Cascade Powder Skis

There's powder in the Cascades?  Been skiing there 40 years and that's a new one on me! 
K2 Shuksans are versatile, reasonably priced and fairly light.  Those large fat skis are fairly limited in the range of conditions they will handle comfortably, and, really, does anyone really need training wheels to get down the hill on a Cascade "powder" day?
Personally, I wouldn't give Black Diamond a cent of my money...over-priced, over-engineered, poor quality CRAP.
-Burns

Even the (local) guys who designed/refined the Shuksan as a versatile all round ski mountaineering plank wouldn't suggest it a great powder ski. In fact they went out designed/refined a couple of other K@ skis to perform better in those conditions.

No powder? So you didn't ski either of the last two winters we had or what?

Born and raised near Concrete, WA, and divide my time between Jackson, WY, Valdez, AK and Joseph, OR.  The powder comment was a joke, but in comparison to other places I've worked/skied, the Cascades don't have most of the time what I would describe, really, as powder.

Versatility is most important to me, as I want a ski that will perform adequately in all conditions, from boilerplate to "blower", with weight savings when ski mountaineering.  I do get to use the superfats at work (heli skiing/mountaineering guide),  and love them in a fairly narrow range of conditions.   They can be downright scary in hard snow conditions, way too heavy for touring, and do not give me the "dolphin" feeling that I love in deep snow. 

There is no doubt that the marketing of wide skis has increased the range of the conditions that the average skier can enjoy.  They certainly have benefitted my industry, which used to be accessible to experts only, due to the difficulty of skiing ungroomed and off-piste conditions.  Now intermediate-level skiers have the chance to enjoy deep snow with a fairly minimal learning curve.  The Atomic Fatboys really increased the fun factor for my Colorado clients back in the late 80's and early 1990's.  The best powder/mountaineering ski I ever owned was, and still is, the Evolution Pearl.  

As for Scotchman's tirade, I encounter that kind of attitude on a regular basis. Methinks thou doth protesteth too much We skiers are a very competitive, "type A" bunch, even though many of us put off the "accepting community" vibe to compensate.  His reply sounded just like a TGR post, albeit considerably more literate.  That being said, I share his disdain for the "me better" mindset, although I confess to feeling that way sometimes. It's just more odious when it is so explicit, such as in the chopper or at the bar, apres ski.   I'm sure Chris and I  would get along just fine, and may be more similar than he seems to think.  See ya in the green room!

-Burns

let's go ski ... I'll let you try my skis out and I'll try yours. I'm just having a hard time going back to skinnier skis after trying the fat ones.

The number of days I had last season that were waist deep or better was awesome. Entire runs down the back side of Stevens untracked..

I'm just loud mouthed because I want to get out and ski

Sounds like you guys need to have Kelvin build you your own custom skis... or build your own... skibuilders.com

As for Scotchman's tirade, I encounter that kind of attitude on a regular basis. Methinks thou doth protesteth too much We skiers are a very competitive, "type A" bunch, even though many of us put off the "accepting community" vibe to compensate.  His reply sounded just like a TGR post, albeit considerably more literate.  That being said, I share his disdain for the "me better" mindset, although I confess to feeling that way sometimes.  It's just more odious when it is so explicit, such as in the chopper or at the bar, apres ski.   I'm sure Chris and I  would get along just fine, and may be more similar than he seems to think.  See ya in the green room!

-Burns

HAAHHAA Good stuff and some good points. I really enjoyed your coherent and well written reply although I think "tirade" a bit strong . I was just calling you out on a comment I thought put others down because they did not agree with your ski choice. Now that I know you are a heli guide I take back all I said and am prepared to prostrate myself in your presence for the possibility of a ride one day. Just kidding. ( No I'm not)
Peace bother, but for God's sake get some fat skis. Once u go fat, u never go back!
Porpoising is for the dolphins .

A Cascade powder ski should be built like me: short and fat. The rest is just small potato tweaks; side-cut, rocker, brand, whatever.

The K2 AK "Lawn Chair" works for me. Are these antiques yet?

Can anyone hook me up with a free set of new skis? I'd like some free new skis please!