Are you sking or larping

Brand new setup for this year, just recently mounted by a shop. The heel lug in my boots (Salomon s/pro Supra 130) has some considerable divots after being clicked into the bindings a handful of times. Anything to worry about? Looking at the forward pressure indicator, it’s close to the arrows but not directly lined up.

Background: I'm 42 years old and have been skiing since my teens, but only in the last few years I really picked up skiing and started to somewhat nerd out about ski gear.

A couple of seasons ago I bought a pair of Elan Wingman 86 Ti's, after watching/reading quite a few reviews/comparisons and demoing. They were a great fit for me, I had a ton of fun and improved a lot. End of last season they started to feel a bit lacking, so I decided to get something new and more powerful. I found a huge deal for some Völkl Peregrine 82's (almost 50 % off) and after checking some reviews decided to take a chance with them as they sounded like a good step up and fitting for my use case. And the deal was so good that even if they're not to my liking, I probably get most of my money back if I sell them.

It's just that now that they arrived, I tried to compare them to my Wingman's and can't see much of a difference. The shape is very similar. On the reviews they always talk about flex and how "higher performance" skis are stiffer. Well, to my hand the Völkl's are just as soft as the Wingman's. Despite that, they're usually on the opposite ends of the spectrum on reviews. Of course it'll be interesting to see what the difference on snow is, but I'll probably have to wait for another two months for that...

Anyway, all this prompted me to ask the question on the header. What are the things that make one ski "advanced level" and another "beginner friendly"?

Hey guys I was wondering if I should pick up a brand new pair of armada arv 94s for 335 cad. I’ve been skiing for awhile and I wanna progress more in the park. I am around 5’8 and planning on getting the 171s are they worth it? Please let me know

Posted a while ago in a different account but made a new one so wanted to show the quiver for the upcoming season.

Actually need a carver oriented ski that’s less demanding than the WRT Pro and am looking at the new Stockli Montero AR Pro but probably won’t buy them for a while. The spray painted mirus cor will have to do 😂.

I’ll likely be using the Dynastar and Simply Recreation most days as I absolutely love those two skis. The Stormrider 102 are fun as hell as well - they released a new 108 that is supposed to be amazing and would love to try them.

I ski in Big and Little Cottonwoods in Utah only.

Anyone got any sth16 style afds floating around for the new old clamps?

im on the east coast, just picked up a pair of volkl yumis 80mm all mountain skis and i'm wondering if i should go even more narrow. Was considering the volkl flair frontside skis in 68mm. they also come in 75mm, not sure if that would be narrow enough from the 80mm to matter though, are the mm differences in narrow skis waist width more pronounce? Only thing about the 68mm volkls is that the ski essential guy said they would be best suited for ex racers...

66 yr old, 5'10", 215lb, advanced/expert, inland Northwest skier. I prefer skiing powder when available, chasing stashes in the trees, then chopped crud on skirts of groomers. I have Kendo 88s for firm groomer days. I have Rossignal Soul 7 HDs for powder days. Thinking of adding to or swapping out the Soul 7 HDs for POW and chopped up crud. Recommendations?

I’m coming back to skiing after a long break.

I grew up skiing in Maine. Lots of days at Sugarloaf. Move to Utah in the early 90’s and worked at Park City until 2000. While at Park City I got some K2 X-15s. Best skis I ever owned. When you weighted up the ski to initiate a turn, it felt like you were stepping on the accelerator. Super stable at speed. They would blast through anything off piste as well. I was never a strict bump skier, but in the open bowls and steeps where it bumps up between storms, I loved the way they felt and handled.

In the early 2000s, I kind of stopped skiing. Would only go a couple times a year, and by 2010, I had stopped altogether. After I my job at the mountain inn2000, didn’t like paying for tickets, and was working quite a bit. Just wasn’t motivated to go.

In 2015, I bought all new gear, and tried to get into it again. Got some K2 Arc Rictor 90s and some K2 Spyne boots. Ski were meh, but the boots did me in. Even though I went to a boot fitter, I had never been in so much discomfort in my life. My feet would cramp up on the lift, and by the time I made one run, I had to go in and rip them off my feet for 10-15 minutes. Probably skied 5-10 times that year and it never got better; in 2016, same thing. Looking back, I think my undiagnosed diabetes at the time was impacting my circulation. So I stopped skiing again.

