Best types of skis for semi-extreme skiing?

It occurs to me that if you are capable of that kind of skiing you would already know what type of ski would work best. 

From a little off the radar, Goodes are really light for when you hike. They are also really light so you can maintain your balance while moving your skis where you want them. They turn really well. They edge reasonably well. They work nicely in powder or cut up snow. They are reasonably robust. The downside is that they don't like to go really fast - maybe it's me who doesn't like the speed.

Eric

Praxis Freeride or Rx, depending on your size and style. Absolutely bomber, great dynamics, light for their ilk and a great, US based company. Also, they happen to be on pre-season sale from the company.  praxisskis.com. Go get 'em. (and no, I am not affiliated with Praxis, just a fan).

Please post this on http://www.tetongravity.com/ , the folks there are much more helpful and are way more "extreme" X-TREME!! LMAO

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Originally Posted by time2skin 

Please post this on http://www.tetongravity.com/ , the folks there are much more helpful and are way more "extreme" X-TREME!! LMAO

That's just not nice.... ;-)

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Originally Posted by VeganFreeskier 

Looking for suggestions on types of skis (not specific models, just approximate width and sidecut) ideal for extreme skiing. I'm not talking about stuff like heli skiing in Haines, I'm not that good that yet, but stuff like Corbet's Couloir, S&S, 20-30 foot cliffs, very steep/narrow chutes (i.e. Heart Chute and Patrolman's), Schmidiot's, etc. Would something like http://www.libertyskis.com/double-helix be good? (150-121-140, 26m for those too lazy to click:)) Not that I'm going to buy without demoing first, but I just want some preliminary input. Also, I already have K2 Extremes, so I'm not interested in an all-around versatile ski, I want something specifically for off-piste/extreme. Thanks.

Any decent fat ski should be able to handle chutes and 20' drops, assuming you can handle it. You are getting a pass in LCC right?

For an all-purpose LCC daily driver look for something 100-115 underfoot and have some level of tip (and tail?) rocker. Side cut doesn't matter much but mid 20m is good... You will want either the longest length or one step down.

I posted a question about the new (with rocker) DH and got nothing, so apparently no one on this board knows much about it... To me it looks more like a nice wide ski in a two ski quiver. I would want something a bit smaller in the waist (90-105mm) for lower snow days.

The big issue to figure out is it the right ski for you? Do you feel comfortable on it, does it work with your skiing style and the terrain you will be skiing? I would guard against going with a very stiff "pro level" freeride ski, unless you are charging hard all the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeganFreeskier 

Thanks for the replies, I will ask on TGR too.

 

 

I haven't done a 20' yet but I'm sure I'll be doing them fairly early into this winter now that I'll be living in the mountains. But when it comes to chutes and steep faces I'll ski the steepest you can give me. I've done some smaller drops, no challenge whatsoever, faces as steep as they get, etc. Also, would you say the same applies to terrain like this? http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Darth-Turaga/Other/jholebc.png

 

 

I have K2 Extremes so I'll use those when I want something smaller.

 

 

I always am. :) I live in MN but when I go to the mountains, I'm never passed, always the fastest there, and I'll ski runs/lines everyone else turns away from.

Did you ski off the cornice in the picture? That is beyond what I would call semi-extreme.

I will go out on a limb here and guess that many of the "semi-extreme" lines near jackson and LCC have been skied by guys with alot less ski than what is considered normal fat skis today. Find the right ski, not necessarily the biggest badest ski. You want something that will float in powder, that you can turn and control at the speeds you will be skiing.

You will like snowbird. Plenty of very skilled freeriders for you to learn from. And plenty of very accessible BC territory to explore as well. 

Is the premise of this thread full of oxymoron's .

If dropping big airs & high speed is what you are after, longer is usually better.  A high din & stiffer skis wouldn't hurt either.  Too much sidecut can be hooky at high speed.  Tip & tail rocker is a biggie to help reel things back in when they start to go wrong.

With that said, I think if I was moving to LCC from Minnesota, I would be more interested in finding the most forgiving "powder" ski I could find for my second pair.

