What skis are you riding this season?

[teletubby]

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]

Line Prophet 90

[itsallaboutpow]

K2 Hellbents and Volkl Mantra's

[Brew Ski]

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]

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]

I do not ever recall seeing a Scott ski at any of the shops that I give my biz to.

[Hawk]

190 Hart F17 with Salamon 747 bindings.
210 Rossi 7G with marker turntables.

[Hawk]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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)