Replying to Overwhelmed Need Advice

Hi, Richard from Kamloops, BC here.

I haven't skied much more than 10 days in the years between 1998-2006. There were various reasons for that. From 1993-1998 I skied often since I lived in SLC then and it was a family pastime.

Anyways this season 2016/17 I took it back up again. I did it on the cheap though because I wasn't sure how much I could handle physically or if it was something I wanted to do more of in the future. So I bought a season pass at Harper Mountain and secured a season rental of skis from them just to get my toes wet. I have been absolutely loving it and my addiction is back!

Now I'm shopping for my own gear for next year hoping to snag a deal on something as it's getting to be the end of the season. I have made my way up to Sun Peaks a few times to demo a few different skis, and have been reading plenty of reviews and advice articles on the internets. It has been a pretty steep learning curve let me tell you. From my perspective a lot has changed since I was last skiing regularly. Maybe that's because I have access to more information than I did back then and I was a kid that didn't know any better.

I'm a big dude (I'm working on shrinking) and I would classify myself as a solid class II skier. I definitely enjoy pushing myself and try to get off the groomers as much as I can. For the 2017/18 season my primary ski area will be Sun Peaks with trips to various other ski areas in BC (Revelstoke, Silverstar, Whistler, Fernie, Cypress, etc.) I'll also likely make a trip to SLC to visit my sister and hit up my old haunts (Brighton, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude)

Details of my body currently:
36
Male
6'0"
320lbs

I'm looking for a ski that will bring my game up, maybe even challenge me. I'm really looking forward to learning how to ride switch and do some simple tricks. I know I'm late to the game, and I have no illusions of becoming extremely proficient at anything, but I just want to have some fun. I like skiing all parts of the mountain although skiing in fresh powder is definitely one of the most sublime experiences out there and I seek it out as much as I can.

These are the skis I've tried:
Rossignol Soul 7 HD
Rossignol Sky 7 HD
Solomon QST 99
Line Sick Day 102
K2 Pinnacle 95

Out of that list the Sick Day and Soul were my faves, followed by the Sky and QST.

This is a list of what I have my eye on based on what I've read, availability, price, etc:

4Frnt Gaucho
Line Sick Day 102
Line Sir Francis Bacon
Faction Chapter 106 (mostly because I found it locally for a good price)
Majesty Dirty Bears

Personally at this point I'm leaning towards the Gaucho. It seems like a good match for what I'm looking for and I can snag a new pair from a local shop for a decent price.

I'm all ears here though, I'm open to suggestion. Maybe I'm way off, who am I to say. I'm looking for any help you can provide. I might not even be asking the right people, but I gotta start somewhere. I hope this post conveys where I'm coming from.

If you have any questions for me just ask, I'm an open book.

Thanks for your help everybody it's truely appreciated!!

-Richard
aka MrTriscut
aka Hippy Ricky
aka Space Dream Train Daddy