The One Ski Quiver 2023 | Best Mountain Ski Buying Guide
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- Winter is now here! This is a special video series that includes the top all-mountain ski guide. In the ski industry, a guide provides ski insights into what we have named the "One Ski Quiver." This might make it easier to decide which skis are the greatest for everyone to own. Let's see which brands top the most and perform efficiently!
0:00 Intro
0:14 Interview with Kevin (Ski Expert)
1:24 Ski Selection
1:32 Blizzard Rustler 10
2:12 Head Kore 93
2:49 Mindbender Ski
3:34 Maverick 95 (Atomic)
4:22 Enforcer 94
5:06 Volkl M6
5:53 Elan Ripstick
6:34 Rossignol 94
7:14 Salomon QST 98
7:55 End of One Ski Quiver (Ski Review)
8:56 More Ski Guide Q & A
9:41 End of Interview with Kevin
9:56 Outro
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Great review. Just got a 24 Volkl Mantra M6. Skied 3 days in Montana and loved them!
That is killer -- so glad the ski works for you.
Best
Tim
2018 Atomic Vantage 90 CTI still goin' strong. First ski purchase, up from rentals. Certainly made me fix some of my bad habits but dang it is fun.
Next ski i'm looking to go a bit lighter with something that's easier to release the tails.
I'm on the Wasatch back, for the last 32 years, and have my skis set up with Meidjo (telemark - all mounted on the recommended lines for the knee droppers out there) bindings. I'm 5'8" and 160lbs (and just turned 70). I have the Rustler 9's in a 164 for carver/bump days. At that length they have a 14m turn radius and hold on what passes as hard pack in Utah like they're on rails and are wide enough to keep the sides of my boots off the snow in a carve. Rustler 10's at 172 for most days up to 10" and M-Free 108's for big powder days at 182cm for days when I need to spank the mountain. The M-Free 108 is surprisingly capable on groomers as well, but if I had to pick one for this area, I suppose the Rustler 10 would be it, though I'm so impressed with the 108 that I'd consider converting from the Rustler 10 to the M-Free 99 without even skiing it first! If I were out east, I'd likely go with a Rustler 9 at 172 (but I gotta say, at my age, in the bumps, it's nice to have a short ski and a little tail rocker helps them release!).
Great comment - thank you.
Hey glad I bumped into your site. (Thanks YTube). Very helpful for something new to consider here in Oregon.
Right on J. Paul - are you at Mt. Hood or down in Bend? Hope you get a killer ski for this year.
Best,
Tim
Good job guys - so many great skis out there. My quiver is 12 or so - but hey I live and work to ski. IMHO I think that Mindbender 99Ti is hard to beat for a one ski quiver for area skiing. But I've never been on the Rustlers - only Bonifides which really lacks in float and ability to smear. Can get really high edge angeles carving the Mindbenders on-piste, and still smear and float in Pow. But not the quickest in bumps.
Glad my Salomon 98’s weren’t the wrong ski for me. I think my length is a little high but I love them. Great video guys.
Right on! thanks for checking out the video Tucker - glad you are stoked!
I spent 10 ski seasons in Utah skiing Powder Mountain (3 seasons) and Alta (7) my everyday drivers were Blizzard Bonafide 98mm and Nordica Enforcer 100. I skied the Blizzard Rustler 9 (92 mm) quite frequently my last season. All these skies were great off piste and in powder up to about 8-10 inches. I skied the Volkl 100 eight on real powder days. When we got into that two - three feet I did have a Volkl Shiro 150-119-140 for those days the powder was Utah deep. Now that I am back East in New England 88 underfoot is my everyday driver and my Enforcer 94 or Rustler 9 handles snow days. Getting the Rustler 10 Unleashed as my Travel ski for the West.
Wow - that's a heck of a quiver. Love it!
Cheers,
The Half-Life Crew
What's your 88 ski for the northeast?
My single-ski quiver is the Black Crows Navus. Does great in powder and crud out West but also in the icy crap we get in the East.
