Your opinion on ski companies

-Dan

-Dan

Active member
I have a few questions that i’m curious about. I don’t need crAZy long answers but try to answer with a bit of detail at least.

what is your favorite company that makes skis?

why are they your favorite?

what skis do you own?

if not from your favorite company, why do you have those skis? If the same, any other reasons that factored in to your purchase?
 
I’m think that line makes great skis. But I ride armada for the more all mountain versatility with the 96 rather than say the honey badger. The reason I like armada is because it was founded by skiiers and run by skiiers while that may not be the case now it’s still a good brand.
 
HG skis

Because they are local company to me, the content that they put out is very good, and filmed in my favorite style, and because It's really fun to watch their riders ski firsthand

I own Line blends

I bought the blends because I liked the simple graphics and the idea of a wider park ski. I saw a lot of people riding them who seemed to really like the ski. I probably wouldn't have bought them but I got lucky with a cheap deal that included bindings.
 
I’ve ridden jskis for the last 2 seasons and love them so much in the park. Along with those I’ve gotten my hands on some ARVs and I love how snappy and buttery they are..ARMADA ALL THE WAY but gotta love them Js
 
At the moment my favorite ski is the Blizzard Rustler 11. I’ve always liked their skis so I would say they may be one of my favorite brands and they were able to develop into one of the most popular and high st quality brands in all of skiing. IMO.

I was able to get the ski half of which is the only reason I bought it and have no regrets with it.

I also own a pair of 4frnt Hojis that I have yet to ride as I just got them with a frame binding, but have heard very good reviews on them, and then a pair of old line sick days for a spring beater ski that I got for cheap.

I personally like fatter skis that are playful yet can handle some crud. I think the rustler 11 has the ability to do all of that.
 
Vishnu because they were nice to me when I showed up at their rail jam and was a total kook. Also emmet made custom short for me.

Thanks dudes
 
armada... hand down. this is probably gonna be one of the top answers, but it has some history with me. the first freestyle skiing thing i saw was a poster in my local shop with jp auclair. for a while, the only brand i knew was armada. the hype and their athletes are enough, and as through my experiences, they have the best customer service. i remember as a 10 year old visiting the armada headquarters in costa mesa just to take pictures. chris o’connell comes out and offers to show me around, and also hooks me up with a bunch of cool shit including a jacket. more recently, during the revision scandal, logan imlach hooked me and two others up with a used once pair of the arv 96s. i’ve been riding them since, and gotta say they’re the best skis i’ve ridden. i gotta give armada mad respect for all they’ve done through introducing me to skiing, and by plugging me when i desperately needed it.

**This post was edited on Jun 18th 2018 at 9:42:01pm
 
Black Crows, there’s a ton of hype around them for some reason probably cause the graphics on them are so dope people are always asking me how I like them in lift lines and all over the mountain. I ski a ton of big mountain and they have never failed me when going pretty big. I just got another pair for my dad today for Father’s Day too he’s super stoked on em and he hasn’t thrown 3s in a while so I’m hoping he’ll be able to since the atris is fairly light.
 
13928460:mistaNasty said:
Black Crows, there’s a ton of hype around them for some reason probably cause the graphics on them are so dope people are always asking me how I like them in lift lines and all over the mountain. I ski a ton of big mountain and they have never failed me when going pretty big. I just got another pair for my dad today for Father’s Day too he’s super stoked on em and he hasn’t thrown 3s in a while so I’m hoping he’ll be able to since the atris is fairly light.
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I’ve dreamed of a pair for awhile. Which model are you riding? I’m looking for a long big mountain pair or even something skinnier and more freestyle oriented but still stiff
 
Line skis.

Aalmost every kook on NS has owned a pair of line skis. Their skis are dope and I love their poles. They get so many kids into park skiing with their affordable skis and things like TAFT.

I also like how core their pro riders are.
 
