3-Ski Quiver: Reviewers’ Choices (14/15)

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3-Ski Quiver: Reviewers’ Choices (14/15)

We spend a lot of time answering questions from readers about ski quivers. They’re good questions.

If you’re going to own a couple pairs of skis, it’s smart to figure out (a) why it’s worth owning more than a single pair of skis, and (b) how to put together a collection that will optimize the amount of fun you’ll have on the mountain.

And as you’ll come to see, there is no such thing as the single perfect quiver for everyone. That answer very much depends on where you ski and how you ski.

So rather than say a bunch about quivers in general, we’ve asked some of our reviewers to explain their personal selections for a three-ski quiver, two-ski quiver, and one-ski quiver.

As you’ll quickly see, there are a number of ways to skin the proverbial cat, and hopefully some of our answers will help you figure out (a) whether you’re more of a 1, 2, or 3 ski-quiver guy or girl, and (b) provide a bit of direction on how to go about building your own quiver.

And so, the questions:

I. Which currently available skis would you pick for your own three-ski quiver?

II. What skis were the most difficult to leave off your list?

III. What skis do you imagine have the greatest likelihood of making your list, if and when you get to ski them, or get to ski them more?

IV. If you had to choose a single brand from which to build your 3-ski quiver, which company would you pick?

Three Notes:

• Our selections are not necessarily the answer to the question, What are the best skis out there? These selections reflect our opinions about the best pairings.

• We can only include skis we’ve actually tested. So if you’re favorite ski doesn’t make the list, it may be because we haven’t skied it. So continue to let us know the skis you want to see reviewed, or contact your favorite ski company and tell them to submit your pride and joy.

• If you want to brush up on how we operate around here, please see the Blister Manifesto.

NEXT: The Selections

• Jonathan Ellsworth

• Will Brown

• Julia Van Raalte

• Jason Hutchins

• Paul Forward 

• Tucker Nixon

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

54 comments on “3-Ski Quiver: Reviewers’ Choices (14/15)”

  1. Thanks! I always look forward to your quiver sections. It sounds like we like the same skis because in my 3 ski quiver I have the Bodacious, Bonafide and Spur. I have not gotten on the Cochise yet, and am afraid to because I don’t need a 4th pair of skis.

    Are you guys planning on reviewing the Spurs this winter? I’m interested to see how I feel about them compared to the Blister team. For the past two seasons, if I have am issue on a pair of skis I can’t put my finger on, the Blister team has it figured out.

      • As usual, great article!

        Interesting to compare with two-ski quiver review. Instead of just adding a third ski to make the most out of those thin, icy days, the deep snow ski also see some compromise, with no 120+ skis rating even a mention. I definitely see the point of prioritizing versatility, but personally I’d probably keep a Protest as my 3rd ski (actually my 2nd ski, as I don’t live in the East anymore), and go for a Cochise-Protest cross-over as my 4-ski quiver addition.

  4. Nice post: these quiver articles are fun. Will any of your three-ski quiver selections will incorporate a backcountry ski (or ski/binding)?? I mean, don’t you guys get tired of riding inside the ropes all season long?? ;-)

    For example, my alpine ski quiver consists of:
    190 Moment Bibby Pro (12/13) w/ STH 16 steels
    187 Praxis MVP carbon (12/13) w/ Plum Guides
    180 Blizzard Brahma (13/14) w/ Jester demos

    • Metres, I originally had an extra 1000 words or so on the resort vs. backcountry issue, then decided to cut it. But you remember at the top how I said I believe in a 7-ski quiver? There’s a reason. I get 100+ days of skiing in the resort, and I want to have at least 3 dedicated alpine setups for the conditions I describe. So for the 3-ski quiver question, the honest answer is that if I can only have 3 skis, then I’ll throw a pair of Trekkers in the Bibbys, or I’ll steal a friend’s AT setup. But as you’ll see, other reviewers will arrive at different positions on the matter.

