 Poster: A snowHead
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My watea 84s are near the end of their days. 167s. I am 169cm short. Medium build. General osteoarthritis which affects one knee in particular. Will ski with a ski mojo on for the first time this December. 55yo.
Looking for a wider ski for off piste. Skiing on hard pistes or mogul takes its toll. Ice knee to keep swelling down each evening
Still quite active on the skis but may not be in a few years. Nothing too heavy that requires vast effort to get the best out of the skis.
Any suggestions?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Can recommend the Rossi Soul 7 as being really easy to ski and light with low swing weight due to honeycombed tip and tail. I picked up a pair cheap last year, simply because they were cheap and they've become my favourite ski.
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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?
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Bear in mind that wider skis on hard-pack will put more stress on your knees. Keep them for the soft stuff if you can.
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feef, +1 - I get aches in my otherwise largely healthy knees when I ski wide skis on piste. Indeed I wouldn't ski your Wateas on piste to minimise stress on your knees, I'd get a proper piste ski (ideally something very easy to ski and holds a good edge, worth looking at Kniessl Redstars) and something wide purely for the offpiste stuff and avoid piste skiing with it as best you can.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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at 84, the Watea should be okay. My research suggested that around 90-95 would be the upper limit for a ski that's used mainly on piste. However, I was basing that on healthy knees. perhaps a little less if there's a problem.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks folks. Pretty much in line with what I have been thinking. Anything wider being used on piste may put too much strain on the knees. My preference is always off piste but when conditions are poor then piste is fine. 2 sets approach is ideal if the most expensive option.
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True, but some very nice deals can be found on many European webshops. Don't know if they're shipping to the UK, though.
Check out sport-bittl.de and sport-conrad.com and also telemark-pyrenees.com
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Cheizz,
Thanks for the advice. Will check these out!
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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.
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+1 for Rossi Soul 7. I bought a pair last season and love them. Much easier on piste than any ski that wide deserves to be. I also have osteoarthritis, in both knees (64 yo). I now get steroid injections in my knees before each ski season. Mark1863, do talk to your doctor about whether injections would suit you, or whether anti-inflammatory pills would be better.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Peterkct,
I have steroid injections in my neck a few times a year to dampen the effects of foriminal stenosis - probably caused by the osteoarthritis. I will ask my pain specialist. Had 9 last time!
Pondering on the soul 7. Looks a lot cheaper to import as suggested by Cheizz,
RUGBY PETER,
Hope it has the same result for me. Rugby may be responsible for some of my neck ailments. I was an agressive little tyke in every position bar prop and second row. Open side wing forward by preference. Tackled anything that moved. Knees are pure mileage including many years as a wicketkeeper.
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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.
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ThMark1863,
I'm fifty in Jan and have had meniscal tear surgery a few years back. Both knees can play up, rugby again probably the culprit. The very best 'medicine' for me is leg work in the gym. I take the middle summer months off, hit the gym on Sept 1st. and include plenty of leg strength work building up to the new ski season. Touch wood, my kness and legs have been great since I started the autumn training regime. A resistance to lactic acid build-up is another added bonus. 
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HI Salomon Q90 or if you want to keep in the same ball park as your Watea the new Salomon Q85 which at your height will probably come in as about a 82/3 waist (they drop the waist sized to maintain sidecut, my Q90 in 177cm are actually 88mm at the waist for example.
My knees are problematic, i had been using a very heavy pairs of skis, switched to the salomons, so much lighter, all wood core, no metal, have a fantastic flex and make light work of bumps
I went slightly shorter than I probably needed as well as I think length has a lot to do with knees pain more leverage etc. I am 185cm high and I went with 177cm skis as opposed to the 181cm ones. (i tried the 169cm, that was just a step to far, but my god they were turny  )
The drawback with this is you will lose some stability at top speed, or another way to look at it your top speed will come down. Depends what you want, I like to ski pistes and also potter of the sides and through the trees, sacrificing a little top end for more flexibility in terrain and knees that arent screaming at me in the evening, worth it.
ps +1 to exercize, I started cycling to work before last season, huge dividents in terms of knee strength, so exercize is your friend if you can do it with you preexisting conditions. Cycling is good, low joint impact and helps build muscles, try and use cleats or even better toeclips so you can work back and front sets of muscles.
G
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You know it makes sense.
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+ 1 for exercise. it helps my osteoarthritis a lot.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Exercise regime has begun but has been more fitful than usual due to knee swelling.
Not worried about top speed. I am the kind that goes most places at not to different a speed. So often towards the back on a blue but at or near front on the blacks.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Mark1863, think about ski weight too, not just the width. People like Whitedot and DPS make things in carbon that I found much easier on the knees than traditional material skis. Downside is that they may not chop through heavy snow/crud as well?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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+1 for trying a Ski Mojo - there are a good few positive reports on snowheads. They really take a lot of weight off the knees.
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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?
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Drugs.
Ibuprofen.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Still think the title of this thread would be better as "New knees for knackered skis", 
best thing for knackered knees for me is music ( not so good after I finish skiing but works while in the fridge ).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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speed098,
Perhaps knee replacement is an option. On my feet all day yesterday umpiring at a large rowing event. Both knees swollen this morning. Ibuprofen not an option - body doesn't like it. Mojo is going to be used. Spacing out my skiing this year to give periods of rest. It is a sad tale. Did want to ski into old age but I suspect not. Probably commit to the EofSB this week - my first bash!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just to say about gordonrussell76, 's comment
Think very carefully about clipless (that is, cleated) pedals if you choose to cycle
The old-fashioned toe-clip pedals are imho more dangerous than cleated pedals
BUT, and it's a big but, you need to make sure your cleats and pedals are set up correctly IF you choose clipless
My preference is clipless (Look Keo fwiw) on my "fast" (yeah, right) bike, and flat pedals on everything else
Just my opinion . ? ?
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Cleats have to be set up perfectly so there is no stress on the knee, or you'll do more damage than gains.....
Your knees will soon tell you if there's something wrong!
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Hopefully your ski- ing will be transformed in the MoJos - mine has been! I am 62 with no ACLs to speak of but I can lead a group of 30 somethings for three hours without stopping at speeds of up to 90kph!
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