“Making sure what you’re skiing lines up with what you actually do, not what you want to do.” Great comment and, IMO, a good reminder that, for many of us spending most or all of our time at a resort, a narrower ski is probably more appropriate and suitable for 70-80% of typical days throughout the season. I LOVE my Sick Day 104s and just ordered my first true powder ski at 117 underfoot (Line Outline). But I sure do love my Stöckli Laser AX skis at 78mm. Such a joy to ski, so easy, and optimal for a majority of my lift-served ski days here in MT.
Wow I love this concept for a video. We never usually see this kind of thing, and it’s extremely instructive. I think only Cody Townsend ever gets into his gear and rationale like this. Love it!!!
Hahaha exactly what I was thinking. I'm on my 6th set of skis in the last 4 seasons. Used to be that I would rock a 1 ski quiver and keep it for 2-3 years. Not anymore!
I love your videos guys. Your reviews are fantastic. But your quiver videos might be my favorites, cause it gives an honest assessment of what you regularly ride and what skis get used most. Just ordered a new set of Enforcers 104 for me and my wife based on what I concluded after viewing tons of your review videos! Keep the good work up!
That was awesome! Thanks, so much, for sharing your quiver with us, Bob, as well as the amazing stories that went on along with them. Sharing this helps us to be able to match ourselves to you as a tester, where we have similarities, differences and what's going to work best for us accordingly. Plus, if skiing is life, it's fun to learn about your life on skis. Helpful, informative, entertaining! Looking forward to Jeff's!
Thanks Bob and great idea. I always wondered what you guys ski when not "working." Full disclosure, when I first looked at the skis, I thought the old Salomon's were XC skis!!! The bindings gave it away. Was not that long ago the long and narrow skis were the thing. I started skiing in 1970 and the equipment changes and ski widths and lengths have gone thru a huge transition.
Come to think of it, we could actually include our XC skis too... I know Bob has a few pairs. I believe he skis his Rossi OT 65 most. I use a pair of Rossi BC 90s more than anything else for XC, but I have some skate skis too.
Great idea. Us being able to see different people with different skill sets ski on their own personal gear, and then why they choose them is a very good way to review things. Just including the individual's weight, height, age and ski length preferred would be cool too?
Great Video Idea, really enjoyed it a lot! In my Quiver i only got the Enforcer 104 Free in 191 and i couldnt be any happier. Greetings from germany and keep up the good work :)
Fun video. Great shot of the kids! Paradigm changer. The Nordica Soul Rider is likely the most overlooked ski on the market. It's been around forever, and people still see it as a Park Ski from a non-park company (not as cool). I'd love to see a boot video--maybe one that helps explain to people that a 130+ boot is not a requirement for a good skier. Another idea is the 2 ski quiver--one for the East, and one for flying to the mountains.
It's amazing how long the Soul Rider has been around without any changes. I've talked to Nordica about it multiple times. It has a strong, although relatively small, following and they just keep churning out more and people keep buying them. Again, not a ton of people, but enough to make it worth it.
We'll definitely try to mention boots in the next one, I think that would be good information to include. Bob's alpine boots are a Salomon X Pro 120, I can't remember what he uses for AT boots.
What an epic shot at 2:20 ! I would love to see a tree skiing focused video from you guys at some point (i.e. skis that work particularly well in trees)
Love my K2 Sight at 88 waist with a Pivot 12 and just got my powder/touring ski with the Armada 116 JJ and the Armada shift 13. Can't wait to try that.
@@SkiEssentials Thank you so much I wanted to call you guys before deciding on the JJs but I'm stuck in Europe rn unfortunately. Got the K2 with your help tho last year thanks for that awesome skis
Great concept. I think everyone has a story about the skis in his/her quiver. I’ve been telling my 20 somethings they need to add the Soul Riders to their quivers.
Hi Jeff and Bob. I was love the video and the way Bob talked about the soul riders. I am 16 and live in the east so not much snow. I just started with the park and can do spins on boxes can hit a few rails and 180 s on jumps. I also like to go off trail (when possible) and I build jumps and stuff with my friends in the back yard and I like to do big high speed carves on the groomers. I was looking at the souls rider 87 and the armada arv 85 and the volkol bash 86. But on paper they all look very similar and idk which ones to get
The Bash and ARV are a bit more "park dedicated" than the Soul Rider. The Soul Rider's flex and rocker profile make it a slightly more all-mountain-friendly ski while still performing well as a park ski.
