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Women's skis vs unisex skis?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi, newbie here looking for advice on buying new skis. Just wondering whether 'womens' skis are best for all women?
I currently ski on unisex Blizzard X03s, which I bought purely because they were the right price at the time, to save on rental fees. I checked the reviews first, but there was no real thought to it. They have done me well, I don't have any complaints, as all I have to compare them with is rentals, and I've saved a fortune by having them, but I'm ready to upgrade to something better, that will maybe help me to progress a little. When I went to look at the shops, I was given a big sell on womens skis, and told that they would be better for me, but I'm just not sure. I don't like high heels on shoes, so why would I want my heels raised?! I'm sure there is more to it than that... advice appreciated!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
In general they are the same ski, made a bit softer (if they change it at all) - different graphics and the mounting line 1cm forward.

Apart form moving the mounting line (which is done for anatomical reasons - pelvice shape) there is no real difference
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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?
What Idris said but I also think women's skis are also really useful for very small women who might not get unisex skis which are short enough and very light women who might struggle to get soft enough skis without sizing down in length, this is more often true when looking at more specialist skis eg. really fat skis for off piste.
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So I guess you could move the mounting line forward on unisex skis? The woman in the shop also said the heels were raised, and I've seen that in adverts online. Anyone know what that is for? And are men's skis and unisex skis the same thing, as I've seen some pretty neat skis advertised for men?
I am reasonably short at 5ft4", but I'm not particularly light at just over 10st and I am quite aggressive in my skiing, so if women's skis tend to be lighter and more flexible, I don't think that would particularly help me? I'm leaning towards another pair of unisex skis, but I'd love to know if the improvements for 'anatomical differences' actually help women, or whether it's just marketing hype. I'm not at all bothered about graphics, but length is a possible issue. I'm using 159cms just now, which is probably a few cms longer than ideal for me, and maybe that is holding me back? I think in an ideal world I'd be looking for 156cms, but it's difficult to say, as I don't know any different, and cost is still an issue. I'm an intermediate skier, and mainly stick to the pistes.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I don't like the forward mount point, I've had a pair of skis with adjustable bindings which let me play about with the mount point and have demoed some womens and mens version of the same ski where the mount point is the only difference and generally don't like a forward mount point, have heard plenty of other women say the same.

Men's and unisex skis are the same thing, some lighter men might prefer "women's" ski and a lot of them are ideal for teenagers of either sex, personally I think it would be better if a manufacturer wants to make 2 versions of a ski to market them as soft and stiffer versions, that probably wouldn't be as successful from the retailers point of view though, they seem to like having things that are clearly marketed to a defined group of people so they can point them at them straight away.

5'4 isn't that short, I was thinking of women who are around 5ft, they might struggle on 160cm skis which is often the shortest unisex skis are made, I think around 160cm sounds about right for your height, I really doubt you would feel any difference between the same ski in a 159cm and 156cm. Interestingly the new Rossi Soul 7 which is marketed as a men's ski comes in a 180cm while the women's version is sold as a 178cm. I have read in quite a few places they are exactly the same ski and holding them together in a shop there didn't look to be any difference other than graphics. Some 160cm skis might actually be closer to 156cm while others might be nearer 164cm Smile
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If you wanted reasonably advanced piste skis in 156 you'd struggle to get men's/unisex, more likely in less advanced models. We needed some for my daughter for her 1st instructor course and we got 2012 Blizzard Viva Ultrasonic Power IQ in 153cm, she was only 16 about your height and very light at the time. Not girly looking skis at all.


http://youtube.com/v/2uWNLAqFitE
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Tomrabbit, I am almost identical in height and weight to you and also ski aggressively. I don't own my own skis, but when I have hired them I tend to find I get on better with the unisex ones. Often this means I am limited by the sizes available, as "men's" unisex skis seem to start at about 163+ and I prefer something about 158-160 so might be stuck with the women's version, though as lynseyf says it varies how marked the difference is. I wish that information was easier to find.

The Salomon Enduro range starts about 160cm (which I'm sure would be fine for you, and some skis ski short anyway), but there are others like the Atomic Redster range that have a full range of sizes from kids through to adult.

I agree that it would be better to just be sold suitable skis, without all the assumptions of what kind if skier you are just because of your gender. And then decide what colour you prefer Cool
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I have women's skis but I can't really tell the difference. Mine are 167cm (I'm 175cm tall and god knows how heavy, just heavy). Interestingly on every demo session I have been to they only gave me women's skis to try, one rep even commented "why on earth would you want to try men's skis?"...
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Thanks for your replies, it's really interesting to hear your experiences and advice. Up to now I've never bothered about how a ski or a boot or a binding could make a difference, as I only cared about keeping the costs as low as possible. I live and ski in Scotland, so it's really an opportunistic thing, and I love skiing so much, I'm not that bothered that my technique (or gear!) isn't that pretty, so long as I can slide when I get the chance! But I would like to get better. Definitely feeling now that unisex is the way to go, and agree with the comments re marketing. Not all women are lighter/smaller/gentler than men! I also find 'mens' boots better, having wide size 8 feet. Would still love to know why the raised heel though on women's bindings. Couldn't help thinking it was so women who favour heels all day cope with their shortened hamstrings... personally I'm much happier in flats, and get a back ache whenever I wear heels of any height.
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Back in the day there was no such thing as "women's skis", then some clever marketing guru decided there should be. Granted, these days they do more than "shrink it and pink it", but don't feel obliged to go with women's at all. They are often softer, but can also be the same as a men's ski but with different graphics. There is a difference re where you mount the binding for us girlies.
For your height, around 160cm length in piste orientated skis is about right I'd say. So you can still find "men's" or what one might just call unisex skis in that length. Granted, short than that and you will probably only find women's available.

