Let's play a game....build (MY) new quiver - Page 2

Obviously you have some time to waste and I have provided something for you to waste it on. You are indeed welcome.

BTW; this is not required play time.

BBTW; you nailed one primary and one backup.


SJ

Very close to my backup narrow, but not my primary.

SJ

One is a no, one is a backup to the primary choice within category.

SJ

2 for 2..............

SJ

1 1/2 out of 5..............

SJ

I was planning that for this AM anyway but I was having fun watching the guesswork. Besides, JHS got almost all of them.

Here's the lineup:

Wide: Rossi S7, Huge Trouble
Middle: Blizzi Argos
Narrow: Watea 84

There are so many good skis within each of these categories that I decided to completely break the stasis that my personal quiver has been in. The 1 pr per maker is just an arbitrary rule I set for myself and after the first month or so I may break it.

Here's why...............

Wide: I like both the ones that I have (Sugar and the Goat) but decided to play a little. I have skied the HT enough times to know that I really like it. I have skied the S7 but not in proper conditions so it's really an unknown. There were many suggestions for the Pontoon but I have skiied it enough to know that it's not my personal cuppa. I want to spend enough time on an alternative shape to discover whether I like them or not and the S7 should be a good experiment. If it turns out that I just don't care for it, it'll be easy to dump off and I know the HT is really all that I need anyway.

Middle: Blizzard is a line that I have never spent much time on b/c I have never sold them. Now I am selling them and need some long term exposure to the lineup. I'm planning this as my everyday ski when there's been snow within the last week. This is a very interesting ski to me because it fits a niche rather like the Volkl Mantra but with some important differences. As most know, I don't like the Mantra as much as some do (even though I own one). The Argos addresses the two things that I don't like about the Mantra by having a straighter shape and being a little softer, especially torsionally.

There are buckets of great skis in this group. My rules of engagement kept me from getting the MR again. The K2 Outlaw was a contender, but I've skied K2's a lot. The Blizzi Cronus was also tempting but I think the Argos is a ski that we can sell a lot of so I want some in depth feeling about it. If it turns out that the Argos is not a fit for whatever reason, I will fall back and pick up a Watea 94 which I think is a wonderful ski.


Narrow: Again there tons of skis here that I like. For my needs I don't need a hard snow biased ski in this spot so that leaves out the Blizzi 8.7 and 8.1, and a fair few of the Nordies. The L8K is still a strong contender here but I've skied it so much that I left it out for that reason (also the Dynastar slot was alredy taken) K2's are the same deal as above. The Watea 84 is a ski that I also know very well and and it is a great general purpose tool. When the snow is over a week old, this will be my choice. While the 84 is not a stellar ski on hard snow, it is good enough for me considering the typical western conditions. I have a fallback plan for this spot too. There is a ski coming from Nordica after the first of the year. It is not radically different than what they already have but it's a ski I know well in it's current guise and I am very fond of Nordicas (especially the non metal ones)

So there ya have it...............now feel free to ridicule, scoff and rebuild.........

SJ

I have not skied the Blower. I've had several chances but never in the right conditions.

I have skied the Enforcer and while it's a very good ski, it doesn't fit what I'm looking for within it's width category. (similar to the Mantra in that respect) Nordica is making some of the best skis available but not every ski is going to fit everybodys tastes.

SJ

Ummmmm.......not Zactly a newbie to the area. I've lived here for over 20 of the last 30 years. I have been gone for the last four however.



Gee....I can't get one of those???..........drat!!!

SJ

True enough it's an awsome stick. (I'd just get a sore throat from making dive bomber noises though)

SJ

Very good point but the skis were chosen for the similar waist widths intentionally. This quiver readjustment is as much about experimentation and self education as anything. Within certain niches, the alternative shapes are proliferating. While I have skiied a fair number of them, it has mostly been brief exposures and sometimes in the wrong conditions. To get a more in depth knowledge of the category, I need to have one available on a "whenever" basis. Comparing two with similar widths over the long haul will give me the best opportunity possible to evaluate the concept rather than the width.



SJ