Which powder ski should I get?

Chasing-Storms

Chasing-Storms

Member
The 5 skis I am looking at are:

Rossignol S7

Atomic Bent Chetler

Salomon Czar

Armada JJ

K2 obSETHed

All 2011 model.

I am 5'10.5 and weigh 75kg

I am an aggressive skier.

What would be the best ski for my needs.

Any suggestions for other skis.

Anything is appreciated

Cheers

 
What kind of stuff are you going to be skiing? trees, cliffs, chutes?

Will you be skiing a lot of switch?

Will you be doing any touring on this ski?
 
Skiing steep big mountain lines and powder days.

I don't do a lot of switch riding but will do more.

Also want to take the ski overseas this Christmas. (Alta, Utah)

Hope this helps
 
look at volkl chopsticks they are monsters and are a fully symmetrical ski so when you get into skiing powder switch more then they will shred. i love mine and they are a medium flex good for doing some butters and stuff in powder but still good enough for stomping cliffs. hope this helps some.
 
i think the s7 sounds like the best shot for you being as most of the other skis you put up there were pretty jibby minus the salomons, but i'd take s7's over czar's anyday
 
I think the skis you are looking at don't have big enough radii for big mountain lines.
A pure, reverse/reverse like the Praxis Powder or DPS Lotus 138 is going to be best if this is a pure powder ski, but here are a few that a bit more versatile.

Praxis ProTest: Skis like a reverse/reverse when you want, but also has enough sidecut to handle icy chute entrances and the odd groomer.
Praxis RX: I ski these every day. Tip and tail rocker and 116mm width makes them unsinkable and they're stiff enough and have a little camber for every other condition.
PM Gear Lhasa Pow: I've only skied these one day. Best skis I've ever tried, but they're too expensive for me. I hear they are almost as good as a reverse/reverse in powder due to the pintail, but I know they are also incredibly in every other condition you can imagine. These things destroyed the nastiest wind crust and carved on steep wind-scoured slopes. The ultimate big mountain 1-ski quiver.
4FRNT EHP: Also, tried just one day. In my opinion, not better in powder than the Lhasa Pow, but also not quite as versatile. Still a phenomenal ski.
 
the chopstick is going to be fatter and has full rocker where as the S7 only has early rise and camber underfoot. the chopstick is symmetrical versus the S7 which has 145 at tip and 123 at tail.
 
Top 3 are defintly:

Rossignol S7

Atomic Bent Chetler

Armada JJ

and maby new (2011) K2 obSETHed

or Salomon Czar

Still need help choosing

Cheers
 
I may consider the Bibby's.

Want more of a stiffer big mountain ski that can rip it in the pow.

Do you have them and what are they like?
 
The Bibby is not the same throughout all the lengths. The 186cm is more of a backcountry jib ski. The 190cm is definitely a big mountain charger. It's not supposed to be crazy stiff, but it's plenty stiff for someone your size.
 
if you can afford it, some lokomotiv rockerbillies would suit good. like the jj and s7, it has a 5 dimensional shape and rocker with camber, but has a whopping 131mm underfoot. guess it's my dream ski haha.
 
Obsethed are too soft for what you want.

Look at something like the ON3P Cease & Desist if you want a real powder ski that can tear the shit out of big lines. For something less pow orientated, but still stiff, and great for charging look into the ON3P Wrenegade or Line Mothership. Line Prophet 115 would also so ok.

I also agree that the Moment Bibby would work well. Preferably in the 190 length which is much stiffer, has camber, a different rocker profile, and basically designed more for charging than the 186.

You are looking at skis which are more jibby than it sounds like you want IMO.
 
He should base his decision upon graphics, I completely agree.

The ON3P Cease and Desist may have graphics that are a bit to 'big' for you, they're pretty scary, nasty and chargey lookin for someone of your modest stature. You want the graphic that attracts the ski-ladies, and the C+D has murder on its mind. I'd point you towards the smoother and more fluid graphics of this year Wrenegades or Billy Goats.

Billy Goats might be a good fit if you like going through trees and tight places, the topsheet is specifically designed to match the colors of nearby rocks and trees, and designed also to strongly contrast that blurry effect from quick speed and direction changes. Meanwhile, the Wren, especially in its 191 length, has the strong and straight/true type o' graphic, more subtle and classy. We designed the graphic knowing that you'll likely be keeping the tips pretty much equal and together as you straightline and air off whatevers in the direct fall line of the slope.
 
s7, jj, and bent chetler are all very similar. I have heard that the jj and bentchetler are the better of the three. But the chetlers are a little wider and a little more poppy where as the jj's are a little stiffer and skinnier at the waist.
 
