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March, 2025

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Learning to ski on Hellbents?

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Shifty540
Posts: 1843 - Karma: 21
A snowboard friend of mine is wanting to switch over to skiing. His board is getting trashed, boots worn out and is just captivated by the 'bents. He has been looking at prices online and is going to buy a pair if the price is right.

I told him the bents are basically a pure power ski and might be hard to learn on. He is a big kid though, about 6-5 and has size sixteen feet. So maybe a bigger ski would work for him, but I sure as hell wouldn't wanna learn on a beast of ski like that.

He is set on this ski though. I don't wanna talk him out of them, cause I know he'd love skiing. So, any other suggestions for skis or maybe the Hellbents wouldn't be THAT bad of a ski. I do live in the PNW by the way and we are just getting shit on with snow, so these babies would be nice. Haha I would be begging him to ride them except I don't have sasquatch feet.
16 years ago
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gnarrr
Posts: 823 - Karma: 12
depending on how much he weighs the bents might be too soft.
16 years ago
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jsaya_SagStraps
Posts: 1840 - Karma: 29
he probably shouldnt learn on em, but once he gets good, he already has a sick ski lol. but he might have wierd technique learning on those.
16 years ago
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TheMoostafian
Posts: 4504 - Karma: 9,441
i would think it'd be hard to learn on rockered skis

have him get thugs or something... those are pretty wide but no rocker
16 years ago
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skinnylove
Posts: 6807 - Karma: 167
they are likely to be too soft actually. not too big.
16 years ago
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AptosFreeskier
Posts: 1240 - Karma: 17
I think learning how to ski on hellbents would be a really bad idea. Since the skis are rockered, you can't properly carve on them on groomers. I would imagine that he would develop really bad habits, since you sort of skid your turns with hellbents. I think he should learn how to properly ski before he rides hellbents.
16 years ago
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Holte
Posts: 10750 - Karma: 7,995
He's probably not going to learn to ski in powder, so he probably shouldn't learn to ski on a powder specific ski. Bents are fun to play around with on groomers and in the park from time to time because they're gigantic and soft, but they don't perform very well. Honestly, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. I think your friend would be miserable learning to ski on hellbents.
16 years ago
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Clifford996
Posts: 1288 - Karma: 28
big ski for big man = good idea

rockered ski for learning = questionable idea....
16 years ago
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Mr.LemonPie
Posts: 4100 - Karma: 1,625
Just tell him to get snowblades. Same thing as hellbents on groomers since they are rockered...Don't let your friend waste his money, get a good solid all mountain ski.
16 years ago
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joly.sp
Posts: 2305 - Karma: 585
what about blends?
16 years ago
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sykonaut
Posts: 346 - Karma: 11
Wider skis are hard for beginners to learn to carve on *usually*. Tell him to get some stiffer and a little less wide skis...
16 years ago
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TravelsTI
Posts: 1000 - Karma: 353
im 6'5" and the bents are fine on groomers and are actually quite easy to ride
16 years ago
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ilikeplants
Posts: 1868 - Karma: 15
For sure get him on a ski that fits his height. If he is set on a fatter ski then maybe look at something with around the same underfoot but not rockered. My first suggestion would be Armada ANTs. Just an idea though.
16 years ago
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Casey
Posts: 7964 - Karma: 26,078
ya but the point is that they arent designed for groomers or beginners
16 years ago
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Shlogan
Posts: 4942 - Karma: 430
make him rent skis until hes used to it, then let him get bents.
16 years ago
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,017
just get him a wider non rockered ski, it will be easier to learn on i think
16 years ago
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3ski6guy0
Posts: 9201 - Karma: 135
doesnt sound like the best idea to learn on a rockered ski.
16 years ago
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phishfood
Posts: 2542 - Karma: 298
he sounds like he needs some 189 kung fujas. good park ski that'll still slay pow and everything else, and they're long enough cause hes 6'5''. i'd imagine learning on a rockered ski (especially in the tail) wouldn't be good, cause hes not gonna have much support or forgiveness on them.
16 years ago
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,896
thats such a dumb idea
16 years ago
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KNUCKifyouBUCK
Posts: 1330 - Karma: 9
word idea eva
16 years ago
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CTD
Posts: 6302 - Karma: 357
yeah, agreed on bents bein too soft, they are skiable on groomers, but they are soo sketchy when not on edge, plus when he lays into them in crud, they are gonna fold. what about something like the bibby? still rockered but a little stiffer. and given your location, i def agree on the type of ski, but he might wanna keep an eye out for a set of beater twins for the non-pow days too, cause using a ski like that in the park, is kinda fun, but nothing youd want to live with as your only option.
16 years ago
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Chronic_
Posts: 1730 - Karma: 1,603
holy balls i think this is the only thread ive seen where everyone agrees with eachother...its a sign of the apocolypse....