  6. Jonathan, I always enjoy reading the thorough reviews that you and your team provide. I am curious when you are choosing your three ski quiver (or two ski-quiver from last year) how much consideration do you give to pairing skis that should be skied in a similar manner, i.e. skis that seem to performed better from a centered stance vs. skis that like to be driven hard in the shovels. Do you think this is important for someone who doesn’t log 30+ days a year with the thinking being as you improve on one ski it will translate more quickly into the second ski? Along this same line, any thoughts on pairing the cochise with the protest for a two ski quiver?

    • Interesting question, Dave. For an advanced skier, it can be quite fun to have skis that cater to pretty different styles (see Will Brown’s writeup), and it’s never occurred to me to steer people away from certain skis on the grounds that it might hinder their development.

      But really, unless you’re training for competition in a specific discipline, seems to me that you should pick polar opposite skis – if that seems like the most fun / most interesting thing to you to do. Then go out and get more comfortable on each of them, whether it’s a skinny carver, or a heavily rockered, more center-mounted ski. Taking some lessons and getting instruction on how to get the most out of one or both styles would be fun & beneficial, too.

  8. Guess I should be more specific:

    2013 Blizzard Bonafide 187 w/ BF LookFit plates for FKS18/F12
    2013 Blizzard Bodacious 186 w/ BF LookFit plates for FKS18/F12
    2014 Blizzard Spur 189 w/ Dynafit Beasts

    I’m trying to keep my ski count down so I go for multipurpose. I know I can get lighter for a BC set up but at 6ft 4in 215lb, I don’t mind an extra few lbs for confidence on the way down.

  10. Don’t forget a pair of “skinny” front side skis. If you have a quiver, you can (should?) make them all _very_ different.

    I love my Rossignol Pursuit HPs (81mm waist) and end up using them more than any other ski I own — its pretty tough to beat the excitement of a high-perf front side ski no mater where you are on the mountain. I ski in BC, splitting my time between the coastal mountains and the interior, and truth is that even out here most of the time it hasn’t snowed 20+cm and when it has, 80% of your lap is tracked out anyways. Don’t get me wrong, the Pursuit HPs sink like stones in any amount of powder, but damn do they rip the rest.

    If you have never tried high performance front side skis (like me before my HPs), demo a pair before your next ski purchase. There is a reason why they are still made.

    (just had a thought…. maybe you guys never ski skinny skis so you can’t include them in your quiver?!)

    • While you can make all 3 skis *very* different, there is no *should* about it. Do what you want, and understand the compromises you’ll be making. One of the primary aims of these writeups is to make clear the respective compromises that each reviewer is willing to live with, and why.

      Also, you saw that my first ski is only 7mm wider than your Pursuit HPs, right? And that Julia still breaks out her GS skis?

      • Yep, I think Julia’s page went up right after I posted. Glad to see someone mention how much fun a traditional pair of race/piste skis are. She covered what I was trying to say.

        And ya, I saw your first ski, but more than width, I posted because I was trying to suggest Piste/Front-Side/Euro-hero skis, not all-mountain all-rounders, be considered when building a quiver. Skis like Salomon 24hrs, Blizzard G-Power, Head SuperShapes, Dynastar Chrome etc.

        BTW, I really do like how you do deliver on the ‘why’ picks are made.

        Julia: my wife has the Black Pearls and loves them. They are more of an all-rounder and not a race/piste/carve ski, but do themselves proud on groomers and yet ski mank way better than any non-fat ski should.

  11. Quiver for this year:
    185 Blizzard Cochise
    192 Atomic Bent Chetler

    Now I just need the 90-100mm playful ski for days without new snow!

