Pick out a Ski for me. Ex-Ski Patroller, Mammoth Ski Area 20 yrs ago. I still have my Kastle 213cm Super GS

#1

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10/31/09 at 11:14am

teshred
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I need help buying skis. I am 160 lbs, 5'8", 46 years old. I was a ski patroller for Mammoth Ski Area 20 years ago. I like to ski the steeps, crud and powder. No bumps anymore. Any suggestions? I bought a pass for Mammoth this coming season. How long should I go? I used to ski 213cm super giant slalom and 207cm gs skis. thanks.

#2

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10/31/09 at 11:49am

Snowfan
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teshred...Demo 5 pairs of skis per day, 3 or more days. While demo'ing, take a few lessons and learn how to ski modern skis with modern technique. Only after that should you consider buying skis.

Enjoy the season, as a kid I used to go to Mammoth once a year, what a place!

"For me skiing has always been about what I feel as opposed to what I think..." Hilary Lindh

"A setback is just a setup for a comeback" Errol Kerr

#3

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10/31/09 at 1:47pm

Mr. Crab
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try these. probably 183. I have the 07-08 gold ones, the next years were black and neon and pretty ugly, but the same excellent ski. I have a half dozen skis in the quiver, but I usually just grab these and go. They perform very well on hard snow (West) but are pow skis. This year they are different, with a bit of early rise rocker. All reports are good so far, but I wonder if some hard snow performance has been lost...

#4

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10/31/09 at 1:55pm

nstelemark
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The Gotamas are a good choice but I suspect that you might like the Mantras better. I had some Kastle RX National teams too ;-)

#5

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10/31/09 at 2:37pm

1SDSKIER
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I concur w/both Gotama & Mantra.. I personally have the Gots as my powder specific ski, (gold ones) and Love them.. I ski Mammoth alot, (for almost 30 yrs now) and find that with any fresh they are an excellent choice.. For a one ski quiver they pretty darn good, not great at everything but very good, I find them slithery in the steeps for such a wide ski... My brother skis the Mantra's and loves them, also a very good choice, but won't fair as well in powder, tradeoffs... Demo demo demo.. Happy hunting....

Every man dies, but not every man lives......

#6

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10/31/09 at 3:11pm

SierraJim
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Having owned both the Mantra and Gotama ('08) I can say that I am a big fan of the older version of the Goat and still have one although I don't ski it much. However, I am not much of a fan of the Mantra of any vintage. Here is a link to a review that I wrote last year comparing those two to a ski that I personally like better than either as an all around tool.

shop.starthaus.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp

This is the full length epic thread with the above review plus additional commentary.

www.epicski.com/forum/thread/77586/blizzard-argos-and-my-two-volkls-gotama-mantra

Naturally YMMV and there are dozens of other skis that could be a fit for you depending upon your preferences.

SJ

www.starthaus.com (Check out SH ski deals #2 in the special deals forum)

#7

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10/31/09 at 4:11pm

Philpug
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Kastle MX88's in a 178, you will not be disappointed.

Click. Point. Chute.

#8

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10/31/09 at 7:38pm

RicB
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Ahhh, I skied the National Team For five years, Look bindings and Koflak boots. Yeah The old days. If I was looking for versatility and performance I would certainly give the Atomic Crimson Ti (86 under foot) a ride in a 176. If you want a little more girth then give the Savage Ti ( 93 under foot) a ride in a 177 as well. The Crimson is versatile, nimble, and stable at speed whether it is in crud, steeps, or on piste, and they are still made in Austria, and in a very green factory. The Crimson Ti was my favorite all over the mountain at Bridger Bowl last year. I remember the first time i took them out last year I was given a Shlushman's tour (expert terrain) and I thought it would be good time to try them out. It only took a couple of turns to realize these skis were meant for this terrain. I was equally surprised to find how well they performed on the groomers later on in the day. Give them a try i don't think they will disappoint you..