JF

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Originally Posted by VeganFreeskier 

 

No, I didn't take the picture, I found it in an image search when I was looking for an example. And I was referring to the stuff to the right of the cornice, just the steeps with cliffs. I'm not quite good enough for it yet but give me a few weeks living in the mountains and I will be. Well, I could survive it now, but not gracefully. :P

 

 

In that case do you think something like this might be better for extreme? Considering it's the cliffs, chutes, and steeps I'm interested in, not the powder. http://www.libertyskis.com/helix

I hope I'll get a chance to demo the Helix and Double Helix and some skis from other companies before I buy, but as I said, just looking for some preliminary advice now, and I don't know if I'll get a chance to take demo skis into anything extreme.

 

 

Good to hear, I'm getting an Alta/Snowbird season pass, very excited. :D

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm more interested in chutes, cliffs, etc. than powder. I'll just get demo powder skis whenever I want something really fat. I agree that longer is better but I don't know how long to go. Right now I'm on 169 K2 Extremes as my primary pair, I was thinking of going 182 if I get the Double Helix, but do you think that's too short? Would the 190 be better? I'm about 5'11 or 6' and probably around 170 pounds. And would you say tip/tail rocker is better than full rocker? Probably a stupid question but living in MN I haven't had a chance to try much. :/

Here is a TR of some guys skiing Baldy Main Chute on carving skis... Baldy Main Chute is a classic chute in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Pretty steep at 42* but nice and wide. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=7051

Not interested in powder? Then why move to UT and specifically LCC?

I am confused, what level skier are you? If you are not already an accomplished skier (e.g. skiing 40* chutes with confidence, in control, no problem) then 4ster's comment about a forgiving powder ski is pretty much dead on.

I skied 179 PEs for a while and 169 Extremes are IMO too short for you to freeride in low snow conditions at Alta and Snowbird. If they were 184 that would be something else...

I have never skied anything from liberty... But I think the Helix would be worth a demo.

Frankly, a ski like the Blizzard The Ones or Rossi S3 are a very forgiving skis that work great in powder. They are easy to turn (helpful in tight places like chutes) and in a 184 size have enough stability to land some small drops (largest I have done on my ones is 10'). And as a bonus the ones ski pretty darn good on the front side (groomers and moguls and such). These are fun skis to ride and are very suitable for learning big mountain skills on. Also add the Rossi S7 to your list.

Fully rockered skis are more manoeuvrable in deep powder, skis with some camber under foot and tip and tail rocker a bit less so, but they have a bit more stability.

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Originally Posted by VeganFreeskier 

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Okay, I shouldn't have said I'm not interested in powder. I love powder. But I love steep and extreme even more. And if I get something like the Double Helix it should be good in powder too.

 

 

I don't know what number to give myself, but to give you a feel of where I'm at, I've skied at JHole, Bogus, Brundage, A-Basin, and Mt Hood Timberline, and I've skied every (open) double black I've come across, none has given me any challenge, and also off-piste stuff of course. I go places that everyone, even the locals will turn away from, I ski much faster than anyone, I'm literally never passed if speed counts for anything, always feel very confident in the toughest in-bounds terrain I've come across. I've skied stuff steeper than Baldy Main, and jumping a few meters is no challenge for me but I haven't done any big drops yet. As for skiing a 40* chute in control with confidence, yes, no problem. I'll ski the steepest stuff there is (excluding Haines, perhaps), I just don't have much experience with drops yet (due mainly to lack of opportunity). When I say steep I mean stuff that makes Baldy look like nothing. And I know I'll get much better very quickly living in Utah, I'm a fast learner when it comes to skiing.

 

As for the 169s being too short for freeride, I know, that's why I want new skis, but I love them for groomers and less extreme off-piste. I know a lot of people would say they're a bit short for me, but I've always liked short skis. But I'm well aware that I need longer skis for extreme/freeskiing. Would you recommend 182 or 190 if I go with DH?

do you have any video of you skiing?

I need to see some video before I recommend some "semi extreme skis"

This has to be a troll and a very funny one at that!

yeah,, this all makes no sense. too many contradictions, and who says extreme any more?

popcorns popping,, heading over to TGR to watch the fireworks...

