LINE Chronic / Head Caddy / Volkl Step/Ledge

timboslice100I have my search narrowed down to a few different pairs of sticks. I am 5'8 150lbs. I'm from the midwest and I only ski park until I go out west where I enjoy the whole mountain. I want a ski that is light and durable but also flexy in the tips. I am strong on rails, but occasionally hit jumps (not much more than 30ft)

What do you guys suggest?

I was in the exact same situation (I love in MN) and went with the Icelantic Da Nollie. Super soft in the tips and tails and has a fat waist to help out west, I'm probly out 10 days a year there. Out of those I woukd go with the Chronic but I can't say that it's very soft, maybe others with rhink differently

Swandog7I was in the exact same situation (I love in MN) and went with the Icelantic Da Nollie. Super soft in the tips and tails and has a fat waist to help out west, I'm probly out 10 days a year there. Out of those I woukd go with the Chronic but I can't say that it's very soft, maybe others with rhink differently

I woukd be concerned a little with lines durability though, watch out for that

for my third and final comment haha I would defienently say Chronic although there are better options than these honestly. The Caddy is a cambered ski with no rocker and is not very soft, The Voklk step is not very wide to help you out west, nor is very soft either. Same goes with the Step, not a very wide ski at 85 underfoot nor is that soft with minimal rocker as well. To be honest I would Look at the Line Blend, Icelandic Da Nollie, Shreditor 92, and Revision Talismans which are very affordable. These all have some rocker, some more than others which helps float in deeper snow out west and makes them more playful, these skis are also fairly soft and I would say are all softer than the Chronic. I don't want to give you completely new options but these are all wider soft skis that specialize in rails in the park and are wide to help float in soft snow and shred all mountain

Swandog7for my third and final comment haha I would defienently say Chronic although there are better options than these honestly. The Caddy is a cambered ski with no rocker and is not very soft, The Voklk step is not very wide to help you out west, nor is very soft either. Same goes with the Step, not a very wide ski at 85 underfoot nor is that soft with minimal rocker as well. To be honest I would Look at the Line Blend, Icelandic Da Nollie, Shreditor 92, and Revision Talismans which are very affordable. These all have some rocker, some more than others which helps float in deeper snow out west and makes them more playful, these skis are also fairly soft and I would say are all softer than the Chronic. I don't want to give you completely new options but these are all wider soft skis that specialize in rails in the park and are wide to help float in soft snow and shred all mountain

^ this...while the skis he suggested (Blends and Da'Nollie's) are more expensive, these are the ones i'd recommend.
I can't speak for the weight of these skis but if you want durable icelantics is the way to go... their flex pattern is really really nice and makes sense for riding mostly rails and cruising the mountains on moderate snow days. This is probably the sickest choice but be that as it may they're 650 so that might not be in your budget. (you could always try to snag last years or a used pair though)
The blends is probably the best all around choice as far as what you want vs price. Still more than the chronic but softer and wider by 8mm.
the Talismans are probably the wildcard of all the skis...they're cheap as hell made by a new ski company with almost zero reputation...but everyone I've talked to that rides them loves them and they have a rail damage warranty which is sick. So the trade off here is you're taking a gamble on a small company and their potential short falls for skis that cost 275 (for the moment)
To be blunt I'm not a fan of the shreditor 92...I think they wont be soft enough for what your looking for...also they have rivets in the tips and tails which used to fuck me over (getting one ski base caught on the rivets of the other ski while spinning) and no one wants that. Their weight was an issue for me too. I know a lot of people love the shreditor but they felt sluggish and stiff to me...maybe just personal preference.
Anyway I hope this helps, cheers man good luck

Andrew_M^ this...while the skis he suggested (Blends and Da'Nollie's) are more expensive, these are the ones i'd recommend.
I can't speak for the weight of these skis but if you want durable icelantics is the way to go... their flex pattern is really really nice and makes sense for riding mostly rails and cruising the mountains on moderate snow days. This is probably the sickest choice but be that as it may they're 650 so that might not be in your budget. (you could always try to snag last years or a used pair though)
The blends is probably the best all around choice as far as what you want vs price. Still more than the chronic but softer and wider by 8mm.
the Talismans are probably the wildcard of all the skis...they're cheap as hell made by a new ski company with almost zero reputation...but everyone I've talked to that rides them loves them and they have a rail damage warranty which is sick. So the trade off here is you're taking a gamble on a small company and their potential short falls for skis that cost 275 (for the moment)
To be blunt I'm not a fan of the shreditor 92...I think they wont be soft enough for what your looking for...also they have rivets in the tips and tails which used to fuck me over (getting one ski base caught on the rivets of the other ski while spinning) and no one wants that. Their weight was an issue for me too. I know a lot of people love the shreditor but they felt sluggish and stiff to me...maybe just personal preference.
Anyway I hope this helps, cheers man good luck

I noticed you said go for the Icelantics. 2015 pairs are costing about $350, half the price basically of next years. I would recommend getting the 2015s if you he does decide to go fot them, I actually did this myself and snagged them for $300 brand new at an anniversary sale. The shreditors are more of an all mountain choice. There is some popularity with them but I only suggested them because they are pretty barely. The Revisions aren't quite as a wild card as you'd think. They actually have a sick team, gaining huge rep, have the only rail warranty in the business, and have real cheap skis that are actually durable. Honestly, he can't make a wrong decision between any of these. If I were him, I'd go for the Revisions if I was on a tight budget, Go for the 2015 Icelantics as my top choice because they are fairly cheap, durable, and a perfect soft rail ski. The Blends and Shreditors are gonna be a bit heavier, fairly durable, mid price, but more of a one ski quiver that can handle any condition. These wouldn't be my top choices, but defienently not bad choices either, being a little more flexible with other conditions. That being said, it doesn't mean the Revisions and Icelantics are versatile, they won't quite perform as well in soft snow and variable conditions but can really handle 1 or 2 trips out west a year just fine. Hope this helps OP

My brakes are only 90mm. Will this be a problem?