My cousin gave me his skis for my first pair of skis back in 1990... I'm 5'7" and he is 6'3".... needless to say they were a little long lol.... so when I got my first pair of parabolic skis everybody thought I was an expert skier... :) .... Great videos! ... keep them coming... I am already dying waiting for the next season to begin... :)
Awesome new series, I love this concept. That's also a pretty sick quiver. I've got other shit that I need to buy (new espresso machine/PS5) but in 2-3 years I think I'm gonna be in the market for a narrower ski than my Bent Chetler 100. This has been a great season for it but anything like last year and I know I'm not going to want to be much higher than the low 90s, probably with some metal in it for ripping groomers. Keep up the good content!
Great video. Too bad you guys don’t have a location out west. It would be interesting to hear how someone in Utah goes about selecting their skis vs you guys on the east coast.
For me personally, my quiver wouldn't really be any different. I almost always keep a ski that I think of as my "western" ski. Doesn't come out much in Vermont, but it's something I always like to have. I might drop some of my narrower skis, but probably not, they all serve a purpose. For reference, I've skied out west a lot and have lived in Mammoth and Summit County. (this was Jeff, btw, but I expect Bob would say the same. He might go a little wider than the Pinnacle 105, I suppose...)
I watched yours first and I am going to watch Jeff's next. I think that you and I have similar styles. We will see what I say after watching Jeff's. I raced on a pair of Salomon's similar to the ones you have and I kicked ass on those. I did pick up a pair of Salomon's that are slightly shaped from GoodWill that are probably right around the year 2000. You mentioned Breckenridge. Well, I would race a couple seasons on my skis and then bring them out to Breckenridge and destroy them. I busted the back ends of the skis right in half going down the moguls. I also did that with my Rossignal 4S. I do like to get the most out of my skis so I will probably use my new skis most of the year. DPS Wailer F100 RP x 184. On groomer days when the hill is really open my Stockli Stormrider 88 x 177 can't be beat. Before all of the runs open up I will probably use my K2 Mods that I used to race on around 1999. I used them for slalom and GS so they are used to turning. That is when there are a ton of people skiing. I also got a pair of K2 powder skis from GoodWill that I skied on once last year. I wanted to try them on a slushy day but I never had the chance. Chances are that I would love all the Nordicas that you ride.
"My wife is really lucky" - have you checked with her about that? Seriously though - nice video and very informative. Looking forward to the next episode. Thanks!
Love this series. My local shop recommended the soul rider but I thought it was more of a park ski. After watching this and others it’s made my list of possible contenders. How does it compare to kanjo 84
Kanjo is more precise on firm snow. More responsive when linking carves, stiffer in the tail. Soul RIder is more compliant, softer flex in the tail, which helps when skiing slower through moguls and stuff like that.
I live only 12 miles from our local hill in Washington so I ski a lot. I have Head Supershape I Titans for groomer days. Love them. Like driving a sports car. Good off run after the snow has been skied out. I am on my second pair of Nordica Enforcers 93 that are my every day, go to ski. Ski every condition with them. If I can take only one pair of skis on a trip it is the 93s. Finally I have about 4 year old Nordica Enforcer 100. Ski on powder and big crud days. I like them, but like the 93s better. Will demo the Enforcer 104 on our demo day that is coming up. I have older pair of Blizzard Bonafides. I liked them but like both pair of Enforcers better.
Enforcer 104 might be a cool replacement for your Enforcer 100, considering how close the 93 and 100 are in overall performance. You'd get more soft snow performance in the 104.
This new series is off to a great start with Bob. Highly instructive. It might be interesting to hear (1) your basic physical specs, which are always a factor in ski sizing and preferred models, and (2) your choice of ski boots and how your particular foot issues or ski technique led you to choose them. In addition, (3) you might mention what you like in a binding - Bob prefers Look, so tell us a little about that.. Last but not least, (4) if you could pick one new pair of skis, which would you add to your quiver and why?.
