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View Full Version : What skis are you riding this season?



teletubby
09-21-2011, 11:04 AM
I know Sugarbush is the land of the (Dynastar) Legends, but is anyone riding the Scott Crusade? Looks like a great ski and wondering if anyone had first-hand feedback? Opinions welcome.

HowieT2
09-21-2011, 03:21 PM
Line Prophet 90

itsallaboutpow
09-22-2011, 09:17 AM
K2 Hellbents and Volkl Mantra's

Brew Ski
09-22-2011, 10:21 AM
Dynastar Pro Riders with alpine bindings for "every day" use.
Dynastar pro riders with Marker Baron AT bindings for adventures, lift holds, and Nor'Easter days.

I think asking folks what they think about a pair of skis is like asking someone "What's the best beer?". The answer is personal to that person. If you like the look and description of the Scott Crusade, go give it a demo. Only you can choose the "right" ski for you. Everyone will have a different "favorite". Kinda like choosing between Barkbiter and Jaques Le Guide. Jaques is definitely a better skier, but Barkbiter has way more experience. Which do you want an any given day.
Ultimately, can you ever have enough skis? or beer?

teletubby
09-22-2011, 12:47 PM
I was asking if anyone had ridden that specific ski and, if so, what their thoughts about it were. It was presented along the lines of: Has anyone tried the Allagash Tripel and how did you like it? As opposed to: Hey guy on barstool next to me, I just walked in here and wondered if you could tell me what the best beer is? Either way, I was hoping to spark a discussion which beats sitting alone on a stool in silence with a beer … although come to think of it that isn’t half bad either. Cheers!

gostan
09-22-2011, 01:23 PM
I do not ever recall seeing a Scott ski at any of the shops that I give my biz to.

Hawk
09-23-2011, 07:02 AM
190 Hart F17 with Salamon 747 bindings.
210 Rossi 7G with marker turntables.

;-)

Hawk
09-23-2011, 07:06 AM
I was asking if anyone had ridden that specific ski and, if so, what their thoughts about it were. It was presented along the lines of: Has anyone tried the Allagash Tripel and how did you like it? As opposed to: Hey guy on barstool next to me, I just walked in here and wondered if you could tell me what the best beer is? Either way, I was hoping to spark a discussion which beats sitting alone on a stool in silence with a beer … although come to think of it that isn’t half bad either. Cheers!

The problem is that Brew actually drinks Brown Liquor. The name is deceiving. ;-)

Brew Ski
09-23-2011, 07:51 AM
Yea, I have been know to drink powder and ride a keg. It's not really a problem if you do it in that order.

Back to topic, I'm not sure I've ever seen Scott skis at any shop in the valley. I've seen a few write ups in ski mags, but haven't seen the tangible sticks.

I have tried the Allagash Tripel and find it a fabulous American representative of the Belgian style. Kudos for knowing a great beer. There is something special about sitting in silence on a bar stool with a great beer and lost in thought. Kind of a zen moment, not unlike carving a large GS turn on a steep and deep powder run, the moment of transition between finishing one turn and just prior to starting the next. A moment of pure float, a deep cool breath, a view of the entire silky slope below you and the anticipation of rolling up to the next edge and having it delve you deep into the sweet foam of the next tasty powder turn.

When is it going to snow? I'm missing both beer and skiing.

Cheers,

Brew ski

HowieT2
09-23-2011, 08:09 AM
totally agree about ski opinions. everybody is different and what works for one, may not be right for someone else. when I was in purchasing mode, many trusted SB skiers recommended the dynastars, but when I tried them I found them to be heavy and sluggish for me. I preferred the Line Prophets. Not that they are "better", but I felt they had a little more pop for me. My guess is its because I am not as good a skier nor as aggressive as those who love the dynastars.
That being said, demo-ing skis is a PIA if you want to compare apples to apples you have to ski the same terrain in the same snow conditions.

Hawk
09-23-2011, 09:36 AM
totally agree about ski opinions. everybody is different and what works for one, may not be right for someone else. when I was in purchasing mode, many trusted SB skiers recommended the dynastars, but when I tried them I found them to be heavy and sluggish for me. I preferred the Line Prophets. Not that they are "better", but I felt they had a little more pop for me. My guess is its because I am not as good a skier nor as aggressive as those who love the dynastars.
That being said, demo-ing skis is a PIA if you want to compare apples to apples you have to ski the same terrain in the same snow conditions.

No Howie, You ski well. It's not about your skill level with the Dynastars, it about your style of sking. I own the Legend pros also. That ski is meant to go down the hill with medium radius turns. It works great in Powder and crud and holds a good edge. But try and rip short radius turns in a good bump line and you had better be real strong. The grand majority of people who ski those, ski like they are out west. High speed, big turns, pretty fast. Sort of Eganesque. I use them on powder day and when I travel out west....or Way east.

