 Poster: A snowHead
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I have just had my first week away after a fairly serious op, not knowing if I would be able to cope with skiing at all I took my old K2 TruLuv skis figuring the shorter and lighter skis would give me the best chance of more snow time. WRONG!
On day 3 my instructor took me to one side and said "normally I would say a bad workman blames his tools but in your case you are overpowering your boots and your skis are way too short, if you can afford it I suggest you rent something better for the rest of the trip"
I threw myself at the mercy of the (gorgeous!) ski tech and described what we were doing in lessons and my ability etc, he came back with BBRs taller than I am! I raised my eyebrows and was told "trust me, it is dumping tonight you will love them" somewhat dubiously I accepted the surf boards and left.
Next day I turned up to the lesson and again the instructor looked at me with raised eyebrows, shrugged his shoulders and said "well, we will see" I LOVED them. Stupidly good fun, I found myself laughing out loud and singing to myself. I had 2 fantastic days on them, didn't stop grinning the whole time.The third day I swapped them for Rossi exp 88's as the pistes were a little more compacted and I wanted to make the most of a private lesson which would possibly take me onto the more exposed pistes on the glacier. This was the right decision but if I could guarantee the snow or afford a second pair of skis I would buy the BBR's in a heartbeat! Never thought I'd say that having laughed at them previously. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lilywhite, great story. 
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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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lilywhite, I have seen people skiing them here and have always thought they look like frankenskis.
I had a similar experience last week when CH2O showed me some Rossi S7s (taller than me and looking like slightly hungry snowboards) and told me I should try them. I was very skeptical and the first words out of my mouth were. "These are too much ski for me," but he said, "Trust me." I'm so happy I did. I have had the best days skiing on them, both on and off piste!
Loved them so much I have bought a pair and these are now my daily skis. I, too, was of the "a workman doesn't blame his tools" school of thought but my skiing instantly improved several levels on the S7s. There's no going back
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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lilywhite, I hired a pair of BBR's last month and also thought they were great. Floating on the powder but still able to carve a turn on the piste. I had reservations at first, but they were the widest ski available so I thought I'd go for it. I was so pleased with them.
The only thing that I didn't like was that others I was with termed them "Justins". 
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I saw a fair number of people in Paradiski with BBR's in Jan so I assume they are on the rental map now. I have not skied them but I can't say I was keen to try. I am guessing but I don't think that shape is for me and from what I saw the rocker was not pronounced enough to go into deep powder. I do pack heft tho' so it might be that they work better for lighter skiers. All good - glad you had a sweet time on them. As workmen know, the best tools make the job easier but no tool is going to help if you are cr@p at doing something.
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| Zero-G wrote: |
| I, too, was of the "a workman doesn't blame his tools" school of thought but my skiing instantly improved several levels on the S7s. |
 Hmm! I've got mixed views on this, I'm not entirely sure these easy to ski...skis improve your level of technique or just your level of enjoyment. Depends on your perspective to skiing I suppose.
I have taken the wee wee out of the bbrs in the past, a bit, they are extremely easy to ski..from slalom turns to heavy powder, almost like cheating, they are fun in the respect that they are very easy to ski everywhere, I'd not have a problem with them for cruising about all day with the minimum of effort, but if you want something to improve technique, these are not the ski.
lilywhite, that said, I'm glad you enjoyed them, after all that's what it's all about.
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RattytheSnowRat, at nearly 16st I am far from a lighter skier!
gatecrasher, they did nothing to improve my technique, they were just truly immense fun in the ample fresh floaty stuff. I rented some rossi's for my lesson as I was not so thrilled with them on the harder scraped ice we had that day when we ventured higher in the wind.
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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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I had a strangely similar experience this weekend - after assuming I was heading for a weekend on hard pistes, I pulled out the old piste skis from the loft, 5cm shorter than my usuals, a fair bit narrower, and then it proceeded to bucket down with snow, the skis felt really short, narrow, and I wish I'd gone with the longer option. That's never happened before.
I also saw a whole lot of BBRs. Maybe I'll rent a pair for a day or two at the end of the season, see how they go. A mate that I've skied with a fair bit seemed to love them on his last trip, and he is much more aggressive than I am, so perhaps they will work out.
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| gatecrasher wrote: |
I have taken the wee wee out of the bbrs in the past, a bit, they are extremely easy to ski..from slalom turns to heavy powder, almost like cheating, they are fun in the respect that they are very easy to ski everywhere, I'd not have a problem with them for cruising about all day with the minimum of effort, but if you want something to improve technique, these are not the ski.
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Out of interest what would you recommend for improving technique? I've also been thinking of renting something fatter and a bit fun for these conditions
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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sarah, that was probably badly worded tbh, I don't think you should really look toward any ski as a means to improve technique, although they may improve your overall fun and get you to places easier, compliment you style etc, some may give you a better feel for a certain thing you might be trying to learn, but unless you have a natural gift, there's no substitution for good regular lessons.
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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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Might not improve technique, but the right tools certainly improve ability (what you can do with/how you apply your current skill/technique).