  13. I’m researching new skis and came across your site. Fantastic testing and reviews compared to anything else I can find. I am bit confused by the choices. I have always kept 2 pairs of skis, one for when conditions suck and one for when there is anything soft to be found on up to waist deep. I’m 6′ 3″, 197 lbs, ski all terrain, can carve or pivot turns at will as the terrain allows/demands. Now here is where I’m confused by the reviews, I can ski 2 ft of powder on 75 mm waist skis and have a great time. I heli skied Revelstoke last year on S7’s, never thought I needed a wider ski, even though it snowed 6 ft in 5 days. I ski Snowbird the most, and after the open runs are trashed I’ll spend the next few days picking the leftovers out of the trees, so I value something that feels quick, though I’ll also ski some Cirque crud. I like bumps too. The one thing I won’t do is straight line the Cirque, though I will go Super G speed on groomers.

    What 2 skis out of the current picks?

    • Thanks for the kind words about Blister, Todd. I’m not sure that I can helpfully name two skis that you’re certain to love – I think reading through some of our reviews will be far more useful to you. (And see our ‘Ski Index, sorted by Type & Width’ if you haven’t already.)

      But on the fatter ski question: if you’re looking for a ~116mm ski that is quick, but also good in crud, well that is (1) a tough combo and (2) highly subjective. If you’re looking for what I regard as a better S7, then I would check out our reviews of the Atomic Automatic. If you are willing to sacrifice some quickness for the sake of much better crud performance, then the 192 Bent Chetler or 190 Blister Pro could make sense – but they are not as easy / quick as the S7 or Automatic.

      • Thanks so much for the response. I’m trying to digest all of your reviews. I wasn’t on the S7 in Revelstoke, it was the Soul 7 (had to check out some pics). So really what I think I want to add is a 100-110 ski that is easy like the Soul 7, but has more crud power and hard snow grip. While I enjoyed the Soul 7, it was skied in 100% powder, and I’m worried I won’t be happy in tougher conditions, especially at my size.

        Reading reviews points me towards something like the Line SFB 190. Obviously the Cochise seems to be well regarded, but I’m puzzled how a ski that can bash crud so well and has such a high speed limit can still be considered fun in trees and bumps?

  15. Hi Jonathan, Started to follow you reviews last year and I appreciate the professionalism and detailed information that is hard to find anywhere else. Todays reviews are focusing on free ride skis, rockers, tapered skis but we are forgetting the tough skis for hard conditions. In Sweden we are hardly getting the deep powder so therefor it’s important to have skis for different conditions. Yes its nice with soft snow but a corduroy piste with a pair of GS racing skis under your feet are not bad either. I have been skiing quite a lot in the Alps in different conditions. A typical of piste tour in France will give you plenty of different conditions but my absolute conviction is that a ski have to be able to handle ice. When its tough you need to believe in your equipment. My “stable” consists of: Nordica hell and Back 185 cm, Nordica GS 182 and Dynastar Speed 165 cm. A lovely combination…

    • Thanks, Ben! And yes, a more firm-conditions & on-piste-oriented quiver can make a lot of sense. Yours certainly does. So while we all will make compromises in this 3-ski exercise, the only thing I’ll say is that, with the right tune on those 184cm Salomon X-Drive 8.8’s, I will certainly be willing – and quite happy – to go ski corduroy or ice with you in Sweden or France while you’re on your 182cm GS skis.

      And my suspicion is that I might be happier on those X-Drives on ice than you would be on your GS skis if we were to go do some laps down Taos’ West Basin. I am privileging versatility on the skinnier end of my quiver, while you’re willing to forego a wider pow ski to focus on ice & on-piste performance. Makes sense.

  16. Running for this season
    Prior overlord w/ Jesters
    BD Reverts w/ Radical FT
    Fatypus Dsenders w/ atomic FFG (but these have been swiss cheesed) =(
    Think I’m looking at some Experience 98s to replace the Dsenders….