We're going to plan on including our boot choices going forward. For reference, Bob is typically skiing in a Salomon X Pro 120. He's also about 6'2" 220 lbs.
Man haha seeing that you ski mostly on the 87 but also have Enforcer 88s has me thinking crazy things. I thought about getting Brahma 88s and Rustler 9s but it seemed redundant. I’m stuck in the Midwest and trying to pick between Brahma 88 and Rustler 9, but maybe both and the Rustler could be the ski I use most days? At that point I don’t know why I wouldn’t use a Firebird HRC instead of the Brahma 88 though. Decisions 😅
@@gtwar88 Don’t have either yet, my 2013 RTM 84s are still kicking! I demo’d some Rustler 9s out at Aspen and they were awesome, great for smearing turns in the bumps and trees but still liked to be pushed.
@@ProfessorSteez so if you already have nice "carving" skis, get yourself a rustler and i promise you wont be disappointed, also i dont se the point in buying Brahma at your situation
Some good feedback here already. I do kind of think it would make more sense to get a Firebird HRC and the Rustler 9 than a Brahma 88 and a Rustler 9. The Brahma and Rustler are different for sure, but the Firebird HRC is a different animal. Quicker edge to edge, a true race ski feel. Feels like a better complement to the Rustler than the Brahma would be.
Same parent company. There are definitely differences between the two brand, but overall quality and level of craftsmanship is just as good with Nordica in my opinion.
Awesome episode! I am the same height as you and have been using 130cm poles for years. They seem too long for bumps. I borrowed my son's 125cm poles today and wow what a difference. What length poles do you find works best for you in bumps and variable terrain?
Bob's actually the opposite of you! He typically uses 125 cm poles, which he prefers in moguls, trees, etc, but he's been looking to pick up some 130 cm poles for groomers.
Bob/Jeff, I know you guys love the Soul Rider 87’s. I recall watching the Black Crow Captis video which I believe you also liked? How would you compare the two? 90underfoot for the Captis vs 87, both turned up tails,....Would love your insight and feedback.
Really similar! In fact, I remember in one of our Ski Tests, Bob got to ski the Captis for the first time, and he stopped half way down and started talking about how it's his favorite Black Crows ski. They have a lot of similarities. Both are quick and agile, yet relatively strong and responsive on a groomer too. The 3 mm difference in width doesn't really amount to much when you ski it, the Soul Rider isn't noticeably quicker edge to edge or anything like that.
Your vids are great but indexing would really help. Would love to hear What would you recommend for an all mountain ski for 5’5” expert skier spending 50/50 time off and on piste? What an Enforcer 94 (165cm) be too heavy?
We typically do indexing on the longer videos, but we'll work on getting it into shorter videos as well. Enforcer 94 is a great 50/50 ski! I don't think it will be too heavy, no. Typically expert skiers find it about the perfect balance between stability at speed, edge grip, and versatility/ease of use.
Mine is Atomic Blogs 2013 110mm underfoot. They are getting pretty Beat up and need to find my next? I’m thinking Bent 100 but it’s feels really stiff. So I’m not sure what to get ?
Hey Kip! Have you skied the Bent 100? It might feel somewhat stiff when you're hand flexing it, but I can confidently say it doesn't feel stiff when you see it. More energy in its flex pattern than the skis you're replacing, but not tremendously stiff. Feels like a good replacement to me. Of course, you could go Bent 110 is you want the same width and/or want more tip and tail rocker. Hope that helps!
Love this thanks guys! This sort of review is exactly what I’ve been after. So after reading all your reviews I’ve decided to go with a three ski quiver instead of two. I’ve recently picked up some enforcer 88s and 104s but I’m looking at a more family friendly ski that I can use to teach my little boy and take a few runs with my wife with. I’m the similar height/weight/age/skiing style to you Bob. Struggling to source a soul rider here in the U.K. would the Fischer ranger 94fr be a decent choice. Or recommend something similar to the soul rider? Cheers
Yup! Ranger 94 FR would accomplish that very nicely. That ski has a lot of the same characteristics of the Soul Rider 87. It's fun at slower speeds, very agile and playful, but reasonably strong too if you get a chance to ski a little faster on a day like that. I say go for it.