At the end of 2024 I retired. Before the 25/26 season, I got an Icon pass and decided to give it another go. I just used the equipment I had from 2015, as I didn’t want to sink a bunch of money into it if I wasn’t having fun. Had a little bit of discomfort with my boots on the first day, but after that it was all good. Worked into it slowly, but after 5-6 days, I was feeling it again like 20 years ago. Got 15 days in before I broke my ribs after a fall. Tried again before everything closed, but I wasn’t recovered enough.

I’ve been working out all summer between the gym and my mountain bike. I really looking forward to the upcoming season. My boots are feeling good, and even though they’re older, they have less than 30 days on them. So I’m looking to upgrade skis this season.

So to the question in the title - what modern ski would be a close approximation to the X-15? I know I’ve had a lot of K2 products in the past, but I’m not looking to stick with them necessarily. This will be my do it all daily driver.

I plan to get a 80ish ski for early season and days when I just want to stay on groomers. I also plan to get a wide and soft ski for the days when I get lucky enough to hit a powder day.

Thanks

I'm 6'5" 220 lbs. Looking at the Dynastar mfree 100. Should I go 192 or 186? I have some knee and ankle issues so would the 186 beat me up a little less?

Will mostly be at Big Bear, Baldy, and Mammoth.

I’ve already been to two different bootfitters and tried on around 20 pairs of ski boots, but I keep having the same two problems: Either my heel isn’t secure and lifts inside the boot, or the boots are too narrow and create pressure points on the sides of my feet.

My feet are about 103–104 mm wide. I’ve tried some mid-volume boots with lasts around 100 mm, but experienced heel lift in all of them.
Because of this, I’m considering a low-volume or race boot with a narrower last of around 96 mm. I feel like a narrower boot might provide better heel support and the forefoot could be punched out to accommodate my wider feet.
However, neither bootfitter seemed comfortable stretching a shell that much. Instead, both recommended custom foam-injected liners.

My questions are:

Is it realistically possible to punch out a 96 mm last to accommodate a 103–104 mm wide foot?
Would starting with a narrower shell and modifying the forefoot be a better approach to achieving proper heel retention?

Also I don’t really live near a ski area and the bootfitters here might not be so good.

So, I did a thing.

I went to a ski show this morning, mostly to find some good deal on second had skis/ski boots for my kids.

I wasn’t really planning on buying anything for myself but then I stumbled on a pair of Rossignol Hero Elite + TIs in great condition for CAD400. So long story short I treated myself.

I know what to expect from these skis, and most importantly I know i won’t fully enjoy them with my 20 year old ski boots. I know I was way overdue a pair of new boots so my question is, what should I look at to get the best out of my new skis?

For background, I grew up skiing in the French Alps near Chamonix and then life took me here and there and I kind of didn’t ski for a while. Now I’m in Canada so we get plenty of snow, and while the ski hills around here aren’t massive, we get great snow and I go ski with the kids on a weekly basis, I often go after work as well for a bit of evening solo ski.

My current gear is old school. Rossignol bandits with boots that are too soft and very likely not sized properly.

Given that I got what I think is a good deal on the skis, I’m willing to spend the right amount to get good boots. I have a great store not far from here but wondering if anyone here would have recommendations on boot models I should look at or anything I should keep in mind when trying boots?

Thanks!

Hi, I'm looking for a new pair of skis. I currently have some Line Prophet 96 from around 2013 I think. I'm mid 50's, advanced skier, 148 lbs. I enjoy carving and love getting into softer snow in the trees. I primarily ski at Whistler and Blackcomb, and often end up having some runs through moguls too, but that's not my focus. I do enjoy powder but I feel like I can make most skis work for that. I find my Prophets a bit heavy and not so easy in the trees, but maybe that's more me than the ski. I think they're pretty decent at carving. I've been steered towards Rustler 10, QST 98, Enforcer 94, Sender Soul 102 and a few others. I'm not really interested in the park, tricks or jumps, I enjoy directional skiing. There is a lot of choice out there and hopefully I can demo something, but I need to narrow the list down a bit. Thanks!