In our household, which has a bit of a ski purchasing addiction (oops, just bought some new ones), I have 2 pairs of women's skis (Volkl Kenjas and, new last week, Very Happy Liberty Envy Powder), and one pair of awesome twin tips with outrageous graphics-in 177cm (and I am 165 tall) which are marketed as men's skis, but which I find fab. Personally I loathe pink and twirly graphics on skis, which I know shouldn't influence my buying decision, but do! (The k2 Superburnin are the most vile looking skis on the planet IMHO!)

My other half, a man comfortable in his own skin, as well as owning Blizzard Kabookies, has become this season the proud owner of Rossi Savoury 7 women's skis-they were cheaper than the soul 7's and are exactly the same but with a different top sheet. One of the dafter marketing angles is that they sell them in apparently different lengths from the blokes skis, but that is all to do with what they think women will go for, so the men's are sold at 172cm, and the women's 170, even though they are the same!!!
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Ha Ha Perty! My husband is skiing on a very ancient pair of Dynastar straight women's skis, because the bindings broke on his equally ancient, straight Volkls, and he didn't want to splash the cash for some carvers! (If he's lucky, I will pass on my X03s...although my daughter also has her eye on them, as she is still using junior skis aged 17 and as big as me... ) I know what you mean about the twirly pink designs, and I did suspect the shrink and pink thing. I guess the bottom line is that you can ski on pretty much any planks, if that's what you have to use. But I would so love to be able to spend a day just trying out skis, just to see if there is any truth in the marketing hype. Evidently some skis will turn themselves for you, which would be very nice, especially if they could do it on those horrible icy days we have from time to time up here, when the wind has blown all the snow away...! (Not this year though, way too much snow to get blown away Very Happy )
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I have my bindings forwards, maybe I should have just bought women's skis.
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my wife finds most male skis very heavy and much prefers a lighter ski, which tends to be a womens specific one usually....
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Sometimes the difference is in graphics, also women's skis may come in shorter lengths, sometimes unisex skis have a greater stated length, but back to back comparison shows the same length with the same model but in women's package. I compared mounting points once on the same sized skis and they were identical, weight can be also the same. So I guess very often the only difference is in marketing.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
kitenski, +1 The difference between my last Head unisex skis and my first pair of women-specific ones was huge. Luckily, neither that pair, nor my present ones, had/have girly topsheets! BUT a) I am very small and b) the Heads did respond extremely well to aggressive skiing on hardpack, even though it was hard work for me. Horses for courses, I guess.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I have 2 pairs of women's skis and about 10 pairs of unisex skis (I'm 174 cm, 58 kg). My male friend (about 165 cm, 60 kg) skis women's skis. But so far I've never had a chance to demo a unisex ski and the corresponding women's model.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've had one pair of women's skis and two pair of unisex skis, I've got on well with the unisex ones and they are what I currently use.
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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?
Skise, I've demoed K2 Recon and Lotta Luv and Crossfire and Burning Luv and preferred the unisex skis, Volkl Mantra and Aura and some race carver versus the women's version, the Fuego, preferred the women's versions, some Elan things as well which I have forgotten the name of and preferred the unisex version, the K2s and Elans were mounted forward.
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Pedantica, Skise, Megamum, lynseyf, which really backs up the point of demoing skis and at least working out what "type" of ski works for you. As I think someone said on here, a ski cannot tell how tall/short you are but it does react to how much you weigh and how aggressive you ski.

My wife is a very good skier, it was quite an eye opener for me to see how "badly" she skied on skis that were too stiff for her.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I would love to try out different skis, as I really have no idea what type of ski 'works' for me. Maybe if your technique isn't particularly refined (like me), it makes less of a difference? I tried my daughter's junior skis the other week just to see how bad they are (we are looking to change hers too), but to be honest, although I preferred my own, if that was all I knew I could have had fun with them. Also, while I like to ski fast, she has no difficulty keeping up with me using these skis which are quite obviously way too light and flexible for her.
There was a demo day scheduled up here last month and I planned to go, but it was cancelled due to storms Crying or Very sad I can't afford 10 different pairs of skis, so whatever I end up with, that will probably be what I am stuck with for another 5 years or so.
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kitenski wrote:
As I think someone said on here, a ski cannot tell how tall/short you are but it does react to how much you weigh and how aggressive you ski.



No but I can tell how short or long a ski is which is why I think women's skis are great for lighter women who would have to ski a shorter unisex which might feel less stable than an appropriate length of ski which is the right stiffness for their weight
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It will be interesting to see how I do in the snow domes this summer. Although I haven't used them since having my unisex skis which are probably on the stiff side for me I am going to use my old ladies skis in the snow domes this summer. It will get some use out of them and they will almost certainly be better than the hire skis there. They are 10cm shorter than my unisex skis which won't hurt for the domes and softer too. I think I probably get away with the stiff skis because, although I am not such an aggressive skier, I am tall and certainly no lightweight and I have always liked the stability that the stiff heavy skis give me along with 'crud busting' ability. It will be interesting to see if I notice a real difference when I am back on the ladies skis and whether I ski significantly better on them. Perhaps if I remember I will report back here in due course - it might be a useful contrast.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I have quite stiff skis because I like to ski fast. But also I ski fast because I have stiff skis. There is no other option, because I'm so light. I can ski a bit slower and work a lot more to get the ski to bend but if I'm skiing too slow the skis just won't work any more.
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