UKH

Looking for ski advice.

I have a lightweight ski set up that is great for days with a lot of skinningup or carrying, but tricky on steep or hardpack descents due to flex/chatter.

I’d like to get a second set up, with a heavier stiffer ski that is strong on icy/steep/cruddy/hardpack descents. I accept the extra weight involved.

Obviously both have pros and cons, that’s just the way it is in aki mountaineering.

What would people recommend for heavier/stiffer? 

What’s the nearest thing these days to the good old B2 Bandit?

Has anyone used the Black Diamond Route 105 ski? Where does this fit in on the spectrum?

Thanks.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

very dependant on weight, height, strength, sex, ability and probably some other variables I havent thought of!  Just buy something and if you dont get on with it flog it and buy something else.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

I got the Blizzard Bonafides for this use. I haven’t used them yet, this NZ winter will be  their first, so can’t give a personal review, but lots of good online reviews. My current hard charging ski is the BD Zealot, great fun at speed, but very heavy, and not nimble at all, I wanted a narrower ski this time.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Black Crows Chamox Freebird or ever the touring line up was. 

If you already have them light misery stixes, look for lightweight proper skis. The BD version looks good, but from past experience they are ’too’ light for their size. Meaning that they behave just like yer misery stixes, but are wider and heavier. Proper wood core and some weight adds up to damp skis -> nice on uneven ground. 

Personally, I’d get the Corvus touring model. But I do like fat skis.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

I have Black Crows Freebird Navis with Dynafit st rotation 10 bindings, and dynafit radical boots. Found this setup to be light enough for big ascent days but solid enough for skiing hard choppy terrain and steep lines.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Whitedot R.98s have a keen following for this sort of stuff, I love mine but I suspect I may not ski quite as hard as you.  Ben Briggs seems to like then too and he's definitely more capable than both of us.

In reply to kevin stephens:

I don’t ski hard at all - but I once had skis so floppy and light that it felt as if I had completely forgotten how to ski !

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Black Crows Orb or Camox both have that extra bit of weight and width to ski well on harder snow for a touring ski, but still light enough on the up - worth sizing them a bit longer

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Have a look at the Salomon MTN Explore 88s - they also come in a wider version.  I've had them for 3 years with Dynafits they're v light and stiff.  Coincidentally my guide also uses them and thinks they're the best thing ever!

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Probably somewhere in-between your two ski requests but as an all round quiver of one for steep technical skiing but still light enough for multi day tours I love the:

Black Crow Navis Freebird - A great all rounder

Kastle tx98 - Another great all rounder, much like the Navis above but with a slightly skinnier waste. 

Black Diamond Helio 105 - The lightest but really quite amazing performance to weight ratio for a mid fat ski. 

For me I found the Black Diamond Route 105 to be a poor compromise between the excellent Black Diamond Helio 105 mentioned above and the superb Boundary Pro 107 (a great charger). 

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

I’ve got both Orb Freebirds and the full fat Orbs - run the latter with a set of Shift bindings and the combo is great on hard snow, noticeably less ‘chattery’. Bloody heavy combo though - touring any distance would be good training Not sure why I’d go for much above 90 at the waist for hard snow conditions.

In reply to mattbell:+1 or even the quests if you want something more downhill oriented. They are my choice with Barons for day tours and lift served.

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Hi Nick. I can help with some comment on the Black Crows. I ski the navis Freebirds with Dynafits (my touring set up), and the Atris with Kingpins, (my backcountry / steeps / sidecountry type set up). Im in La Grave now with the Atris. (smiles!).

You can ski the Freebirds pretty hard even though they are fairly light. They respond well to being driven and will cope with any terrain. I agree with superturbo in that they feel solid enough for chop and the less camber on the tail gives a bit more rear edge control skiing steep stuff. Particularly with short scrub speed, gully type turns. For touring, mountain journeys, and steep harder snow I'd go for the Freebirds over the Atris.

The Atris are a bit softer to ski and slightly more forgiving. You can drive them or take a bit more of a backseat ride. (Probably not good skiing technique!!!) They are a lot softer in the tip and tail, with a fairly large tail rocker, which gives them a suprisingly short effective edge. This means you can drive them edge to edge with a bit less effort despite their width. (Because they have a fairly short effective edge dont be afraid to get the next size up from the size you would normally take with a less rockered ski). They are superb in powder. Softer tails and tips give more absorbtion in soft chopped and crud, but you do need to be on them, steering them through such terrain. For general playing, on, off and around the piste and mountain I'd take the Atris over the Freebirds. They are also super stiff in the centre of the ski so they respond well to a slightly stiffer binding.

After saying all that, you say your after a stiffer heavy ski so I would say the Corvus is perhaps more that type of ski than the Atris. Cant comment though as I've not skied the corvus.