Best 2012 All Mountain Ski?

[Super_Geo]

Hoping to get some input from you guys on what skis I should buy. I'm a new-ish skier, though I started almost a decade ago I never really went more than once a year, so I never really got good at skiing. Last year I went 3 times (sadly the most I've ever skiied in a season) and got comfortable on all blue runs and the occasional black. I want to go 7-10 times this year and start getting a lot better.

Have any of you guys tried the Salomon BBRs? They seem pretty interesting... water-ski inspired (apparently) and has been reviewed quite well. http://www.onthesnow.co.uk/gear/ski_reviews/2012/a/54/
http://www.evo.com/imgp/750/51285.Image.1.jpg

What would you guys recommend? I'm looking for an all-mountain ski.

[Redlyne_mr2]

First of all, don't ever ever listen to a ski review from the UK. Second of all, those would be a horrible ski for Alberta/bc mountains. I've never been a fan of Salomon skis to begin with, no life to them whatsoever.

Check out Rossignols offerings, Line Prophet flight is also a great ski for the Alberta Mountain weekend warrior.

Don't mean to sound like a prick, just lots of gimmicks out there in the ski industry that don't do anything but drain people of their money.

Check out the Powder mags buyers guide. A lot of the recommended skis are for experts skiers but it will at least give the opportunity to learn some of the brands out there and see what they all have to offer.
http://www.powdermag.com/2011-skis/

[heavyfuel]

These.

http://www.rossignol.com/US/US/experience-88_RA1EH01_product_ski-men-skis-all-mountain-rocker.html

Words can't express how stoked I am about these!

I've been skiing/boarding most of my life, and these are among the awesomest skis I've ever skied on.

[zarge]

don't go with carving skis like those above, go with a more straight line ski for all mountain.. carving skis are only good for ice and maybe groomed runs by about noon. I don't know why they call them "all mountain frontside" skis.

"The Frontside range bring groomers to life with adrenaline-pumping, mind-blowing carved turn ability and amazing stability at speed, delivering the highest performing lift service skis built by Rossignol."

They aren't all mountain at all.
Look at http://www.rossignol.com/US/US/ski-men-skis-freeride.html
Freeride is what you're looking for.. or even park skis.

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by zarge


They aren't all mountain at all.
Look at http://www.rossignol.com/US/US/ski-men-skis-freeride.html
Freeride is what you're looking for.. or even park skis.

LOL

[asp integra]

dont even think twice about the BBR's

try a good all mountain ski that you can have alot of fun on all over the mountain. a ski like the rossi S3 is perfect or like redlyne said the line prophets. look for something mid to low 90s underfoot with a bit of rocker in the tip and you will be having a great time

[redline]

I have never liked Rossi skis... I am K2 fan myself. If your unsure of what to buy, go to a hill that is having a demo day and take some different skis for a rip.

[S4Andy]

Have a look at the Armada JJs. I was skeptical about bigger powder type ski but I've found the JJs to be one of the best skis I've ridden. They are amazing in fresh powder, obviously, but they are also great on groomers, crud, etc. Definitely a viable all mountain option.

[blainer]

Just picked up some Atomic Blackeye Ti's. Have yet to jump on them so no real world conclusions on them. They are stiff and fast yet an adequate powder/off trail performer

I was torn between them and the K2 Aftershocks or they have another name this year. The K2s were wayyy to bendy for my liking.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I like my Line Bacons personally.

[Spoons]

All these recommendations from people who have been riding forever.... And yet you are all recommending good pairs of skis. Yes lets start the guy who doesn't go out that much on rockered skis, he'll have tons of fun........... Except for ASP and Redlyne, they recommended something that will work.

Honeslty you can read months worth of reviews and it won't make a difference. Reviews usually suck, you don't know the specifics of what they are riding in half the time, their skill level, etc. Any asshole can go online and write a review.

