What ski do I need?

[Buzzworthy]

I haven’t bought skis in a decade.

Looking for a forgiving/softish 175-178 sunny day blue groomer ski. Old man style. I wanna go shushing after I get my knee cleaned up beginning of December. I’ll be taking it real easy going forward so anything more than a moderate groomer day I’ll pick my snowboard.

Thanks to Altacoup I have some bindings to throw on.

What am I looking for?

[m2711c]

Praxis Rx.


fact

[altacoup]

K2 reckoner 102, so easy to ski yet surprisingly capable. They hand flex super soft, but are torsionally stiff so they carve great. The super soft flex also acts to absorb bumps. Highly underrated ski and can probably be found cheap.


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[PB]

Blue groomers? Old man style? Drop down to something in the 75-85 waisted range, full camber, classy carver. Atomic Q 9.0 fills this slot in my quiver.

[gaijin]

Stockli stormrider 88 would be my pick without having skied it. Said to have quite a soft tip and be super approachable. Notoriously smooth. It’s kind of stereotyped in my head as the epitome of an old man ski (that I whole-heartedly want.)

After my knee surgery I was on a Nordica Jet Fuel. 84 GS construction, full camber. Stiff. It was utterly terrifying.

[zion zig zag]

Salomon QST. Either 92, 94, 98 or 100. Lots of tip and tail rocker, pretty soft and dead easy to ski slow or fast. Bonus points for being able to find deals on them on KSL.

[altacoup]

Any of the qst skis are a really good choice. Salomon has really nailed their construction with that line. Good on snow feel, easy to ski but can handle high level skiing to. For Utah I’d go with the 100 width at a minimum. And as much as I think the idea of a 1 quiver ski is a joke. The 106 is probably the ski that is most capable of truly fitting that definition

[Buzzworthy]

So I have an old (only in years) pair of JJs for the fun stuff. But again if it’s fun, I’m mostly going to be on my board to save what knees I have left. But I started skiing over 4 decades ago and I still love it. A lot. Skiing groomers is still skiing in my book.

The QST is and has been on my radar for a bit. Again, I’m going to be linking groomers around Snowbasin, listening to music and grinning. If it’s not bumped up I enjoy speed and getting on edge. It’s the bumps/slop I can’t do on skis anymore.
What’s my ideal width?

[PB]

GS Cheater/tweener.

RLY.

[Buzzworthy]

GS Cheater/tweener.

RLY.

I honestly don’t understand this.
I don’t want a skinny ski if you’re pushing what you said earlier.

[Bosco]

I'd get the Blister catalog for this year, and look at the front side, or all mountain - more approachable reviews, and pick what floats your boat.

[altacoup]

If it’s the bumps and slop you can’t ski get the reckoner 102, the soft flex eats shit that up. It’s a super new school ski but it totally rips. Mounted behind recommended it’s totally usable for an old school skier. You can demo a pair of mine if you’re close to a 305bsl, I have an old pair I was planning on converting to tele for early season leg strengthening. If your boot can fit them take them for a spin. I can’t read PMs due to app issues but if you still have my number hit me up.

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[skuff]

I know you said softish/forgiving and the ski I'm using for old man fun is not that, but....

My groomer cruiser is heavy with metal to dampen the harsh, an old school Dynastar Legend Pro @ 97mm underfoot. Smooves and blasts through piles of crud and slush
I'm old and my technique is sorely lacking but that ski is so much fun on all types of snow. Put in the ear buds, listen to some great music and go. Sun's out buns out

What's the modern equivalent of an LP?

[zion zig zag]

What’s my ideal width?

Honestly with the QST line I'd think you'd be satisfied with any of them between 92 and 100. You can read all the reviews on Blister and see which one sounds more fun for your case, but if that were my goals, I'd shop that range and jump on any that were a good deal.

[PB]

I honestly don’t understand this.
I don’t want a skinny ski if you’re pushing what you said earlier.

You said no to bumps/slop, and yes to speed, on groomers. Plus, bad knees. To me this says narrower, full camber, 2 layers of metal. I would still recommend something in the 75-85 waist range, but suggesting a cheater GS will help make skis in the mid-range more attractive, psychologically? If you've skied cheater GSs in the past and hated them, please ignore.