After lurking around for a looooooong time, I finally dared to make a post here.
I am a 28yo male, 188cm (or 6'2", right?), 70-75kg (155-165 lbs), just having started with park skiing. As I am totally born in the wrong country (NL, who stole our mountains) I have to ski mostly indoors but I do have a 2 month stay planned in Austria this winter to get some quality time on the real stuff.
I currently ski on a pair of 179cm 2017 Völkl Kinks with center mounted Griffons. They are nice and stable while carving or doing bigger jumps, but they're not really...fun. With my weight (and power) it's practically impossible to butter them, and now that I am starting to practice 180s, turning them around feels like steering a battleship. Is it me lacking muscle or are these things stiff as a plank and top heavy?
So I am on the lookout for a pair of nimble, FUN skis, mostly for park use. Buttery, low swing weight...an extension to my feet rather than two long bricks. It would be great if they wouldn't totally suck outside of the park, but I don't plan to do much other than park and maybe some groomers. I would say I can ski fairly well, having had quite some personal training on my technique. Park-wise, I am currently comfortable doing some stuff on bigger jumps (shiftys, safety grabs etc.) and I am trying my first 180s. Skiing switch is getting better every time. Goals: getting comfortable with 180s, landing my first 360 and hitting my first rail without breaking a bone.
After having done a shit ton of internet and shop research, I keep coming back to these three options:
- Armada B-Dog
- Line Honey Badger
- J Skis Allplay
The rest seems either too heavy, too stiff (so not really fun or nimble to ski on) or is not even available here. If you have any other suggestions, great! There is no way I can test a pair of skis beforehand here, so I basically have to rely on you guys and reviews on the internet on buying the right pair. I would love to hear what you guys think would fit me best.
Thank you so much for reading this wall of text from a desperate Dutch park noob. If you need any more info, please ask. I will try to react ASAP!
Cheers, Simon