“Heavy” tele ski selection question- Bishop skis worth it?

[Montana St Alum]

Yes. In my case, it's definitely operator error!

[wabene]

Most of the beginner-intermediate "alpine" skis out there will have a forgiving flex, and you can get some smoking deals on them.

Montana, any tips on alpine skis I should be on the lookout for?

[MattVT]

I'm sorry if I screwed up the quoting, it was my first post.
Yes, Gonzo is a different feel than typical all mountain/freeride skis. It's not so much dramatic as it is an obvious difference simply bc adjustments in tele technique are more obvious to see than in alpine. For example, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I found an old pair of Nordica soul riders, which are almost no camber and as soft as you can get without being an actual park ski, slapped an old pair of hammerheads set low, and when the conditions are right, I go "surfing"... If misjudged the conditions, I have to pivot slip down and swap gear.

If you look at the skis on the market designed as "tele skis" (excluding the gonzo, but including the Chedi) tend to all have a very similar sidecut and camber profile: wide shovels, a progressive flex front rocker, and 95 -100mm underfoot... it's a proven tele-friendly shape. Basically, they all seem to be variations on the Rossi Sky 7... look at those specs and compare it. So my advice to someone new on a budget would be to find a cheap pair of the discontinued sky 7's if you can. Then go from there and play around.

[Montana St Alum]

Most of the beginner-intermediate "alpine" skis out there will have a forgiving flex, and you can get some smoking deals on them.

Montana, any tips on alpine skis I should be on the lookout for?

I'm going to try this again.
What kind of skiing are you looking to experience?
I tend towards rocker/camber/rocker skis, but some people may not like how they ski.
I have developed a condition that has resulted in some loss of vision, so going forward, I'll likely be on my Blizzard Rustler 9's. They are a very good all-around ski for the resort.

[Montana St Alum]

I'm sorry if I screwed up the quoting, it was my first post.

You're fine. I still can't get it right.

[wabene]

Most of the beginner-intermediate "alpine" skis out there will have a forgiving flex, and you can get some smoking deals on them.

Montana, any tips on alpine skis I should be on the lookout for?

I'm going to try this again.
What kind of skiing are you looking to experience?
I tend towards rocker/camber/rocker skis, but some people may not like how they ski.
I have developed a condition that has resulted in some loss of vision, so going forward, I'll likely be on my Blizzard Rustler 9's. They are a very good all-around ski for the resort.

Did I ask this before? Wouldn't surprise me, lol. If so I apologize. What I'd be looking for is a ski for my first foray into lift served tele. Maybe a Switchback or hardwire paired with T4's. Probably going to be many days with firm groomed conditions.

[Montana St Alum]

Montana, any tips on alpine skis I should be on the lookout for?

I'm going to try this again.
What kind of skiing are you looking to experience?
I tend towards rocker/camber/rocker skis, but some people may not like how they ski.
I have developed a condition that has resulted in some loss of vision, so going forward, I'll likely be on my Blizzard Rustler 9's. They are a very good all-around ski for the resort.

Did I ask this before? Wouldn't surprise me, lol. If so I apologize. What I'd be looking for is a ski for my first foray into lift served tele. Maybe a Switchback or hardwire paired with T4's. Probably going to be many days with firm groomed conditions.

I think going to a narrower ski would be easier. I find the Rustler 9 easy to ski, but I'm skiing them on a Meidjo/Tx Pro combo. Having said that, I skied the Armada JJ at 116 underfoot in a 185cm for years on the T2 Eco 3 buckle so I think an R9 at 94 underfoot, or if you want something easier, just about any intermediate ski - almost regardless of design - at around 85-90 underfoot would be very useable. I picked up a pair of Experience 88's on sale and was really impressed at how much fun they were.