So I rephrase: the Hellbent is a good ski, and the graphics are a bonus.
Thank you for creatively mocking my post in length, I'm not a complete fucking dolt. I have a low post count on here but I'm on TGR as well. I don't mind the sarcasm though since you have more posts than I have blades of grass in my yard, you're a mod, and you're with ON3P which I have heard are good skis (haven't tested them myself yet.) I've been much more interested in the new-school ski shops lately, ON3P included.
As for Icelantics--I personally think a lot of them are downright hideous but I can contest to the fact that they are a good ski. I own the D-Structure graphic Nomads though so I avoided the ugliness downfall. Technically they float well, charge groomers, turn nicely in trees, and suck at absorbing jib impact. Pretty stiff ski, haven't tried the SFT yet.
fwiw OP, I'm the same height/weight and I'm pretty aggressive in the SC. If you want something solely for SC/BC, get rocker as others have suggested. That's why I listed Hellbents.
 
Okay well just about every review on the web, including by a number of skiers far more experienced than I, come to the same consensus: short & poppy, stable on groomers, fun in trees. I have a Neversummer longboard and they are well known as the poppiest decks you can find anywhere, and I believe that transfers to their skis. Haven't tried Fatypus though.
Not sure why they didn't feel the same to you, perhaps just personal preference. I need to demo some others for comparison now.
 
It's definitely all personal preference, but it's so hard to demo most of these skis that you still have to rely on internet review. From what I've heard about Icelantic and what I can assume by looking at the specs, Icelantics will float because of the huge tip and carve decently due to the huge sidecut, but they'll be really hooky in anything chopped up. Personally, I prefer a powder ski with less sidecut so you can vary the turn shape more in powder and crud. Others might like the locked-in carving feeling of Icelantic more.
 
I've tried a couple of those skis, and so here are a couple reviewshttp://williamrichmondski.blogspot.com/search/label/Gear%20Reviews (for more)

My stats-135lbs5'9''Expert skier doing freeride comps next year.
Atomic Bent Chetler183cmI understand now why this ski sold out in December: it's that good. This was the most playful ski, along with being the lightest. Coming from a 105mm ski, I was impressed on how it doesn't feel like a really fat ski on groomers. On my groomed run, it performed well, with some slight tip flap when I was going fast, but still felt stable. I was able to do any turn I wanted, its especially excellent in shorter turns. In the powder and crud the Bent Chetler held up extremely well, and was lots of fun to be on. High speed straighlines were the Bent Chetler's worst skiing, and it did ok. This ski is a playful skiers daily driver.
Rossignol S7188cmAfter going to the Rossignol booth about five times to try to get this ski, I was disappointed with what I found. The S7 is the Indiana Jones 4 of skis: very overrated and disappointing. The rocker and soft flex create a very forgiving ski, but not much else. I didn't feel stable on this ski at all, and had a very hard time skiing anything not powder. The S7 is awful in crud, with lots and lots of tail flap. Also the rocker makes it extremely easy to become skiing in the backseat in if you're not careful, and I almost had the crash of my lifetime because of it. Maybe I should've tried the Super 7, but the 188 was one of the worst skis of the day.
Atomic Blog177cmI felt the Blog did exactly what I wanted to, but the softer, more forgiving flex along with rocker did cause some instability. However, some of that was due to the length. I demoed it later in a 183 and liked it much more. This ski is ridiculously poppy, and skis like a more versatile Bent Chetler. Overall I was quite impressed.
Atomic Blog183cmThe 183 is much better than the 177 Blog. I found the longer length had all of the pop of the shorter ski (a ton), but felt much more stable. This is much more versatile, and fun. It's not really a big mountain ski, but a strong contender for my favorite ski of the test.
K2 Obsethed179cmI came to the demo wanting to try a variety of skis, with differing rocker and flex patterns, so I came to the Obsethed for the super soft ski. Honestly going in I had low expectations, and was blown away. First of all this ski is scary soft, especially in the tip, and almost the entire ski is rockered. However, it's stable and fun. The rocker did chatter on groomers, but in off-piste snow it was pretty good, as long as I stayed out of the backseat. All turn types were possible, and the Obsethed was excellent in softer snow. This is too soft for a daily driver, but it was a good ski, including the graphics . I think this is what the S7 intended to be.

Personally, for a pure powder ski, I've been interested in the Fatypus I-Rock http://www.fat-ypus.com/home/i-rock.phpWith a 126 waist, it looked perfect for powder, and able to make it back to the lift. I tried really hard to demo it this year, but it was sold out too quickly.Here's some reviews http://www.tetongravity.com/FORUMS/showthread.php?p=2866868
 
Karma for the excellent insight. Also, Fatypus are produced at the Neversummer factory where Icelantics are. I'd like to compare those two side by side eventually.
 
I have both the JJ's and Obsethed's, and love them both. The Obsethed's are super buttery and playful, and the JJ's can handle anything you throw at them. You couldn't go wrong with either of those two. But unless you live in PNW or like Mammoth or Utah, i would be with the Obsethed since they are more all around than the JJ's. Can use them in the park even.
 
He wasn't being mean, He was recommending skis, with some lighthearted mockery. It showed be responded to with a haha, not a tsk tsk.

I also want to say that i completely agree with the above view of the S7^^ The ski was floppy and borderline terrifying to ride. I have seen people use this ski on somewhat gnarly terrain/lines, but for the life of me i don't know why or how.
 
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