Linky if you find it. Semi-extreme skier prolly shouldve posted their first. I think he'll get a bit of a difference perspectives their, wonder if he has pictures?

If you are serious, then the Double Helix, while an excellent ski, is a bad choice for you. You want something narrower and stiffer. Something like the Dynastar Legend 105, basically something between 105mm and 115mm underfoot with a stiffer flex from mid-ski through the tail. Look for low tip rocker (or no rocker) and no tail rocker, this will help with landings and give you more grip/stability if you find yourself in a wind scoured coolie.

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Originally Posted by alexzn So, you live in MN, you are the fastest gun on the slopes out there, and you think that a few weeks in the real mountains will make you a first-class ripper, well, best of luck to you.  My advice is to be careful and dont bite more than you can chew in those weeks, otherwise a season-ending injury is a distinct possibility (just sayin'...) 

This brings to mind another good point, especially at snowbird, early season conditions can be sketchy until a solid base of snow is there to cover up the chunder. If you are dropping 20'ers for the first time the first week of December you will probably land on a rock or clip a tree stump on the run out because the base is not deep enough to cover that shit.

Here is a video of Silver Fox which is one of the easiest lines off the Cirque. Jake is a very talented freeride guy and you can see he is really picking his way becuase the snow is barely covering a lot of bushes, rocks and trees and its a few days after Xmas. You will want to take the first month or so of the season to dial in your technique, fine tune your equipments, and make friends. That way wean the mountain is ready you will be ready to rip it.

Real world conditions right there^

As was mentioned above,  too much or any tail rocker may not be the best thing for dropping big airs.  They don't provide much stability for backseat landings, not that you would ever want or need to deal with that...  & no that is not a stupid question.

High level, hard charge skiing is less about equipment & more about experience, technique & physical conditioning.  There is a big difference between linking fluid turns down a steep, narrow icy couloir & straightlining a chute in soft snow with a cliff huck in the middle & a clear run-out below.  One takes skill, the other takes balls.  The right tool for the job can certainly make things more enjoyable though.

You will learn much in a season on a big mountain, but take it slow & build up to things a bit at a time.  Constantly weigh the risk & reward!  I have seen too many newbies end their season in December because they were all jacked up from watching the latest pre-season ski porn.  You will need time to learn the mountain, the terrain features & traps.  The best stuff at Snowbird isn't really good until there is about a 70" base & even then it depends on how the snow comes in.  How has the wind been blowing, was the early snow heavy & dense or light & dry etc.?

Have fun!

JF

 Another icecream skier.

I stopped reading part way down because I didn't see anything very helpful or that I agree with, mixed with some half hearted attempts to make fun of you. On TGR they are much better at making fun of you as well as providing excellent advice. If you ask questions like this they'll tear you apart and probably one nice guy will tell you this:

There are a lot of options out there. Get something 115ish underfoot or a little bigger. Popular options include S7, JJ, Bentchetler, Bibby Pro, RP 112 etc. These will be very versatile by offering rockered tips and tails and camber underfoot as well as some traditional sidecut. A stiffer or even non rockered tail will be nice for big hucks. Go long and SEARCH.

I would say skip the S7's and check out JJ's or Bentchetlers. Get them pretty long and check out TGR but don't go in with a post like you did here. Go to the search box and search or even do a google search and include the words "teton gravity"

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Originally Posted by VeganFreeskier 

To everyone calling me a troll, why? 

Because unless you have an unbelievable amount of innate talent, people generally don't get to be as good as you're claiming to be skiing in minnesota with the occasional vacation out west.  It just doesn't normally happen.  Couple that with the fact that most people vastly overrate their skiing skills, and the odds are that you're full of it.  Could you actually be totally ready to tear up everything LCC has to offer?  Yeah, it's possible, but it's simply not the most likely option, that's all.  The most likely options are that either you're another "expert" skier who's overstating his ability because he "skied" a double diamond, or else a troll.  That's why you're getting the kind of responses you're getting.  I don't know you, I don't know your skiing, I'm not passing judgement... I'm just explaining the reason behind the reactions you're getting.

Oh man, didn't they read the disclaimer!?!?