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clarky999, no disagreement with that from me.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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When I moved onto a set of stiffer wider skis they were harder to ski. However, over time I think they improved my skiing more than my easy to ski skis would have done as they harder ones forced me to ski correctly or they tipped me over.
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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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| Quote: |
I LOVED them. Stupidly good fun, I found myself laughing out loud and singing to myself. I had 2 fantastic days on them, didn't stop grinning the whole time.
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For me this is what it is all about good fun and a big grin on my face at the end of the day.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Zero-G wrote: |
I'd say this position is somewhat flawed. With the S7s, I have pushed myself harder and further, skiing terrain and conditions that I would have thought twice about skiing before. So, with these skis my overall skiing skills are improving... all the while I own "these" skis! |
FIFY! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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gatecrasher, 
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Zero-G, I genuinely am looking for a longer fatter pair of skis so not against S7 like skis at all and I really miss how easy to ski my S3s were in tough situations when the snow was a bit manky. My point was that I was skiing the S3 all the time and when going back onto more traditional skis I realised the S3 let me ski really lazily without punishing me at all, the only answer is obviously to have a massive quiver of skis which I am working on.
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lynseyf, I am not, by any means, evangelising the S7s. Hell, there are certainly many better skis out there.
I am saying that of the skis I own (not a lot, actually, only three pairs), they have allowed me to ski harder, faster and in tougher terrain – while doing this, I am picking up the requisite technique for said terrain and speed and having fun doing it. It's the 'having fun doing it' part that I am most interested in. Whether that fun is derived from it being easy or challenging depends on the day and the conditions.
We all get something different out of skiing and have different goals, which we achieve with a variety of tools. If there was a perfect boot/ski/skier level setup, we would all be on the same gear (and Ford would be making skis... all in black).
Now, since you have expressed an interest in being punished, may I suggest you PM Scarpa, who has a dungeon full of big, stiff toys you may be interested in 
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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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Can't think I'd use an S7 as a daily driver in Europe but then I've only skied a pair briefly so may have overlooked something in hardpack performance. In soft snow conditions - yep why not?
Anyway the point of the thread I fundamentally agree with - if you find something you just get on with and it puts a smile on your face feck all the miserable po-faced barstewards and their criticism of why it's not "proper" or they didn't like them e.g. I've loved the Movement Flyswatters on both occasions I've skied them at Hemel but lots of people say you can't ski/enjoy a fat ski indoors.
(I'll still judge you for skiing BBRs btw )
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| fatbob wrote: |
| Can't think I'd use an S7 as a daily driver in Europe but then I've only skied a pair briefly so may have overlooked something in hardpack performance. In soft snow conditions - yep why not? |
Having only ever skied skinny piste skis for my first two weeks on snow, the bar is pretty low for me on how easily a ski performs on piste 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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lilywhite, lightweight! If you like the skis and they make you smile, I say good luck to you, mysun. There are enough poor sods out there struggling with boots, the cold, etc. If you can find a product that helps you zen out, you go for it. If they stop doing that some day, then you can look around at that point and see if a more technically challanging ski floats your boat then. tbh, I always think improvements in technique are generally earned in the gym prior to the ski holiday, for the most part.
gatecrasher, missing an "L" or a "' ' " in there?
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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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RattytheSnowRat, not had much sleep & you are way too subtle for me...?
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So a bit inspired by this thread and after my foray off piste on my pretty skinny skis I thought I'd hire something fatter. The bbrs were the only thing on offer. I took them. I didn't even get them to the off piste I was planning to. They were hideous! I hated them! They were absolutely shoite on piste clattering and sliding all over. Very poor edge hold, I felt vulnerable on them. I have no idea who they're designed for but I couldn't get on with them at all. Came straight down and straight back to the shop. Sticking with my skinnies for now!
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You know it makes sense.
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sarah, maybe you had a very blunt or badly prept pair? One of the guys with us was really struggling with his on hardpack, he complained of them having a mind of their own... They were his own skis and he'd never had problems with them before, I removed the hanging burr that the ski tech had kindly left on them for him & they behaved totally differently.
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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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They can be a bit temperamental when serviced - I've had a pair for a couple of years and had them fully serviced in December. Not exactly sure what they did but they became a totally different ski and I even went back to an old pair for a week - hard work and crazily grippy on anything hard. I've detuned them and they are back to the great bits of kit they were before the service. Over the last week with all the new snow about they have been just fantastic - both on and off piste. I remember when I first had them that they took a bit of getting used to.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We've sold 23 pairs of the S7 Series. 100% of people "tested" them, bought them, 50% of the people that bought them insisted on buying the test pair, just to be sure they had the sensations they got when testing the skis. Seb's girlfriend tried them and refused to buy them due to being worried she'd forget how to ski "properly". The sensations we're trying to sell are ones that bring about smiles. It's upto YOU to decide what makes you smile.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gatecrasher, I did think that, also they just didn't run either so on flatter bits I was poling long before I would have needed to on my skis, so I think they could well have been poorly tuned. Yes they did seem to have a mind of their own as your friend said. Nah, not the ski for me.
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FAQ