Hard questions to answer. I have rode all kinds of brands, K2, Nordica, Rossignol, and Line. I think it depends on who you are asking, as a college student on a budget I tend to try and buy skis when they are on sale and worry less about the brand, but with that being said I fucking dig HG and what they are about and would love to ride a pair. I currently ride the blends and have owned multiple LINE skis mainly because they were the company that introduced me to skiing way back when. Core brands like HG, Vishnu, and Armada should always be supported and I think it’s really important to have those type of companies in the industry.
 
Favourite company would be vishnu or ON3P.

I think there running the best vibes and style in skiing right now and got some of the dopest riders.

I ride lines right now cause i got them on the cheap cheap.
 
I don’t have a particular favourite brand. I own Armada ARV106’s, Salomon rocker 90’s, some axunn skis and old head twin tips. The older skis are a lot heavier but hold up to a lot more when it comes to scratches. My Armada skis aren’t bad. I love them in the powder, they’re so light. The edge is a little thin and so don’t use them for park. I was considering line blends but I wanted something more stable for all mountain and the ARV came with bindings. I’ve always been interested in the smaller ski companies but ive always ended up with a good deal locally. My comment is probably not much help but I’ll definitely be looking at this thread for some opinions on my next skis

**This post was edited on Jun 17th 2018 at 12:27:30pm
 
ON3P, they care about their customers and hand build all their skis in the US because they care. They are crazy durable and if they do break, the customer service will help you in some way. The team is full of great skiers which maybe different from others and stand out. Also super fun skis, nothing new. I have had 2 pairs of magnus and am buying a pair of kartels.
 
my favourite companies that make skis are on3p and vishnu just cuz i love the content all their dudes put out and the uniqueness but i have lib tech skis just cuz they’re cheap and don’t have vishnus or on3p cuz they are too expensive and i live in canada so the exchange rate fucks me
 
A. Vishnu

B. They focus solely on the type of skiing I like to do, their team produces content I enjoy, haven't heard any bad things about their skis. Due to my love of the pop that comes from cambered tails I don't own a pair though.

C. Line Blends, Revision Talismans, Armada Al Dentes, OG Atomic Punx

D.

-Bought the blends in High school as a pow/all mtn ski, theyre good shit and I've never had any issues with line products aside from the 1st gen afterbangs. They also (or at least used to) make good content fairly regularly and have history.

-The talismans I own because I got scammed in the pre-order, but managed to get a heavily discounted pair off of skis.com. Not gonna lie the talisman was probabaly my favourite ski to date, just wish the noses were a little bit higher.

-Just got the dentes off NS used to replace the blends, haven't ridden them yet but they are basically the same ski as the talismans but longer. Armada lso has a pretty good history in freeskiing and produces some good content

-couldn't care less about atomic as a company especially since their park lineup has dwindled to a comp ski and a garbage price point ski, but the 2011-2014 Punx is easily my #2 ski of all time.

**This post was edited on Jun 17th 2018 at 12:41:09pm
 
My favorite skis right now are Vishnu wets, and Vishnu is currently my favorite brand. However, I do want to get my hands on a pair of ON3Ps. I like Vishnu because they make a really unique ski that fits a certain style that I personally enjoy. The ON3Ps also fit in that category, even though I havn’t skied them.

Before this year, I rode on line skis, the afterbangs, the bacons, and the traveling circus skis. The afterbangs were embarrassing, but the TC episodes always had be back and got me to buy more skis from them. I still think they are a great company, due to their marketing strategy.

I just picked up a pair of Faction CT 3.0 for this winter, bought solely on the fact they are world reknown for performing well, and I got a special deal on them.
 
I really enjoy riding Vishnu. Not because of the “hype” or “trendy-ness” that has ensnared the company but the fact that they are so much like IPP (interior plain project) that’s based right out of the Midwest. Small, personal, and involved. As well as having some of the nicest people working/ helping out. I can appreciate a company who does read people’s opinions and does make changes based on the riders perspective. I own 2 pairs and a third pair in preorder.
 
