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Best All-mountain/Park skis?

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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Editor's Note: Check out Newschoolers' Top 5 Park skis for 2017 with links to full reviews!


Hey guys/ladies/whatever y'all identify as,

I'm looking for some advice on which skis to buy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here's some info about me:

I'm 140lbs, and a pretty advanced skier when it comes to regular old trails, but I'm looking to try out the park this coming season as it looks extremely fun. I prefer a shorter ski that can hold its own in (sometimes icy or bumpy) east-coast conditions (I ski mainly in MA, VT, and NH). I'd probably be skiing around 35% park and 65% all-mtn, but I'd still prefer a lightweight, poppy ski that would be fun in the park. I'm not a super hard-charger, so I don't need anything too stiff or aggressive, but it'd be nice if they could hold an edge well.

Hope this is enough info. Any advice?

So far I've been looking at the ON3P Kartel 98s at 161cm, although the cheapest I've found them at is around $400-500 which is a bit more than I'd like to spend, especially w/out bindings. I'm happy to look at last year's/two seasons ago's skis, however I know that sometimes there are adjustments made each year so I'll have to be mindful of that.

As for bindings, I was looking at something like the Marker Griffon Schizos so I can change my stance from all-mtn to park and vice versa. Thoughts? Is it worth it?

If I sound like an idiot I apologize; I'm no expert at this.

Thanks!

**This thread was edited on Sep 21st 2016 at 10:47:56am

**This thread was edited on Sep 21st 2016 at 10:48:40am
Aug 5 2015 10:35AM
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LawlessCrew
Posts: 4 - Karma: 10
The Armada "El Rey" will be a good choice for a Park Rookie and also if you wanna go jumping around the mountain and starting with butttttterrrrsss.,
flexible and Good Quality.
Aug 5 2015 11:21AM
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chuckmarty
Posts: 344 - Karma: 448
Props for wanting to learn. If you don't charge too hard the schizos would probably be alright but if you think you're going to get significantly better and ski a lot more I would invest in a more durable binding. Don't get the Pivot 18 or FKS 180 yet though. Maybe something like the Salomon/Atomic WTR 13?

http://www.backcountry.com/atomic-sth2-13-wtr-ski-binding?CMP_SKU=ATO001D&MER=0406&skid=ATO001D-BLU-S100MM&CMP_ID=PLA_GOc001&mv_pc=r101&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA&mr:trackingCode=6E48EAD9-DF4A-E411-B200-BC305BF82376&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&mr:ad=76351068277&mr:keyword&mr:match&mr:filter=94773413077&gclid=COrYx4OfkscCFQqsaQodsfAA7w&gclsrc=aw.ds

As for adjusting the mounting position, unless you know for a fact that you're going to do that, then get a different binding. I have the 184 Faction 2.0s center mounted and those skis just rip around the mountain. I don't go into the park too much, I prefer to jump and spin off natural features. I love having them center mounted because you can ride switch comfortably pretty much everywhere. It gets a little weird riding switch with the bindings in an all mountain position

If you want to get into the freeski scene a little bit more the Kartel 98 would be a good option even though it is a bit higher than your price range. The faction 2.0s are great (although expensive) and they are a bit on the stiffer end which I like. I haven't ridden many skis that are around 100mm underfoot so I won't recommend anything I know nothing about.
Aug 5 2015 11:23AM
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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Thanks for the replies guys!

chuckmartyProps for wanting to learn. If you don't charge too hard the schizos would probably be alright but if you think you're going to get significantly better and ski a lot more I would invest in a more durable binding. Don't get the Pivot 18 or FKS 180 yet though. Maybe something like the Salomon/Atomic WTR 13?

http://www.backcountry.com/atomic-sth2-13-wtr-ski-binding?CMP_SKU=ATO001D&MER=0406&skid=ATO001D-BLU-S100MM&CMP_ID=PLA_GOc001&mv_pc=r101&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA&mr:trackingCode=6E48EAD9-DF4A-E411-B200-BC305BF82376&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&mr:ad=76351068277&mr:keyword&mr:match&mr:filter=94773413077&gclid=COrYx4OfkscCFQqsaQodsfAA7w&gclsrc=aw.ds

As for adjusting the mounting position, unless you know for a fact that you're going to do that, then get a different binding. I have the 184 Faction 2.0s center mounted and those skis just rip around the mountain. I don't go into the park too much, I prefer to jump and spin off natural features. I love having them center mounted because you can ride switch comfortably pretty much everywhere. It gets a little weird riding switch with the bindings in an all mountain position

If you want to get into the freeski scene a little bit more the Kartel 98 would be a good option even though it is a bit higher than your price range. The faction 2.0s are great (although expensive) and they are a bit on the stiffer end which I like. I haven't ridden many skis that are around 100mm underfoot so I won't recommend anything I know nothing about.