I am a skier from the west and it is crazy how ski east coast skis are, because for me 95 underfoot is pretty dang skinny and for all mountain skis I would even look at anything small then a 100 underfoot. Also my daily drivers are bigger than his powder ski it is just wildly different.
It's funny, I haven't sourced out new personal skis for almost two years. Boots have been my personal focus as I can use and pair them with all the different skis we get to try. My current quiver would not look all that interesting, unfortunately. For skis that are not in this quiver video, I currently have a Head Kore 93 as my go-to ski for everyday and a Stockli Montero AR for groomer and race days. But for current boots, I have a K2 Recon 130 BOA, Kastle K130P, Lange Shadow 130 LV, Lange RS 130 MV, Salomon S/Pro 120 BOA, and a new Dalbello Veloce 130 (which I really like!). I'll try to get some skis over the summer and then maybe do a ski/boot combo quiver video in the fall.
Honestly, probably very similar, maybe with a couple Stocklis and Kastles thrown in there. With the work that Bob and I do, there comes a time when you just have too many skis, since we already spend so much time testing on demos and stuff like that.
The Nomad doesn't feel as playful to me. Icelantic's skis often have a strong, stable feel and a lot of heft to them, which some skiers like, but I prefer the feel of the Bent Chetler. I actually haven't skied the Bighorn 96 (one of few skis I've never skied) so can't really comment on that.
Get rid of the brakes on the Alpinist. Generally unnecessary for a dedicated touring setup, but these in particular are flimsy and useless in terms of stoping a runaway ski and the mechanism tends to break. Weak point in what is otherwise a pretty solid binding in the 300gr range, which has been overshadowed by the Salomon MTN mostly by marketing...
Couldn't agree more. I was very disappointed with how weak the brakes were, and that stupid toggle at the back, so swapped for leashes. Very happy with the bindings though.
I like skiing the narrow skis because it reminds me of how difficult it is! Funny to think I was skiing an Atomic Bent Chetler 120 the other day in 8" of snow and loved it. Twice the width!
“Making sure what you’re skiing lines up with what you actually do, not what you want to do.”
Great comment and, IMO, a good reminder that, for many of us spending most or all of our time at a resort, a narrower ski is probably more appropriate and suitable for 70-80% of typical days throughout the season.
I LOVE my Sick Day 104s and just ordered my first true powder ski at 117 underfoot (Line Outline). But I sure do love my Stöckli Laser AX skis at 78mm. Such a joy to ski, so easy, and optimal for a majority of my lift-served ski days here in MT.
YAAAAS!!! Love this series! Bob, your little ones can ski, my dude.
Your dude
Wow I love this concept for a video. We never usually see this kind of thing, and it’s extremely instructive. I think only Cody Townsend ever gets into his gear and rationale like this.
Love it!!!
Don't know why I loved this so much but I did. Especially the 1998 Salomons. Thanks Bob.
Salomon Force 9. It slices. It dices. It shreds. I had an S3 in a power 5 back in the mid 90s. What a great ski!
I'm on my fourth set of Ski's now after watching all your videos.. You have been a bad influence on me. My wife isn't happy, but I am. :‐)
I bought two sets this week alone. Thanks bob
I got 8 pairs, its a real problem.
@@Jolinator you guys make me feel good
Hahaha exactly what I was thinking. I'm on my 6th set of skis in the last 4 seasons. Used to be that I would rock a 1 ski quiver and keep it for 2-3 years. Not anymore!
Why do people still have wives lol?
I love your videos guys. Your reviews are fantastic. But your quiver videos might be my favorites, cause it gives an honest assessment of what you regularly ride and what skis get used most. Just ordered a new set of Enforcers 104 for me and my wife based on what I concluded after viewing tons of your review videos! Keep the good work up!
Thanks!
They're a lot of fun for us, too! We'll likely do a refresh this spring sometime as our quivers have changed!
SE
I really like your style of skiing
and i saw people on 116mm skis on 6 inches of fresh snow last weekend :) and bob is on 62mm underfoot
Cool video Bob. Always interesting to see what people who have seemingly unlimited choices have actually keep for themselves. Thanks..
That was awesome! Thanks, so much, for sharing your quiver with us, Bob, as well as the amazing stories that went on along with them. Sharing this helps us to be able to match ourselves to you as a tester, where we have similarities, differences and what's going to work best for us accordingly. Plus, if skiing is life, it's fun to learn about your life on skis. Helpful, informative, entertaining! Looking forward to Jeff's!
