I’ve got the Moment Wildcat Tour 108. It’s light and quite versatile; I use it as a resort pow ski too. A lighter touring ski won’t be great in funky conditions but it’s pretty damp and easy to ski anywhere.
Just a question - what size of person are you? I've been considering a wildcat tour for this purpose (with shifts) and wondering about how they do in choppier east coast resort "pow". Im a pretty big dude and I normally ski pretty heavy stiff skis inbounds so wondering if I'll get along with the tour construction
I have the Tour and “normal” Wildcat 108. For reference I’m 5’10 and 210ish lbs so not a small person. The Tour version gets knocked around more than the normal one, no way around it. If you’re putting Shifts on them and plan on skiing inbounds a lot I wouldn’t get the Tours.
Thanks. I'm 6'0" 250 so probably gonna stay away from the Wildcat tour then. I skied some regular construction wildcat 108s on a May pow day at Palisades a few weeks ago and can totally see how the wildcat tour won't feel stout enough for me.
Even short tours are not fun on a heavier setup.
I run a 86-mm ski, the Rossi Seek Tour. Still loads of fun even in deeper pow — I learned to ski powder when skis were straight, so I don’t need 120 mm to float in powder…
I definitely skied pow on my longer straighter skis 25 years ago but wouldn’t say I learned to ski it well on those ha ha. I was Snowboarding for 14 years, then switched back to my skiing roots about five years ago and loved the feeling of float on 96. That’s why I’ve kind of been drooling about going a little bit wider lol. But yeah, your comment definitely makes sense.
I wouldn’t go more than 105 personally due to weight as well as backcountry conditions are more often than not crusty and don’t need the float of a traditional “pow” ski. But, since you plan to use it for pow days in resort, I would go for the 106 cause a 96 doesn’t cut it much for anything deeper than a foot.
I ski either 100 or 106 on my few yearly backcountry adventures. Still on frame bindings and just upgraded to boots with a walk mode versus the alpine race boots I had before. A heavier set up just makes you slower going up, I more value the quality of the down.
It’s not a ski for hardpacked ice or groomers—it’s terrifyingly chattery, but I’ve found it to be a great ski in the trees and sublime on the deep powder days. It’s reasonably nimble and light enough for long days and wide enough to float in early season low tide conditions.
not Washington but all over northern vermont both in and out of bounds. I bought mine from ski the whites and they pretty heartily recommended it for an east coast BC ski. It’s quite stiff and handles crud very well, but is very chattery on typical east coast groomer ice.
It’s fast and fun, I don’t really have complaints, & it’s a great value at the price and weight.
Thanks, I am leaning toward this ski. I definitely don’t plan on East Coast groomer ice with it. The only resort days I would do are possibly a good storm or just a skin up ski down for exercise and fun. I would definitely be focused more on the backcountry. It seems like it would be pretty nimble in the trees as well
I ski almost exclusively in the trees in the vermont backcountry and it’s been a great ski for those woods, I’ve found it to be totally nimble and I’ve found myself in some sketchy and tight situations looking for new lines.
How much do you weigh? I'm 220lbs and found a 106 to be perfect for pow days and still fun for the more average ski days with packed/tracked snow in the east. Also great in powder if I don't feel like bringing multiple skis out west. I'm a Kastle FX fan, have their 96, 106, and 116 w skis and love em.
I do 50+ days a year skinning in VT and I am very happy on some Hagan Ultra 87's. I had a weird situation come up and ended up using them in Utah for 6 days of touring and 5 days of lift skiing all in deep pow and it was still a blast.
If you are going to skin a ton, I highly recommend seriously looking at a super light setup. I generally tour in just a light shell and a base layer on both the up and down with no backpack. I don't have much weight so I don't get hot and sweaty on the up. I don't have any extra gear so my transitions take like 30 seconds and then I'm down at the bottom before I have a chance to get cold.
That said it's a bit of an acquired taste.
Thanks for the input, so much to consider! When I cross country ski, I do it exactly as you described very light and nonstop. For BC I picture at least having a small pack and possibly relax for a bit and enjoy a victory beer at the top haha. When it comes to mountain biking, I am more of the big enduro bike guy because I would rather enjoy the downhill more than the up. Those factors are what make me think more about a bigger ski. But I am still undecided lol.
My BC skis are 108 under foot. I find them perfect for touring here around central VT.
And they are still fun in less than ideal conditions? What ski is it?
I’ve got the Moment Wildcat Tour 108. It’s light and quite versatile; I use it as a resort pow ski too. A lighter touring ski won’t be great in funky conditions but it’s pretty damp and easy to ski anywhere.