Great ski. Love the Black Crowes -- ski and band!
Best,
Half-Life Crew
I went with the Head KORE 105 for this year and skied it @ Snowshoe on opening day just prior to Thanksgiving on man made hard pack and performed well. Looking forward to some west coast POW before too much longer. My 2019 Bonafides have been my "one ski quiver" for the past few years. Now, the reality is that I also race so I DO have race skis but I also tend to travel with only ONE SKI so this year I am changing from the heave-ass Bonafides 187s with Duke bindings to the 177 HORE 105 with Attack bindings and SO looking forward to being able to ski longer days due to the lower swing weight of this new set up
Right on - sounds like you're dialed. Snow is falling so it sure feels like it's going to be a good year.
Cheers,
Tim
Awesome store been going to these guys for almost a decade now Kevin and Andy are amazing!
So nice of you to say. We agree - when Half-Life decided to partner with subject matter experts for skis -- Gerk's was the answer and Kevin is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
Best,
Tim
Living in the PNW the Nordica 104 free is my daily driver. I like the weight of the ski in the heavier snow. Very solid ski that does it all for me.
Hey Chaz - great ski. good choice - fun one for the PNW!
Have a pair of the Kore 99s and they are *amazing*.
Nice! Glad they're working well for you.
I got a set of Enforcer 94's with Look 14 bindings. I know they are heavy but they don't ski that way. I improved my bump skiing quite a bit and honestly was surprised.
Right on - glad they led to fun in the snow!
K2 Mindbender fan here. Really enjoying my new 99s.
Such a great ski - so fun to ride the mountain on that one.
Great overview.
Thank you for checking out our video! Hope the snow gets better this season.
Best
Half-Life Crew
I’m thinking about by the Atomic maverick and was just looking for your opinion on the ski. Thank you.
I wish I would have listened to the tips that Kevin gave me! I went with the 4frnt Raven and I've been super disappointed in the reverse camber. Definitely heading over to see him again soon. Very interested in the Blizzard, the atomic, and Rossinal Black ops
He’ll be ready!
I got a pair of the Atomic Maverick 100’s last season and love them for their versatility in anything except pow
Hi Brian - what are you finding that they don't do in the pow?
@@HALFLIFEVIDEO they’re fine in less than 5” of fresh but I got them in a few 8” to 16” of pow and they didn’t float. I was on 180’s and I am 6’1”. My pow skis are Blizzard Gunsmoke 186cm. I live in Washington and ski Whistler, WA resorts, and Mt Hood
@@ThatPNWlyfe trust me i know that one, i lost a maverick last year in whistler because it just sunk down. now i need to find a new pair for the next few years
I am most likely going to get the k2 reckoner 102 in 163 length. I only weight 115lb and am 5'6 so I think that it might be a good fit for me as I do prefer a softer ski. I demoed them on a pow day and felt that they were quick edge to edge on the groomers and most off all kept me afloat. Do you think that those might be a good fit for me? (I like to do trees, and off piste mainly)
I absolutely love my Armada Declivity 92 Ti's for New England all mountain skiing.
Good tip - thank you for leaving a comment.
I am between that and Mindbender 89 for icy coast
I have a pair of 2022 Elan Ripstick 96 skis, Black Edition. I put Dynafit Rotation bindings on them. I can do ANYTHING on those skis. I own other skis but I rarely have any reason to use them anymore!
Great feedback and great skis. Hopefully you get a few more turns this year!
Best,
Half-Life Crew
Van Deer skies. Top brand, top performance.
For me a one ski quiver plank needs to be a directional twin tip . It simply isn't a true all rounder if the design is not twin tip. The best ski I've ever used is still the Atomic Theory from 2012, an exceptional all rounder twin tip ski. Nice and stiff, no pointless rocker flapping around in the park or on piste and it handled just fine in deep pow as well.
Nice - sounds like you have your ski of choice dialed! Thanks for checking out our video.
Best
Half-Life Crew
I skied the Mantra 102 and really enjoyed it but I would like to get on the M6 to compare..
