Traditional and non traditional shape skis

Z touched on something that I have thinking about for a while in the next year ski thread.

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Originally Posted by Z

Personally I have very little interest in reverse sidecut skis. I like to carve.

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How many of you prefer a traditional ski to a non traditional ski? ie Spatula, Pontoon, and 138. I have never skied on a non traditional ski, but one thing that I really like is when you are carving a turn and the ski hooks up. Non traditional skis seem like you smeer the turn more than carve. Non traditional skis seem like they would be pretty good when you are skiing heavy snow. I am not trying to start a war which is better but more why you like a non traditional to a traditional ski?

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Originally Posted by ski_faster

why you like a non traditional to a traditional ski?

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My perspective (coming from skiing the variety of shaped traditional skis, from lots of sidecut to minimal sidecut, but only really one non-traditional shaped ski -- the Spatula) --

The Spatula pivots on a dime. Best tree ski I've ever been on, in any sort of soft snow. Once the snow is hard, though, leave it at home.

I prefer a regular sidecut, medium or medium-to-stiff flex ski when the snow is super soft, deep fluff. In these conditions the Spatula doesn't feel as stable as I would like, when going fast (well, fast for me...)

I took a couple of runs on the Pontoon, but it wasn't a pow day. Firmer surface conditions = Pontoon sucks worse than the Spatula, super floppy (longitudinally and laterally); at least on the Spatula you can slide sideways on cat tracks and groomer runouts...

I'm excited to try out Line's new reverse sidecut double cambered fatties.

As long as you're skiing it really doesn't matter, but if one more person asks me about my Spatulas in the liftline I'm going to flip out and kidnap an Israeli soldier.

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Originally Posted by robokill1981

As long as you're skiing it really doesn't matter, but if one more person asks me about my Spatulas in the liftline I'm going to flip out and kidnap an Israeli soldier.

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Very few of them ski. You'll be hard pressed to find one in the lift line. I do know one who skis - but not well.

Oh, and if you did that, they'd probably blow the shit out of the ski area - very bad karma for maggots.

As for the original question...the right tool for the right job. I too like to carve (on one plank) and like sidecut on my skis and my boards. Probably more important on the board than the skis (for me) since I usually only ski if the snow is soft.

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Originally Posted by robokill1981

As long as you're skiing it really doesn't matter, but if one more person asks me about my Spatulas in the liftline I'm going to flip out and kidnap an Israeli soldier.

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Excellent response. :tongue:

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Originally Posted by ski_faster

Z touched on something that I have thinking about for a while in the next year ski thread.
How many of you prefer a traditional ski to a non traditional ski? ie Spatula, Pontoon, and 138. I have never skied on a non traditional ski, but one thing that I really like is when you are carving a turn and the ski hooks up. Non traditional skis seem like you smeer the turn more than carve. Non traditional skis seem like they would be pretty good when you are skiing heavy snow. I am not trying to start a war which is better but more why you like a non traditional to a traditional ski?

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Concur with Sinecure. This was an epiphany I had 10+ years ago in surfing. I grew up riding a 6'2" standard thruster and it was my only board. I rode it in all conditions. It was great in 3-7' good surf. It sucked in heavy shit and it sucked in slop. When I finally started thinking about it from a design perspective, I realized that different waves require different tools to fully enjoy them.

I think skiing is the same. That's the whole purpose of a quiver. The trick is stocking your quiver based on a realistic assessment of what you'll be skiing (and how well).

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Originally Posted by Sinecure

they'd probably blow the shit out of the ski area

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they'd probably blow the shit out of any sort of civilization within 100 miles of the ski area . . .

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Originally Posted by robokill1981

As long as you're skiing it really doesn't matter, but if one more person asks me about my Spatulas in the liftline I'm going to flip out and kidnap an Israeli soldier.

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That's how my wife feels (she's 8 1/2 months pregnant) if another person asks either "when are you due?" or "can I feel your tummy?". Especially the ones that ask "can I feel your tummy?" as they are already reaching out to touch it.

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Originally Posted by 72Twenty

Especially the ones that ask "can I feel your tummy?" as they are already reaching out to touch it.

