Advice on pow skis

**Vermonter** · 04-05-2007, 10:14 AM

Headin out into the powder next year an im lookin for advice on a pair of skis. Iv narrowed it down to the Goats, AK Enemy, or Sir Francis Bacon, unless anyone has more suggestions. I know the gotamas are an incredble pair of skis an i doubt the others are better but i havnt heard anything about em. Anyone who has ridden these skis wana give me their opinion on em an the differences between the skis. I really do wana get the goats, but its just such a big hunk of change i was hopin the k2 or lines would be a lil less expensive, thanks.

**marshalolson** · 04-05-2007, 10:16 AM

atta boy!

now, for some real help, toss out your size, weight, skills, location, eye color, etc.

gotamas are super fun, a bit more of an everyday ski, the ak's are super fun semi-narrow pow skis that are soft and floaty, and the SFB are big fat super soft playful pow skis.

**Vermonter** · 04-05-2007, 10:20 AM

Alright, im 6'2 but only about 170, but im workin on added some weight. I figured id go with 179 on the AK, 183 on the goats, an only choice for SFB is 182. The bacons do look fun though, im just wonderin if they might be a lil soft, which ya say is true, can u still really charge down the hill with em? Also i know ud be lucky to find the goats for round 500 unmounted, but i havnt seen the aks or sfbs anywhere, any idea what the price range normally is on those.

**Bandit Man** · 04-05-2007, 10:26 AM

You can get AK Enemy's for sub-$400 at many places online...

Good luck with finding a 183 Gotama...

**Brewski2** · 04-05-2007, 01:04 PM

Get the Gotama. Floats, turns easy in the woods, holds an edge, owns in crud. SFB too much for most Vt woods and K2 just sucks IMO.
Check www.Sport-Conrad.de or www.Telemark-pyrenees.com for good prices.

**mikemcee** · 04-05-2007, 01:09 PM

The Goats rock..fun in almost any conditions but especially in pow. P-Tex just sold a new pair of them for <$500 a couple of days ago. Post a WTB in gear swap.

Squatch · 04-05-2007, 01:16 PM

do you have other sticks? if you are a freshmen at CU you will probably spend 90% of time inbounds, and if you don't have a car and hold illusions about being a good student, you won't get to pick and choose the days you go up. If this is going to be an everyday ski, I'd definitely go with the got, and maybe some other unmentioned choices as well. If pow-specific, I'd get some Praxis (i've never skied them, but for $400 you can't go wrong).

**Vermonter** · 04-05-2007, 02:38 PM

Im gettin a pair of k2 silencers for my jib ski, ordered a new pair of 179s to find out the were outta stock, but yah these skis are gonna be mainly for outabounds. Got a couple friends im gonna ski with in western an im gonna try to find some pals at CU to give me rides to the pow. These skis are gonna be 80% pow, 20% all mountain.

**PowTron** · 04-05-2007, 02:52 PM

80% pow, then go bigger...

Bacon is great shape, but too soft for almost anybody to EVER charge on and very close to center mounted. The Gotama would be your all mountain choice, and the k2 is nice, but WAAAAAAAY to soft for me. I would point you towards a Nordica Blower 185, which is still soft, but is 110mm underfoot, and stiffer than the Maden AK crap....or, even a bigger, true pow ski (DP, Prophet 130, Sumo)...you may get lucky on a closeout somewhere...

Slay the pow....

**Brocktoon** · 04-05-2007, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by Squatch

, I'd get some Praxis (i've never skied them, but for $400 you can't go wrong).

X2

That ski intrigues the hell out of me. I've got some spats I picked up on gear swap last year that are fun as hell in powder and the Praxis are supposedly just an improved version. Do a search and you'll find they get pretty consistently rave reviews around here. Also cool to support a core garage-type operation.

**Below Zero** · 04-05-2007, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Vermonter

but yah these skis are gonna be mainly for outabounds. These skis are gonna be 80% pow, 20% all mountain.

I'd go with a lighter ski then, if you are going to be touring with them. Maybe check out some Bros or some Atomic Sugar or Big Daddies. Check out this thread: http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76416

What kind of bindings are you going with?

**El Chupacabra** · 04-05-2007, 03:23 PM

Buy my Spatulas.

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80067

[/shameless plug]

**The Dad** · 04-05-2007, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by PowTron

Nordica Blower 185, which is still soft, but is 110mm underfoot, and stiffer than the Maden AK crap....or, even a bigger, true pow ski (DP, Prophet 130, Sumo)...you may get lucky on a closeout somewhere...

Blower $454.27 at backcountry.

Prophet 130 $500 at Sierra Snowboard & Ski. (Pontoon for the same, fwiw)

Dynastar Big Trouble $362.50 at Sierra.

AK Enemy $503.96 at Backcountry.

Scott P4 $494.96 at backcountry.

Head Supermojo $399.48 at backcountry.

Movement Goliath $539.97 at backcountry.

**Bandit Man** · 04-05-2007, 05:08 PM

Seths at Porter's in Tahoe for $377...Seths

They have AK's for the same price. I'm not too sure I'd go super fat as your other boards are puny K2 Silencers and will be less than "meh" when your not getting jibby.