Great Video, and thanks. Bought some Rustler 9's last year, and equipped them with touring bindings for some skinning. I found them a bit heavy for that use. With that in mind, do you think the Ripsticks are the lightest of the bunch? Or the Mavericks?
When it comes to weight the Ripstick, Maverick, and Rustler 9 are about the same. Skis I would consider for more of a light weight set up would be the Elan Ripstick Tour (Glen Plakes Pro model), Blizzard Hustle 10, or Head Kore 105. These are my favorite for light and still ski amazing.
Hope this helps
Kevin from Gerk's
I am east coast (sad I know) all we typically have are groomers. I would classify myself as an advanced intermediate. Recently purchases k2 rwb stash poachers 177. I struggled with that ski all season this year so obviously don't think it's a good fit for me, esp since I am not in the park at all. I feel like the 177 was a little to long, hard to get on edge and really worked my legs man handling them into turns. Looking to switch up again, one friend suggested the head kore 93 but wondering since I stick to mainly groomers with an occasional trip out west should I look something more narrow underfoot and back to 170 length. Curious if you have any thoughts or is the kore 93 likely best option.
I have both the 2023 Elan 96 RS Black in 172 and the Atomic Maverick 95tis in 180. I'm a solid intermediate (5'11" 190LBS) middle aged male doing 3 trips out west and 6 weekends up to Vermont. I'd like a better choice for the Vermont/NH hard pack/ice. I've been looking at the K2 Mindbender 89s, the Nordica Enforcer 88s, Volkl Mantra M6 and the Kendo 88s. Whatever I get will be strictly for the East Coast and mostly groomers. Thoughts???
bit dated now but the rossi soul 7 made a great one quiver ski, super carvy on the piste, amazing in powder and pretty forgiving all over the mountain. Felt like it is narrower underfoot on the piste than it is. Off piste is anything not marked as a specific run so anything from side-piste to remote backcountry. Not all pistes are groomed but they still count as on piste despite the lack of grooming
Thanks Matt - hope you're getting some shredding in over the holiday break.
The 2024 Sender 110 is very similar to the classic Soul 7, I recommend trying it next year. Happy Skiing!
@@HALFLIFEVIDEO sure have been! Pretty dire situation in the dolomites, mixture of wedding cake and creme brulee during the day with south aspect becoming slush n the afternoon. Still, better to ride the unfavourable off piste than good pistes :)
Black crows camox is the most versatileski ive ever owned. Does it all, including touring well which is just insane.
Agree with you completely - - great ski.
Cheers,
Half-Life
My current all mountain ski is a Hart Fusion WC (64mm at 171 cm). I have some wider boards, but the Fusions always seem to be my go to.
Stoked those are working for you. You may want to try some of these other ones out on a demo day. Have fun!
In my opinion the top one ski quiver skis are - Elan Ripstick Black 96, Nordica Enforcer 94, and the 21/22 (not 22/23) Fisher Ranger Ti 92. Just my opinion from skiing most of the skis in the in the industry.
What do you think about the ranger 102???
If you're an expert
I'm a bit confused. Idk what type of groomers you are skiing, but let's say here in Alps, a one ski quiver would be Deacon 84 or Montero AR. Good carvers that can handle a bit of fresh snow or afternoon less than perfect groomers and you can still take them off piste for some moguls fun.
Most of people here do exactly that with their mid 70s full camber skis.
Skis that you are showing as one ski quivers, here (by many) would be considered as heavy weapons skis.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to have one of those skis, but only as my second pair. First pair would have to be a sub 80 mm carver.
Interesting - perhaps it's just different terrain. I wouldn't change my Mindbender 99 to something more narrow. That said - ride what you love to ride!
The one stick quiver is highly dependent on where you ski. The vast majority of people are on groomed snow, where a slalom ski is typically your better choice.
Interesting perspective. Get out there and shred the mountain! Hoping for a great - snowy season.
