Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

New skis recommendation (Update: Narrowed it down to 2!)

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all.

Firstly apologies as I know there are loads of threads like this (although I guess that's what this forum is for).


I am looking to buy some new skis but I'm currently unsure what to go for...

I'm 187cm, and around 12.5 stone (quite a skimmy guy!). I'm 24 and have been skiing since I was 10. Going on the 'ski buying guides' you see on some websites I would fall into the expert category.

For about the last 6 or 7 years I've been skiing on some old GS skis I was brought as a present, they are only 172cm so very short for me and when I got them I was nowhere near as good a skiier as I am now. So now looking to buy a more suitable ski for my level of ability.

I spend roughly 50/50 on/off piste, maybe 60/40 in favour of on piste.

I am ideally looking at the mid-low price range. I don't mind older/previous season models.

I've seen some Salomon Q98s for a pretty awesome price on a German website. Like the look of them. Also seen some Salomon Sentinels from 2012 for an appealing £269. Any thoughts on either of these skis? Would a 98 waist be too much of a jump from the narrow waisted skis I've had for the last 6 years?

Any other recommendations?

Thanks guys!


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 15-02-14 21:39; edited 1 time in total
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I don't think 98mm is too skinny underfoot for a 50/50 piste/off piste ski. If you're looking at Q98s then the Line sick day 95s are also worth a look, I demo'd them both back to back and found the sick days more poppy and fun, with the Salomons feeling a little dead in comparison. But in the end I bought Rossi Souls wink
snow conditions
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Thanks for the suggestions.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself very well. From what i have read 98mm seems fine for a 50/50 ski, I was asking if maybe that would be too much of a jump from my current GS skis which probably have a waist of 75 ish?
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
+1 for Rossi Souls, though an expert skier might find them a bit on the soft side for very high speed on piste.

As an expert skier you will know that there is a lot more than waist measurement which determines how a ski behaves. I find the souls surprisingly agile on hard piste surfaces for their 106mm waist - more so than some narrower off-piste specialist skis that I have used in recent years.

Really, you have to test any ski before you buy. What suits one person is anathema to another. Like Dashed, I demoed sick day 95s before going for the souls, but where he found them poppy, I found them snatchy. One man's meat ...
snow conditions
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
You'd be surprised - I went from old skool [sic] long straight planks with a waist of <65mm to the Q98s / Sick Days / Souls with nothing in the way of a transition other than 15 years off skis and on a snowboard wink

So I don't think the jump will be too hard, but you need to decide what you want from the ski - everything is a compromise in one way or another...
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Although i'd echo peters comments - demo first! I like quick turning, short radius skis but not everyone does... The Souls are definitely a bit twitchy on hard piste at high speed, but that's not what they're designed for. Hit soft groomed snow or, even better, get them in the powder and they come alive!
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for your replies.

I'm going to try and demo in the next week or two but unfortunately it will just be at MK or Hemel indoors. Not ideal but better than nothing.
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Serious holiday experts tend to ski on 85 wide as a 50/50 ski so the skis still have some performance on piste. Real experts just go everywhere on their race dept GS skis wink. Every ski is a compromise so good skiers brought up in the mountains tend to ski 67 wide on piste and then get the fat skis out when the off-piste. Fat skis will no doubt help off-piste but there is a reason that you will not see anyone on a pair in the Olympics.
latest report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Piet_Morant wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself very well. From what i have read 98mm seems fine for a 50/50 ski, I was asking if maybe that would be too much of a jump from my current GS skis which probably have a waist of 75 ish?


Split the difference. Dynastar Cham 87.
snow conditions
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
TTT wrote:
Serious holiday experts tend to ski on 85 wide as a 50/50 ski so the skis still have some performance on piste. .... Fat skis will no doubt help off-piste but there is a reason that you will not see anyone on a pair in the Olympics.