Personnally I like/prefer a ski that is durable and turns quick and tight. Sugarbush is a bump mountain contrary to popular belief and i feel you should ski a bump type of ski here. I actually chose a short radius park type ski with the K2 Public Enemy. My reasoning was that they are build vey durable, turn incredebly quick and feel pretty stable in all kinds of conditions. The fact that i got 3 pairs at $230 close out didn't hurt also. ;-) In the big bumps and steep tight woods they work the best. But that is just my style and preference. Someday I will endeveor to demo some new type skis and see what they have come up with. Right now I am as always.....yestertech!

HowieT2
09-23-2011, 10:11 AM
No Howie, You ski well. It's not about your skill level with the Dynastars, it about your style of sking. I own the Legend pros also. That ski is meant to go down the hill with medium radius turns. It works great in Powder and crud and holds a good edge. But try and rip short radius turns in a good bump line and you had better be real strong. The grand majority of people who ski those, ski like they are out west. High speed, big turns, pretty fast. Sort of Eganesque. I use them on powder day and when I travel out west....or Way east.

Personnally I like/prefer a ski that is durable and turns quick and tight. Sugarbush is a bump mountain contrary to popular belief and i feel you should ski a bump type of ski here. I actually chose a short radius park type ski with the K2 Public Enemy. My reasoning was that they are build vey durable, turn incredebly quick and feel pretty stable in all kinds of conditions. The fact that i got 3 pairs at $230 close out didn't hurt also. ;-) In the big bumps and steep tight woods they work the best. But that is just my style and preference. Someday I will endeveor to demo some new type skis and see what they have come up with. Right now I am as always.....yestertech!

Thanks. what I meant was that I have a tendency to sit in the back seat and not ski aggressively. To me, thats a deficiency in my skiing especially in moguls. could also have something to do with having some fun in the woods if you know what I mean. but I think your observations about the dynastars are consistent with what I experienced. They were much heavier and slower to turn in the bumps which doesnt work well for me for the majority of days on the EC. I like to warm up with a bump run, then head into the woods and then cool off on a groomer. lather, rinse, repeat.

Brew Ski
09-23-2011, 12:59 PM
totally agree about ski opinions. everybody is different and what works for one, may not be right for someone else. when I was in purchasing mode, many trusted SB skiers recommended the dynastars, but when I tried them I found them to be heavy and sluggish for me. I preferred the Line Prophets. Not that they are "better", but I felt they had a little more pop for me. My guess is its because I am not as good a skier nor as aggressive as those who love the dynastars.
That being said, demo-ing skis is a PIA if you want to compare apples to apples you have to ski the same terrain in the same snow conditions.

The Sugarbush rental shop has a pretty easy way to demo several pairs of skis on the same day. I think it is only ~$50 to demo up to 3 pairs and if you choose to buy one of the pairs, you can apply the $50 towards them. It's a great way to test the Prophet 90, Volkl Mantra and a K2 (for example) on the same day in the same conditions without ever leaving the mountain. Just don't try to do it on "Castlerock Extreme" day.

I, like most of you I imagine, have read all the reviews about skis and used the reviews to choose which skis I'm most interested. I then have demo'd those skis and most often find that I would rate the skis very different. I ski the Dynastar pro riders as a 1 ski quiver. I find them lively and quick. I can ski tight mogul lines with them. I can bank huge GS turns in powder out west in them, and I find them light and quick in the woods. I use them in the Castlerock extreme and usually place respectable. They work for me. I tested the Line Profit 90 and found them similar but a little too soft for charging around the mountain hard all day. Same for several K2s. I like that K2 are fun, easy to turn and stable in most conditions,especially the ones with the "new" rocker design, but they lack rebound energy or "liveliness" for me so I'd get tired if I pounded on them all day. The Volkl Mantras are = to the pro riders in my opinion. They ski very similar to me. But again, that is likely just because of the way I ski. Probably doesn't apply to anyone else.
And Hawk is being coy, he can pound any ski through the zipper line in the moguls and make it look easy!

teletubby
09-23-2011, 03:49 PM
Agreed: Demoing skis is one giant PIA. Agreed: Sugarbush is primarily a bump-skiing mountain (especially when lack of powdery goodness renders the woods less than ideal). Agreed: Brew Ski’s description of making a GS turn is pure ski porn.

