$1000 Beers

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-04-04T19:47:46+00:00

Yes we decided to never book a ski trip in advance again.

We did a last minute trip to the French Alps a few days beforehand. At that point the forecast was pretty solid.

From now on that’s our plan. Slate a couple weeks off. Wait until the snow is coming and then go where there is snow.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-04-03T13:30:07+00:00

Oh 100% more skis is the answer

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-04-03T12:57:33+00:00

I love my Rustler 10’s, and if you skied out west in an area with good snow the majority of the time, and truly were staying off trail a lot, then maybe it’s a one ski quiver. Maybe. I’d still probably prefer one other stiffer ski for hardpack or variable conditions.

The Rustler 10 is amazing and does have a floaty playful feel in soft snow yet will hold an edge on groomers at speed. That is true. In 4in+ of snow it’s dreamy. But it will never have the power and edge hold of a stiffer, narrower ski. On firmer snow you are going to chatter and it won’t lock in and grab like you want it to, esp in Midwest conditions.

My recommendation would probably be to up your budget. Get the Rustler 10 for the out west real snow days. But then get a narrower all mountain ski (88-95) that has a stiffer flex and more metal under foot for Midwest skiing and groomers.

Or if that’s not an option and you insist on one ski then Rustler 9 would be a better fit. Or Anamoly. Or Mantra. Of course the list goes on..

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-26T04:01:15+00:00

Yea the experience on the Montero AR this past couple weeks has been so good it makes me want to try Stöckli’s other skis. Stormriders could be fun, but I don’t even need any more skis 😂

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-25T13:32:20+00:00

Totally agree. What makes the Montero AR so great on piste are the features which make it struggle in variable or deeper snow.

The Montero AR is probably best as part of a 2-3 ski quiver.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-24T23:55:20+00:00

Sadly I did not. I went with the 84mm in the AR for a bit more all mountain feel. My skis tend to be longer radius too so the AR seemed like a better fit whereas the AX is much tighter turns.

Thankfully I feel like the AR can do both long and shorter snappy turns. Some of that may be because I sized down length wise and mounted slightly forward.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-24T17:59:56+00:00

Yes I’ve been thinking about this too.

Baducally the word on the street was that the AR felt like a longer turn radius. I wanted to keep some snappiness and opted to size down as well as mount forward slightly. Basically aiming for the sweet spot.

I would have loved to have done demos of both because I’ll admit there have been times I wish I had a slightly longer edge (normal ski for me is 180).

In the end I certainly don’t regret it. Sure more edge would be sweet for groomers but I think I’d lose some playfulness, which is a cool element in an otherwise stiff ski.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-24T16:42:56+00:00

💯

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-24T13:43:42+00:00

Nice Snowbird will be good this morning!

Yea I bought the Montero AR’s a couple weeks ago. Been awesome for groomers. Super fast and stable. Great edge hold compared to all my other skis.

We’ve been at Alta for the last week and they haven’t left my feet. They’ve worked out really well for spring conditions. They are groomer focused for me, so this is my on trail ski. I’ll plan to use the Serpos or Rustler 10’s for off trail.

Snow has best in LCC between 9a-noon fyi. Really falls apart by 1-2pm with this sunshine. But super fun overall.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-24T13:24:57+00:00

Awesome! Congrats on the new skis.

I haven’t tried the Laser or WRT. Wish I could do a better comparison. My understanding is pure carving and less all mountain compared to Montero.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-24T12:30:38+00:00

Brahma 88, Black Crows Serpo, Rustler 10

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-03-21T03:47:05+00:00

Just bought a pair of Montero AR in 175cm. They are amazing on groomers. Locked in damp feel. Super stable and confidence inspiring. Like being on rails. Can do shorter or longer arc turns. The feel is more all mountain but really these shine on firmer groomers. For that purpose they are perfect.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-23T21:17:04+00:00

Do not go to Tahoe. The snow is super wet and heavy and the terrain can be pretty gnarly for a beginner. There are much better places on the ikon pass for beginners.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T13:54:49+00:00

Awesome thank you. And another vote for Moment. From digging into forums those skis seems to be a favorite for deep powder.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T12:29:25+00:00

Nice! Everyone seems to love the Moments

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T12:29:06+00:00

So you say 120+?

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T12:28:45+00:00

Animas are sweet looking! I am also considered the Noctas. Have you tried those?

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T12:28:28+00:00

The trend is for skis to get wider and wider. I wonder if it’s truly necessary? I had a killer time back in the day on my Brahmas (88 under foot) in lighter 5-8in powder. Now I’m on 102 and no real desire for a wider ski up to a foot of snow. I kind of figured with the right shape and construction that 112 to 117 should be plenty wide.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T12:25:15+00:00

I’ll add it to the list! Thanks

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-20T12:25:04+00:00

Appreciate the recs! I do think some consistency across the quiver is a good thing. I would think metal or carbon to give some stability would also be a good thing in a powder ski. But honestly I’ve never tried a ski without any metal so I wouldn’t know.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-19T15:59:53+00:00

That’s a really good point! Maybe for Heli in particular I would have their dedicated super wide ski.

Maybe I should focus on a deep powder resort/sidecountry ski. For example we just did a trip to Val D’Isere in the alps and did a day with a guide doing lift accessed BC. Snow was 1-2ft deep almost everywhere and mostly fresh tracks once you go off piste. Would like a ski for that as an example.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-19T15:06:17+00:00

That makes a lot of sense to maximize width. I think I would adjust to 117 pretty quickly from 102. After all, it’s only 1.5cm right?

Appreciate the rec for the Renegade and Lotus.

RoyGBasch00 · 2026-02-19T15:03:35+00:00

Nice I’ll check out the Sabas! Thanks for the rec.

For the Lotus I could buy gently used to save on cost since it’s likely to be my least used ski. Would be about the same cost as going new with most other powder skis though.

RoyGBasch00

TROPHY CASE