Thanks Bob and great idea. I always wondered what you guys ski when not "working." Full disclosure, when I first looked at the skis, I thought the old Salomon's were XC skis!!! The bindings gave it away. Was not that long ago the long and narrow skis were the thing. I started skiing in 1970 and the equipment changes and ski widths and lengths have gone thru a huge transition.
Come to think of it, we could actually include our XC skis too... I know Bob has a few pairs. I believe he skis his Rossi OT 65 most. I use a pair of Rossi BC 90s more than anything else for XC, but I have some skate skis too.
Hi Bob. Great video. I think I had those Solomon skis. I’m sitting next to your dad now. Playing golf soon. Take care.
Thanks for sharing, Bob. You're a joy to watch ski - so smooth!
Great content, can’t wait for the next quiver video! Keep it up guys!
Great idea. Us being able to see different people with different skill sets ski on their own personal gear, and then why they choose them is a very good way to review things.
Just including the individual's weight, height, age and ski length preferred would be cool too?
He said all that though
If you missed it, Bob's 6'2" and 220 lbs. He mentioned the length of each ski as well. We'll be sure to keep doing that in future quiver videos.
@@SkiEssentials apologies, yes thanks, I watched it again and it was there. Good stuff.
The SkiEssentials video I have been waiting for.
Really nice job Bob!!! This is a great video, way to start a series...STRONG!
Great Video Idea, really enjoyed it a lot! In my Quiver i only got the Enforcer 104 Free in 191 and i couldnt be any happier. Greetings from germany and keep up the good work :)
You can do a lot on an Enforcer 104!
Fun video. Great shot of the kids! Paradigm changer. The Nordica Soul Rider is likely the most overlooked ski on the market. It's been around forever, and people still see it as a Park Ski from a non-park company (not as cool). I'd love to see a boot video--maybe one that helps explain to people that a 130+ boot is not a requirement for a good skier. Another idea is the 2 ski quiver--one for the East, and one for flying to the mountains.
It's amazing how long the Soul Rider has been around without any changes. I've talked to Nordica about it multiple times. It has a strong, although relatively small, following and they just keep churning out more and people keep buying them. Again, not a ton of people, but enough to make it worth it.
Would love to hear about the boots also and the ripper at 3:40 area awesome, great footage!!
We'll definitely try to mention boots in the next one, I think that would be good information to include. Bob's alpine boots are a Salomon X Pro 120, I can't remember what he uses for AT boots.
What an epic shot at 2:20 ! I would love to see a tree skiing focused video from you guys at some point (i.e. skis that work particularly well in trees)
Sounds like a great idea!
Love my K2 Sight at 88 waist with a Pivot 12 and just got my powder/touring ski with the Armada 116 JJ and the Armada shift 13. Can't wait to try that.
That's an awesome 2-ski quiver!
@@SkiEssentials Thank you so much I wanted to call you guys before deciding on the JJs but I'm stuck in Europe rn unfortunately. Got the K2 with your help tho last year thanks for that awesome skis
Great series!
Getting into all mountain skiis is addicting. Thanks Jeff
Love the video! Looking forward to the future ones :)
Shooting to have the next one up next week!
Great concept. I think everyone has a story about the skis in his/her quiver. I’ve been telling my 20 somethings they need to add the Soul Riders to their quivers.
Jeff does an incredible job with the video.
Lovn these series already! 👍🤙
Hi Jeff and Bob. I was love the video and the way Bob talked about the soul riders. I am 16 and live in the east so not much snow. I just started with the park and can do spins on boxes can hit a few rails and 180 s on jumps. I also like to go off trail (when possible) and I build jumps and stuff with my friends in the back yard and I like to do big high speed carves on the groomers. I was looking at the souls rider 87 and the armada arv 85 and the volkol bash 86. But on paper they all look very similar and idk which ones to get
The Bash and ARV are a bit more "park dedicated" than the Soul Rider. The Soul Rider's flex and rocker profile make it a slightly more all-mountain-friendly ski while still performing well as a park ski.
