Harald wrote:Why this trend to wide skis exists is beyond me. (Except on those great powder days)
Maybe it's the skiing equivalent of the move towards 4x4 cars with off-road capability in the car market. It says something about your 'lifestyle', even though you may never actually take the car off city asphalt.
Having said that, I think a lot of people (myself included) are looking to extend their skiing away from the pisted slopes somewhat, and wider skis do look as if they will offer that 'four-wheel drive' which makes it easier, particularly for less accomplished skiers. Perhaps you don't need that extra flotation if you ski really well, but I know from my own recent experience that venturing off the piste into real powder can be pretty disconcerting if you're not used to it.
If you are really saying that a pair of narrow-waisted slalom skis are all one requires to ski the gamut of conditions you meet at the typical resort (off-piste areas included) then I'm glad to hear it. I don't want to have to have a different pair of skis for each extra centimetre of snow on the ground. I may be doing cat skiing in British Columbia in March, though, and I suspect that's where the real powder skis will be necessary (particularly if it continues to snow there like it has so far this year).