They sell the 114 as the "resort goat" and the 118 as the "Powder Goat". I know the older Billy goats were 116 for a long time. does anyone feel like the 114 doesn't have enough floatation? I'm 5'11, 180 so not huge but not an absolute lightweight either

First pic is my skis, second is my wife’s, in case it wasn’t obvious. Long time lurker, never posted, but just looking for a distraction right now. For some context, I'm 36 and have been buying and selling skis for a while. I lived in Montana for about 8 years, skied a lot, of course, now I live in NH and have 2 young kids so rarely get out these days. Although my recent job in NH was near Sunapee, so occasionally I'd hit the park on my lunch break.

But yea I know you might think, but I am not at all wealthy. Normal engineering consulting job, just a sniper for deals. When I moved to MT, I was making 40K/yr. Bought all of the skis new, mounted em, and constantly flipped flopped bindings and rigs throughout the years. I think I'm good for a while lol.

For example, on the deals, it got the BC Nocta for $299 from Sierra Trading Post, which is hilarious (I can screenshot the receipt). It was when BC was just coming to the US and before they knew what the hell they were selling. I also got a free pair one time from Sierra Trading Post (BC Captis birdie for my wife, that I later sold) and they never charged me, which is wild. Also, FB marketplace is bountiful, in a resort town with rich people and lots of skiers.

I’m also a stone-cold idiot when it comes to spending money responsibly. I just like to have fun, and this is what I like. My wife absolutely rips too so we had a great time together at Big Sky. On a hiatus for a while with raising young kids in NH, but any opportunity to put my ski boots on is a blessing. I literally don’t care what the mountain or conditions are. No bad days when you ski boots are on. There’s always something to learn or get better at.

Lastly, I’m 5’8” and 140 lbs and like to run em long. I know I’m overcompensating for something, so let me have it 😊. Just like to fuckin rip. I’m a fan of long skis after spending a winter in Jackson and seeing the caliber of skiing there. I knew an old-time JH Airforce dude (uncle of a friend) who was legendary (at least to me, he was). Old guy absolutely drops bombs, rips Rendezvous with like a half-dozen turns total, hits the backcountry gate, doesn’t stop, keep nuking to union pass lift. Joint and beer on union pass then back to the tram line. Ride, rage, repeat. Didn’t give a fuck, no social media no nothing, just for the love of the game. Homeboy’s skis would tower over his head in the tram line, and I thought that was so fucking cool. Longwinded post, I’m sorry, just giving some background. Ask any questions or brutally berate me. Be mean as fuck, I need some hard truths. Thanks!

Oh the 2 old Rossi’s on the right aren’t new lol. Those were my dad and uncles from back in the day, but are still pretty mint. I wanna slap pivots on a pair and use em for closing weekend one year. Just a stupid dream.

Looking for your favorite baggy fit pants companies. Small batch, high quality. Not snow verb or mass produced stuff. Also brownie points if you know of a good company making baggy fit pants for littles around the age of 8. Thanks!

I’ve went skiing a handful of times last season and really enjoyed it, so I’m looking to buy my own stuff this year.

I’ll be skiing on small groomed hills in Ontario. I’m still a beginner. Came across these Rossignol packages at Sporting Life. Is it good value for the money?

I was thinking of buying used Skis and brand new boots as well. If anyone has other recommendations?

This is on the side of the tail.

Saw a good deal on marketplace and has a friend pick it up since I was out of town, he didnt see this damage. the ski is basically new except this damage.

Am I cooked?

My daughter learned how to ski last winter and I want to buy her her own ski equipment this season.
Which bands do you recommend?
What I should buy and what should I skip? (Skis, helmet, googles, boots, poles)
Thanks

Just unwrapped a brand new pair, rossignol hero elite MT Ti 175, 2025/2026.
Both skis have the same line along the sidewall, same side, same spot — my nail catches on it and the material feels different from the black part above.

Normal factory finish or something to send back?

Hey all, looking for new goggles/helmet combo for upcoming season. Want to ignore all the online marketing and ask y’all, any recommendations?

Thank you in advance