Think it would be worth getting some fat skis for riding the lakes in the midwest? I've only ever ridden really long DH type skis because that's what works best around here 90% of the time. Later in the season when the snow gets deeper(normal winter) I find it hard to make turns with these skis especially when the snow is really dense. I live at a whopping 800ft above sea level so powder doesn't really exist around here and snow is less dry compared to it's alpine conterpart. Could a fatter ski with some rocker help with this or are these type of skis reserved only for off piste mountain type environments. Just thought something fat and straight would make those "deeper" days easier to ski in or would I be wasting my money?

another option is to look at a snowboard for the times when snow is deeper. It's nice to have to option for something different. But to answer your question, yes the fat skis work better when you get some deeper snow.

... can't believe you guys are on snow already - I'm sitting around in my undies with the fan on still

No Kami, no snow here yet. Hasn't been cold enough. Upper 30's F at night been giving me dreams of snowkiting lately. Snow bug has bitten already. Never too early to start thinking about gear.

y'all STOP thinking about gear???

I have a pair of Scott skis, not sure what the dimensions are, but they are pretty wide, and 168cm long. They are the bomb for playing in deep snow, carry up well and turn quite well in the loose stuff compared to my long skinny planks. They definately don't track that well on hard pack, but for powder, they are a blast.

Fatter skis will help with float, and shorter skis will help with turns. When the snow is deep & steep, or deep & blowing hard I use a pair of 168cm Dynastar Mr Big - tip 104mm, waist 89mm, tail 117mm. More of an All Mountain ski than a fat powder ski.

I have not used fat skis but I would think their larger turn radius might take a bit of getting used to. I like to make a quick turn at the end of a leg so you don't get too far downwind.

An abbreviated response trying to be succinct:

Fatter skiis? Sure.

But about your present skis..... how stiff(what flex) are the skis...what are the dimensions? what is turning radius? What do you weigh? These factors and others will determine turning/carving abilities. What's your ski level -(novice, expert)? Do you angulate well-hips and knees - to turn skis on edge(a sideway tilt)?

Not knowing your ability...ability is a huge factor. Just because you have super flotation, it does not mean automatically super quick or sharp turning in powder-nor all conditions.... for all abilities-disregarding all other factors.


Do you ever ski on hard, refrozen, bulletproof? Mostly powder? Mash potato...crud..?

A middle size ski not too wide and not too skinny- tip=104-116?...may be best all around. Too much 'shape' may not best for ice and hard snow depending on flex. Don't go too stiff nor too soft on flex. The wider the ski...the more effort to roll it over on edge( why they use big risers on bindings to compensate)...But realistically...

.... Most will have a few pair for diff conditions..naturally. Have a quiver of at least two to go with your kite quiver. Don't forget to sharpen the skis if you want to turn on hard snow(or ice).

Flexion, direction, redirectiion..perfection!:wee::wee:

got to love the the nor'east bullet proof SkiMtW.

my 2¢
a wider shovel will help with breaking through mashed potatoes... crud and floating on the pow.
+1 on the all mountain ski with moderate side cut and rocker.

I'm thinking about buying a pair of skis, too. I put my last pairs of alpines in the free box in Telluride along with the boots back in 2003. I kept my telli boots and bindings though and have just rented since then.

my dream ski would be a 175 twin tip with G3 bindings

I run several pairs of skis. On the kite the only time carve radius comes into play is on hard ice or hardpacked/windslab snow where the edges are really working hard. Otherwise on soft snow you can get away without driving the edge hard and let the edge drift. In deep snow the entire base of the ski will manage the edging with a kite, not simply the edge. More of a planing action.

My most versitile ski is the Rossignol Phantom 108. 108mm under foot, 30m carve radius and essentially a powder ski with a GS ski construction. I note the carve radius because this ski will actually handle ice to a point. Not like my speed specific skis but she gets the job done in pretty much any condition from deep snow to ice to water she really rocks on everything. She has a slight amount of tip rocker, no tail rocker. I'm not a fan of tail rocker on my kite skis. Anyway it's designated as a big mountain ski meaning that she has a lot of surface area, can handle all kinds of ungroomed conditions and deals well with speed.

