski, would be my choice for all mountain mini golf and dabbling in park. Keep your Kendo's for ripping groomed, Shiros for pow, Jmos for everything else!
 
thanks for all the feedback. Speaking with ON3P yesterday. I have my mind made up and I will either be purchasing this years Jmo's 186 or next years Kartel's 106 in 186. Really appreciate all of your help. Now to decide if I am throwing P14 xxl' on them.
 
If you have been skiing for 36 years and can't figure out how to pick a ski that works for you just hang em up and stay in the lodge.
 
I don't know about that...

Ski technology has changed so rapidly - especially on the shape front - over the last 10 years it can be hugely confusing.

You can't tell me that you can look at a moment deathwish using 'Dirty Moustache Rocker' and guess that you're going to either love or hate it. There's no way... all these new shapes are total game changers and when you're trying something new its hard to pick a new stick.
 
I was clearly asking for recommendations on skis that I know nothing about ie twin tip/freestyle skis. If I was in the market for pow, freeride or slalom skis. I wouldn't have asked the question.
 
congrats, you made the dumbest post ever on NS. you guys who think knowing about gear has anything to do with being a good skier are adorable
 
Thank you squirrely and RubberSoul. His post had me scratching my head as well. 1st thought was to flame him but, figured it would be better that I am new here to look the other way. Appreciated.
 
for someone with your size/ skill/ experience you may want to consider stepping up to a p18, especially on park skis that are gonna get thrashed.
 
Thanks! We put a ton of effort into it. Over the summer we'll be populating it with tonnes of product, but we also need users like you to put reviews into the system.

As well, try out the 'my gear' and 'wishlist' functions. If you see stuff you like, you can harass your friends/family to buy it for you. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top