 Poster: A snowHead
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If you've never done any gate training I'd definitely recommend plastic through the summer. Train a couple of times a week and you'll probably be just about ready for the TT by the start of next season (depends on how you pick it up of course).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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iblair, and ski, good advice and i will be starting to do some plastic training in around october, other committments dont allow for before that. Im in no rush for TT and it is another step for me in the journey. as i havent done any racing i thought i would start with gate training as this coming years challenge and hopefully get good enough to have a reasonable shot at TT by the end of the season.
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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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skimottaret, in light of info from the other thread is it still worth your training for TT until you have ISIA?
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slikedges, definately worth it, it means i have yet another excuse to go skiing and buy more gear... 
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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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Just to put the cat amoungst the pigeons i was at the dry slope today and spoke with the race coach and his dad about skis for slalom. He recons 165 is too short for me and i should be on 170's on snow. They felt at the very top levels of racing the technique of the top skiers favours shorter skis but perhaps i would benefit from slightly longer skis given my size. (i have a bit of lard but only around 4-5 kg over my lowest "fighting weight" when i was very fit in my 20's)
They know their stuff (dad is an ex olympian) and son has coached i think at national team level. Are they a bit old school? or should i listen hard to what they say.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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skimottaret, AFAIK, you can't buy FIS skis in lengths other than 155cm for the laydeez and 165cm for the gentlemen. It's my understanding that the TT is not at all straightforward - the bar is raised quite high.
I think they might be a little old school...(nothing wrong with that, in and of itself of course!!) I'm a little old skool myself!
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skimottaret, I have (as mentioned above) a pair of 165 Fischer RC4SL but also a pair of 171 Atomic SL11 (its a long story!) and have skied them back to back on snow this year. I'm not that lardy at 87kg and 1.83m and my technique is very much in the average band but I found the SL11 to be a great slalom ski that could double up as an all terrain vehicle very easily. They will do everything you ask of them and are especially good for fast carved shortish turns.
But they are like the QE2 in comparison to the Fischers.
Both skis are the 2005 / 2006 model year. Don't think you can get the 171 Atomic anymore but you might find them secondhand.
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I don't know whether skis have to be up to FIS standards, but even if they do then any ski that meets the following specs is sufficient (next years rules):
min length: 165 cm +/- 1 cm not including any additional deflector tips.
min profile width: 63 mm
max height of shovel: 50 mm
max height at tail 10 mm
max binding height: 55 mm
max boot sole height: 45 mm
Whether you go for a factory race ski is up to you - I've never bothered before due to the price, but they do seem to last longer. If your skiing slalom and particularly if you haven't done much before, it'll be easier on shorter skis. At your size I wouldn't go below 165 on snow because the skis probably won't run as fast as they could, but anything longer unless it has a very tight radius will make things very difficult.
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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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Nick W, That is interesting i hadnt appreciated you had multiple pairs of SL skis, i have a bid on some RC4SL 165 (ex rentals) at the moment and am considering a pair of Atomic SL11 in 165 (little use and in v good nick) as well. Do you feel that it is the length that give the atomics the battleship feel or is the RC4 that much superior?
iblair, THe coaches i spoke to said the FIS rules were setting minimum lengths and that you can go longer if desired as you pointed out. But going back through this thread everyone keeps telling me go as short as legally possible and learn how to drive them correctly to get results.
David Murdoch, i am going back to sticking with FIS ski to be on the safe side, so perhaps the boys are a bit old skool but it did get me thinking (probably too much)...
My head hurts.... I should just pull the trigger and get some, put them on,ski, ski some more and stop this typing s**t
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I'm sure any you get will be fine - I've had Head, Salomon, Atomic and Blizzard slalom skis, and although I like the blizzards the best I got pretty much the same performance out of all them once I'd got used to them 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| skimottaret wrote: |
Nick W, That is interesting i hadnt appreciated you had multiple pairs of SL skis, i have a bid on some RC4SL 165 (ex rentals) at the moment and am considering a pair of Atomic SL11 in 165 (little use and in v good nick) as well. Do you feel that it is the length that give the atomics the battleship feel or is the RC4 that much superior?
My head hurts.... I should just pull the trigger and get some, put them on,ski, ski some more and stop this typing s**t |
Now you ask, I also had some 155 SL11's and a pair of 155 10 3V's both of which were used on dry slope (to distruction). Both pairs felt easy and quick to turn but just did not have the life in them that the RC4's have. As you say though; just get on with buying the Fischers 
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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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skimottaret, quite right, silly of me, just ignore me
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skimottaret, Are you going to train for TT or Eurotest? If Eurotest you'll be needing GS skis.
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You know it makes sense.
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skimottaret, sorry, I had completely forgotten that FIS simply set a minimum. I wouldbe interested to discover whether anyone who needs to consider those rules seriously is skiing on anything longer? I wouldn't have thought so.
That said, I find Sophie's P50 WC SLs at 150cm rather short (although she now does so too after trying the Nordicas). She's keen on next years race tiger and although she may go 155 I can see a certain gleam when she considers a little longer...fnahr fnahr 
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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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Spyderman, TT in preparation for grade 2 work, i figure if i am not up to passing TT not a lot of point doing APC and technical modules until i can ski well enough....
David Murdoch, after starting to think 165 too short i have come to conclusion to go for 165 and learn how to ski them right. get the best ski i can (money allowing) and hope for the best. I recon any of the top of the range skis mentioned will be more than good enough for me.
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Poster: A snowHead
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skimottaret, I would concur. The rationale behind the FIS min lengths, min radii is that without them racers would be on snowblades. Our chum who sold me the Nordicas reckoned that very very few non race skiers would be able to tell the difference between different brands - not so much I don't think that they wouldn't feeldifferent, but that there'd be marginal difference where it counted - on the clock.
And frankly, given that a competition Slalom ski is, more or less, a specialist tool with one aim in mind [ignore my flippant comments regarding off piste performance ] then if the WC guys are on 165s, I should think they'll be long enough for you.
At 62kgs I think my Nordicas are just about as much as I can handle - but that was part of the rationale. I certainly have sore muscles after a day blatting around on them that I just don't get on other skis. The Elans IIRC were easier but didn't feel to have the same inclination towards warp speed 11.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
The rationale behind the FIS min lengths, min radii is that without them racers would be on snowblades
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No radius restrictions on slalom skis - a top skier will over turn with a radius that is too tight for them. This is why most slalom skis are around 11-13m radius yet alot of general carving skis are around 10-11m.
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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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iblair, ah! Clearly not paying too much attention then, me.
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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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David Murdoch,
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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