ON3P for sure. The brand identity and desire to stay small and built in the US of A is sweet. Also the customer interaction on ns is unparralled. Seems like they make some really dope skis and hope to fork over the massive chunk of change for some custom wrenegade 98s for next winter.
 
I really like armada as their brand was started by skiers, as well as all the guys and gals riding for them have insane style and are always throwing down during the season. This being said, ON3P is another favourite brand of mine as their riders are not your conventional competition riders, pushing style and street/film skiing part of the industry to a whole new level. I also like what line does with the TAFT and lower cost of skis, it allows for more kids to get into park skiing and enjoy this area of skiing.

I own armada arv 96s, Kartel 98s, and future spins
 
Armada

When I got into freestyle skiing Armada was the coolest brand. I remember watching clips on their website on a daily basis. (They had a funny commercial with godzilla and barbie on their site plus some skiing clips like T-Hall throwing a 630 on to a flatrail which blew my youthful mind back then, maybe someone else remembers as well haha)

They were (still are as far as they can) a brand from skier for skiers. (most recent example is the Revision scandal)

Their skis are high quality especially the ones Made in Austria. I had Alphas and currently am on some ARVs and they are holding up better than any other pair of skis I've been on.

Their skis are highly available in Europe and if you are lucky you can find older/last season models for quite cheap plus you can find used skis for even less money. Plus their skis are available in longer lengths (f.e. the ARV96 comes in 184, the Edollo in 188) and im a tall boi who needs bigboi-skis

Armada has one of the illest teams in my opinion (Edollo, BDog, Kimbo, TYW, Hornbeck just to name a few big names) and are more focused on style, movies, edits, parts and not comps, which is also why I back them.

I know Armada is a big company and now belongs to Amer sports so its basically a corporation. I know they had to sell but this made me sad when i read about it last year. For me Armada always was this cool independent, rider-owned company with bomb-ass skis and a stacked team. Now if you buy skis from Armada you are kinda supporting a big corporation with no association to freestyle skiing other than owning a former indie-skiing-brand.

This is also one of the points why right now I am a big fan of ON3P and Vishnu. ON3Ps Team is stacked and I've only heard/read good things about their skis plus I really respect and back their mindset. Also they support some of my favourite hot-riders of todays skiing scene (Skiman, Mango, LSM, etc.). Their skis come in big-boi sizes as well and especially the new Magnus 102 is very interesting to me but they are really hard to get in Europe. You would have to buy them from their website for around 700 bucks, so then you have to pay shipping, wait at least two weeks, go to customs and pay about 20% custom fees to pick up your skis. Really a pain in the ass and right now its easier to just buy an other brand of skis (on sale/used).

Vishnu is this really raw, small indie company with only core riders and the core mentality. I fully support them. I fully respect everything about their company, their team and their mindset. And it feels like I have a connection to them because I know Billsfan801 /claim haha.

Its hard to get them in Europe (same reasons as wiht ON3P) and the longest length of their skis is 183 but I will still try to get enough cash together to buy some WIDES this season.

Supporting the core of our sport!

Shit havent wrote such a long NS post in a very long time. Totally forgot how much fun it is to write about skiing on the internet, haha.

Have a nice sunday everyone!

**This post was edited on Jun 17th 2018 at 2:05:00pm
 
However I like vishnu’s approach. The owners of the company are the ones who ride the ski daily. Direct feedback. And they’re not focused on the money which is good. They take a “let’s build a sick ski that’s durable af for a super cheap price” approach rather than a “ok how much money can I squeeze out of this” approach. Other companies take the good approach too but I think Vishnu sticks to their approach the best because of how reasonably priced their skis are and how durable they are.
 