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She should scream: "GET YOUR BODY THETANS AWAY FROM MY BABY!" :D

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Originally Posted by Sinecure

Very few of them ski. You'll be hard pressed to find one in the lift line. I do know one who skis - but not well.

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There's one (ex-soldier) in my program, he skis OK (at kirkwood)

I have nothing useful to add to this thread. It's very hot outside.

I am going to bump this thread up again with all the new skis out this year. I thought there was a couple people that didn't care for the Spats.

spats etc are super fun in trees, winbuff/softslab, but somewhat limited elsewhere.

but the hybrid skis like a lotus 120, ehp 193 ski similarly in those conditions, and are more versitial in other stiuations too

curious how the reverse sidecut skis like ski_faster mentioned would be for tele. I've read a few good things about the Spats on ttips, but I'm wondering how the other skis (Praxis, 138's, etc.) would be.

thinkin' of getting a pair ski_faster?

Yeah I am getting a pair of Praxis. I am just curious cause I really like that feeling when you are carving a turn and the ski hooks up.

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Originally Posted by ski_faster

Yeah I am getting a pair of Praxis. I am just curious cause I really like that feeling when you are carving a turn and the ski hooks up.

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why are there no reverse-camber/sidecut snowboards?!?

I guess it'd be a wakeboard...

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Originally Posted by jfost

why are there no reverse-camber/sidecut snowboards?!?

I guess it'd be a wakeboard...

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that would be fun in pow...

The winterstick swallowtail board is more or less reverse side cut under foot. Same idea there...

The leftest news stations would give more coverage to the Isrealis though.

WTF? Can I get me some of whatever you're taking?

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Originally Posted by Toby

WTF? Can I get me some of whatever you're taking?

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or whatever you are on

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Originally Posted by dk_alaskan

or whatever you are on

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Huh? Oh, now I get it. I was responding to this:

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Originally Posted by cuzinick

The leftest news stations would give more coverage to the Isrealis though.

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because I scroll over old posts so I didn't get the context. It just seemed out of left field and I didn't realise he was responding to a post ~10 above from 4 months ago.

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Originally Posted by lemon boy

I'm excited to try out Line's new reverse sidecut double cambered fatties.

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Line is making a reverse sidecut double cambered fattie? I want to know more! please! And I seriously have thought about buying the longest wakeboard I could find and mounting it up with snowboard bindings, obviously no edges would mean only fresh dump days, but it would be interesting. Rossignol makes (or at least made) a swallow tail pow snowboard called the Undertaker, my boss has one in the shop that he rides about once a year, it's like 195cm I think...crazy huge, but it looks like alot of fun - imagine two of those mounted with ski bindings.

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Originally Posted by ski_faster

Z touched on something that I have thinking about for a while in the next year ski thread.
How many of you prefer a traditional ski to a non traditional ski? ie Spatula, Pontoon, and 138. I have never skied on a non traditional ski, but one thing that I really like is when you are carving a turn and the ski hooks up. Non traditional skis seem like you smeer the turn more than carve. Non traditional skis seem like they would be pretty good when you are skiing heavy snow. I am not trying to start a war which is better but more why you like a non traditional to a traditional ski?

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Personally I love both (as an ex-racer of 13+ years) I can appreciate a good turn....I love the feeling of hooking up on hard, icy snow and fully harnessing the power of a ski...) but with a spatula or the new Praxis ski (I have several day's on both)they are SOOOOO much more stable at high speeds in the pow and crud than traditional boards! On a pow day when everything is tracked out near the end of the day....traditional skis are at a significant disadvantage! U float through the crud ALL day on the big pow skis! That is the point of pow skis...to float; as you cannot really set an edge in pow there is no need to carve....leave the tradtional skis for non pow day's if you can afford 2 pair....The Praxis is much more versatile than the spatula (due to it's flatness underfoot) and can be ridden 90% of the time! Although I only ride em on powdays....rest of the time im a Gotama and karma rider!!!

what is the deal with the Praxis?

is it a reverse camber specialty ski like the Spat, etc. or is it a more traditional fattie a la Igneous?

Actually, I'd like to see some commentary on how folks like the likes of Spats/ARGs/Lotus compared to say an Igneous and other more traditional powder planks...