All mountain ski for intermediate

[tnt1234]

I guess it just comes down to performance expectations. I can ski my Steadfasts as a daily driver just fine. They were for three seasons When released, they were considered one of the better hard snow all mountain skis.

Then I started demoing performance carving and beer league race skis on hard snow and the difference is night and day. There's a reason why racers skis are the width they are. The physics just work better on hard man made snow, which is what I encounter as a NH skier about 70% of the time. 25% of the time it's packed powder or fresh 8" and under. The Steadfasts come out for that. Anything 8" and up, I ski the Vagabonds.

Yeah, I can see that...hmmm...maybe I should look for a narrow ski too....

 

[deadheadskier]

Yeah, I can see that...hmmm...maybe I should look for a narrow ski too....

I was very tempted to go with a Rossi Hero beer league ski I tried. Those had even more F1 Race Car like performance. But I love bumps and the iRally has more forgiving tips and tails, so they do pretty well in the bumps even though they have a wide shovel.

Of course they perform no where near as well as a specialized bump ski like Harts. I'd love a set of those too. But I'd also love to not be getting old and fat, so I could actually still spend an entire day pounding bumps.

 

[RISkier]

I generally agree with comments about going narrower for many purposes. I was taking a lesson at Alta a year or so ago and the instructor was on something in the 80 range. Said he often saw folks on skis too wide. Narrower skies are easier to get on edge, quicker edge to edge, and easier on knees because they don't have as much leverage. I also think shorter is often better. There's certainly a place for wide and long, but for East Coast groomers I don't think width gets you much. Length more depends on size, weight, and how fast you ski. But there too I think a ski that is quicker and easier to turn is generally a better option. I demoed Brahmas several years ago. I know they've been changed quite a bit. I thought of them as crud busters. Would try to blast through anything and were very stable, but not very playful. No specific recommendations. I've been hearing good things about the newer K2s. A ski I want to demo is the Brahma 82 in a relatively short length.

 

[Edd]

I generally agree with comments about going narrower for many purposes. I was taking a lesson at Alta a year or so ago and the instructor was on something in the 80 range. Said he often saw folks on skis too wide. Narrower skies are easier to get on edge, quicker edge to edge, and easier on knees because they don't have as much leverage. I also think shorter is often better. There's certainly a place for wide and long, but for East Coast groomers I don't think width gets you much. Length more depends on size, weight, and how fast you ski. But there too I think a ski that is quicker and easier to turn is generally a better option. I demoed Brahmas several years ago. I know they've been changed quite a bit. I thought of them as crud busters. Would try to blast through anything and were very stable, but not very playful. No specific recommendations. I've been hearing good things about the newer K2s. A ski I want to demo is the Brahma 82 in a relatively short length.

I was also looking at the Brahma 82 online today, thinking about a short length also. My daily driver and pow skis are 180 but I’d like to try this in a 173. Burly ski so that may be long enough for frontside ride.

 

[Boxtop Willie]

Throwing in my $0.02...I'm on an Elan Ripstick 88 since last year (172). While skeptical at first about the dedicated left and right ski, the owner of my local ski shop (a guy I trust and had race coached with previously) talked me into it. It's possibly the best all around ski I've ever had. Great performance in all conditions (except maybe deeper powder or bullet proof boiler plate). Playful, lively and quick turning, yet oddly stable at some speed. Can hold an edge when needed. Great in the trees. Previous ski was the Head Kore 93 which I liked but found a bit less responsive.
BTW, you can ski them on the wrong feet, it just feels a little weird, like something is just not quite right.

 

[Smitty244]

What’s your height and weight? I’m 6’2” 210

 

[Smitty244]

How does the ripstick 88 compare to the rustler 9?

 

[prsboogie]

If I were you I would give the 179s a serious look for what your style is describing

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[RISkier]

If I were you I would give the 179s a serious look for what your style is describing

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Have you skied the Liberty 76? I've read good things about them.