Go into the shops, more specifically go into Fresh and talk to Steve. The guy knows everything, he rides on a TON of skis, and hes is going to recommend you something that is cheap and easier to learn on.

[Freeskier]

Spoons' got the best advice in the thread. +1 for Steve at Fresh

[msommers]

I think I might do as the last two posts... Tried snowboarding and in all fairness, didn't go out much. But I remember having more fun skiing so likely going to go back to that.

For a beginning setup with boots, bindings, skiis, poles...what is a realistic budget to go in with?

[Phenix]

well obviously redlyne has has shit salomons. their race stuff is awesome.

but i would suggest some rossignol bandits, or a fisher ski.

[Freeskier]

msommers, it sorta depends on beginner you want to go. You could probably go to sport chek and get into a full setup for 500 - 600. If you went to Fresh, or Ski Cellar or something and got some slightly better equipment you could likely kit yourself out for about a thousand bucks.

^Salomon makes decent race skis, I used to have a gs setup before I switched over to Atomic. But they're freeskis always used to pack out after less than 1 season. I had a buddy who went through 3 pairs of the pocket rockets in 1 winter cause the foam core would always break down.

[msommers]

Yeah I don't spending the money on good stuff because I really want to get back into skiing. I was looking at some prices and was hoping to keep it a thousand or less but who knows. I'll be in the store and just pick out shit because I want it :rofl:

Are most popular brands at that beginner level fairly even in terms of durability?

[Freeskier]

Most of the big company's have very reasonably priced intro twin tips and then some pretty high end cruisers for around 500 bucks. The twin tips are sort of the base model of that type of ski but still durable and really decent at most things.
The other style is the cruiser/carver or whatever name the company uses. They won't have the twin tip but will still be great skis for anywhere on a mountain (except the park I guess). Sorta got off topic, but yeah all the brands are pretty competitive when compared with each other and make solid products.

[Spoons]

Originally posted by msommers
Yeah I don't spending the money on good stuff because I really want to get back into skiing. I was looking at some prices and was hoping to keep it a thousand or less but who knows. I'll be in the store and just pick out shit because I want it :rofl:

Are most popular brands at that beginner level fairly even in terms of durability?

If you are worried about durability I would check into K2. I've heard good things about their side wall construction and they have a good warranty.

If you really want to get back into skiing, buy a really nice boot. Spend the most on that, because those will always follow you, and there isn't really a "beginner" boot. Then buy a moderately priced set of skiis. Something that your skill level won't quickly over take it. If you are some what decent, take a look at the Volkl Mantras. They are a really nice all mountain/free ride ski (little bit of rocker for the thicker stuff, yet destroys ice all the same). It's on the more expensive end, but you won't have too big of an issue learning and you can ride them forever.

Honestly go talk to Steve at Fresh. He LOVES skiing so even if you don't buy from him he will still give you good recommendations. He is also good at giving package deals hehe.

[Super_Geo]

Thanks for all the input, guys... really appreciate it.

Since I made the OP I've been out four times this year (Louise x3, Sunshine x1), I think I'm hooked! Finally at a point where I can do most of the black runs... just not very gracefully, haha.

I've just been renting from Ski Cellar so far... it's been pretty cheap at $23/trip, and I found their standard rentals (Head Peak 78) pretty easy to learn on.


Originally posted by heavyfuel
These.

http://www.rossignol.com/US/US/experience-88_RA1EH01_product_ski-men-skis-all-mountain-rocker.html

Words can't express how stoked I am about these!

I've been skiing/boarding most of my life, and these are among the awesomest skis I've ever skied on.

Going to Kickinghorse on Saturday, they have these in their demo fleet. Going to rent them... been reading unreal reviews of them around the net!

[msommers]

The Outdoor Centre is about the same price. I got a sick deal over the holidays. 75 bucks for a week because of stat days!

[Super_Geo]

What ski did you rent from them?

