Telluride is a BIG mountain and locals ski fast.
I don’t think strength is an issue in ‘rolling a ski on edge’ …………. that’s a move of either the knee or the center of the body (cross over / cross under). BUT, speed is: the build up of forces (in REACTION to speed) help to manupulate the pressuring of, and holding of the skis edge.

Shape of the turn: ease to pivot or carve?

I am amazed at the number of recreational skiers I see who are able to pivot a ski which is VERY wide underfoot. (IMHO..that is about strength.)

In icy conditions, traveling slowly, medium pitch: pivot: edge set. Same conditions traveling faster I might be able to keep the ski on edge from start to almost finish of the turn (tail skids out.) But pick up that speed, combine the forces:pull of gravity, pressuring, steering and I can fly…… arcing the ski

In mashed potatoes at ANY speed, any level of personal strength: pivot /edgeset imposskable (sic). ( I better strengthen steering and pressuring as well as a little of reckless abandon.)

The point being: who do I want to be; under what conditions do I want to be; and…….who am I?

Note that the very wide ski has affected your choice of terrain and snow conditions. If you had to ski hard snow frequently you’d quickly have picked up a narrower ski.

Yes, your preferences are influenced by what you’re used to, which amounts to what you’ve adapted to. The point about the stable feel of Volkls is relevant here. Volkl creates this feel through its choice of materials. The materials in the ski affect its weight, glide speed, stability in junk, general smoothness, resilience, energy level (what you call “pop”) and durability. More about this later.

Seth

Thanks for your thoughts. You have to take the typical ski buyer’s guide with a grain of salt because a ski that is great for one person may be terrible for another. And, with so many skis options out there, it’s difficult for people to identify their optimal ski. Your guidelines create a great reference and starting point. Obviously, every skier is different and their needs are unique. Equipment preferences are heavily influenced by past equipment preferences. For example, some people like the stable feel and pop of Volkls, while others prefer the quickness and lightweight nature of Salomons.

Last season, I skied a 172cm length ski with a 105mm waist and 23m sidecut radius as my day-to-day resort ski in Telluride. It has definitely changed the way I ski and my preferred terrain – I make less turns and find myself avoiding hard snow. I guess the design is more of a big-mountain design and that’s the type of terrain that I seek out. Nonetheless, I’m thinking that a 90mm-ish waist ski will work well as my typical resort ski for trees, steeps, and bumps when we don’t have fresh snow.

I’d say I don’t fit into your guidelines. Am I just a freak?

Pete