Skis for spring mank in Tahoe?

[theferret]

What kind of skis do people like for skiing spring mank in Tahoe? Not the BC corn (I got that covered) but the chopped up, refrozen, remelted crud. Right now I have Nordica Nitrous (170mm, 78 underfoot) and Big Stix 106 (180mm). I'm feeling like something in between would be nice, or maybe something like the Big Stix but stiffer?

[frorider]

head monster 103 in my quiver rules in the spring tahoe/mammoth conditions. those 10.6s of yours are too soft for the firm or weird stuff in the morning or in the shade.

based on a limited comparison in weird refrozen conditions, the m103 is better than my recently-purchased atomic BDs.

[frorider]

(EDIT to add the obvious): so, in other words, i'm saying you should stick with a 100+ mm waist, since it will get slushy mid-day, but go stiffer/damper so that you can get decent edgehold & stability on the refrozen chunky stuff etc.

[The Dad]

Last week, before the most recent 4' of snow hit, my Bros rocked the softening mank.

[BLOODSWEATSTEEL]

186 Stomps.

[frorider]

Last week, before the most recent 4' of snow hit, my Bros rocked the softening mank.

my bros do very well for a 99 mm waist light-weight ski (arguably better than ANY lightish, approx. 100 mm waist ski). but for blasting through the more 'interesting' types of snow spring brings us here, the m103 is better. pure power and smoove dampness. almost 3 lbs heavier.

OTOH the bros feel light and nimble in the steeps.

[El Chupacabra]

What kind of skis do people like for skiing spring mank in Tahoe? ... the chopped up, refrozen, remelted crud.

IMHO, you want the stiffest, straightest, widest skis that you actually like skiing on. Something that will plow through softening crud, won't be hooky or grabby, turns when you want it to, and still hold an edge when it's icy/ crusty.

I'd recommend Explosivs, but I know you tried those and didn't like them.

I just picked up some Head Monster 103s, haven't skied them yet, but am looking forward to it. They flex like a wider Explosiv, weigh a bit more, and have more camber. I think they'll be fun in these conditions. They're also a bit shorter (183, but run long) than my Explosivs (190, but run short), so hopefully they'll be easier to whip around when necessary.

The 190 Explosivs ran me smack into a tree a few weeks back, when the crud was grabby (almost breakable crust, but heavier and wetter), and didn't release quite like I expected it to. Ouch.

[Huckwheat]

IMHO, you want the stiffest, straightest, widest skis that you actually like skiing on. Something that will plow through softening crud, won't be hooky or grabby, turns when you want it to, and still hold an edge when it's icy/ crusty.

I'd recommend Explosivs, but I know you tried those and didn't like them.

I just picked up some Head Monster 103s, haven't skied them yet, but am looking forward to it. They flex like a wider Explosiv, weigh a bit more, and have more camber. I think they'll be fun in these conditions. They're also a bit shorter (183, but run long) than my Explosivs (190, but run short), so hopefully they'll be easier to whip around when necessary.

I agree completely!!

[fat yeti]

Rossignol axiom heavy wide and straight or a atomic powder plus.

[TurxSki]

Yeh, ok, I'm an eejyit...and I don't weigh much...

But won't a stiff ski cause you to get "thrown around" by the crud ?

( This is based on very limited experience demo-ing a Volkl and a Solly in manky conditions at Sh-bowl. The Volkl "jumped" around in stuff the Solly sailed through )

Right now the mix of hard-pack/icy-crust/breakable-crust/nice-n-soft/sticky-n-grabby/wet-n-slow will probably give you grief no matter what you're riding on. Save your $$'s, maybe.

[the_eleven]

Right now the mix of hard-pack/icy-crust/breakable-crust/nice-n-soft/sticky-n-grabby/wet-n-slow will probably give you grief no matter what you're riding on. Save your $$'s, maybe.

Just sleep in, till the hard-pack and icy-crust are starting to turn, and ski your Spatulas for the rest.

Thats my plan anyway.

Other than that, I second the Axiom.

[The Dad]

Re the Bros, I find that their lightness lends itself to hop turns. But hey.

[Evmo]

But won't a stiff ski cause you to get "thrown around" by the crud ?

I think stiff AND damp is the key, ala exploders or anything with similar flex and perhaps a wood core (Stockli DP perhaps, but this is just pushing what I ski and like...)

[theferret]

Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate it.

El Chup, I think I could handle the Explosivs now - I'm quite a bit better than I was last year when I decided I didn't like them. I liked them when I was a shit skier, they were fun to skid and jump around on... then I improved my skiing from shit to suck and learned how to turn by using the ski, and they were too stiff for me to bend... now I've improved from suck to bad and I ski a lot faster, fast enough to bend a stiff ski. I don't regret selling them though, I think I want a longer ski anyway, especially for the mank... I think.

[VC]

Just sleep in, till the hard-pack and icy-crust are starting to turn, and ski your Spatulas for the rest.

Thats my plan anyway.

I agree, I recently found the light of spatulas. They didn't really impress me that much in powder. They were good, but I would rather ski on other stuff. But in spring heavy, cut up tahoe snow I love them.

[avacadotoast]

Usually in cutup pow/crud type stuff my legend pros rule....unless it's really warm then the tails won't hold enough and wash out on me...

...last week I tried my Big Daddys in some really warm mank and was quite surprised by how awesome they worked for me...

...the Big Daddys killed the mank!!

[CRACKER]

Another vote for the exploder.

[StormDay]

LPs - 194s.

The stiff and even flex is really great in the corn.

Plus, great edge hold if you get into some firm snow.

[stuckathuntermtn]

can the LP's just to everything well? exept touring since they're heavy