best all mountain ski

I'm looking for a new twin tip all mountain ski for this season.  I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to what i should get.

I've had a pair of Elan twin tips for the last tow years, but only recently found out that they are mainly for park/pipe, which i dont do at all.  I prefer the deep stuff, trees, and natural terrain over a terrain park.  Ive had terrible luck with the top sheet chipping and the ski itself chipping throughout the season, which is kinda annoying.

I'm 6' 4" and weigh 172 lbs but am pretty agile for my height and love to ski fast and over varying terrain.  I can ski just about everything and i have been on skis since i was four so im pretty comfortable with riding.  I need a ski that can go from groomers to crud to waist deep fluff in an instant. 

Any ideas of what i should get would be really helpful!  Thanks!

To entirely avoid the chipping problem, I recommend stainless steel capped skis. Any pair of Colorado born Volant Chubbs, which are still in good shape, are the best all around skis ever made.

It's a natural born fact.




Oh, and I just happen to have some for sale too, how fortunate for you!

This was a double post, but now since I can't just delete it, I will go on to say that I was wrong, that just because steel skis are entirely immune to chipping, and because they ski smoother than a baby's bottom, doesn't mean they can fulfill the needs of one who wants his skis to have twin tips for no stated reason.

I would look into the K2 Extreme and the Volkl Bridge.

 Icelantic Nomads are sweet.

Twins are sweet even if you rarely go switch simply cause the rooster tail they kick up hits people behind you in the face


Edited by crgildart - 10/7/09 at 8:34am

Why do you need it to be a twin tip if you don't do any park stuff? Do you ski switch at all?

I would just like to throw in my 2 cents on the twin tip thing..

- Rooster tails are sweet, I love ripping by buddies and blasting them in the face.
- Twin tips can be help full in narrow chutes or anytime you need to "sideslip" down a face

I'm not experienced on that many different models/types of skis but do twin tips really loss that much pop or snap out of a turn compared to a flat tail? I would like to know peoples opinion on this.

To the O.P - Check out the following, I recommend some personally, the others I have heard good things and they seem to be popular. They should fit the bill for a solid all-mountain ski.

- Kastle MX88
-Volkl AC50
Kastle MX98
Line Prophet 90/100
Nordica Enforcer
Volkl Mantra

Of these only the Prophet is a twin tip. Have fun.

The Bizzard Magnum 8.7 IQ Max is awesome a real amazing all-mountain....wide enough for float solid edge on the groomed, blasts through crud.....Gold Medalist this year from ski...tried @ Whistler last spring!

Volkl Bridge is a really quick skis. Great for skiing in the trees.

Search all mountain twin tips. There have been a lot of threads on this topic.

Good luck!

Scott Punisher, Line Prophet 90 and Head Mojo 94 (if you can find a left over from 08/09).

If you are having chipping problems that are above and beyond what other people have, and not just isolated to one pair of skis (with questionable quality top-sheet) may be a sign that you need to widen your stance. Seriously.

So they are helpful in gaping down terrain that one doesn't have the skills to ski?

Newsflash! Side slipping existed long before twin tips were ever a thought.

Dynastar Bigs. 92 in the waist, very stiff for a twin tip, GREAT in the crud. Also, if you can find a video on YouTube from the movie Realtime by Level 1 productions, you can see them being used in the deepest powder I have probably ever seen in a ski movie. Granted, those are pros using them and not us bums. Definitely check em out though.

Well, ya, but they are much better for side-slipping switch

I think we should start calling them by their original name - goon skis.

Ive been skiing the gotama lineup for awhile now, and to me there is no other ski this gets the job done all over the mountain.

Yes lets hear it for the Gotoma.  I have the brown busters from 08 and skin up the wild ridges in Alaska and ski through waist deep thick powder, Alyeska hard pack, and Alta fluff with a big smile on my face all the way.  I will take the plunge this winter and add this years model to my quiver to enjoy the true angel pow at Alta .

I think twin tips are helpful for... wait for it... skiing backwards. No, seriously. Sometimes you're stuck somewhere, you just want to slide over to a different spot. I find myself just backing up on my twin tips where I might do a kick turn on trad skis. Not that I'd buy a ski just for that...

Oh, and they suck for attaching skins, sticking in the snow, loading into gondola racks, using as brakes in deep powder and cool guides in La Grave and Jackson Hole cut the tails off their twins, yes, yes, I know.

2nd the recomindation for the Prophet 90 or 100, and the Gotama (old version, I think the new would be too powder specific)