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June, 2025

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Mid fat skis vs. fat skis

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Salad20
Posts: 36 - Karma: 203
Hey guys,
Currently I primarily ski the armada arv96 but I'm looking for something that will be better for powder. I'd say I'm an advanced skier and I enjoy skiing tree lines and bumps. I'm trying to decide whether I should go for a wider ski like the liberty origin 112 or a more mid width ski like the arv106. The places I ski are mostly Cypress and Whistler. I'm primarily worried that if I get a wider ski it won't be as versatile and won't be fun when things get more chopped up in the afternoon.
Thanks
4 years ago
1 0
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8196 - Karma: 64,739
I ski something 106 as a park ski on the east coast and daily driver you’ll be fine with a wider ski. It really just depends on the ski and how you ski imo
4 years ago
5 0
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Frenchmayo1287
Posts: 255 - Karma: -785
WoFlowzI ski something 106 as a park ski on the east coast and daily driver you’ll be fine with a wider ski. It really just depends on the ski and how you ski imo

Get powder specialized skis for powder days if you get a lot of snow and keep your current arvs for non powder days
4 years ago
4 0
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dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,093
I rode armada 106s this winter and they were wider than i liked. If i ever get another pair of powder skis i think 95 or 100 is the widest i will go. At a certain point of ski fatness you start feeling like you cant bring your legs together. Which is a shitty feeling.

I would consider trying k2 reckoner 102s but i think 95 is the best width of a ski for all conditions.
4 years ago
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SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,759
Dood your in Whistler, get a powder specific setup,120+ if your worried about afternoon chop there’s Rossi b ops, blizzard bodacious, commander 118, koalas, yle 118, enforcer 115, wrenegade pro, 4frnt renegade , deathwish, praxis customs, billy goats, animas, Kores will all handle afternoon chop weeks after a storm.

Ive ripped boiler plate on 108s, hard and steep on 118s and there are plenty of skis from 105-118 that can float , surf and still hold an edge
4 years ago
2 0
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9649 - Karma: 71,816
I enjoy 112s a lot for almost anything, and you probably would too.
4 years ago
1 0
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freeballer
Posts: 738 - Karma: 1,077
No ski is going to be the best in all conditions. Sure, you can make a 112mm ski work on hardpack, but it's not really ideal. On the flip side, you can make a 96mm ski work in deep powder, but that's not all that great either. Why not keep the ARV 96 for non-powder days and buy the Liberty Origin 112 for your deep snow days? If you want something that will be your only ski for deep days and non-powder days, I'd go with something in the 100-108mm range, but again, there's going to be a compromise. It won't float as well as you like on those truly deep days and it's not going to give you insane edge grip and stability on firm days, but it will do both ok. Know what I mean?
4 years ago
1 0
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9649 - Karma: 71,816
Fat skis ski groomers way better than skinny skis ski pow. Trust me, there are skis out there that carve better at 112 then an ARV 96.
freeballerNo ski is going to be the best in all conditions. Sure, you can make a 112mm ski work on hardpack, but it's not really ideal. On the flip side, you can make a 96mm ski work in deep powder, but that's not all that great either. Why not keep the ARV 96 for non-powder days and buy the Liberty Origin 112 for your deep snow days? If you want something that will be your only ski for deep days and non-powder days, I'd go with something in the 100-108mm range, but again, there's going to be a compromise. It won't float as well as you like on those truly deep days and it's not going to give you insane edge grip and stability on firm days, but it will do both ok. Know what I mean?
4 years ago
1 0
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SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,759
I wouldn’t want a lib origin for cut up evening pow, crud etc , nor really in pow, he’s in Whistler, nothing wrong with a 120+ Or full reverse camber , if I lived there I’d start with a 1 ski quiver 105-112 and a liberty genome or similar
freeballerNo ski is going to be the best in all conditions. Sure, you can make a 112mm ski work on hardpack, but it's not really ideal. On the flip side, you can make a 96mm ski work in deep powder, but that's not all that great either. Why not keep the ARV 96 for non-powder days and buy the Liberty Origin 112 for your deep snow days? If you want something that will be your only ski for deep days and non-powder days, I'd go with something in the 100-108mm range, but again, there's going to be a compromise. It won't float as well as you like on those truly deep days and it's not going to give you insane edge grip and stability on firm days, but it will do both ok. Know what I mean?
4 years ago
0 0
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9649 - Karma: 71,816
SavageBiffI wouldn’t want a lib origin for cut up evening pow, crud etc , nor really in pow, he’s in Whistler, nothing wrong with a 120+ Or full reverse camber , if I lived there I’d start with a 1 ski quiver 105-112 and a liberty genome or similar


140 with 170 in the tip seems like overkill even to me.
4 years ago
1 0
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freeballer
Posts: 738 - Karma: 1,077
BigPurpleSkiSuitFat skis ski groomers way better than skinny skis ski pow. Trust me, there are skis out there that carve better at 112 then an ARV 96.

To each their own, but I disagree. I'd rather have a skinny ski in deep snow and get barrelled than a wide ski on hardpack just flopping around with no edge grip. I've skied 80mm skis in bottomeless powder and 130mm skis on boilerplate and everything in between. I've had every waist width imaginable from 70mm to 140mm.

My only point to the OP is build a quiver. It's hard to have one set of skis for all conditions you are going to find on the mountain in a given season.
4 years ago
1 0
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SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,759
Yah that’s maybe stretching it a lil but I was trying to push the pow ski if ya already got a decent one ski quiver or more, lots of 120 ish skis that are great in the resort for high and low tide, lots of 112-118 that can really surf and rip, lotta 105-112 skis can still carve very well.
BigPurpleSkiSuit140 with 170 in the tip seems like overkill even to me.
4 years ago
1 0
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