l wrote:

How much does all the different engineering make a difference? The industry
seems to have a ski for almost any condition. I want a ski that I can take
anywhere. I consider myself a decent skier and want to improve on moguls as
well as do more off-piste skiing.

I'm a kayaker when I'm not skiing, and a lot of times people tell me
that they want a boat that they can take anywhere. The problem, of
course, is that you're making compromises, so I think it's a good idea
to think about where you plan to spend most of your time. I think it's
less true of skis, but in the kayak world, boats that do an okay job of
everything tend to do nothing really well.

That said, my personal favorite go-nearly-anywhere ski is the Atomic
BetaRace 9.12, which I don't think is manufactured anymore, but if you
wanted 'em, you could find 'em used easily enough. It was their slalom
race ski in '02. And, yes, it is a compromise. It's certainly quick
enough -- that's where it excels -- and it's got a fast base, so when
you point 'em down the hill, they'll go like a bat. It's probably
stiffer than most folks would really like for a mogul ski, but I don't
know from moguls. I found that they did fine in crud and ungroomed (I
won't say powder, I haven't taken them in anything authentic or deep)
once I bought a basic clue. But for serious "off-piste" stuff, I dunno.

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.