While I accept that the holy grail (the one ski quiver) doesn’t truly exist, it’s what I’m after to serve as my general purpose alpine ski. I’ve got my Coombas for those soft days and my aging Rossignol Z9’s have faithfully served me on firm days, especially in bumps. I bring up the Scott as a happy bridge between the two, because the specifications are intriguing: 92 under foot but with a turn radius of 15.0 at 179 cm. Hmmmm. A good bump ski typically isn’t this fat, but a mid-fat like this typically doesn’t arc at 15.0 either. I suspect they’re similar to the Prophet 90s but a bit more rigid because they’re weightier. They’re also probably more forgiving than the Pro Riders. I agree that reviews and specifications do not translate to how everyone will feel on it. But then again, I’ve never not had fun on any pair of skis …

Maybe I’m just looking for a fellow junkie to tell me it’s ok to pull the trigger. Another round over here please!

HowieT2
09-23-2011, 04:34 PM
Agreed: Demoing skis is one giant PIA. Agreed: Sugarbush is primarily a bump-skiing mountain (especially when lack of powdery goodness renders the woods less than ideal). Agreed: Brew Ski’s description of making a GS turn is pure ski porn.

While I accept that the holy grail (the one ski quiver) doesn’t truly exist, it’s what I’m after to serve as my general purpose alpine ski. I’ve got my Coombas for those soft days and my aging Rossignol Z9’s have faithfully served me on firm days, especially in bumps. I bring up the Scott as a happy bridge between the two, because the specifications are intriguing: 92 under foot but with a turn radius of 15.0 at 179 cm. Hmmmm. A good bump ski typically isn’t this fat, but a mid-fat like this typically doesn’t arc at 15.0 either. I suspect they’re similar to the Prophet 90s but a bit more rigid because they’re weightier. They’re also probably more forgiving than the Pro Riders. I agree that reviews and specifications do not translate to how everyone will feel on it. But then again, I’ve never not had fun on any pair of skis …

Maybe I’m just looking for a fellow junkie to tell me it’s ok to pull the trigger. Another round over here please!

Ok. You wanna shoot, shoot. Dont talk!
(bonus points to whoever gets that reference)

Hawk
09-26-2011, 07:03 AM
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

I disagree with you Brew. I work extra hard to turn those monsters in the bumps. I much prefer my K2's on less than ideal power days. I can't wait for the snow.

HowieT2
09-26-2011, 08:13 AM
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

I disagree with you Brew. I work extra hard to turn those monsters in the bumps. I much prefer my K2's on less than ideal power days. I can't wait for the snow.

well played. I owe you a beer or something.

Hawk
09-26-2011, 09:44 AM
That's ok Howie. We can buy each other a beer when the snow flies. I am sure you are chomping at the bit after such a suckie year last year. Actually We should be up on Saturday night of Community Day. Gonna miss the day time celebrations because of the "Big Kahouna" Mountain bike ride. It's a must do.

HowieT2
09-26-2011, 10:03 AM
Wasnt suckie at all. If the acl has to go, the end of march is the time to do it. I missed a few weekends of skiing, sure, but I was back mtn biking by the middle of June and so it didnt impinge on my summer activities at all. basically spent two months of mud season on the shelf.

what's the big kahuna mtn bike ride?

enjoy community day. I have to atone.

ReefBum
09-26-2011, 05:36 PM
I am going to demo the Volkl Bridge and maybe the Prophet. I ski Dynastar Mythic Legend Riders and they are a bit heavy and stiff, not ideal for noodling thru bumps. The Bridge is very light and they say it is very good in the bumps and trees....and supposedly it can hold a decent edge on groomers. I will give it a go and see.

HowieT2
09-26-2011, 06:17 PM
I am going to demo the Volkl Bridge and maybe the Prophet. I ski Dynastar Mythic Legend Riders and they are a bit heavy and stiff, not ideal for noodling thru bumps. The Bridge is very light and they say it is very good in the bumps and trees....and supposedly it can hold a decent edge on groomers. I will give it a go and see.

I love my prophets. Fwiw- I've been hearing good things about the sir Francis bacons which are totally new redesigned for this season. Good luck.

Hawk
09-27-2011, 06:46 AM
The Kahouna is an epic mountain bike ride on the Norht Shore of Boston. Basically it is a 30 to 40 mile ride on all single track from Beverly to Lobsta Land Resturaunt in Gloucester featuring some of the toughest MTB riding terrain anywhere. It usually takes about 5 to 6 hours depending on which route you pick. It is basically word of mouth and probably about 130 riders do it. Usually a nice T-Shirt. ;-)

Back on topic.......I really need to figure out a good Bump-powder combo ski if there is a thing. They don't make my K2's PE's anymore and I didn't like the K2 options last time I tried to demo. I guess I have to do some more research and testing. Everything now seems to be too wide or rockered or too stiff. I think the art of turning you ski is being lost because everybody want's to rip big mountain turns on smaller east coast hills. I still like to turn my skis alot. JMO

Brew Ski
09-27-2011, 08:03 AM
Hawk, I was just saying that you are an extraordinary bump skier that can make any ski look good in the bumps. Fat, stiff of course are not ideal for zipperheads like you and me, but if you're skiing the woods most of the day, but venture into the bumps when you pop out of the woods on the way to the lift, the big mountain skis do just fine, yes with more effort, but one can still rip the bumps on them.

