The ideal all mountain touring ski

There are a lot of skis that you'd probably be happy with under that description, so could you tell us a bit more?

- Where are you planning on touring? What kind of terrain?
- Where are you planning on skiing resort? (I know you said Midwest, just not sure if that's what you have in mind for this new ski)
- What skis have you enjoyed in the past, and why?
- What skis have you not enjoyed in the past, and why?
- Is this new ski going to be part of a quiver, and if so, what other skis do you have in your quiver?

This might help us give you some more accurate recommendations.

-they will be added to the always growing quiver. as of now ive got. park skis, armada JJ's(which is what ill make into more of my resort ski/snowmobile access ski for out west) a pair of old public enemies that are my "all mountain rock skis". so the new sticks will take the place of mainly a "touring" ski.
- i dont have much experience on many types of skis, im 25 now,have been skiing since i was 2, up until 2 years ago i rode 99% park with 1 percent riding other runs to get to park... so i have plenty of experience on park skis lol. as far as all mountain skis, i have only ridden a few demos and my JJ's. the JJ's are the only ones ive skied on real terrain. the demos were all at local hills. which are the equivalent of out west bunny hills lol.
-resort skiing, will likely be places like bridger bowl, big sky, keystone, breck. likely these skis will not even be used here although i want to be able to use them if i feel the time is right... aka i dont want a strictly climbing ski.
-touring terrain will consist mainly of golf course skiing(midwest touring!!) some tree skiing in copper country( U.P. of michigan all lake effect snow that averages around 150-200ish inches a year) and starting last year im part of an annual 10th mountain division hut trip. so once a year ill be spending about 5 days in the woods touring the beautiful Colorado wilderness.

just to add some more info, im a 5 foot 7 inch skier, i like to think im an "expert" skier. i would likely be looking for a ski that is in the low to mid 180cm range.

**This post was edited on Sep 21st 2017 at 1:36:40pm

Cool, then since you're coming from a predominantly park background here are a few options that aren't absurdly heavy, should feel relatively familiar, and should be able to deal with a variety of conditions fairly well. Keep in mind that, if you're not gonna be touring all that much, or not doing that long of tours, you can put touring bindings on any sort of ski. It's just a matter of where you sit as far as preference of lightweight vs. downhill performance.

Icelantic Nomad 105
Scott Punisher 105
Moment Meridian Tour (107 mm)
Moment Deathwish 106 Tour
Moment Bibby Tour (116 mm) (this might overlap too much with the JJ, but is a killer ski)
Black Crows Anima Freebird (115 mm) (might also overlap too much)
Armada Tracer 108 (not very freestyle oriented, so you might not be a fan)
Faction Candide 3.0 (108 mm)

Nothing is ideal for an all mountain touring ski

patagonialukeCool, then since you're coming from a predominantly park background here are a few options that aren't absurdly heavy, should feel relatively familiar, and should be able to deal with a variety of conditions fairly well. Keep in mind that, if you're not gonna be touring all that much, or not doing that long of tours, you can put touring bindings on any sort of ski. It's just a matter of where you sit as far as preference of lightweight vs. downhill performance.
)

Thanks for the useful info! Ill look into all these and probably make a choice! Your advise was much more helpful rather than a "there is no such thing" kind of response... Thanks for taking the time!

Check out the shaggys skis Ahmeek you can get it in full carbon or a fiberglass and carbon combo. I have skied them from icy midwest days to deep powder days in the Montana backcountry. Its a small brand out of northern michigan so theyre midwest homies too. They carve super well on the hard pack and are a blast in the pow.

Keep going on tours til they don't feel heavy anymore. JJs are great for shorter bc tours. But really you may wanna go lighter if you get more into longer full day tours. My opinion however is favoring fat 115-125mm waist skis and light touring bindings. Dynafit style bindings over duke style for sure.
Lukes list copied below is solid. I ski bibby pros around jhmr like for darkside bc laps. Really want bibby tours for teton pass and gtnp missions

patagonialukeCool, then since you're coming from a predominantly park background here are a few options that aren't absurdly heavy, should feel relatively familiar, and should be able to deal with a variety of conditions fairly well. Keep in mind that, if you're not gonna be touring all that much, or not doing that long of tours, you can put touring bindings on any sort of ski. It's just a matter of where you sit as far as preference of lightweight vs. downhill performance.

