Well, I discovered my Volkl Six Stars are really racing skis with a nice logo on them. Incredibly stiff and stable, but stiff means impossible on moguls and 68mm waist means sinks everywhere but the groomed. Joe showed me how to ride them though. Their sweetspot is tiny and it took two days to learn to get my hands down 5cm and forward 2cm and not push so hard on turns. And on moguls, wow, they are really hard. They are so stiff in the tail that if you get into the back seat, you are completely blown out.
There are dedicated bump skis like the Volkl Revolution which are best for big hard spring bumps. These have soft tails and tips and are great for sliding down the bumps. It turns quickly and is pencil tin at 63 waist. They are very light too and easy to turn. Also see Everything the Instructors Never Told You About Mogul Skiing by Dan DiPiro. The Dynastar Twister is also a top choice to try. For soft snow moguls a standard mid-fat like the Volkl Karmas work.
But on a mountain like Whistler, I really need a mid-fat all-mountain ski. So onto the rental shops according to Skiing Magazine, Epicski.com, and Skipressworld.com some recommendations of instructors up here:
- Volkl Grizzly got best all-mountain ski this year. I of course love my Gotamas (if only for the name!) and Six Stars. As Epicski.com points out it is really for true experts and it is very stiff and hard to flex. Like the Gotomas for that matter for the Six Stars. Main issues is that if you are light or don’t have the leg strength to push, it won’t turn well. It has 89mm underfoot, so it is a wide ski for sure. As my coach said, all the Volkls have such stiff tails, it is hard not to get in the back seat with them.
- Volkl Unlimited AC50 is highly rated next to the Mantra. It is less expensive than the flagship Grizzly. 85mm, 18M reaidus, Stiff so best for strong skiers who can push down hard.
- Blizzard Magnum 8.7 might be better. It is so stiff, it would be touch on moguls where you want them to flex and skid. Blizzard has a bunch of ex-Volkl people who arrived after K2 bought Volkl.
- The pros here recommend the Atomic Metron 11B5, I tried and it does do groomers well and some light powder worked well. Didn’t do enough bumps to know if they are supple enough, but the guys at Whistler swear by them.
- Head Monster IM88. Nice but too wide for moguls.
- Head Monster IM82. $1150 list, 83mm waist, 20M turnig radius. Medium flex and turns easily. Good for moguls and is more an all mountain board.
- Head Monster IM78. Folks seem to like this one not many negative reviews. It is quick and zipper and a carver.
- Nordica Hot Rod Hellcat. 90mm waist, 18M turning, stiff, good for lighter and aggressive skiers.
- Kastle MX88. 90mm waist, 20M raido, stif, turns fast.
- Nordica Hot Rod Top Fuel. 78mm and 15M radius. Medium fle
- Salomon Tornado Ti. Almost turns too quickly. 75mm waist, 16M turning raidus, mediumflex.
- Dynastar 8000
- Fisher Watea 84. Another one that has gotten good reviews. The guys at Sturtevants liked them because they are light (no metal) and easy to flick around.
- Atomic Nomad Crimson Ti. I demoed this ski and it was easy to turn in hard pack. didn’t get to try it in the bumps. 86 waist. 19M turns, good for light skiers, medium flex and light. Medium radius turns.n geat in hard pack.
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