and yah thats a bad idea he would have such a hard time trying to learn on rockered skis plus like everyone else said theyre to soft for him
16 years ago
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121Media
Posts: 49 - Karma: 14
I say fuck It! 
All you peeps who segregate skiing from snowboarding are the problem!  Poles... no Poles. phat skis skinny skis.  no wonder this industry is fucked.  Go to school and get a job... because the ski  life takes dedication.  Unless you are willing to die for it... your kidding yourself and wasting your time and your parents.
16 years ago
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
i think it could actually be a good idea. bents are not a soft ski, they have soft tip and tail because of the rocker but under foot it is actually quite stiff. because of the hellbents rocker it will force him to ski in a forward position. most of the time beginners tend to ski in a backseat position but that will be impossible because of the rocker. it may be difficult to learn his carve but it will make him a stronger skier as a result
16 years ago
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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
yeah fuck it just do it. if he likes it so much, then thats his style, and thats probably what he's gonna be on like all the time.
i just taught my snowboarder friend to ski, he used my ep's and invaders, and no poles, and over the past year he has gotten really good, he still snowboards, but he snowboards like 60 days a year, and skis like 40. he's got 5's and 7's and switch 3's. he uses my ep's this year every day he skis, and he is sick. he has such an original style, his skiing style fits him exactly how it should.

personally i think its kinda dumb to learn the correct stance and techniques before you go on to learn on your own. you can get just as good skiing how you want. if you want proper techniques and stance then go race, freestyle is called FREEstyle for a reason.

so yeah tell him to get hellbents, he will be awesome
16 years ago
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popNfresh44
Posts: 3757 - Karma: 44
he should get thugs, they are stiffer. and not rockered i think. or those really big volkls
16 years ago
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GratefulShred
Posts: 419 - Karma: 408
That's probably the dumbest thing i've ever heard.
Shut up and go to hell.
Now.




zomfg jay kay!!1!!1
16 years ago
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KNUCKifyouBUCK
Posts: 1330 - Karma: 9
volkl chopstick is rawwwwwwwwww
16 years ago
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25444 - Karma: 13,855
I say do it, see what happens.
16 years ago
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
oh god. that would be an awful ski to learn to ski on


i would def advise against it, hes gonna develop super weird/shitty technique doing that.


get him a fatter park ski with some decent sidecut, and something half decently stiff to learn on. kung fujas perhaps? maybe even something a little narrower than that. on hellbents its gonna be super hard to learn to carve.
16 years ago
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,239
I'm just cringing right now imagining some first time skier snowplowing down the bunny hill on brand new bents.
16 years ago
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Pwn.Mode
Posts: 1061 - Karma: 10
he could probably use em'. if he can snowboard then it probably wont take him long to learn on plus them skis ski short. get em in a 189 and pow it up.
16 years ago
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Maximumsushi
Posts: 7837 - Karma: 3,354
Moronic idea.
That's not a great ski for learning on or skiing on piste and park.
16 years ago
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ben_southworth
Posts: 1063 - Karma: 447
16 years ago
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,087
Exactly.

He's buying because they are "cool", or "have dope topsheets." He really should check out something more manageable like S5s (Brigades, I think) or Anthems, something in that category.
16 years ago
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ben802
Posts: 565 - Karma: 16
your friend is huge...to big to ski or snowboard
16 years ago
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LC.
Posts: 5952 - Karma: 2,423
This is an even more ridiculous idea than learning to ski on snowblades. He'll learn some really bad habits I guarantee.

For the record I skied Hellbents for 3 or 4 runs in mixed conditions and I don't like the feel of them at all.
16 years ago
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ShadyHillGroup
Posts: 2881 - Karma: 213
you sound dumb and obnoxious
16 years ago
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,392

If you aren't a strong skier to begin wiht, skis like bents can promote really bad habits, suck as riding backseat, and smearing turns, which bents let you get away with easy.

If he wants to get bents, let him buy them, but try and get him to learn on some other ski, have him borrow a friend's or something. Although it can be done, bents would be hard to learn on, and he would probably need someone that really knows what's going on teaching wise who knows how the bents ski to teach him anything.

16 years ago
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