  17. Always look forward to Blister’s quiver picks! For me, a single brand populating my 3-ski quiver isn’t just a hypothetical:
    -Line Sir Francis Bacon 172 – All-rounder in all but the iciest or deepest conditions — trees, groomers, bumps, low-accumulation freshies, etc.
    -Line Mr Pollard’s Opus 178 – Downright blissful in deep snow, tight trees, soft crud, etc. Also big fun on soft groomers.
    -Line Influence 115 172 (2011-12) – Awesome big/all-mtn counterpart to both the Bacon and Opus. Confidence-inspiring in firmer, variable conditions and at higher speed. Great for steeps, sketchy terrain, cruising groomers, resorts with heavier, wetter snow. Really fun sidecut — they’ll make slalom turns once they’re moving. Totally agree with Jonathan’s review pointing out that most people don’t buy 115-waisted skis for their groomer performance, which helps to explain why Line changed the design for 2012-13 onward.

    Now that Blister has successfully resurrected the OG Bibby, is the Rossi Sickle next on your hit list? Let the campaign start now!

  18. Brahma 187 works great for me in 90% of the conditions I ski. Still haven’t found a powder board I love in the morning that I don’t hate by the end of the day when snows tracked out.

  19. Love this, some awesome quivers out there.
    Last year:
    Atomic Ritual 190
    Blizzard Cochise 185
    Nordica Patron 193

    This season:
    Going to ditch the Rituals and replace with the Soul Rider 185
    Keeping the Cochise
    Either replace the Patron with the Bent Chetler 192 or Blister Pro 190
    OR keep the Patron and add the Bodacious 186 ….decisions of the first world :)

  21. love your reviews! as always your website is such a great source of information.
    here’s my question: what skis would you consider the top choices for an all mountain, moguls, jib ski in Tahoe?

    a little personal information: i’m 5’8″ 150 lbs
    the quiver currently:
    deep deep pow – armada ARG 185cm
    pow – armada JJ 2.0 185cm
    chargers – armada Norwalk 189 for softer days and 4frnt devastator 184cm for crud/firmer days
    touring – soul 7 188cm with dynafit beasts

    I love all these skis for their intended purpose. However, I’m looking for a super playful ski to jib the resort when not looking to charge lines when it’s not a pow day.

    I was thinking something in the 95-105 waist range that can spin, butter, press, pop off everything in sight. I was also thinking of going a bit shorter in the 178-182 cm range.

    The skis on my radar are the following:
    line blend 178
    line SFB 184
    armada AR7 178
    armada halo x 176
    salomon rocker 2 100
    faction candide 2.0
    dynastar slicer
    rossignol slat
    moment pbj
    volkl bridge
    k2 petitor 102

    so what suggestions do you have on ski and length?

    thanks for your help,

    Biquet

  22. My personal quiver, for a very light (under 130lbs and 70″ tall)guy:
    Ninthward HHP 172 – park.. i live in the midwest.. i spend a lot of time there when i’m in the midwest. This ski is fairly useless anywhere that isn’t groomed. probably could have gone with the 176, but honestly don’t see it making much difference.
    Rossignol Scimitar 185 – your fun do it all 98. Rip groomers, slay crud, deal with fresh, for a guy at my weight (under 130lbs) these provide enough float for up to a foot and a still great on midwest ice. Still have yet to get these to lose an edge.
    Line Sick Day 110 – like i said i’m a light guy, i have no need for a 120+ ski. I also live in the midwest, so i don’t get to play in a ton of fresh, i get plenty of float on the 110 for my trips west, even on days with large snowfalls, 24″ of fresh.

    Sick Day has lots of alternatives that are equally as fun, two of them are even made by line (MPO and supernatural)
    Downside: yeah this whole 3 ski quiver thing is hard. I have three pairs of skis now, but want 2 more sets… a backcountry setup and a directional charger (which i guess could be the same setup).

    • Good stuff, Ian. You’re making me miss the Scimitar. What a fun ski and at such a good price. I’ll let Jason continue to lament the loss of the Sickle, but I’m going to go pour one out for the Scimitar.

      Rossi isn’t bringing these back, so seriously, to any ski manufacturer out there, go make a Scimitar, or a Sickle, or both. You already have a market for them.

