 Poster: A snowHead
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| speed098 wrote: |
@under a new name,
The course gold with red button came out in the 84/85 season ( sad git I am, I checked the 1985 ski magazine  ). |
Yes, sounds about right. I had a pair that year and trashed them in Kitzbuhel because there was no snow. I was gutted at the time and they were relegated to dry slope skiing!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I was thinking on our last ski trip how would I ski on my old skis, tempted to take them out of the attic and have a go, then I think noooooooo not worth the hasstle of bringing them with me. They were SOOOOO LONG, and a pain in the backside to put in the car.
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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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I haven't been on a pair since I swapped my 200 K2 SLC for 180 Atomic R9s in (guessing) late 90s. The R9s were a mid fat on/off piste carver at a massive 70mm waist!
I still remember the transition very clearly though. I didn't have to make big changes to my technique but the blend between tipping and pivoting changed a lot (formerly mostly pivoted turns with occasional carves on big open pistes, even then often edge changed with a pop to allow some direction change unweighted rather than clean edge to edge).
In powder you had to be so careful to stay centred and balanced across the two skis. Needed to be patient to let a platform build, use the unweight from the rebound in the tails, do a lot of knee steering to get the tips through the fall line. You needed to be poo-poo hot to ski big GS turns in powder (so difficult to keep the weight balanced) - Scott Schmidt!
I actually found the smallest difference in skiing steep firm snow and moguls. On steeps you tend to ski short pivoted turns with an edge check or carve to finish - works on both. ON moguls it is a bit similar and there is something to be said for a narrow base plus skis that ski easily without hooking up. When it gets really steep, jump turns were a bit more necessary and harder on longer skis (rotational inertia?) and I remember being taught by a better skier how you needed to bring the tails up to your backside in order to get them round cleanly on a steep slope.
I don't miss them - modern skis are better and more fun. I did used to get a lot of satisfaction from skiing steepish powder on them - you really had to have it all together to be neatly riding those rebounding tails and steering into the next turn. It was HARD but pretty cool when you pulled it off. Less fun were the inevitable falls when your long skinny skis disappeared under the snow for yards leading to long searches for missing skis
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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During an early season in Tignes - late 80's/early 90's - I skied on the Salomon Fire and Ice (?) nose pickers - or wing tips or whatever you like to call them.
I'm 5'9" in socks. They were 220s as far as I can recall - at least 50cm taller than me they were. 
Saw a pair when I was sorting out a chalet basement in 2009 - couldn't believe that I ever thought they were the dogs bolleauxs. And kerist they were loooooooooong!
I remember the first time on carvers - just couldn't 'get' them and they clattered on schusses. Til somebody told me to ski like I was riding a bicycle.... bingo! SchwHOOP schwHOOP schwHOOP - such fun!
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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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@Radz, sorry to rain on the parade of your memories of glory but I very much doubt they were any longer than 2m. Would have been hard to tell as the early Salomons didn't have marked lengths, just "Power Ratings" which I think ran from Pr5 to Pr9.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm sure you are absolutely right!
I definitely skied on those Salomons but as I was guiding I was constantly changing skis almost daily on occasions as the shop found that my punters would often buy the skis I was using at the time. Also skied on K2s, Volkl, Heads, Rossingnols, Atomic and Dynastars amongst others so maybe it was one of them that was stupidly long? I do remember looking at a pair of straight edges with wing tips when sorting out that basement though and thinking how crazy it seems today despite being the thing back then! 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 12-03-15 15:47; edited 1 time in total
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Why is the V ski name linked?! I didn't do anything 
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Saw an old guy yesterday using a pair of Salomon 8100s.
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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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| Radz wrote: |
| Why is the V ski name linked?! I didn't do anything |
Admin has set it up that if you type the name of a ski company in a post it gives a link to the Snowheads tests for that make of ski.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm just trying to transition to modern skis, I've had my 185 Volkl Teams since the 80's! I find it hard not to do all the up and down weighting, exaggerated leaning forward etc. I think that video is brilliant!