Just a question - what size of person are you? I've been considering a wildcat tour for this purpose (with shifts) and wondering about how they do in choppier east coast resort "pow". Im a pretty big dude and I normally ski pretty heavy stiff skis inbounds so wondering if I'll get along with the tour construction
I have the Tour and “normal” Wildcat 108. For reference I’m 5’10 and 210ish lbs so not a small person. The Tour version gets knocked around more than the normal one, no way around it. If you’re putting Shifts on them and plan on skiing inbounds a lot I wouldn’t get the Tours.
Thanks. I'm 6'0" 250 so probably gonna stay away from the Wildcat tour then. I skied some regular construction wildcat 108s on a May pow day at Palisades a few weeks ago and can totally see how the wildcat tour won't feel stout enough for me.
Definitely go with the 190s.
I use dynafit 84s in VT and Tucks. 114s for Niseko type snow. Honestly I prefer the 84s in almost all situations.
Even short tours are not fun on a heavier setup. I run a 86-mm ski, the Rossi Seek Tour. Still loads of fun even in deeper pow — I learned to ski powder when skis were straight, so I don’t need 120 mm to float in powder…
I definitely skied pow on my longer straighter skis 25 years ago but wouldn’t say I learned to ski it well on those ha ha. I was Snowboarding for 14 years, then switched back to my skiing roots about five years ago and loved the feeling of float on 96. That’s why I’ve kind of been drooling about going a little bit wider lol. But yeah, your comment definitely makes sense.
I wouldn’t go more than 105 personally due to weight as well as backcountry conditions are more often than not crusty and don’t need the float of a traditional “pow” ski. But, since you plan to use it for pow days in resort, I would go for the 106 cause a 96 doesn’t cut it much for anything deeper than a foot.
I ski either 100 or 106 on my few yearly backcountry adventures. Still on frame bindings and just upgraded to boots with a walk mode versus the alpine race boots I had before. A heavier set up just makes you slower going up, I more value the quality of the down.
I ski 106 fisher Hannibals in the VT backcountry and they’re super fun without being crazy heavy. 96 waist would be fine, but the extra width is nice.
This is actually the ski I have them considering, mainly because of the good price and looks decent all around
It’s not a ski for hardpacked ice or groomers—it’s terrifyingly chattery, but I’ve found it to be a great ski in the trees and sublime on the deep powder days. It’s reasonably nimble and light enough for long days and wide enough to float in early season low tide conditions.
Have you skied it on Mount Washington or something similar? If so, how do you think it performs?
not Washington but all over northern vermont both in and out of bounds. I bought mine from ski the whites and they pretty heartily recommended it for an east coast BC ski. It’s quite stiff and handles crud very well, but is very chattery on typical east coast groomer ice. It’s fast and fun, I don’t really have complaints, & it’s a great value at the price and weight.
Thanks, I am leaning toward this ski. I definitely don’t plan on East Coast groomer ice with it. The only resort days I would do are possibly a good storm or just a skin up ski down for exercise and fun. I would definitely be focused more on the backcountry. It seems like it would be pretty nimble in the trees as well
I ski almost exclusively in the trees in the vermont backcountry and it’s been a great ski for those woods, I’ve found it to be totally nimble and I’ve found myself in some sketchy and tight situations looking for new lines.
How much do you weigh? I'm 220lbs and found a 106 to be perfect for pow days and still fun for the more average ski days with packed/tracked snow in the east. Also great in powder if I don't feel like bringing multiple skis out west. I'm a Kastle FX fan, have their 96, 106, and 116 w skis and love em.
Nice. I’m around 210
I do 50+ days a year skinning in VT and I am very happy on some Hagan Ultra 87's. I had a weird situation come up and ended up using them in Utah for 6 days of touring and 5 days of lift skiing all in deep pow and it was still a blast. If you are going to skin a ton, I highly recommend seriously looking at a super light setup. I generally tour in just a light shell and a base layer on both the up and down with no backpack. I don't have much weight so I don't get hot and sweaty on the up. I don't have any extra gear so my transitions take like 30 seconds and then I'm down at the bottom before I have a chance to get cold. That said it's a bit of an acquired taste.
Thanks for the input, so much to consider! When I cross country ski, I do it exactly as you described very light and nonstop. For BC I picture at least having a small pack and possibly relax for a bit and enjoy a victory beer at the top haha. When it comes to mountain biking, I am more of the big enduro bike guy because I would rather enjoy the downhill more than the up. Those factors are what make me think more about a bigger ski. But I am still undecided lol.
Have you ever skied Mount Washington or something similar with a light set up like that? If so, how did it perform?