My cousin gave me his skis for my first pair of skis back in 1990... I'm 5'7" and he is 6'3".... needless to say they were a little long lol.... so when I got my first pair of parabolic skis everybody thought I was an expert skier... :) .... Great videos! ... keep them coming... I am already dying waiting for the next season to begin... :)
This is the content we need. Haven’t even watched yet, but I’m fired up
Cool new format...
Awesome new series, I love this concept. That's also a pretty sick quiver. I've got other shit that I need to buy (new espresso machine/PS5) but in 2-3 years I think I'm gonna be in the market for a narrower ski than my Bent Chetler 100. This has been a great season for it but anything like last year and I know I'm not going to want to be much higher than the low 90s, probably with some metal in it for ripping groomers. Keep up the good content!
Lots of good options for a ski like that! Espresso machine does sound pretty sweet though...
Great video. Too bad you guys don’t have a location out west. It would be interesting to hear how someone in Utah goes about selecting their skis vs you guys on the east coast.
Or Tahoe!
It wouldn't be a very interesting video.. Out west they choose wider skis with more rocker. And that's it.
For me personally, my quiver wouldn't really be any different. I almost always keep a ski that I think of as my "western" ski. Doesn't come out much in Vermont, but it's something I always like to have. I might drop some of my narrower skis, but probably not, they all serve a purpose. For reference, I've skied out west a lot and have lived in Mammoth and Summit County. (this was Jeff, btw, but I expect Bob would say the same. He might go a little wider than the Pinnacle 105, I suppose...)
Great video
great idea for the vid
I watched yours first and I am going to watch Jeff's next. I think that you and I have similar styles. We will see what I say after watching Jeff's. I raced on a pair of Salomon's similar to the ones you have and I kicked ass on those. I did pick up a pair of Salomon's that are slightly shaped from GoodWill that are probably right around the year 2000. You mentioned Breckenridge. Well, I would race a couple seasons on my skis and then bring them out to Breckenridge and destroy them. I busted the back ends of the skis right in half going down the moguls. I also did that with my Rossignal 4S. I do like to get the most out of my skis so I will probably use my new skis most of the year. DPS Wailer F100 RP x 184. On groomer days when the hill is really open my Stockli Stormrider 88 x 177 can't be beat. Before all of the runs open up I will probably use my K2 Mods that I used to race on around 1999. I used them for slalom and GS so they are used to turning. That is when there are a ton of people skiing. I also got a pair of K2 powder skis from GoodWill that I skied on once last year. I wanted to try them on a slushy day but I never had the chance.
Chances are that I would love all the Nordicas that you ride.
"My wife is really lucky" - have you checked with her about that? Seriously though - nice video and very informative. Looking forward to the next episode. Thanks!
Lets see more of these kinds of videos!
We have more in the pipe coming soon!
Love this series. My local shop recommended the soul rider but I thought it was more of a park ski. After watching this and others it’s made my list of possible contenders. How does it compare to kanjo 84
Kanjo is more precise on firm snow. More responsive when linking carves, stiffer in the tail. Soul RIder is more compliant, softer flex in the tail, which helps when skiing slower through moguls and stuff like that.
The Salomons are badass!
I live only 12 miles from our local hill in Washington so I ski a lot. I have Head Supershape I Titans for groomer days. Love them. Like driving a sports car. Good off run after the snow has been skied out. I am on my second pair of Nordica Enforcers 93 that are my every day, go to ski. Ski every condition with them. If I can take only one pair of skis on a trip it is the 93s. Finally I have about 4 year old Nordica Enforcer 100. Ski on powder and big crud days. I like them, but like the 93s better. Will demo the Enforcer 104 on our demo day that is coming up. I have older pair of Blizzard Bonafides. I liked them but like both pair of Enforcers better.
Enforcer 104 might be a cool replacement for your Enforcer 100, considering how close the 93 and 100 are in overall performance. You'd get more soft snow performance in the 104.
This new series is off to a great start with Bob. Highly instructive. It might be interesting to hear (1) your basic physical specs, which are always a factor in ski sizing and preferred models, and (2) your choice of ski boots and how your particular foot issues or ski technique led you to choose them. In addition, (3) you might mention what you like in a binding - Bob prefers Look, so tell us a little about that.. Last but not least, (4) if you could pick one new pair of skis, which would you add to your quiver and why?.