I attended the Manchester ski test to gain some experience but it was just mind blowing how different they all are. I think, not surprisingly, I favoured the straighter types and found some more waisted ones just wouldn't turn, haha! I did like the shorter length but then there's not much speed to be had on an indoor slope.
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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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@SillySkier, I ski old style and at the test loved the Kneissl Red Star SC so dependant on your standard they could well be worth trying. If something easier then the Dynastar I tried where very good.
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I fondly remember my Atomic ARC 2m GS skis which were refered to as the " Rote Rennen Machine" they were very stable at High speeds, unbelieably so 😎
Unfortuanately they were stolen and not insured, back in the day's when I was young and foolish 😟😟😟
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You know it makes sense.
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@AJQ,
The Red Sled 
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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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Don't know if this forum is still open but yes, here is one guy that is stuck in the 80s/90s. After a 12 year hiatus, I hit the slopes again in the 2020/2021 season on my 1997 200cm Dynastar S9 Coupe slaloms. I was on the groomers only because I am not in shape anymore but I still ski in the old style. I can tell you that I certainly stuck out. I still had tons of fun and felt cool because I had the longest skis!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I liberated a mint pair of 80's Salomon 3g Pr7 from the dump here last year, sadly no lifts have been open for the past season and a half, so not been able to try them......
That said, it was what I learned on, so will be interesting to see if I still have the necessary technique!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| KenX wrote: |
I liberated a mint pair of 80's Salomon 3g Pr7 from the dump here last year, sadly no lifts have been open for the past season and a half, so not been able to try them......
That said, it was what I learned on, so will be interesting to see if I still have the necessary technique! |
I think like me you will find that the technique is still there but the fitness and agility is a bit lacking. I found that I could still do quick short turns and if I was able to get more days in, I would have had a crack at an easy mogul run. I did however recently purchase a pair of 190 cm 2015 Dynastar WC GS FIS skis because I couldn't pass up the deal of world cup ski and binding package for 240 US dollars. We'll see how they perform next 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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End of season I used to take up a pair of straight boards - 90's vintage if I wasn't feeling cruel, 70's if I was. And ask my buddies to do one run on the GM, just a Bochard or Herse lap. Some ended up walking down. Some had to go home in embaressment - especially when they currently compete at Freeride/Freestyle/WC and can't ski on a straight ski 
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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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I sometimes wonder with the lot of time I've put in on modern era skis whether I'd be able to jump back on a straight ski and ski them better than I could as a kid. Then I see things like @ Idris's post and think why humiliate myself.
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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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@Idris, It was a trip to Grands Montets which saw me convert from 190 Kneissl White Stars complete with Fischer race plates and those groovy Marker bindings with the springs on the back bit.... There had been an almighty dump when we arrived and I spent my first day on the Brevent/Flegere side as GM was closed for blasting. I hadn't skied a lot of off-piste back then and it was tough going on the straight skis but I knew that the next day would be a bit special so I popped off to the hire shop and got a pair of completely way-out skis. I think they were probably around 90mm under foot but they were like scaffolding boards in comparison. Needless to say the following day was completely awesome and I had a blast.
That finally tipped me over the edge and I spent the next trip trying out various carving ski options to find what I liked the most and I have never looked back. The year was 2010! I had dabbled with 'parabolic' skis before then but they were really poor torsionally and I spent a lot of time being high-sided by them. It was a revelation when they sorted that out. I keep saying I will try straight skis again but I can't quite bring myself to make the effort.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| JanA wrote: |
| Am I still allowed to rest them on my boots in the telecabin queue to make them look longer? |
I seem to remember hearing that advice on a Bladon Lines transfer to val d`isere a millenia ago; It was on the cassette tape that Yates-Smith used to have the coach drivers play, so he could be elsewhere.
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FAQ