I was looking at the 2.0, but the shortest it comes in is a 166. My last skis were 164 and even that was a little long for my tastes, so I'm not super sure about those. I'm only around 5'6 and 140lbs, so would the 166 be too long? I like to be able to maneuver around moguls and stuff quickly.

As for bindings, the ones you linked to looked like a good choice (major thanks), although I'm still not sure where I should mount them. Was it easy to ski non-freestyle with yours mounted dead center, or should I set them further back since I'm not completely freestyle oriented?
Aug 5 2015 12:00PM
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chuckmarty
Posts: 344 - Karma: 448
I'm 6ft tall and 145 lbs (skinny fella) and my normal park skis (scott Jib TW) are 178cm center mounted. My faction 2.0s are 184 and they're just fine for me. I'm sure 166 would be fine for you. There's a fair amount of rocker in the tip and tail so having it slightly longer than normal will be fine.

And skiing non-freestyle in the 2.0s with center-mounted bindings is a breeze. As I mentioned, there's plenty of rocker in the skis so you can pivot through the trees and bumps with ease. It wouldn't hurt to have them 1 or 2 cm back. I'm sure you ski differently than I do so I can't tell you exactly where to mount them.

After having all-mtn skis for a few years and trying out some symmetrical center-mounted skis I can honestly say I'll never go back.
Aug 5 2015 12:12PM
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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Sweet, thanks man. I'll keep the 2.0s in mind for sure. +K
Aug 5 2015 12:20PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
The ON3P Kartel really is the best jib ski out there right now. Other leading 'newschool' ski companies are trying to duplicate it. However, for me (the K98 is my park and spring day ski) it really is a wider jib ski. It wants to be skied like a jib ski, ie centered stance, controlling the ski by shifting weight rather than driving the tips. If you want a ski that will carve somewhat more traditional I would look elsewhere.


Dynastar Distorter is a park ski that carves absolutely exceptionally well. They are also not that popular so you should be able to find a pair for not too expensive. If you want to go wider, you could look at the Blizzard Regulator, it is a fantastic ski. From Jib companies I would look at the Line Chronic or Armada AlphaX.
Aug 5 2015 12:21PM
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chuckmarty
Posts: 344 - Karma: 448
Oh yeah, Line Chronic would be a good option. They aren't too expensive either.
Aug 5 2015 12:29PM
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Burgy
Posts: 414 - Karma: 630
I bought a pair of Revision Talismans last year and i skied everywhere with them last season! did some backcountry, east coast pow, all mountain, and a lot of park. highly recommend them, they're supper fun and versatile.
Aug 5 2015 12:58PM
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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Thanks for the input on the Kartels. I wasn't so sure about them but now I think I want something a little less park-oriented. Also, the Dynastars could be a good option, thanks for the suggestion. +K

How grippy is the Chronic in hard conditions? Will it be good on icy days? I've also head that it has poor build quality. Can anyone speak from experience on this?

Wow, the Talismans look sick! Loving that price too. Good to know how versatile they are. Have you skied them on icy days? If so, how did they hold up and are they stable in crud?
Aug 5 2015 1:15PM
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Burgy
Posts: 414 - Karma: 630
daxtonWow, the Talismans look sick! Loving that price too. Good to know how versatile they are. Have you skied them on icy days? If so, how did they hold up and are they stable in crud?


I dentuned my edges cuz i mainly ski park... so ice was not fun at all, but i dont think they would be any different compared to other park skis with not edge sharpness. i can tell you on groomers tho, the edge hold was dope! they carved sooo nice.
also for this years talismans tip and tail height have been raised and apparently that will help with edge hold on ice.
Aug 5 2015 1:44PM
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RDem
Posts: 646 - Karma: 183
Look at the K2 Shreditor 92 and 102. They are both All mountain park skis but the 92 is slightly more park oriented. I skied the 92 all last season and absolutely loved them. I also race so I skied a lot of all mountain on them center mounted and they handled it well. As for the 102, it is slightly softer, wider, and has more rocker. It's more of a 5 dimensional ski. Both are on sale for around $300 so check em out!
Aug 5 2015 1:48PM
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lgward
Posts: 301 - Karma: 404
Alright, that doesn't worry me too much since I doubt I'll be skiing a lot on super icy days, although I almost always run into a patch or two. Thanks for the input. +K

Shreditors sound good, I'll look into them. Thanks man! +K
Aug 5 2015 1:54PM
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