Jskis

Love the vibe the company brings, I think J makes a great product, New England roots

The Vacation is probably my favorite ski I've every ridden, as an all mountain jib ski it just slays it all from pow to park

The Friend is also super surfy and slays pow
 
Personally my favorite company out at the moment is Vishnu. I know that sounds cliche but before I ever purchased a pair they seemed like the most down to earth company out. I was holding back from buying a pair of wets purely because I’m a bigger guy and just didn’t know how they would hold up. I’ve always been a fan of fat skis so as soon as they released the wide I copped. Ever since the Vishnu crew and I have been pretty consistently talking about everything from skis and bindings to their clothing. I even made them a piece of metal art that’s on the front door of the vishnuclothing office. Really for me Vishnu has my top spot because of the construction of the skis as well as the top notch customer communication. It’s not just the companies page that will respond. Pick any rider you want and they’re down to help or have a convo. Glad to be supporting something like that.

As for a pair of skis that I own I have a pair of 2015 blends that I bought freshman year. Being young and super broke I wanted a ski for a bit of everything so why buy two pairs when you can buy one? It turned out that the durability wasn’t stellar by any means but the company is ok in itself. Back when Jlev owned it I feel that it was a lot more of a company for the people but now it’s lost that feel for me. Hence the reason why I jumped to Vishnu. (Durability and the vibe of the company)
 
13928495:evan.schu said:
[...] I even made them a piece of metal art that’s on the front door of the vishnuclothing office.[...]
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Dang I think I saw this on their story. So rad man! Really good work! Respect!
 
In general, I'll support a company that has a mix of a cool history, connection within the community, events locally and around country, great service and of course a rad team.
 
hg skis, they're my favorite even tho I've sadly never skied a pair cause they keep it real and produce the best content. I currently ski on on3ps and armadas because they were given to me for free and I'm on a supa tight budget. I back both on3p and armada and know some of the people who help run both companies who are good homies. I think on3p has done a great job creating a really strong team and putting there money into worthy projects and places.
 
I have never bought skis from the same brand twice. Always researching the market, shopping around, trying to find my own perfect ski for my own style of skiing. That being said my next pair will be my SECOND pair from Armada. I'm currently on the Magic J's for the deeper days and want to grab the new ARV 106's for my everyday ski (replacing Icelantic Da'Nollie). For reference I have previously skied on...Atomic, Volkl, Salomon, K2, Rossignol, Blizzard, Moment, Icelantic, and Armada (all for at least 1 full season). Armada was founded by skiers for skiers, it shows in the quality of their product.
 
what is your favorite company that makes skis?

Moment Skis

why are they your favorite?

I work there, so I'm biased, but I see the work that gets put into running a ski company. I have so much more respect for Moment because we make our own shit and everyone who works there can shred and is passionate about skiing to their core. If you send your skis off to china or some other factory with a mold idea you made and then get your skis back in the mail a few months later then you are just a marketing company. Our CEO will be working on our new website and then go cut out skis because we are overrun by production that day, and then he'll probably be fixing a half a million dollar machine after that. We also have complete control over everything, because we make skis from scratch. So anything that has a flaw in the production process does not go through. Everyone who buys our skis ends up with a full proof product in the end.

what skis do you own?

Wildcat 190, Meridian 187, Commander 188, M1 192, PBJ 182, and some snowblades

if not from your favorite company, why do you have those skis? If the same, any other reasons that factored in to your purchase?

My mom was a K2 rep when I first saw Moments at my local resort. Ten year old me thought the square tip was so badass and the graphics were awesome. It took a lot of convincing but she worked with them and got me a blem pair for cheap.
 
ON3P

I remember when Scott first started posting about his DIY ski project out of his garage in the mid-late 2000's. 10 years later and I think most people will agree they make some of the highest quality skis on the market. I love that they have retained stability and weight in their skis, while the rest of the industry is pushing toward noodly feathers. All you need to do is hold a pair of their skis to feel the difference in build quality.

+dope graphics, creative riders, and the best social media game in the industry. All hail.
 