Not sure this is the greatest advice. It really depends on what your focus is. For many people although they ski 50/50, it is the off piste in powder that is when they enjoy themselves the most, and what gets them buzzing and therefore they will go wider and accept that there will be a bit of sacrifice when cruising on piste. Others may be happy to have the best performance on piste, and therefore go for something 85 underfoot, but accept that they will not get such great performance off piste.

You can certainly go wider than 85, and still have more than "some performance" on piste.


And the reason theres no fat skis in the olympics is clearly as the olympics are 100% on piste!

Obviously its just about deciding where to make the compromise, and as TTT says, the only perfect quiver is more than one ski! I think its definitely worth demoing even in a snow dome, if you enjoy a fatter ski on the piste, its unlikely to disappoint in the soft stuff.
ski holidays
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
having preferred skiing on slalom skis for a lot of my time, there werent fat skis available at the time ... i jumped on the x screams, then a mono. I have ended up skiing since 2006/7 on k2 seth vicious at 98 mm underfoot. They are more than enough of a great ski all across the mountain unless you like a more precision hold on hard piste a la race oriented ski. Totally unnecessary to have a wider ski unless you prefer surfing on top of the deeper snow. I prefer skiing moguls and off piste and in the deep snow rather than on it, and they carve. If you are as you say in the expert catagory you will not need anything wider nor will you have any problem adapting to a wider underfoot ski with a required to suit sidecut
snow conditions
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I think there is no doubt that a holiday skier is likely to struggle with 67mm wide ski off piste but manage to get around fine on a 90mm ski on piste, however if you are looking to go from good to great and spend most of the time on piste and also looking to improve your piste performance than anything over 80mm max is going to compromise. Lets face it the brit chain store definition of expert is marketing pandering to egos and the trend to wider skis is more prevalent in UK marketing than in ski countries where 85mm is indeed marketed as a 50/50 ski and an expert skier means an expert skier. Absolutely nothing wrong with fat skis per se but you need to be honest about where you are at and what you want to get the right ski for you.
snow conditions
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
It will be a jump and you will notice a difference, but shouldn't have big problems adapting if you ski well enough. Don't expect from wide skis miracles on piste, but off-piste you will appreciate a wide platform and not only in powder.
snow report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
The Line Sick Day 95 is a great all around ski. The shovel is quite big, so you get pretty decent float once you have some spead in the off piste, and it carves like an animal on groomers. I bought a pair this year, and love them on the front side. If you can, try them out.
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
2nd hand kastle mx 88s.
snow report
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
So I demo'd 3 or 4 pairs today indoors at Hemel.

I've narrowed it down to the Line Sick Day 95s and the Blizzard Bushwackers.

Going to be a hard decision I think... Sad
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi - I recently bought a pair of Head Rock n Rolls (one of the Motorhead range) which are 95 mm under foot. They are very responsive on piste and also great in the limited off piste / fresh snow conditions that i've tried. In fact, I tend to use these rather than my more on piste orientated Head Magnums all the time now as they are so versatile. Highly recommended.

Cheers

Aled
snow report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Actually I've just realised the Bushwackers only go up to 180cm. With me being 187cm (but fairly light), are these going to be too short for me?

Maybe that will make my decision for me and I'll have to go for the Line SD 95s @ 186cm.

Or how about the Blizzard Brahma @ 187cm?
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
The Brahma's a great ski - it's a Bushwacker/Black Pearl with two metal layers which significantly ups the performance in every respect. I'm 5'9"/12st 6lbs & ski the 180cm Brahma. At your height you want the 187cm as they ski a lot shorter due to their tip rocker.
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Here's a good vid showing what the Brahma can do on & off piste:
http://youtube.com/v/0EmFn00QYJM&feature=player_embedded
snow conditions
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I'm looking for a new pair before winter approaches here. Thinking maybe the Nordica Enforcer its rated pretty high for the price http://www.squidoo.com/best-skis .
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
mousespecial14 wrote:
I'm looking for a new pair before winter approaches here. Thinking maybe the Nordica Enforcer its rated pretty high for the price http://www.squidoo.com/best-skis .


Try the Nordica Spam.
latest report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy