Armada Locator 96?
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Armada Locator 96?
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The locator series doesn’t get a lot of love around here but they seem to be great. Light, stiffer than a lot of do-it-all touring skis, longish radius. I think part of the issue is they weren’t marketed that well, and don’t make much sense in Armadas line up. If they were marketed under the Atomic lineup I think they would sell better.Quote:
Originally Posted by EricB
I’d agree that they require a specific technique but that doesn’t change the fact that they ski everything well if you can ski that way. I would say they float really well for a 104 underfoot ski with a fairly narrow tip.Quote:
Originally Posted by jacob_dbu
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Blaze 94 can be found at a very good price these days. Does everything well.
Too stiff for their weight, imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by ASmileyFace
BC Solis is pretty dope at iirc 100 underfoot. Comes in 170 and 180 and skis long. On the heavier side, and not carvey at all... I dunno about "forgiving" but I would describe it as an extremely obedient ski.
And you can get rowdy af with it
I had narrowed my own search down to this and the Nordica Enforcer Unlimited 94 (basically, same without the heavy metal). I found a sweet deal on the Nordicas and grabbed them. Skimo has a decent deal on the Salomons and I debated quite a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by jhyatt
For me, uber light paulownia skis are only fun on the way up. On other end, Head Kore, Elan Ripstick push the weight needed. I'm thinking/hoping the 1550 g ski is the right balance.
Ripstick tour 94 is ~1550 in 185. Similar in many ways to mtn and enforcer unlimited, probably a bit softer in tails than the e94u.Quote:
Originally Posted by dschane
Oh, bad research on me. Add Ripstick Tour 94s to my personal list of the ideal spring touring ski -- not too light, not too heavy, just right. (ETA: obviously, there's more to it than weight, esp. if we're talking about a "forgiving" ski -- I'm personally looking for a ski for spring conditions where you're bootpacking, skinning, and hunting corn but often enough come up short and find icy mank -- I weigh 190 lb and prefer a moderately stiff ski for these conditions).Quote:
Originally Posted by Westcoaster
What length is your ripstick?Quote:
Originally Posted by dschane
Could you measure the distance from tail to mounting line?
Thank you
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I think you want Westcoaster to chime in. I went with the Nordica Enforcer Unlimited and don't have the Ripstick Tours.Quote:
Originally Posted by rod9301
Has anyone mentioned the Rossi Bandit X or the Salomon X-Scream yet? They were pretty hot shit in the mid-1990s and I’d consider them forgiving.
[emoji38]
It's like 183cm because of the circumcised tip. I'll measure tail to mount tonight.Quote:
Originally Posted by dschane
"Designed for all mountain use, the Bandit X is quick and responsive on the groomed slopes and powers through the crud and powder." Sounds like a dream ski at 70mm in the waist. Who needs modern shapes and widths.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
I’ve skied a reasonable number of touring skis in the 90-105 category & generally agree with this summary: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topic...ckcountry-skis
The camox freebird 188 is my go to for long tours. I agree with their assessment of firm snow grip, it’s better than most in this weight range.
I have the 185 zeroG 95 from 2022 & it’s great on firm, suits an aggressive & angulated style but is so short (much shorter than the Camox, like 7 cm shorter) that pow/crud performance suffers if you’re a bigger guy.
Did you read the first post of the thread?
Yes. Did you read the rest of the thread?
I want a 95-100 ish ski that is 1500-1600 ish grams for a 180-184 ish length. I'm 6'1 200 in the wasatch. I have a 108 touring setup already. Am considering:
- salomon mtn 96 in 182
- armada locator 104 in 186 or 178
- dynafit free 97 in 184
M-tour 99 gets a lotta love but its mount point is -12 cm(??) which seems too far for my tastes, my inbounds skis are usually about -8.
These three skis are currently cheap as shitz right now
I skied the M-tours mounted forward. I’m not sure how forward, but definitely not -12.. They were pretty great. Surprisingly damp and not “pingy” for the weight/stiffness.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bojangles Mgillicutty
Free 97s are pretty hard to pass on at the current prices..
Locators are more directional than the M-Tour or Free.
Never skied the MTN.
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BMT 94
Or heritage labs BC90
/thread
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Both are great skis. I’ve also spent a lot of time on the Dynafit Beast which is the predecessor of the Free and they are excellent for the price, greatly underrated imo. I’ve heard good things about the Armada and Salomon but they are more traditional with higher camber and sidecut.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgapp
Free 97 is a pretty underrated ski imo. Quick on edge, floaty and forgiving. Its a little to turny for my liking and doesn't like to be pushed hard. But if all you're going to be doing is chill, easy going touring you can do so much worse. Especially at the current price point
Any feedback on the 94s?Quote:
Originally Posted by dschane
I didnt read much of the thread but I wana give a huge shout-out to op for actulay quoting width of the ski in mm instead of saying mid-fat or sft
It measures about 183cm straight-pull tip to tail. I'm a big fan, capable but not too demanding.Quote:
Originally Posted by frorider
Not sure if this floats anyone's boat, but this deal is too good to pass up, especially if you like Trab skis
https://skiuphill.ca/products/skitrab-neve
In the mid 90’s I was touring on some 203cm K2 KVC Comps with Silvretta 404 bindings, but I would not describe them as forgiving.
Not very forgiving especially in those lengthsQuote:
Originally Posted by Pins and Skins
Yup, wasn't necessarily for the OP, but more a PSA in case anyone was considering Trabs
Quote:
Originally Posted by Benneke10
im local to skiuphill if that helps anyone.
curious if people consider the majesty superpatrol forgiving? (also avail at skiuphill which is why i ask). i have my eye on it cause i like the weight for the class and use case.
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I saw this thread and originally thought "mid 90s touring ski," Rossi Easy Rider as it is till my touring ski, but came out in the mid 90s. Actually 85 underfoot, but like the old Cut 11.5 or bandits with less metal and
well, not sure you could find it any more
Great ski for the up an down
/oldguy out
Nice
Not yet. But I will share some info. when I finally get to ski them.Quote:
Originally Posted by sf
this kinda sumarizes the takes I've seen on this ski - I was very curious about them and the wider version for a while.Quote:
Originally Posted by sf
https://youtu.be/hEZ3Xj-Imvw?t=937
aka great shape that doesn't all the way work as intended in the lighter layup. They have since been discontinued.
I'm gonna rephrase my question I posted in this thread a couple weeks ago:
If you already had a beast 108 181, ski in the Wasatch, and were gonna buy one more ski, what would you buy? 6'0 200
Help I can't think for myself
If you want something cheap that will ski pretty similar to what you have, get the Dynafit Free 97. If you want a more refined ski that is also full rocker and straighter sidecut get the Heritage Labs BC90. If you want to go even lighter without sacrificing a ton of performance I like the Salomon MTN 88 (and it’s cheap) but if you want to go under ~1400g you gotta accept more traditional shapesQuote:
Originally Posted by Bojangles Mgillicutty
Thanks. I think I'm leaning towards the free 97. The 88 sounds awfully skinny. I'm tempted by the BC90 (and 110) but I'm a cheapskate and hesitant to try reverse camber in the backcountry despite everybody raving about how good it is. I have the full reverse Nocta for an inbounds ski and I've had the most fun runs of my life on it but then dislike it once I'm out of fresh, deep pow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Benneke10
The beast has treated me pretty well and I think 1600-1700 grams per ski is a good spot. Probably obvious but I'd be getting the 97 for spring or any day with less fresh or more firm. Typical day would be about 4000'.
I'm leaning towards 184 length over 177. I have the 181 Beast and wish it was 184-186.
Anyways, time to head to skimo
I got a pair of Kastle TX93 last year to replace K2 way backs (88?) that I didn’t get along with. I really like the tx93.
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If you can stomach retail or find a good deal most people would be hard pressed to find a better daily drive touring ski than the TX93. It's dead easy to ski, light and can punch above and below its waist width. But as with most mid-90s do-it-all skis you can't expect to to excel in any conditions other skis do well in. And it's like 1k brand new, but there are some deals to be had with the TX series getting a facelift this season.Quote:
Originally Posted by bw_wp_hedonism
Back in the mid 90s i had some of those Kazama skis i toured on.