Nah, none of that would be very interesting to hear.
We're going to plan on including our boot choices going forward. For reference, Bob is typically skiing in a Salomon X Pro 120. He's also about 6'2" 220 lbs.
thank you so much
Man haha seeing that you ski mostly on the 87 but also have Enforcer 88s has me thinking crazy things. I thought about getting Brahma 88s and Rustler 9s but it seemed redundant.
I’m stuck in the Midwest and trying to pick between Brahma 88 and Rustler 9, but maybe both and the Rustler could be the ski I use most days? At that point I don’t know why I wouldn’t use a Firebird HRC instead of the Brahma 88 though. Decisions 😅
If you arleady got Firebird HRC just buy a rustler 9, it realy can carve a turn too
@@gtwar88 I agree
@@gtwar88 Don’t have either yet, my 2013 RTM 84s are still kicking! I demo’d some Rustler 9s out at Aspen and they were awesome, great for smearing turns in the bumps and trees but still liked to be pushed.
@@ProfessorSteez so if you already have nice "carving" skis, get yourself a rustler and i promise you wont be disappointed, also i dont se the point in buying Brahma at your situation
Some good feedback here already. I do kind of think it would make more sense to get a Firebird HRC and the Rustler 9 than a Brahma 88 and a Rustler 9. The Brahma and Rustler are different for sure, but the Firebird HRC is a different animal. Quicker edge to edge, a true race ski feel. Feels like a better complement to the Rustler than the Brahma would be.
I haven't skied Nordica. I'm a big fan of Blizzard. Will definitely try out the soul ride later. Great video!
Same parent company. There are definitely differences between the two brand, but overall quality and level of craftsmanship is just as good with Nordica in my opinion.
Awesome episode! I am the same height as you and have been using 130cm poles for years. They seem too long for bumps. I borrowed my son's 125cm poles today and wow what a difference. What length poles do you find works best for you in bumps and variable terrain?
Bob's actually the opposite of you! He typically uses 125 cm poles, which he prefers in moguls, trees, etc, but he's been looking to pick up some 130 cm poles for groomers.
Great! Thanks for the reply
Long live the Pinnacle!
Bob/Jeff, I know you guys love the Soul Rider 87’s. I recall watching the Black Crow Captis video which I believe you also liked? How would you compare the two? 90underfoot for the Captis vs 87, both turned up tails,....Would love your insight and feedback.
Really similar! In fact, I remember in one of our Ski Tests, Bob got to ski the Captis for the first time, and he stopped half way down and started talking about how it's his favorite Black Crows ski. They have a lot of similarities. Both are quick and agile, yet relatively strong and responsive on a groomer too. The 3 mm difference in width doesn't really amount to much when you ski it, the Soul Rider isn't noticeably quicker edge to edge or anything like that.
@@SkiEssentials Would you say one is stiffer than the other, better carver, more playful, etc?
You ski like I wish I could
The pivot bindings on your soulrider look so flourescent orange on the heel piece. Is it just the bright light and snow or is the 18 a brighter color?
That is the Forza Color from Look. There is no other colorway designated to the 18.
Your vids are great but indexing would really help. Would love to hear What would you recommend for an all mountain ski for 5’5” expert skier spending 50/50 time off and on piste? What an Enforcer 94 (165cm) be too heavy?
We typically do indexing on the longer videos, but we'll work on getting it into shorter videos as well.
Enforcer 94 is a great 50/50 ski! I don't think it will be too heavy, no. Typically expert skiers find it about the perfect balance between stability at speed, edge grip, and versatility/ease of use.
Mine is Atomic Blogs 2013 110mm underfoot. They are getting pretty Beat up and need to find my next? I’m thinking Bent 100 but it’s feels really stiff. So I’m not sure what to get ?
Hey Kip! Have you skied the Bent 100? It might feel somewhat stiff when you're hand flexing it, but I can confidently say it doesn't feel stiff when you see it. More energy in its flex pattern than the skis you're replacing, but not tremendously stiff. Feels like a good replacement to me. Of course, you could go Bent 110 is you want the same width and/or want more tip and tail rocker. Hope that helps!