      • Yeah, this is a 3 ski quiver guide, but there is a quiver of one that is sorely missed. Hoping mine hold up for another couple seasons since mine are nowhere near as filled as yours. I don’t get why a full rockered twin tip that can hold edge like a GS ski isn’t in every manufacturers lineup, it seems like a no brainer in terms of there being a market. I’ve emailed more than one manufacturer telling them they need something like it in their lineup. Maybe someday they’ll listen, if we make enough fuss.

  23. tucker, I’m intrigued why 193cm El Capo when you went for a 185cm 127mm powder ski and a 184cm. The El Capo is known to ski long for it’s size, why not 185cm? Also cruising around the resort and goingout of bounds looks much more like a Vagabond 185cm than El Capo 193cm.

  24. I cannot help but notice the mostly lack of a versatile skinny. Maybe you don’t test that many midfat- but I do appreciate your review of the Sally X Drive. (88mm median midfat designation)

    I ski in Colorado, and while Ullr is kind, much of the time the snow is hardpack no matter if you’re descending alpine shots, bumps, or just ripping it back to the chair.
    Current quiver
    186 Bodacious
    187 Bonafide
    185 Volkl Code Speedwall
    The Volkls are fun but aren’t happy more than ankle deep but are serious rocketships on piste, they are even playful in the bumps.
    On conditions after two dry weeks a(somewhat) skinny stick is a fun way down, suggestions;
    Blizzard – Latigo
    Dynastar – Powertrack
    Rossi – EX 88
    Kastle MX83
    Among many choices and they all are MUCH quicker edge to edge than the midfats+ Blister testers listed.
    It seems skinny skis are making a bit of a comeback with new designs like the Powertrac.

  25. I’m an east coast skier, my current quiver is Fischer Motive 80 C-Line for the ice and night skiing. Fischer Motive 88 as my go to ski (have been thinking about pulling the Blizzard Brahamas possible as a replacement, any suggestion Brahama vs Motive 88) and Dabbling with either the Line Prophet 98 vs Atomic Theory for powder days and the 2-3 trips out west, suggestions.

  26. Fischer Motive 88 186 – to be replaced with Motive 86 or Dynastar Power Trac 89.
    Blizzard Cochise 185
    Atomic Automatic 193.

    The Fischer is a highly underrated ski, my friend owns a ski shop (unfortunately not a Blizzard dealer) and I get to demo plenty of skis, I would put the Motive 86 up against anything in its class. I am intrigued by the Power Trac 89, but I’ll wait for your review and my chance to ski them.

    Cochise: I love this ski, my favorite. After reading your reviews (which are spot on) and skiing them I had to have them and was happy to pay retail for them, my favorite ski of all time as of today.

    Automatic, these replaced the 192cm Atomic Atlas. I love the Automatic, I was afraid I would not be able to push it like the Atlas but I can and it’s so easy to ski in any deep snow condition in addition to chop and soft bumps. Mounted with Tyrolia Adrenalin 16 mounted +2 per your review, which is ideal, thanks. I am impressed with the Adrenalin, it is solid, skis like a alpine binding on the lift served areas and works beautifully in the backcountry. I have skied the Salomon/Atomic and the Marker, I like the Adrenalin and the Salo-Tomic equally and would rate the Marker behind them.

    One Brand: Blizzard. Brahma 187, Cochise 185, Bodacious 186. I demoed the Bodacious last March, skied like a fat Cochise which is awesome, not as floaty as the Automatic but I would get over it.

    2 ski quiver: Brahma, Bodacious.

    1 ski quiver: Cochise

    Ski that is tough to leave off: Blister Bibby Pro. Although I have not skied it, based on your review and opinion of the ski: II would buy it blind.

      • Jonathan, thanks for the feedback. I look forward to your thoughts on the Powertrac. Like you I like a stiff, flat and wide tail for my fronside/groomer ski. The tapered tail on the 89 worries me, I skied the Cham 97 two years ago on hard groom, I could feel the tail wash out at the end of a turn. Your next review will be telling.

        Matt

        • I’m looking forward to the Powertrack review indeed.

