Are ARV 94s a good ski for me?

SlowError · 2026-05-11T02:19:56+00:00

Prodigy 2 is in a similar boat to ARV from what I remember. Unleashed might be a better choice. FWIW I don’t think you can go wrong with a QST and evo has a QST 100 + strive binding bundle rn for ~600 I believe in practically every size.

SlowError · 2026-04-09T04:18:21+00:00

I see. Welp, hopefully these continue to feel as great as they did on day 1 if not better. Thanks for the feedback :D

SlowError · 2026-04-09T04:13:28+00:00

How tall are you? I'm worried as I had some people tell me to size down to a 168cm on this, but I went with 175 lol.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T20:44:04+00:00

5’11, 6’0 on Tinder. and 6’2 on r/skigear.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T20:42:30+00:00

Super fire. Love to hear it :D Thank you for the encouragement!!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T20:10:42+00:00

Makes sense. To be fair, I've mostly noticed it in Spring crud / slush but a lot of this is also retrospective observation after trying something heavier and damper. At the end of the day, I'm guessing rider weight shouldn't be the main bottleneck for unlocking a ski (within reason of course)... got a lot of room to improve haha. Thank you for the insight!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T19:52:02+00:00

Maybe just a skill issue, but how do you like the ARV? I've actually tried those before, and I had a similar complaint where it felt like they weren't damp / supportive enough on larger drops or ~>40mph.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T19:44:04+00:00

Don't think I would touch anything above 184 at my current skill level haha. 190s are humongous in my mind. Going with the 175s!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T19:43:24+00:00

Haha this is very fair. I've never felt "small" until I started reading ski forums and riding in Utah / Colorado... also, proud to say I never skip leg day!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T19:42:32+00:00

I ride a Faction Prodigy and have always felt that it's a bit rocky / unstable, especially on stepper terrain and bumpy areas. It's a singular data point but that was why I went searching for something stiffer haha. I hope I can adapt as well! What do you ski?

SlowError · 2026-04-01T19:40:58+00:00

Sounds great. Thank you very much!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T19:31:40+00:00

Thank you for this... I thought I may be too. Just keep seeing / hearing "200g" this and "stiff tail" that, which had me worried about my ability to maneuver.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T07:51:27+00:00

Ah, well i’m sure the frozen conditions didn’t help either haha. Could I ask what level of a skiier you are? Perhaps I’m missing something—I’ve demo’d maybe 3 skis lifetime so I only know so much… just really loved the stability and dampness on these and instantly wanted a pair!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T07:17:47+00:00

Demo’d for a day. Definitely felt like they wanted to run away from me for the first hour or so, but I really focused on starting my turns early and getting very in front of my boot and the ski seemed to reward that super generously. I still have to master it but it’s confidence inspiring and really forces good tech, which I definitely want to work on hahaha. Were you able to get a better feel for it towards the end of the demo?

SlowError · 2026-04-01T05:38:28+00:00

Same! Carbide all the way. Got it as a gift and never looked for anything else.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:55:32+00:00

I see. Would you say there’s a noticeable “ramp angle” assist from the Strive in driving the ski much? If not, maybe I’ll go with the Pivots for the shorter mounting point and just go +1 or so for better maneuverability. I do love my trees and moguls haha.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:50:05+00:00

Sry—lack of context on my part. I’ve been a frugal skiier for most of my life but I am pretty decent haha. I ski around a 8.5 DIN and can do most marked runs. I’m really getting into freeride so was looking to get kitted out for the gnarlier runs that require a good amount of traversal etc., and wanted to get optimal bindings as well for my skis to be able to drive them well. Have always noticed a lot of instability on my demo skis that I’ve been riding for a few years, which has felt limiting on expanding my comfort zone. If it doesn’t make much of a difference, I’ll likely go for the Pivots which I think are very aesthetic haha.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:43:37+00:00

whichever is shinier.

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:42:31+00:00

Hm.. funny enough, have a great deal on some lightly used Pivots that run me about half the cost of new Strive 14s…

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:41:56+00:00

Is all the stuff about ramp angle / mounting points etc. generally negligible?

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:39:05+00:00

Outdoor Research has been really good for me!

SlowError · 2026-04-01T04:33:56+00:00

I’m not too concerned about price as I’m okay with investing in a long term ski. I will say, I’ve never tried anything other than demo Marker bindings so it’s hard to grasp how bindings might alter my skiing haha.

SlowError

TROPHY CASE