It is my understanding that the pros choose short, narrow, straight and soft tips and tails for moguls competitions. I guess, the soft tip and tails can work well in powder, but the narrow certainly doesn't help with float or traversing to a good line in the woods in powder. Kinda hard to find a good bump and powder ski without sacrificing one of the major attributes of each type of ski. Some of the mid fat "powder" skis that have rockered tips might be a good option. I found the K2 hardside to be a decent ski for woods and big turns, and rather forgiving in the bumps. They are fabulous in mixed snow or crud. Just something to consider. Of course you are a much better bump skier than I am, so the nuance of the skis might be offensive for you where they were pretty good for me.
Ultimately though, is there anything wrong with having multiple skis? Usually one can evaluate the snow conditions first thing and decide whether it is a bump day, a woods day, or a cruising day. Then pick your weapon and attack the mountain.

Hawk
09-27-2011, 08:26 AM
You are much to flattering. I am old and feeling it more and more every year. I tried Rockered skis and thought that in powder they were great. In the bumps I was frighted at the lack of responsiveness. May just be the ski I tried. I guess I am looking for a mid fat that has a turning radius less than 1 mile. ;-) I was told that Line has a couple of skis that fit that desctiption but I am not sure that they meet my durability criteria. Also like RB above, the Bridge has also been suggested. I ski a large amount of Castlerock early and late and as you know, rocks are not my biggest concern. ;-)

HowieT2
09-27-2011, 09:28 AM
You are much to flattering. I am old and feeling it more and more every year. I tried Rockered skis and thought that in powder they were great. In the bumps I was frighted at the lack of responsiveness. May just be the ski I tried. I guess I am looking for a mid fat that has a turning radius less than 1 mile. ;-) I was told that Line has a couple of skis that fit that desctiption but I am not sure that they meet my durability criteria. Also like RB above, the Bridge has also been suggested. I ski a large amount of Castlerock early and late and as you know, rocks are not my biggest concern. ;-)

http://www.skiersrealm.com/general/2012-line-sir-francis-bacon

ReefBum
09-28-2011, 05:30 AM
I love my prophets. Fwiw- I've been hearing good things about the sir Francis bacons which are totally new redesigned for this season. Good luck.Thanks. How do the Prophets do in powder? 90 under foot would be just a bit wider than my MLR so that is why I was leaning towards the Bridge, which is a 95 and has a good rep in powder. Can't wait to get out there to start the test drives.

gostan
09-29-2011, 06:20 PM
Thanks. How do the Prophets do in powder? 90 under foot would be just a bit wider than my MLR so that is why I was leaning towards the Bridge, which is a 95 and has a good rep in powder. Can't wait to get out there to start the test drives.Line makes the Prophet in a 98. 98-100 under foot seems to be the "do everything" sweet spot according to the hyper this season. For me, that width works better all over and off the mountain. This season, I will be on my true and tried Line Prophet 100's and my new Blizzard Bonafides. Bring it on!

HowieT2
09-29-2011, 09:39 PM
Line makes the Prophet in a 98. 98-100 under foot seems to be the "do everything" sweet spot according to the hyper this season. For me, that width works better all over and off the mountain. This season, I will be on my true and tried Line Prophet 100's and my new Blizzard Bonafides. Bring it on!

I agree. I was reticent to go wider than 90 when I got them 3 years ago as I was coming from an older narrow ski. In hindsight I would go to 100-110. Let's get some powder this season. Psyched for some big big dumps preferably on a thursday with some upslope Saturday morning.

Hawk
09-30-2011, 06:32 AM
Line makes the Prophet in a 98. 98-100 under foot seems to be the "do everything" sweet spot according to the hyper this season. For me, that width works better all over and off the mountain. This season, I will be on my true and tried Line Prophet 100's and my new Blizzard Bonafides. Bring it on!
I read that also Stan. The problem with all these new ski reports are that they are primarily done by big mountain skiers at big big mountains out west. Very little consideration is given to the kinds of conditions that we see here. I think a very good nook for someone around here would be to actually demo the skis that are in all the Magazine ski previews and give the East Coast slant. How often have you skied out west on a day you thought was great and then heard that the overall conditions were considered marginal. I have many times. I guess we go back to the old demo routine to get the real feel for the skis. I am going to give the Prophet a whirl later this year. We will see how they feel.