          After reading reviews and notes on the forward mount and fivepoint sidecut and tapered tail, I got so excited I believe I will buy without a demo.

          Modern skis are all excellent for the most part. They respond as designed. It is just a matter of the skier knowing how to ask.

    • Thanks for your insight. I’m at a 2 ski quiver sold both pairs of Fischer’s and went to the Motive 86 and The Line Prophet 98. Haven’t really been able to test the waters with the Line, but I’ll be posting feedback on that in a few days, however the Motive 86 have been put to the test some what and WOW, they’re so much lighter and out perform the Motive 88 and the 80 C-line, they’re basically the 2 skis put together by performance and some. Thanks for the suggestion.

  27. Jonathan, love the site and the extensive depth that all the reviews entail. Best of the web, without question! I love your quiver even more, mostly because it looks a lot like mine. I used almost the same exact criteria when I put mine together.

    1. Scimitar 185 (have had it for 3 years and it’s more fun in more places than should be legal)
    2. Cochise 185 or Gotama 186 (maybe Supernatural 108, need to ski it first)
    3. Bibby Pro 190 (legen…..dary)

    The middle ski is still up for debate; the Gotama feels to me like a burlier Sickle with a stiffer tail, while still having the full rocker that I love on the Scimitar (but with bigger waist for more float; I’m 6′ 215lbs). It was a lot more fun on groomers than the Cochise and should do as well in the pow. Crud busting is third on the list.

    Good to know that I’m on the right track! Keep busting the crust!

    • Thanks, Brad. I really need to get more time on the Gotama. I skied it in firm, off-piste conditions (and steeps) a couple of seasons ago, and I felt like the ski had too much tip and tail rocker to be as versatile as the Scimitar (or the new Mantra, or the V-Werks Katana – which both have a much more subtle rocker profile. So as you say: groomers and pow, that makes sense. Crud, not so much. But again, my time on it was limited, so those were merely some provisional (and revisable) impressions.

      • Thanks for the feedback, Jonathan. I’m in the same boat and I need more time on a newer Gotama (and Cochise) before finalizing. I’m really looking for a soft-snow oriented ski that can manage chop/crud/variable and be fun on the groom. I was on last year’s Gotama and the rocker has been reduced quite a bit; it’s about the same as the Scimitar and it’s even less than the newest Mantra. It has a longer turn radius, similar to the Cochise, and feels much stiffer in the tail than before. This should help it in crud and variable (which I’ll need for my Mt. Hood Meadows home), but still allow me to have fun in the trees where it HAS to. I was really surprised at how much energy it had and how well it behaved on hard, off-piste conditions. At my build (6′ 215) I can overwhelm the Scimitar, so I’m hopeful this new Goat can fill the bill for something 108ish underfoot. I will certainly be checking it against the Cochise in more conditions, but I was very pleasantly surprised on first blush. Just when I thought it was down to two for that middle spot, along comes the Supernatural 108. They should have called it Monkey Wrench ;)

  28. Hi! Nice post!
    I didn’t find any proper review of Nordica Bushywayne on the net, so i’m really looking forward to one from you guys.
    As was written in the post review is coming soon, isn’t it?)
    Thanks

    • Look for reviews of the Nordica Radict. It’s the same ski with new graphics. The reviews out there are not anywhere near what Blister has, but it’s something.

      PS: I’m also looking forward to the Blister review of the Bushys

  29. I like to demo but it is not always possible. The Blister reviews really give me a good understanding of what something is all about. Love the Cochise. I don’t think they suck that bad in the powder especially as it gets cut up a bit. That being said, felt I owed it to myself to find powder too deep for them and get on the Blister pros. Got the skis but it’s been a lean year so far in Utah. The 13/14 Mantras are one of my favorite skis. After spending 2 days on the Kastle MX 98’s(184) in some firm Jackson Hole conditions I’m very happy with them. Hold an edge, easy to turn, stable at speed. A stronger skier could rip on these things.

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