Bull_Dozer profile

How do they compare to the Shimano ME7?

Yeah I came across the Indy recently and they looked like the perfect knee pads for North Shore pedally rides - light but still with real knee protection. The charge seemed more like beefed up leg warmers to me (not saying that in a bad way, just serve a different purpose…much more on the XC side of things).

For someone who isnt a weight weenie - are these an obvious choice over the more expensive XT & XTR versions, or are there other things to consider as well (someone mentioned durability above)?

Posted by: PaulB

They've got a new day pass for next season, https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/plan-your-trip/lift-access/passes/whistler-blackcomb-day-pass.aspx

1-10 days, restricted or non-restricted. 10 days restricted works out to $91+taxes per day, 1 day restricted is $118 + taxes per day. Still too much for me.

Looks the the Edge card is a bit cheaper...10 day edge card restricted is $789, 5 day restricted is $459.

Posted by: XXX_er

yup big changes in a decade and IME probably the biggest thing that made powder skiing easier is " early rise " so the shovel starts closer to the binding than it would have 10 yrs ago, In practice the  early rise is easier to control( makes for a shorter lever ?)  on whatever you are skiing over

This is exactly why I am looking for new skis. I actually really like my current 10 year old skis in general (and am planning on keeping them as backups) but I need some help in powder/off piste conditions and I think the rocker tips are going to make a lot of difference. Hoping they inspire confidence.

Aside from season ticket holders...are you guys, or people you know skiing Whistler this year with these insane prices?  Who the heck can justify $189+tax for a lift ticket... especially when the conditions are mediocre and the lines are huge. Even if you are fortunate enough to have the $$, is the experience you get really good enough to justify the expense? For a family of 4 to drive up for the day, buy lift tickets and get a bit of food you are probably looking at $1,200 all-in, which is insane. 

Is it just all the "Epic Pass" holders from the States consistently coming up here for vacations? Doesn't make sense to me...

Posted by: Endur-Bro

Mike D seems to be riding the QST 99 almost fullTime these days. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ 

Currently looking at new skis as well. Debating between the mid-90s and mid-100s widths  

Realistically, the QST 99 would probably be a better choice for me vs. the QST 106 since (unfortunately) most of my ski days won't be on powder. That being said, I don't really value groomer performance and my main goal is to ski off piste with more confidence. 

The main reason I am looking at the mid 100's category is because right now I am on a 101 width and I would like more flotation in powder. Not sure if the lack of flotation on my current skis is because I weigh 200 lbs or because they are a 2009 model and therefore, a more traditional camber type skis (I think...?) and not the new rockered style (which the QST 99 are).

Posted by: Kevin26

I've skied soul 7 for a couple seasons, sir Francis bacon for a day, and qst 99 (not 106) for a couple seasons, those would all work well for what you described. Qst 99 has been a nice '1 ski quiver' for me (although I have more skis) I've just been using them as a default ski to grab for majority of days on the hill. Light easy to ski, I find them good for tight tricky spots, does struggle when going faster/charging stuff than a bigger ski but that doesn't sound like a priority to you. I'm about to head up with them right now actually.

Thanks for the info. Curious what you thought about the Sir Francis Bacon? Read a lot of good things about it. Sounds like a fun ski.

Posted by: Brocklanders

Ya that would work great for you. I know the Salomon rep has a sample sale in mid April sometime. They have all those skis for super deals which were lightly used demos.

That's where I bought mine. I will post the date of the sale when I get the email here

Awesome - thank you

I’m 5’11 and around 200 lbs. The QST 106 in 181 length is what I was thinking of going with.

Need some help choosing some new skis. Looking for something in the 100-110mm width range. I'm not an advanced skier by any means... only started seriously skiing as an adult after moving to BC and also have barely skied in the past 3 years due to having a toddler. Want to buy some new skis as some motivation to get back into it next year since our kid should be old enough to start ski lessons. I think I'm what you call an "intermediate" - I enjoy skiing primarily single black terrain in softer ungroomed snow and off piste but nothing too crazy. Focus on the harder terrain at Cypress and the single black terrain off the Peak, Harmony and 7th Heaven. I can get down all that stuff relatively confidentially but it is still challenging for me and I am not bombing down it with confidence like a more advanced skier would be able to. Looking for a ski that is forgiving and easy to ski that excels in single black off piste type terrain. Not looking to ride the craziest lines at mach speed and dropping big cliffs - just looking to have fun. All that being said... I won't be able to selectively choose powder days to ride and therefore, will probably still be spending the majority of time on standard groomed runs and will be using this ski as a 1 ski quiver. The priority is off piste but it still needs to be sufficient on groomed terrain. 

I haven't kept up to date with ski technology over the past few years, but I've done a bit of research and these look interesting to me:

- Rossignol Soul 7

- Salomon QST 106

- Line Sir Francis Bacon

- Armada ARV 106

- Atomic Backland 107

If anyone has any advice for me that would be much appreciated. Ideally I would go and demo a few but realistically I know I'm not going to be able to dedicate the time and effort to do that so I just need to pick one and go with it.

Posted by: WeTYC...

Happy to play a tiny role in getting it back.  I really felt for you because my 510 was collecting a ton of data for me on Sunday (6 hour ride covering 37km ) and losing it would have been devastating (I was trying to map all of a network that's due to be logged in the next few weeks and I'm not going to get another chance)

My tip:  I use the leash that came in the box.  I have a couple different mounting options depending on which bike I'm riding.  On my big bike for the most technical trails, it goes in my pocket.  On my mildly-techy hard-tail, it goes on the top tube.  Sunday I was riding easy trails with minimal crash potential, so it went on the o-ring mount on the handlebar.  If it's on the bike, I wrap the leash around whatever (bars, top tube) and then pass the 510 through the loop.  That way, if it somehow gets knocked off the mount, I'll hopefully notice it flolloping before it disappears into the muck.

Thanks for the tips... and thanks again for helping me track it down!

Posted by: RAHrider

I tried running it on the top tube. My leg would brush it all the time and knock it off. It lasted about 15 mins into the ride there before I moved it back to the bar.

Yeah I should probably do the same. The other problem with it on the top tube is that it's not in your line of sight so if you knock it off accidentally then you won't necessarily notice right away. 

I used to mount it right on the top of the steerer tube (using a k-edge mount) but I actually crashed and snapped off the tabs on the back. I think the issue was that the mount is essentially too tight/solid so if you get in a crash there isn't enough give so it's easy to snap the tabs.