All the best,
Half-Life Crew
@@HALFLIFEVIDEO Heck yes! Thanks.
So, they’re all great out amazing I guess. This isn’t telling me anything. But I did buy the Mavericks
Actually - each of these skis is quite good. It comes down to preferences to the type of skiing that you like to do (width, pop, weight). Good choice - have a great season.
Best,
Half-Life Crew
hi there, im looking to buy a pair for this and next season. Which ski would you recommend for a 6'5 heavy guy, i'll be skiing the French Alps and Whistler mainly. Thanks :)
timing is good - the progressive sale starts this saturday. call the store and we'll hook you up.
Hey Team,
I can’t decide between the Elan Wingman 78 C and the Rossignol Experience 78 Ca
Maybe you can help. Thanks for your time.
Please call the store and talk it through with our team.
What’s the stiffest of of the pack? The older enforcers were pretty stiff then they made a newer model that was pretty flexy
Hey Oliver. The Enforcer 100 and 94 are two of my favorite hard charging skis with two sheets of metal top and bottom. Another one not mentioned is the Blizzard Bonafide 97. That is for sure a stiffer ski.
Cant decide between Ripstick 96 180 or Salomon QST 98 183, I'd be coming off 2019 Bonafides that I'm tired of always having to be game on and hard charging. Looking for more playful, more energetic, and fun. Less hard charging. Mainly ski Mt. Bachelor OR.
Good two to choose from. I’d probably go for the ripstick
I have the Ripsticks in 88 and 106. They both rip for sure. I tried the QST and they seem kind of like dead weight to me.
@@HankReardon I have always found Salomon skis to be pretty dead. I like a lot of rebound though (loved my Volkl P9 SL).
Right in the beginning and again at the end, matching skis to skiers was mentioned but then none of these skis were matched to any sort of skier profile. And then at the end, it was said that; “all of these skis are a good fit” without saying which kind of skier they would fit. Type of terrain was discussed but that was basically that all of these skis were good on Piste and some off piste.
Too much hype here to be useful.
You could have easily characterized the QST skier vs the Mantra or Enforcer Skier-after all, matching skiers to skis is what you said you do best so I watched until the end and never got there.
Thanks for the feedback Joe - we're always looking to improve the video. Good ideas - we'll nail it in '24
Need to carry the Ranger series
Thank you for the suggestion. Hope those skis rock it for you.
Best
Half-Life
Nordica Enforcers all the way 🔥😤
Thoughts on Nordica Unleashed 98?
More playful Enforcer 100, but still able to carve with the Enforcer DNA. I have the Enforcer 94, 100 and Unleashed 108 for reference.
Rossi Exp 88's are still the best out there.
For a 5'9" aggresive advanced/expert skier, would you recommend 172cm or 179cm? A bit on the heavier side (190lb).
Please call our store and talk it through with the team.
What size did you end up getting? Your stats are comparable to mine
172 for narrow and 179 for powder skis?
What about the Volkl Blaze 94?
Love this ski for in the resort and out! It is light weight and will surprise you with its performance at speed.
Hi, does this 2023 Kore 93 have the same topsheet delaminating issue as with previous years? Really like them but worried about that and if I need to move up to the 2024 in order to combat that topsheet easy nicks issue. Thanks!
Hi Denzel - please give the team at Gerk's a call for this one -- (425) 270-3061
Best
Half-Life Crew
what are the best climbers, i.e. backcountry crossover skis, i.e. real one ski quiver?
I would have to say the Volkl Blaze 94, or 106 if you want more float, come to mind. Light weight yet great all-mountain.
Nordica makes a lighter version of the enforcers for backcountry, I would check them out
Looking for an all mountain ski. 6’1, 210, intermediate skier. Like to do trees, some bumps, and groomers. Any recommendations
I would consider the Blizzard Rustler 10, Elan Ripstick 96, or Salomon QST 98. All great choices!
@@gerksskicycle6182 thank you.
