Help with ski choice

What snow types would you be using these on? Would they be a one ski quiver you would use in powder as well as groomers? Do you like a softer or a stiffer ski? Also, Welcome to NS.

I live in CA. Sure looking for a one quiver ski if possible. I ski mainly in CA, some heavy snow, with some off piste. Say 60/40 on/off. Once in a while trip to colorado utah with dryer snow. Pow skiing sometimes.

I'm going to say it sounds like you want the prophet. The 90 and 98 both sound good for you. I would recommend trying to demo them. My dad demoed the 90's and loved them, they have metal which will make them a lot more stable and have more pop. They have some early rise, but not a lot, which sounds like what you want. If you haven't ridden early rise skis I would recommend it, I won't go back to cambered all mountain skis.

Hi Rdxxx, Not being one of the younger brigade myself (I'm 30) I can give you some insight into a variety, particularly this season Armada as I have just picked up a pair after multiple demos a couple of weeks ago. I'll put my bias out there that I am an Armada fan boy, have skied them for the past decade but also spent some time on Rossi, K2 and Volkl. I have a 2 year old pair of Armada AK JJs which are the best ski that I have ever bought because they are so versatile and fun. I find Armada to be in between K2 and Volkl, not as flexible as a K2 but still plenty of fun, not as stiff as Volkls but they are lighter still ski like you're on a rail road. I bought a pair of THalls last week after taking out both the ARVti and the AR7. I chose them because I wanted a ski that was more playful, give me plenty of pop to air when I load with energy but would still give me great stability when I'm cruising at speed. the THALL does this all for me. The best ski that I demoed was the ARVti. I have not skied such a solid all mountain ski....period! It felt like I was back to my racing days, not because it skis fast with its race base, but because it edges like a race ski. You can't not rail it, be it groomers, crud or pow. It's nose rocker helps it float well and it skis like a cambered ski. It's the perfect dimensioned ski if you a looking for to get around on the one pair. It's consistent stiffness from tail to tip makes it the ultimate cruiser ski. I didn't buy it because it was not playful enough for me. Oh and the nose rocker makes it feel like it skis shorter than its true length. The AR7 is another quality ski but is not as versatile at the ARVti when it comes to pow float. It does hold its own as an all mountain ski but you notice it's skinnier dimensions. It carves almost as well as the ARVti and has little to no chatter at high speed. It has good pop off its tails but is stiffer than the THalls and is a little less playful. Edge durability is better than the ARVti but the base is not as special. It's your stock cambered ski but I found it slightly stiff for what I wanted in my non-pow ski. At the end of the day it comes down to what you want from your ski. I hope this gives you some insight as to my decision making as well as how these skis perform. My best advice is to try before you buy. Feel free to ask if you want any help.

For a one ski quiver I would go with the ON3P Jeronimos

Thanks for all of the responses so far. This is great. And Arty thanks for all of the info. A lot of details and good ideas for me to think about when I demo.

You can skis nowadays without rocker, but companies have adopted the rocker design for a reason. It works. Sure, they take a little getting used to, but once you get over the learning curve, skis with rocker really come to life and you start to feel how truly versitile they are. They won't hold and edge on those icy days skiing down Squaw's Olympic Run but hey, that's not what you're at Squaw for. You're there for Headwall, KT, etc.

You can keep it local with some Reno made Moment Tahoe skis. They have a small rocker in the tip and camber throughout the majority of hte ski and are a solid mid-fat at 96mm in the waist. http://www.momentskis.com/shop/product/tahoe/

I have the Moment PB&J and they're amazing everywhere but you said you prefer a full cambered ski, so the Tahoe would probably suit you better even though it has a little reverse camber in the tips.

The Prophet series would be a great option for you to look into as would the Watea series.

I'd suggest Volkl since I used to be a huge fan of theirs but I cannot stand their new continuous rocker profile that htey feature on almost every ski of theirs.

Atomic Access might be another good option for you.

My Dad (who is 63) skis Tahoe with me and loves the Volkl Mantra. I personally don't. The Volkl Kendo is a more narrow version that's made slightly better (in my opinion).

You could also look into Blizzard/Nordica Skis (same brand). They've hugely stepped up their game in the past few years and have been cranking out great skis.

If I were a 50 year old looking for AM skis, I wouldn't go for a park ski like the ones you mentioned (Thall/AR7), especially if you have no interest in the park. Park skis (generally) do not ski well outside of the park. You'll find yourself wishing the ski could hold up to more diverse conditions. Now, that doen't mean don't get a ski with twin tips, but it does mean don't get a park ski if you don't ever ski park. I know a lot of people on this site are going to say "OMG the thall and/or ar7 ski so well on everything" but ignore them. You don't have any reason to get a ski like that because you don't plan on hitting rails, jumps, skiing switch, etc.

Anytime Rdxxx, happy to help. I think you'll really like the ARVti, it would be an ideal one quiver ski for the conditions that you mentioned. Also make sure to google reviews of the skis that take your interest. there are great vids and write ups available than just NS reviews, but above else, make sure to demo them and negotiate shop price with what they are selling for online. In terms of rocketed vs cambered, I have not had any problem skiing my heavily rocketed pow ski and going back to my traditionally cambered park ski the next day and vice versa. QWhen you have so many years experience you can adapt the ski to your style.

go to www.communityskis.com and u can customize your skis to exactly how you want it and there only around $450

Huh these seem sick....anybody know anything about these?

Wht do u want to know

Durability?

there pretty durable like a 9/10

anything else

...sorry but that doesn't give me any confidence at all, a few in depth reviews with pros/cons with people not affiliated to the company whatsover would go a long way.

Omho, the armada ARVti is as good an all mountain ski as there is. I got like a 1 foot day on them in that Tahoe chunder and they held up in that as well as they held up on groomed. I have skied a ton of skis that are out there and for my skiing style and size, 6'0" 200lbs, skiing fast, carving hard, but not the greatest skier in the world. I like skis to be stable at speed, with a slight bit if forgiveness, and i have them in the 188cm. Hopefully this helps.

If you have no inclination of skiing switch, there are some midfat directional skis out there that might be good to look at. My father was looking for something similar to you and ended up purchasing the Rossi Experience 98. Solid waist width for going off piste, but also able to rail turns on the groomers. We ski east coast ice the majority of the time and he has had no complaints with them, but he thinks that they really shine in crud. When you demo, don't feel restricted to the twin tips if you don't see yourself skiing switch. Another ski in the category is the Nordica Hell&Back, also 98 underfoot but slightly lighter/softer than the Experience.

You should get the lib tech free ride nas. It is super durable and carves really well

first off check out epicski and tgr, better forums for gear thats not park related.

Second, check out the Bonafide, its really fun but has a ton of performance, its been the most popular ski at our shop for 3 years in a row now with your demographic

My dad is 50 and rides the access from atomic. He loves them. Perfect blend of rocker and camber. Never a problem with swing weight. Carves like a gs ski.

All in all it's a kick ass ski. And you can find them for dirt cheap