MattB wrote:
Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

As the subject of "good skis" came up ...

What would you look for in a pair of all-mountain skis?


A very subjective thing, like selecting a "good" bike. I haven't bought
a new pair of Alpine skis in a few years, but in the past I've liked my
K2s and Salomons the best. I had some Dynastars back when the 4x4 was
the next big thing. I think I got about 30 days out of them and one of
them broke in half on a rock. Now, there was some serious pilot error
involved, but I think my Salomons may have survived the same hit.

Doubt it, foam core you know.

As others have said, go forth and demo. Demo realizing that you may need
to play with your timing and weight distribution a bit with different
skis (just so you don't try and ski them exactly like your old ones
without taking the differences into account). My Salomon Super Mountains
have been my #1 favorite pair of skis so far, but that particular model
(if they still make them - I dunno) may be a little stiff for you. I
love the shape, with a little wider waist they give great flotation in
the powder, but can still carve and edge pretty well when it's firmer. I
agree a wider waist is good for Colorado - a narrower waist (with a
wider shovel and tail) will try and force you to commit to a carved turn
more. In bumps and steeps, this can get tricky, and a wider waist will
give you more turning options when you need them.

For all-mountain, I've found a mid-fat without too radical a sidecut
seems to be the most versatile.

Matt (now fully recovered from my belief that the Rossignol 4M would
never be topped)

4M? The greatest was actually the 4S.

VtSkier