Japan Pow Ski: RMU YLE 118 vs BC 120 vs Wildcat 118

buttsurferHeaded to Japan in Jan/Feb and want to scoop a new pow ski for the trip. I'm most curious about how the BC might compare to the YLE 118. Input appreciated

Vishnu tank 180

Bent is a floaty boi. Extremely light and is almost unsinkable when mounted -4. @PartyBullshiit will talk your ear off about the wildcat.

buttsurferHeaded to Japan in Jan/Feb and want to scoop a new pow ski for the trip. I'm most curious about how the BC might compare to the YLE 118. Input appreciated

Based on numbers alone I would assume the yle will be super stable and looks to be a more substantial ski than the bent on paper. The chetler is super fun on lower speed deep tree wiggles. Can still go fast but wouldn't recommend it if you are charging super hard. Wiley Miller is a nut so the rmu is probably a real damn good ski.

Only skied BC 120. It’s a fun Ski didn’t get along with it at recommended but very happy at -4. Wouldn’t want to charge big lines on it but in trees and lower angle terrain it’s nice. They’re also surprisingly durable for how light they are

dude, don't want to ruin the mood but japow is very overrated and overhyped. However, the country and culture itself is awesome. Just skiing there isn't THAT great. Where are you heading? Niseko/Rusutsu? I've spent around 3 mothns skiing Japan, and honestly, I probably wished for something 120+ wide 1 or 2 times. I've been good with my 110 wide travel ski, wishing for something more narrow surely more than 1 or 2 times.

Hokkaido for 5 days and Hakuba for 5 days. I’m bringing my RMU Apostle 106 with an ATK FR 14 for touring but also want to bring a fatty in the event the faucet is on and we’re skiing inbounds a lot. If not we’ll be touring a bunch.

i have an apostle 106 with alpine bindings too, which I love but it seems a bit redundant to bring two of the same ski.

N41v131355dude, don't want to ruin the mood but japow is very overrated and overhyped. However, the country and culture itself is awesome. Just skiing there isn't THAT great. Where are you heading? Niseko/Rusutsu? I've spent around 3 mothns skiing Japan, and honestly, I probably wished for something 120+ wide 1 or 2 times. I've been good with my 110 wide travel ski, wishing for something more narrow surely more than 1 or 2 times.

buttsurferHokkaido for 5 days and Hakuba for 5 days. I’m bringing my RMU Apostle 106 with an ATK FR 14 for touring but also want to bring a fatty in the event the faucet is on and we’re skiing inbounds a lot. If not we’ll be touring a bunch.

i have an apostle 106 with alpine bindings too, which I love but it seems a bit redundant to bring two of the same ski.

On Hokkaido, snow is usually very-very dry and light, sometimes so light that you can feel the bumps of lower layer after 1ft dump on top. In these conditions I never experienced tip dive or something like that. Plus, resorts are getting tracked out really fast, within an hour or two max, as they are rather small. For these conditions I'd say Apostles are perfectly fine.

Hakuba region is a lot warmed and snow is usually significantly more wet. 5 days window is not a lot to catch a storm, but if you are lucky, I'd suggest renting pow ski. There are many Rhytm rentals which stock Atomic, Faction, Salomon, etc. I definitely saw BC120, Mana 4, QST118 and other ~120 waist skis there.

I have the 190/118 wildcat and had the bc120. Fairly different skis. The bc120 is far softer than the WC and as such doesn’t like to charge as hard as the WC can. The 118 specifically busts through crud and chop fairly well where as the bc120 gets pushed around a lot more when things get rough. Float is fairly similar. The WC feels more usable in more than just powder where as the bc120 feels at home in powder. I’m more than comfortable skiing the WC anywhere and in most snow conditions, I wasn’t as happy with the bc120 unless I was in fairly soft fresh snow. I sold the bc120 and still have the wildcat.

N41v131355dude, don't want to ruin the mood but japow is very overrated and overhyped. However, the country and culture itself is awesome. Just skiing there isn't THAT great. Where are you heading? Niseko/Rusutsu? I've spent around 3 mothns skiing Japan, and honestly, I probably wished for something 120+ wide 1 or 2 times. I've been good with my 110 wide travel ski, wishing for something more narrow surely more than 1 or 2 times.

Really?

As someone who skis regularly in North America, Europe, Japan, and Argentina I have a different experience. Japan powder is my favorite.

It has gotten busier over the years but people still don't really go back country over there. The terrain can get samey over time - not too much variation - so I find it better suited for short trips 2-3 weeks at a time.

That said, I agree that ~110mm is enough for everything in Japan. The face shots are just better on a slightly narrower ski.