Love this thanks guys! This sort of review is exactly what I’ve been after. So after reading all your reviews I’ve decided to go with a three ski quiver instead of two. I’ve recently picked up some enforcer 88s and 104s but I’m looking at a more family friendly ski that I can use to teach my little boy and take a few runs with my wife with. I’m the similar height/weight/age/skiing style to you Bob. Struggling to source a soul rider here in the U.K. would the Fischer ranger 94fr be a decent choice. Or recommend something similar to the soul rider? Cheers
Yup! Ranger 94 FR would accomplish that very nicely. That ski has a lot of the same characteristics of the Soul Rider 87. It's fun at slower speeds, very agile and playful, but reasonably strong too if you get a chance to ski a little faster on a day like that. I say go for it.
I am a skier from the west and it is crazy how ski east coast skis are, because for me 95 underfoot is pretty dang skinny and for all mountain skis I would even look at anything small then a 100 underfoot. Also my daily drivers are bigger than his powder ski it is just wildly different.
We refer to that phenomena as "conditions-appropriate skis"
It's not the skis making the difference. It's the skier. Bob, any skis under your feet can be good skis.
Thanks!
Ya Bob!!!!
Hi Bob!
👀👀👀👀👀Skiessentials universe coming to snatch bon Appétit's throne in 2021
What do you have your bindings set at? I'm 6'2" 190 and mine are like right around 8. Just asking cuz you have a lot of DIN 18 bindings
Bob typically skis a 10 DIN.
Hey Bob... What size brake do you have on that Enforcer 100? Looks like a 95mm. Did you have to mod it much to get it to fit?
Yup, 95! Not much bend involved--I even have a 95 on the Pinnacle 105--that one required a bit more finesse.
@@SkiEssentials Thanks!
When do we get a new Bob quiver?
It's funny, I haven't sourced out new personal skis for almost two years. Boots have been my personal focus as I can use and pair them with all the different skis we get to try. My current quiver would not look all that interesting, unfortunately. For skis that are not in this quiver video, I currently have a Head Kore 93 as my go-to ski for everyday and a Stockli Montero AR for groomer and race days. But for current boots, I have a K2 Recon 130 BOA, Kastle K130P, Lange Shadow 130 LV, Lange RS 130 MV, Salomon S/Pro 120 BOA, and a new Dalbello Veloce 130 (which I really like!). I'll try to get some skis over the summer and then maybe do a ski/boot combo quiver video in the fall.
Bob rips! If money were no object what your quiver look like?
Honestly, probably very similar, maybe with a couple Stocklis and Kastles thrown in there. With the work that Bob and I do, there comes a time when you just have too many skis, since we already spend so much time testing on demos and stuff like that.
Yeah I am having dreams about those Kastle Mx 89’s. Thinking they would complement my deacon 76’s nicely.
How would you compare Icelantic Nomad 105 to Bent Chetler 100? How about Liberty origin 96 to Sego Bighorn 96
I've always wondered about how the Nomad line from Icelantic feels
The Nomad doesn't feel as playful to me. Icelantic's skis often have a strong, stable feel and a lot of heft to them, which some skiers like, but I prefer the feel of the Bent Chetler. I actually haven't skied the Bighorn 96 (one of few skis I've never skied) so can't really comment on that.
Bob and the lilliputians
2:16 👍
They're incredibly cute. Great little skiers too, but they get bogged down in powder so easily.
Get rid of the brakes on the Alpinist. Generally unnecessary for a dedicated touring setup, but these in particular are flimsy and useless in terms of stoping a runaway ski and the mechanism tends to break. Weak point in what is otherwise a pretty solid binding in the 300gr range, which has been overshadowed by the Salomon MTN mostly by marketing...
Couldn't agree more. I was very disappointed with how weak the brakes were, and that stupid toggle at the back, so swapped for leashes. Very happy with the bindings though.
Well at least you choice of skis is far better than Jeff’s.
Salomon Super Force 92S is tough to beat.
Powder skiing on 62mm GS ski 😂 great example that you dont need 120 underfoot if you have the proper technique.
I like skiing the narrow skis because it reminds me of how difficult it is! Funny to think I was skiing an Atomic Bent Chetler 120 the other day in 8" of snow and loved it. Twice the width!