13928514:tcurle said:
If you send your skis off to china or some other factory with a mold idea you made and then get your skis back in the mail a few months later then you are just a marketing company.
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I'll say it because you won't.

Vishnu.
 
Line skis. TC is one of the things that really got me hyped when I was young and it made me realize that you can ski however you want. I've had good experiences with their skis, minus some models that they aren't making anymore.

I currently have some K2 sights. I needed skis at the end of this season and they were pretty cheap, and I've had a pair of k2s before and they held up pretty good. I got hooked up by Line 2 seasons ago, but had trouble dealing with the rep, that's why I just didn't want to buy another pair of Line. But to me, they'll always be my favorite brand
 
Looove the ON3P shape and durability. I ride Armada cuz that was what i could get on my warranty. Love them too
 
13928534:tcurle said:
Vishnu is not the only ski company to outsource production
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True, there are many others. I'm sure Vishnu still make great skis as evidenced by all of the testimonials in this thread. I just think it's important to keep in mind that they are a much different company than HG, ON3P, and Moment despite being lumped in with these brands all the time on NS.

To be fair, Vishnu skis are priced a little more favorably while appearing to be really durable so their production model must be working.
 
Faction skis

First off, my main mountain is vetbeie, so slightly biased, I've met the owners, and the ski designer, and they're really nice people, plus to quote the owner, "I started skiing and then swapped to snowboarding, and then i tried Skiing again after some years and realized it was way better" plus, my 3 favorite skiers ski for them, Alex Hall, Antti Olilla, and the goat candide. I legit saw one of the verbier shots from this is home on the chairlift, even hit a jump the weekend after, I've demoed them and loved em, and copped a pair of CT 2s for next season

Currently i ski Head Ethan Toos, it was all they had at the shop. I like them though, because they're really stiff, but I come from a racing background. Don't bully me ama

**This post was edited on Jun 17th 2018 at 5:50:46pm
 
I dig Moment skis. I rode a pair of moments all season and they’re the best skis I’ve owned. Theyre just so fun all over the mountain. I bought them cuz they were decently priced via evo and a coreee- made in the USA
 
Every ski I've ever ridden has been totally dope for me. Sometimes feel that people put too much thought into what skis they have when the truth is if you're a good skier you'll ride well on any pair of skis. I choose skis pretty much based on graphics but am really down with core/local companies and shops when it comes to any ski-related product.
 
I'm being edgy here just to be edgy, but head. They make great pow skis, realized that only selling ski stuff won't pay the bills so they started doing other shit too. They make pretty generic shit too, but you can tell that someone over there still cares for some aspects of skiing. My 2 cents- if you really want to be core, start your ski business, grow into some other fields where people don't care about "core" shit, funnel funds back into skiing, dominate the scene with your high tech R&D facilities on your moon base and be awesome (aka be a cool Zuckerberg). It's obviously hard to do, especially when most "core" brands can only last a season or two before going under due to an already over-saturated market. And I get that it isn't all about the money, but having more R&D funds over extra income sounds pretty sweet to me.

I ride my own skis because I have time and money to burn. Favorite skis are probably OG punks, straight jib monsters and pretty durable for what they were. Typically I would make purchasing decisions based on gear talk hype mixed with what I want out of a ski. Local or big brand doesn't matter, best ski that fits my needs wins.
 
13928452:Elimitch said:
I’m think that line makes great skis. But I ride armada for the more all mountain versatility with the 96 rather than say the honey badger. The reason I like armada is because it was founded by skiiers and run by skiiers while that may not be the case now it’s still a good brand.
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Try the chronic or blend :0 i personally love the chronics!
 
ON3P: Handmade in America by people who are genuinely interested in making the best most durable ski possible. Until recently I would have included 4FRNT here. I understand that they had to make some tough decisions in order to keep from going under but it meant they had to discontinue some of the best damn skis out there.

