Quote:
Originally Posted by
wscanl01 
I am 20 years old 6'3" 200 lbs. I have been skiing since I was younger and consider myself around a level 7-8? I have mostly skied groomers, but I am trying to mix it up alot more this year.
I have been looking at skis online now for about a month and cannot decide what to get. I was mainly focusing on the
Volkl Bridge and the
Prophet 90s. Those both seemed to fit what I am looking for (something that can handle groomers and the east coast, but will also work well for the west and some off-piste action). I have also considered the
Watea 94s and the
Mojo 94s.
If anyone has any advice/experience with those mentioned skis, or something similiar, I would appreciate it.
Also, if you know of any good deals that would help.
-Bill
Hi Bill,
Those are all good skis! I like the Prophet 90, Watea 94, and Mojo 94, and haven't skied the Bridge. Something around 85-95mm underfoot is probably what you want to shoot for; it is a great true 50/50 range, so you are in the ballpark. Get much narrower and you will give up something on one end (lack of float primarily, and sometimes groomer skis are really stiff and hard to handle in variable conditions), get much wider and you will also make trade-offs (slow initiation, truck-like steering and lack of edge hold). Of course, many skiers prefer will place a premium on one aspect of performance or another, so what people choose will vary. I would avoid purchasing something outside of that window unless you have personally demoed the gear and know it will work; I hear more than my fair share of buyer's remorse from customers who took a flyer on a ski at recommendation of a fanboy, but realized their mistake once on the snow. I personally had my day in/day out ski an Elan 888, and found it very good for pretty much everything from groomer duty to up to 12" of new, which covers about 97% of the days I ski. There are several skis around similar to that kind of do-it-all ski: Volkl Mantra, Dynastar Mythic Rider, Blizzard Cronus (mentioned earlier), K2 Outlaw, Blizzi 8.7 and Atlas, Stockli VXL, Head Peak 88 or iM88, Mojo 94, Nordica Enforcer, Kastle MX88 or MX98: the list is long, as that is probably the most common ski width range out west. What I personally look for is a ski that is moderate to somewhat stiff flex, not too much sidecut, in a longer length that I can handle (at 5 foot 9, for myself, 175-180cm). You may need a bit more width for your weight than I do mine. Hopefully I never have to resort to a 1-ski quiver, but if I did, I would definitely be looking right at that window. Something that allows the fewest trade-offs for where and how I ski; I definitely don't like to be limited in any way by gear.
If you are looking at the Watea 94 or Mythic, we have them on closeout right now. Mojo 94's too, if you are small. Click the link at the bottom of my page for the thread. Otherwise, happy hunting!