I run a Marker Duke on her. All of our fat skis run AT bindings so in the event that something goes wrong and you can't fly back you can put skins on and skin back. We fly a long way away from our launches and punch post holes for 10 miles or more isn't an option. As an AT ski it is not as light as it could be but it skis like a full on alpine ski and you need the extra power when muscling the kite or rippin on the hard stuff.

My powder ski is a Salomon Rocker. Shes 140mm under foot, heavy front end rocker, no tail rocker. Floats on deepstuff like nothing and with the rocker you can really drive your shins into the boot and the ski rides deep powder like it's on groomers. Looks like a water ski, stomps landings like a dream.

Both these skis have similar traits and are more Big Mountain style than Powder skis. They are both relatively stiff which is fine as I weigh 200lbs, they are both torsionally stiff which pays of huge on the hardpack if you run into it.

The bottom line is anything will ride better than your straight boards in the deep stuff. As Skimt.washington siad wider boards are slower edge to edge. We're on kites though and not like banging out slalom turns so it's not much of an issue and most bindings come with a certain amount of lift. But on the kite even flat mounted it's never been an issue for me.

I have a quiver of 4 skis. My all rounder is my 222 Yamaha DH. Long carve radius, lots of lift, built to last and haul the mail. Bangs out turns like a slalom ski if you have the muscle.

My speed ski is an Atomic 240cm. Looks like a jumping ski, has a ton of lift, holds an edge on ice like nothing I've ever seen. Two sheets of aluminum, wood core and pretty long means she doesn't come out until late season. Not strong enough early season to handle them safely. The ski is designed for courses like Les Arcs.

Then I have the Rossignol Phantom and the Salomon Rocker. Molly rides Salomon 215DHs for speed and Rossignol Bandit 104s that I added rocker to. She also rocks some Atomic ATs with Fritsche FRs.

We all used to ride Black Diamond skis. Still have a few pairs. Awesome skis, light, stiff good for anything but no rocker. Now that I'm on rockered skis I'm wicked lazy. ;-)

Last season I was on speed skis almost the whole season. I'm hoping to maybe get a powder day or two this year.

Thanks for all the responses! I've mainly been riding an old school Volkl 198cm race carver with risers. I can lay those down quite a ways and never rub a boot or lose an edge. Pretty stiff ski, but I'm also 220lbs without gear. They work extremely well and hold an edge very good on ice and hard pack bullet proof snow. Last year we had one storm that dumped a bunch of snow on my favorite lake and it was deep heavy mashed potato type snow. Couldn't turn worth a damn in that stuff, perhaps it was just my ability, but I had one heck of a time that day. I figured days like that something else would work better, hence the question. Perhaps I'll pick-up a used all mountain something or another and see what diff it makes.

240cm!!! I have a hard time finding anything over 200cm around here. Chris when the edges are all but gone save me a pair I'll pay shipping. I run some really fat parbolic skis on one of my sleds and when I'm on the lake skipping allong at speed coming off some air into the snow the g-force of the instant turn is crushing. Not sure what a fast run like that would be like on the knees and hips , not sure I'd care to find out either.

The has started here we have had snow 4 out of the last 7 mornings and the bighorns look white from here . Snow snow snow !!!!!!!!!!!!!! The snowboard and skis are waxed and the kites are loaded.

I have a pair of LIB Tech NAS skis. Narrow ass snowboards. Not sure if they still make them but they have magne traction. Great for frozen lakes. Grippy on ice. Not Krug style though. Slower for sure. But I dont ski, so narrow snowboards are nice. They recommend you buy them in pairs. Hard to ride on one narrow snowboard.

Mmmmmm Magna traction. I saw those ski last time I was there.

They are NAS.

How about snowblades?

Negative on the snowblades. No float, no surface area.

Think of deep snow like water. Same principals are involved.

Imagine water skis the size of snowblades and how well those would work.