Seths would be a nice all-arounder that are very similar to the Got's, but can be found and at cheaper prices, as noted above.

Oh yeah, since you are only at 8 posts, welcome to the neighborhood JONG!!

**Deep Days** · 04-05-2007, 05:30 PM

178 Rossi B3 for $100? Drilled twice. And get some Praxis on top of that...?

**PowTron** · 04-06-2007, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by alpinedad

Blower $454.27 at backcountry.

Prophet 130 $500 at Sierra Snowboard & Ski. (Pontoon for the same, fwiw)

Dynastar Big Trouble $362.50 at Sierra.

AK Enemy $503.96 at Backcountry.

Scott P4 $494.96 at backcountry.

Head Supermojo $399.48 at backcountry.

Movement Goliath $539.97 at backcountry.

must....not....buy....any....more....skis.......

HEAD 105 for 399...hmmmm...

"Give me Head till I'm dead"

**The Dad** · 04-06-2007, 07:13 AM

Vermonter:

I can't believe that I forgot to mention that there's a pair of 185 04/05 Rossi B3s with Rossi 140 bindings in gear swap for $250. These skis are now sold as the B4, because the year after, they decided they needed to add an 80-something mm waist ski to the line, and rather than call that the B2.5, they expanded the numbering. It is a smoking deal. The bindings alone (14 DIN turntable Looks) would probably be worth $100. Think very seriously about these.

**backcountry1pr** · 04-06-2007, 09:41 AM

Haha, Josh, you dont want the SFB, Made'n is the way to go for you man, but, you prob would like the blower as well, get whats cheep.

**endlesswntr** · 04-06-2007, 03:56 PM

hey tron,

The Heads are the 103s...the even burlier version. Oh and only in a 193 from backcountry...such a tease.

**ubertele** · 04-06-2007, 08:01 PM

Goats are played. Everyone out there has them and they definitely aren't the greatest thing you can find. I would check out some Scott P4's. They are wider and way more fun. Two sheet's of metal make them super stable at speed and you still get a slant wall constructions. I'd go that route if I were looking for new pow skis.

**spindrift** · 04-06-2007, 08:45 PM

I think at this point there's a difference between a "powder" ski and a fat ski that plays well in powder. A whole lot of the skis mentioned so far are, IMO, in the latter category. You said you want a powder ski...

If you want a deal, and it sounds like you do, on a powder specialist, consider the following. cshalbot got no love here http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...light=pontoons so has posted his still-in-wrapper 179 toons starting at $300 here http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ons&category0= Anything under 450 bucks will be a steal of a deal on a great powder ski that is more versatile than many people give it credit for being (it can be railed on groomers when needed). Not a bad price on a ski that'll be back up around 600+ bucks in Sept. I may be in the minority, but IMO unless you are unusually hard charging, the 179 would do you fine for all-around powder skiing - and be the better choice for narrow chutes and trees. And Chris is a great guy - so it is likely to be a painless transaction. Or if you really don't care about compromises for groomer or crust performance, hop over to www.praxisskis.com and snag the super pre-summer sale price. FWIW - I'm 6'2" and about 200 pounds & I've skied the Pontoon in 179 & 189. Have not skied a Praxis - yet. Obviously there are a pile of other true powder specialists, but these are two real value deals IMO.

As for the "too soft" comments on the SFBs - my youngest kid is skiing them most days out at this point. His take is that while they are soft lengthwise, they are torsionally rigid enough to kill it charging on groomers and off-piste most days. He has not had them out in powder that many days yet, but has voiced no complaints when he has -- just smiles a lot. He really likes the fact that he can butter either end readily. If you are thinking switch/buttery/swoopy/spinny, I suspect he'd sing their praises. If not, there may be better choices...

As for the Gotamas - I use a 183 as my day to day "all mountain" ski. Versatile enough. And well mannered in pow. Fine all-arounders. But compared to the current generation of rockered/flat/rc powder skis, well... all I can say is that quite frankly the Gotamas are a joke in powder when compared with a Pontoon, and presumably the rest of the current crop of true powder skis. At least for a very "mere mortal" type skier like I am. Still, if what you are looking for is an all around ski that plays well in the soft stuff, I think you could do much worse...

**mountain_man** · 04-07-2007, 01:21 AM

nioce essay.
Since you'll have silencers I'd recommend P4's over Gots purely because there cheaper and very comparable (if not 'better'). But Madens/ AK's you'll be able to find cheaper as there are more years available. Since your 6ft and adding to your 170lbs i think you should consider the 189 Ak as they ski a lot shorter due to their twin and the P4's 181 will have to do, 191 might be a little too much. Happy hunting.

**Singel** · 04-07-2007, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by mountain_man

nioce essay.
Since you'll have silencers I'd recommend P4's over Gots purely because there cheaper and very comparable (if not 'better'). But Madens/ AK's you'll be able to find cheaper as there are more years available. Since your 6ft and adding to your 170lbs i think you should consider the 189 Ak as they ski a lot shorter due to their twin and the P4's 181 will have to do, 191 might be a little too much. Happy hunting.

I'm pretty sure a 189 AK will measure out a few cm's longer than a 191 P4, but of course flex and intended use will have more to do with which lenght is better...