Icelantic Nomad 105
Scott Punisher 105
Moment Meridian Tour (107 mm)
Moment Deathwish 106 Tour
Moment Bibby Tour (116 mm) (this might overlap too much with the JJ, but is a killer ski)
Black Crows Anima Freebird (115 mm) (might also overlap too much)
Armada Tracer 108 (not very freestyle oriented, so you might not be a fan)
Faction Candide 3.0 (108 mm)

JohnJonszKeep going on tours til they don't feel heavy anymore. JJs are great for shorter bc tours. But really you may wanna go lighter if you get more into longer full day tours. My opinion however is favoring fat 115-125mm waist skis and light touring bindings. Dynafit style bindings over duke style for sure.
Lukes list copied below is solid. I ski bibby pros around jhmr like for darkside bc laps. Really want bibby tours for teton pass and gtnp missions

i actually own a pair of shaggy ahmeeks!! suprised to see that recomendation actually. i love them how ever i got the lake superior graphic and i got the ski to use rarely more of a conversation piece than anything(i could throw a rock from my door step and hit lake superior) and i actually purchased a lightly used pair of faction 3.0's for a great price from a guy on here!! still gonna set them up with some touring bindings and get a new set of boots and well be ready to rock!! thanks for all the advise everyone.

Black ops 118 quiver killers with G3 ion 12 and pivot 18

+1 for Moment Bibby Tour for something wider (if you get those you'll find yourself skiing them over your JJs... just sayin')
+2 for Moment Deathwish Tour for an all mountain
the triple camber in the Deathwish grips like a dream on the skintrack and you can ski that thing anywhere no problem, which is huge for those bullshit exits on long tours.

Armada Tracer 108 was made for exactly what you described
If you like the jjs try the tracer!

If you're mostly skiing, ice maybe the Blizzard Zero G 95 (1.350kg per Ski) would be more suitable for you.

**This post was edited on Dec 3rd 2017 at 3:06:21pm

Black DIamond Route 105, probably.

just built up my new all-mtn touring setup this past weekend. 189.9cm Black Crows Atris w/ Marker Kingpin 13's. LOVING IT!

I'm a huge fan of the line opus's with marker baron combo. Sure it's older, but I've ridden this ski literally everywhere and finally sold off everything cause these were so versatile

patagonialukeCool, then since you're coming from a predominantly park background here are a few options that aren't absurdly heavy, should feel relatively familiar, and should be able to deal with a variety of conditions fairly well. Keep in mind that, if you're not gonna be touring all that much, or not doing that long of tours, you can put touring bindings on any sort of ski. It's just a matter of where you sit as far as preference of lightweight vs. downhill performance.


Icelantic Nomad 105
Scott Punisher 105
Moment Meridian Tour (107 mm)
Moment Deathwish 106 Tour
Moment Bibby Tour (116 mm) (this might overlap too much with the JJ, but is a killer ski)
Black Crows Anima Freebird (115 mm) (might also overlap too much)
Armada Tracer 108 (not very freestyle oriented, so you might not be a fan)
Faction Candide 3.0 (108 mm)

What are your opinions on the new atomic chetlers? Ive heard they hold their own on hard pack and are incredibly playful/shred through crud and pow

DunnersWhat are your opinions on the new atomic chetlers? Ive heard they hold their own on hard pack and are incredibly playful/shred through crud and pow

Which ones? The 100 or 120?

I've only skied the 100, and overall it's a very fun ski, though it doesn't feel as freestyle-oriented as I'd anticipated. I skied it at recommended (-7.8 cm) and at -5.8 cm, and at -5.8 it offered a good blend of playfulness and stability (I could ski from either a centered or forward stance at that mount point).

Rips groomers pretty well, though it wouldn't be my first choice for super firm, rough groomers as it's a pretty light ski and does get knocked around a bit in rough snow. But in softish snow, it's a lot of fun and feels strong on edge.

the 100 is definitely not a crud buster (again, it's pretty light), and I haven't gotten it into pow. With the factory tune, it feels a lot more locked in than I anticipated, and didn't feel very loose or surfy.

patagonialukeWhich ones? The 100 or 120?

I've only skied the 100, and overall it's a very fun ski, though it doesn't feel as freestyle-oriented as I'd anticipated. I skied it at recommended (-7.8 cm) and at -5.8 cm, and at -5.8 it offered a good blend of playfulness and stability (I could ski from either a centered or forward stance at that mount point).

Rips groomers pretty well, though it wouldn't be my first choice for super firm, rough groomers as it's a pretty light ski and does get knocked around a bit in rough snow. But in softish snow, it's a lot of fun and feels strong on edge.

the 100 is definitely not a crud buster (again, it's pretty light), and I haven't gotten it into pow. With the factory tune, it feels a lot more locked in than I anticipated, and didn't feel very loose or surfy.

I was thinking about using the 120s on primarily crud/backcountry/touring and on the very occasional groomers