#9

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10/31/09 at 9:03pm

TheDad
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So... when were you last skiing regularly, and what did you ski on? Because if you haven't really skied since in 20 years, the answer is going to be different than if you got 20+ days last year.

Although, apparently, FloSkis will cure the common cold.

#10

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11/1/09 at 6:48am

Ghost
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Sorry to break the news to you but you should budget for two pair.

I went through the change from old SGs to new SLs about half a dozen years ago, so learn from my experience.

Things have changed, and you really should experience the benefits of the short-radius carver. They are a blast to arc turns on. More turns per your skiing dollar. Nothing will increase your skills as much as arcing a bajillion turns per run. And they are great fun.

However, anyone who spent a goodly portion of their skiing time on a pair of Kästle RX National Team SG, will not likely limit themselves to the speeds at which short radius skis work well in. Sure they will feel good enough at speed (until you take the old SGs out of the garage for old-times sake and see what your missing), but you really need a long radius ski too, and let's face it, those old SGs were a little too stiff for powder, and not the best mogul ski. A short radius ski for a fast skier is an accident waiting to happen, unless that skier has another pair of skis for high speed skiing. Good short radius skis just work too well at speed on flat smooth snow; the vibration dampening is that good. However, they can given the right conditions suddenly bite into the snow and do very nasty things.

I haven't been out west lately, but I've heard good things about the Dynastar LPs and the new Kästles.

Are your boots made of the disposable plastic, or the good plastic?

#11

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11/1/09 at 9:00am

Snowfan
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Demo, Demo, Demo

Edited by Snowfan - 11/1/09 at 1:00pm

"For me skiing has always been about what I feel as opposed to what I think..." Hilary Lindh

"A setback is just a setup for a comeback" Errol Kerr

#12

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11/1/09 at 10:15am

Mr. Crab
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Gee SJ, nice review, good price...

#13

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11/1/09 at 11:00am

TheDad
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Ghost, I'm not sure that I agree that he needs a short radius ski. Based on the fact that (a) he's going to transition from skis with a ridiculously high radius by today's standards, and (b) he's skiing Mammoth, I was actually going to recommend that he should look at radii >25m.

If I were looking for a two ski quiver for Mammoth, I'd start with a waist in the 85-95mm range for everyday use, and plan to add something in the 110+ range for soft days.

#14

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11/1/09 at 11:42am

teshred
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thanks, that's probably the smart thing to do.

#15

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11/1/09 at 12:46pm

Paul Jones
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Philpug

Kastle MX88's in a 178, you will not be disappointed.

This would be a good choice.

Nordica Jet Fuel.

Nordica Helldiver.

#16

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11/1/09 at 12:51pm

Paul Jones
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Quote:

Originally Posted by adrianflo

FloSkis

With the 163 cm fat FloSkis, advanced skiers can learn double black diamond skiing in over 30 cm of fresh powder snow in one day of instruction.

FloSkis will reduce the drop out rate of older skiers

Now there's a perfect %$#$ing perfect choice.

#17

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11/1/09 at 1:23pm

Ghost
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Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDad

Ghost, I'm not sure that I agree that he needs a short radius ski. Based on the fact that (a) he's going to transition from skis with a ridiculously high radius by today's standards, and (b) he's skiing Mammoth, I was actually going to recommend that he should look at radii >25m.

If I were looking for a two ski quiver for Mammoth, I'd start with a waist in the 85-95mm range for everyday use, and plan to add something in the 110+ range for soft days.

Based on b), I stand corrected. He probably should go with a longer turn radius for Mammoth.
However, I do think he would enjoy the short radius skis too; I didn't have any trouble transitioning from old SG to new SL. Maybe he could get by with buying a LR fat or midfat, and demoing the the short radius skis, but I think it would be less hassle for him to simply buy a used SR ski to complement his main ride.

#18

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11/1/09 at 1:47pm