Replying to Which Armada?
Long Read Spark Notes at Bottom
So one week ago today, I destroyed my skis while skiing some sidecountry off the summit of Mount Mansfield, Vermont. I skied down Hourglass and then Hell Brook. I made a right hand turn around tree and the tip of my inside ski managed to find its way right into a hidden rock. It was pretty brutal. The tip is now permanently bent at a 60 degree angle. The wood core, layers of fiberglass, and top sheet all cracked and the edges bent holding everything at 60 degrees.
So now I am once again in need of a new pair of skis. First of I am 5 feet 10 inches and weigh 180 lbs. I'm 21 so I'm not getting any taller, but might lose some pounds. At the start of this season I weighed around 195 to 200 lbs so I'm definitely losing weight. Might lose some more but don't expect to ever be below 140. I also ski the east coast everything from 500 vertical foot hills in Central New York to side/back country at places like Mount Mansfield and everything from park to groomers to trees to steeps to chutes to drops to pow to variable snow conditions. I would say I am a fairly good skier, but by no means the best, especially when I ski somewhere like Jay Peak or Stowe.
I'm coming off a pair of 2009 Pipe Cleaners (RIP) which I loved for their speed, edge hold on icy and hard snow, low weight, pop, playfulness, durability, and stability. They also had a nice 22m turn radius, not too long or too short. I really have come to enjoy Armada skis as they are well thought out, constructed well, and ski amazingly.
I was considering 5 pairs of skis: Alpha 1s, Alpha 2s, Pipe Cleaners, AR6s, and ARVs. Although my local shop doesn't carry Alpha 1s or Pipe Cleaners. So now its down to Alpha 2s, AR6s and ARVs. I think right now I'm leaning towards ARVs due to their V for versatility but am also strongly considering the Alpha 2s for their playfulness, AR6s just cause they are time tested and probably the closest out of the three to my Pipe Cleaners.
I think the mounting point on the ARVs is -7 or-8 cms from true center. can they be mounted further forward? Armada and others always promote them as being versatile, but I can't imagine hitting park mounted 7 or 8 centimeters back.
When I'm at school in Central New York, Syracuse University, the hills are small and all they really have to offer is park (rails, boxes, hips, pipe, jumps) although there is some fresh due to lake effect snow and normal snow storms. When I'm home I ski mainly off piste (trees, steeps, drops, pow, variable snow, ungroomed, chutes, side/backcountry) but some park. I'm finally getting decent at park so I may spend a little more time there since its more fun than before.
Anyway which ski for someone who skis both park, groomers, trees, pow, steeps, chutes, drops, and variable snow, a little bit of everything? ARV? AR6? Alpha 2?
Spark Notes:
What ski? ARV? Alpha 2? AR6? 5 feet 10 inches. 180 lbs. Ski east coast. Ski everything from park to big mountain.
Click to expand post