Here’s another question for everyone. I normally SB but on groomers I like to ski. I bought a pair of inexpensive boots, size 11, and some old skis. Apaches I believe. I’m really having trouble getting on my edges. Would better boots help? By putting me in a more forward position? Or skinnier skis. Or am I just a dork. I’m 64, big guy not as flexible as used to be. Didn’t grow up skiing. Any rec
@Irish kitty edging & carving are challenging skills to master. Probably not so much the ski as your technique. Your body needs to face downhill to allow femur rotation which enables controlled and higher edge angles. Take a lesson from a pro. Develop a proper stance (weight centered..but feels forward to most everyone) and you'll be able to engage almost any ski.
No line blends ? Gonna get bendy with the blendies this season
Good Call -- The Lines are a good ski - you'll have a great season.
Cheers,
Half-Life Crew
Fisher ranger 102 recommendations?
Please call our store to talk with one of our riders.
Looking for the 102's as well; did you end up getting them?
Thank you.
I’m coming off from snowboarding and switching over to skis due to weak knees.
I ride trees, powder, and jumps. Also, going fast.
I'm looking at these skis:
1: Blizzard Rustler 10
2: Solomon QST 98
What’s your top pick?
You really can't go wrong with either one of those choices. Very good skis.
Exact same deal this season, boarder since i was 12, made the move to skis this year due to a knee injury. I’m 36, skied twice in my life. Went rustler 10s, the Salomon’s were my second choice. The R10s seemed like a lot of ski first day on them…Almost second guessed them…. Second day, much better. By my third session on them, absolutely ripping on them, I’m hooked. I like stiff high camber directional boards I Can ride wherever and these are fun. Really happy.
Peak 98
Hoping my line optic 92 won’t be too wide for east skiing.
92 for the east hardpack/ice. You should be fine. Let us know how it goes.
Best
Half-Life Crew
Anyone here in NE? what "all-mtn ski"? so many choices
No Line Blade? Would blow away any of those skis hands down!
Hey Sherm - the Line Blade is a killer ski. We gave it a shout out last year from jackson - here's the link - instagram.com/reel/CYeawUKIMVi/?
Great ski.
thanks for the comment.
Tim
Stormrider 88 wins for me.
No Ranger 96 or 102? Kind of surprising!
thanks for mentioning these - we'll consider them for next year.
Where is this store located
This store is located in Issaquah WA -- 1485 11th Ave NW, Issaquah, WA 98027
Come in and see us!
Cheers,
The Half-Life crew
Advertisement, Ad, Ad. No comments about why one ski is better for particular people.
wow Jay - sorry we missed the mark for you. We did talk about the various attributes so that folks could match their preferences to the ski. Not an ad when no one is paying - we are just trying to relay our riding experience on the ski. Looks like we have some more work to do.
Best,
Tim
As there is no all season tyre, similarly there is no one ski quiver.
Icelantic shaman..
Haha. Thank you for checking out the video.
Pick “1” Cowboy ...........
No love for armada? 😢
No need for tears -- Armada makes a great ski. If that's your brand - get out there and crush it like we know you will. Solid ski and fun to ride.
Best,
The Half-life Crew
Bruh, where's MOVEMENT skis?
Bruh - we haven't ridden them. Sorry! Will try to incorporate in the future. How do you like them?
Best
Half-Life Crew
Meh... So basically all the main all mountain ski from each of the most mainstream brand out there. Not impressed. What about Armada Declivity? Black Crows? Factions? And so on.
You got to draw the line somewhere - Black Crowes are a killer ski. We review them specifically on our Instagram account during the season.
Thanks for input
Half-Life Crew
You just named 3 more mainstream brands. All these companies have earned great reputations by producing great skis year after year. Don’t bash these guys because you didn’t see your favourite skis on the list and you’re salty about it.
@@RMCD246 Exactly!
Pnw one ski quiver "line blade". The rest of yall are all kooks. Lol...
Haha -- no need for the hating. Line Blade -- solid ski and sounds like a great choice for you. Lots of great skis out there.
Best
Half-Life Crew