[msommers]

I'm honestly not sure. Are you going to rent the rest of the season? If so, watch out for sample sales in the future, I remember there being one at the Holiday Inn on Macleod just before Chinook. Sick deals there if you're early and know exactly what you need/want - typically cash only. I think some companies have sweet summer sales to clear previous year stock too.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by Phenix
well obviously redlyne has has shit salomons. their race stuff is awesome.

but i would suggest some rossignol bandits, or a fisher ski.
totally off topic man, this thread is about all mountain skis, not race skis.

[Super_Geo]

Been out 8 times so far this year, and I'm finally set on which pair of skis I'm getting. Thought I'd share my thoughts in case any other new skiers are in a similar spot.

I tried a couple of different skis, in order:

Louise - Head Peak 78 - 159cm
Louise - Head Peak 78 - 165cm
Louise - Head Peak 78 - 165cm
Sunshine - Head Peak 78 - 171cm
Fernie - Volkl AC50 - 178cm
Kicking Horse - Rossignol Experience 88 - 170cm
Louise - Head Supershape iTitan - 170cm
Louise - Rossignol Experience 98 - 172cm

My thoughts:
- Peak78s are a great beginner/intermediate ski to learn on... easy to turn and very forgiving. Rent them at Ski Cellar on your way out of town (right across from COP) so you don't have to bother with the line-up at the rental shop on the hill. It's cheap too... $23/day!

- Tried the Volkl AC50s on a powder day at Fernie, wrong ski for the conditions, wrong length for me, and wrong skill level. Not very enjoyable.

- Tried the E88s on a powder day at Kicking Horse. Had a lot more fun than I did at Fernie, but it was a lot harder than skiing groomers. Going through the moguls was exhausting... probably cause my technique was shitty, had never skied moguls in powder conditions before.

- The Head Supershapes are an absolute blast on groomers. Those things just want to go ridiculously fast! Definitely the fastest I had gone on skis at that point... convinced me that I might need a dedicated carving ski at some point, but not an 'all mountain' ski by an stretch (or by design).

- Just skied the E98 yesterday at Louise. I thought they were pretty good on my warm up run, then I took them on the men's downhill and was completely sold on them... a completely solid ski, very powerful, and yet pretty forgiving. Very stable at speed, gives you a lot of confidence. Louise had no fresh snow, but the E88s were pretty reasonable off-piste, so I'm pretty confident the E98s will be even better for snow days.

My boss has a set of E98s that he skied on twice that he's willing to sell for $500 w/ bindings. I think it's a no-brainer at this point :burnout:

[lasimmon]

Didnt think I needed to start a new thread.. looking at buying a new set of back country powder skis (skinning up and hiking etc) anyone have any opionions on a good pair of some fattys?

[digi355]

Originally posted by lasimmon
Didnt think I needed to start a new thread.. looking at buying a new set of back country powder skis (skinning up and hiking etc) anyone have any opionions on a good pair of some fattys?

I have a pair of Head Jimis that are still in the plastic I could give you for a good price.

[g-m]

Originally posted by Spoons


If you are worried about durability I would check into K2. I've heard good things about their side wall construction and they have a good warranty.

If you really want to get back into skiing, buy a really nice boot. Spend the most on that, because those will always follow you, and there isn't really a "beginner" boot. Then buy a moderately priced set of skiis. Something that your skill level won't quickly over take it. If you are some what decent, take a look at the Volkl Mantras. They are a really nice all mountain/free ride ski (little bit of rocker for the thicker stuff, yet destroys ice all the same). It's on the more expensive end, but you won't have too big of an issue learning and you can ride them forever.

Honestly go talk to Steve at Fresh. He LOVES skiing so even if you don't buy from him he will still give you good recommendations. He is also good at giving package deals hehe. yea I love my mantras for all around big mountain. They do everything well. Put some dukes on them and I comfortably tour them everywhere. There is better for specific applications of course hence the multi ski quiver. But if you only get one I also vote mantra