That being said, my favorite skis I’ve ever ridden are my salomon q-labs. Salomon had developed the perfect ski for LCC/Jackson/Squaw and they discontinued it because it was too much ski for the average Jerry.
 
Armada

Bc of their durability, their graphics and most of the freestyle skis they make fit my style. I also think the clothes they make looks sick and are very comfy.

I would have mentioned faction if their skis werent so overpriced.

I have volkl revolt 2017 bc they were very cheap and fitted my style. I actualy like this skis but I kind of regret mounting them true center bc its very hard to ride well on pow ( they are 95 under foot, they should be perfect for 10-15 cm of pow) and even harder to stomp tricks off piste
 
I'm definitely a fan of HG skis because of the feedback that I've heard about the quality of their products. Not to mention they have a pretty good reputation in terms of customer service and their team is probably one of the hottest out there right now.

I currently own a pair of K2 Poachers, which I bought because they were easier to find than HG's. They're pretty stiff, which is what I was looking for at the time so I could have a snappy and responsive ski that will flex when I force them to. Only problem I've had is with one of the tails slightly delammed on me between the base and the edge but everything else holds up pretty well. Also I got them at a pro discount, which helped me out because I'm a broke college student who was worrying about paying for a speeding ticket at the time.
 
Gotta love volkl, had a pair of walls in 2010 and just got a pair of the Revolt 87's by far the best all mountain skiing park skis I've ever used, the worst being the punx.

Something about a stiff, symmetrical ski with a solid wood core and FULL CAMBER really appeals to me, and though they maybe aren't the best skis for every day new-wavy swerving, if you are a strong skier the innards of the volkl ski will speak for itself.

To be honest I bought them more as all-mountain/carving/switchcarving skis because they actually just link up turns that good.
 
I'm too biased to give a specific answer, so I will say...

Everyone building their own skis - big and small. I personally know how hard it is to start at nothing and design, build, and bring a ski to market. It consumes your life - as it has 100% of my time the past decade. As I spent most of my Sunday here at the ON3P Factory making sure we are ready to go for the week...I have to say true ski production is an entirely different game. So to all the brands actually doing it themselves - you have my respect and support. You know who you are.

As for the people saying ON3P...all I can say is:

3P8L5JW.jpg
 
Moment

For one, they are the local company for me. Plus their skis fucking shred. They make solid skis for everything... park, pow, touring, big mtn, etc...and they are made here in the U.S.

If I had to choose based on internet content it would for sure be HG/ON3P. Eat the Guts was the bees knees.
 
13928572:Stonedcarver said:
Gotta love volkl, had a pair of walls in 2010 and just got a pair of the Revolt 87's by far the best all mountain skiing park skis I've ever used, the worst being the punx.

Something about a stiff, symmetrical ski with a solid wood core and FULL CAMBER really appeals to me, and though they maybe aren't the best skis for every day new-wavy swerving, if you are a strong skier the innards of the volkl ski will speak for itself.

To be honest I bought them more as all-mountain/carving/switchcarving skis because they actually just link up turns that good.
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Honestly, fuck new wave skiing apart from the people who actually do it well. Magnus, mango, those guys, looks amazing. But then you see so many people on the mountain who try to do it and it looks absolutely retarded. I dropped poles for this past season because it helped me learn to spin because it was my second season and I ski all mountain, but most others who ski without poles are just godawful and I fully intend to pick up my poles again next season because of them when i really enjoy skiing without them. Except for that guy at snowbird with the angular skis, you're fucking awesome.
 
13928479:Jon_McMurry said:
I really enjoy riding Vishnu. Not because of the “hype” or “trendy-ness” that has ensnared the company but the fact that they are so much like IPP (interior plain project) that’s based right out of the Midwest. Small, personal, and involved. As well as having some of the nicest people working/ helping out. I can appreciate a company who does read people’s opinions and does make changes based on the riders perspective. I own 2 pairs and a third pair in preorder.
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What do you mean by “based out of Midwest” if their operations are out of SLC?
 
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