Which skis for Fernie?

[Rich]

Hey,

I'm headed to Fernie with my kids next week.

I have 180cm Salomon Scream 10 Pilot ('02-'03 model? orange top sheet) and 178cm Rossi RPM100. The Salomons are a wider in the waist and softer all around. They seem like the logical choice. The Rossi's are a real stiff carving ski, great for the fast (read: icy) eastern skiing I usually do.

However, I do have a 2 pair ski bag, so bringing both is really not a problem.

Is there a good reason to bring a stiff carving ski to Fernie?

Thanks for any advice!

Rich

 

[Tony Crocker]

If it hasn't snowed in a while the lower mountain groomers can have hardpack. And Fernie's standards of grooming are not state-of-the-art, from what I've seen. Hopefully you will be looking for a ski FATTER than the Pilot 10's. If you like the Pilots, try to find a Pilot Scream Hot (75mm underfoot) or Extra Hot (82mm underfoot), probably 175cm. The Pilot 10 is a narrow ski by current western standards.

 

[Sharon]

I used to have the X-Scream and loved it. I took'm to Fernie years ago and hit a powder day. They were fine then, but since I got wider skis, those Screams feel skinny. I highly recommend a fatter ski like the Pocket Rocket or Rossi B3 (there are many others to choose too) for Fernie. The Volkl 724 pro (decendent of the 4x4) is a really great all around ski that does well in both deep powder and hard pack. If you can buy a new ski, this is a good one. I got mine on Ebay used for $300 w/bindings, in pretty good shape. Top sheets are knicked but the bases are perfect. I was forced to demo this ski when my fat skis did not show up at the airport when I got to Utah in December. I was pleasantly surprised and ended up buying them.

This last trip I also struggled with the thought of bringing both skis with me to Utah. I ended up just taking my Pocket Rockets (fat skis) and left my Volkls at home. Even when the conditions were firmer after a few days after the last snow, the Pocket Rockets performed quite well, though the last day of my vacation I might have liked a stiffer ski those last days, but the soft fat ski performed pretty well 95% of the time.

 

[Patrick]

I highly recommend a fatter ski like the Pocket Rocket or Rossi B3 (there are many others to choose too) for Fernie.

Tony was saying the same thing before my safari through the Northern US Rockies. :lol: :wink:

I guess it all depends how comfortable you are with your skis in deep stuff. I had virtual no experience with Western Powder, but my Rossi B1 weren't an issue during this trip. Yes, I got a few good powder in that trip. 8)

 

[Tony Crocker]

I've seen Patrick ski. If he "had virtual no experience with Western Powder" I sure couldn't tell. Most of us amateurs should take those comments with a large grain of salt. I will say if you have powder experience in the Sierra, Vermont or the Alps you will probably find it easier in the Rockies.

Glen Plake can and does ski powder and moguls on DH racing boards. If you're technically good enough you can ski anything on nearly any equipment. But you'll still be exerting less effort and have more stamina on a wider and perhaps softer ski.

Unless you know this and have done it before, do yourself a favor and get some fatter skis. Patrick had also skied the French Alps, Whistler and Lake Louise before coming to the western U.S. So I doubt Big Sky's or Jackson's terrain or snow conditions presented any challenges he hadn't seen before.