Would 90% groomed 10% not or %50 - %50 skis do better...?

Question

...on a groomed but fairly bumpy trail (ice chips/ snow piles from lousy skiers)???

Just curious

Answer 1

Probably the 90/10 pair. The 50/50  are designed for ungroomed deep and soft conditions.  Bumps and chips  I still consider as groomed, just not smooth. Take some lessons from a qualified professional instructor. They can show you the tricks of making those conditions fun.  

Answer 2

I've heard that you should use wider skis for the kind of messy snow that i think you're talking about though.  50/50 is probably way too wide though...90/10 sounds about right.

Answer 3

I wouldn't go too wide if you want to be nibble.  Those % are usually based on the width of a ski.  I'd say 68-74mm wide at the waist would be good for those conditions.  That would be maybe a 70% groomed ski.  But, the best bet is do demo.  You can't go by just specs.  Two skis with similar specs can ski very different.  Also, it's skier preference.  One skier might like a 72mm waist and another an 80mm in the same conditions.

Are you talking east coast or west?  I'd err on the side of narrower for east coast and middle to wider on west.  Maybe 68-72mm for east and 70-74mm for west.

I'm hate to push skis on people  but my wife's on the K2 Burnin' Luv, a 68mm waist women's skis.  She an advanced intermediate but not that athletic and she can eat east-coast blank diamond groomers for lunch on those skis.  I highly recommend you demo some of the K2 Luv series skis.  I know a lot of people that are happen with them.  Many women instructors I know are on that board.  (Your name's Julie so I'm assuming you're female).  

Again, demo first and decide for yourself.

Answer 4

A 90% to 10% is a lot more specific and ultimately depends on what the percentages correspond to. I would say get a 50% - 50% cuz when you change terrain the ski would be less affected as appose to a 90%.

Answer 5

It really comes down to what skis you are specifically referring to. There are a ton of different shapes out there that accommodate different terrain better. For example the Legend 8000 by Dynastar is 79mm underfoot and would be considered on the verge of being a 50/50 ski but because of its relatively straight shape it does very well in bumps and ok on real hard pack conditions. Where as you can take something like a Fischer Progressor that has a lot of shape but is only 70mm underfoot and stiff, does not handle bumps very well at all but skis on groomers as well as anything else out there.

Ultimately a 90/10 ski is great for groomer zoomin' and ripping great carves. But it will begin to lack performance as soon as the conditions begin to deteriorate. Some 50/50 skis have the shape and relative stiffness of a 90/10 ski but will handle broken, fresh and bumps better then a 90/10 ski. It really comes down to your skill level and where you will be skiing the majority of the time.

If you would like more info on the categories specifically I highly recommend checking out this link and if you have any specific questions feel free to email or message me.

http://www.sierrasnowboard.com/forum/for...

Cheers,

Sierra Crew

Answer 6

I think were all having a little trouble trying to figure out what you are talking about on this one...