 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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Yes and no
Soul 7's are everywhere for rent though, where are you going that you cant try them I think even the EB @snow domes will have some to try, worst case.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yes, and again no. Were terrible for me, gave them away in the end. Skiset have the souls on pre specified ski rental list.
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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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Johnor, I have bought a pair of Soul 7s without trying them. I'm only going to use them on powder days and as they are 40mm wider than anything else I have ever used I expect to need more than just a day to get used to them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Johnor, there are loads of post on here and elsewhere on the soul 7's.i have used them for a week last year and liked them so much i have purchased some for my 3 weeks i have this season. they do not feel like 108 underfoot onpiste but they do in soft stuff if that makes sense. despite their width i really enjoyed them on moguls. they are marketed as 80 off 20% on piste but unless the pistes are very icy most competent skiers will still enjoy them on hardpack. they will make you feel like an extreme skier if you manage to get them in soft stuff and you wont be able to wipe the smile of your face for days.
do a bit of price research on them as there are some amazing deals on them at the moment.
a word of warning though - if your flying make sure that there is still ski carriage available. there are threads about no carriage being left on certain flights. I booked the holiday to tignes in june and didnt buy skis until start of december. had to then book ski carriage and i took the lats slot of ski carriage that neilson had.
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thanks for your responses and MM yep I will do a bit of searching and make sure I get carriage 
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I didn't bother demo-ing the last couple of sets of skis I bought, I just went on recomendations.
Wasn't dissapointed.
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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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No-brainer. Soul 7s - the best all-round ski ever.... I bought a pair on reviews alone. Admittedly, I'm a Rossi fan, also have Scratch BC and Bandit XXX for off-piste and Scratch FS & old RPMs too.
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I'm about 80 kg and found the Soul 7 a bit soft and chattery on piste for my liking. Went for 186 Atomic Theory's in the end, much narrower (95mm) but more solid.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I can only think of one pair of skis I demoed before buying. I have bought a fair few pairs in my time and only had one or two duds (Atomic 9.22s which everyone raved about at the time but weren't all that IMO, and some Atomic Powder Cruises which I bought on ebay - big heavy planks, sold on to Dave of the Marmottes)
I do think that I now have a decent understanding of how a ski will perform based on the specs, and I am quite happy with the idea of adjusting my skiing to the ski
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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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I cant think of a ski that I have have bought without demoing first. I nearly did not buy what later turned out to be my favorite ski as i demoed it in a fairly short length and felt that it was giving me nothing back. A few days later in a different resort and by virtue of breaking my own ski i rented the test ski in a longer length a immediately thought that was the ski for me.
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| Arno wrote: |
I do think that I now have a decent understanding of how a ski will perform based on the specs, and I am quite happy with the idea of adjusting my skiing to the ski |
+1
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You know it makes sense.
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I had a free demo of the Rossi B2's from the test centre they used to have in La Grave, they let us take a pair each to Le Chazelet for 2 day so we did give them a proper testing. Saying that, I'd only been skiing for 4 days so what the hell did I know 
My Nordica's were the next pair I bought, I went out the SOLE in Cham for boot fitting and got to demo a decent selection of twin tipped all mountain skis, it was a close run thing between the Enforcers and the Black Crow Navis but int the end the Nordica's were just a little bit lighter and more friendly. Funnily enough I hated the Mantra's apart from on a nicely groomed piste. I'd also been demoing other skis every chance I had the previous year.
Finally, I have taken a punt and got myself a fatter pair of rockered skis without a test, a new situation for me. I had seen some Bent Chetlers in action and had read up extensively, given that they are supposed to be brilliant at doing exactly the style of skiing in forests and bowls that I have been enjoying lately I took a punt on a weekend sale deal.
Time will tell but I have a good feeling, and seeing as they are my first big rocker ski I know that I will have to adapt my style to them a little.
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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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@MogulMonkey, I totally endorse your comments on the Soul 7s. Best off-piste of course, but on-piste they are not only happy at speed on hardpack, but easier to skid around on slowly (when skiing with partner) than most all-mountain skis I have tried.
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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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Well if you buy something without trying alternatives, unless you buy totally the wrong size then you may wonder what you are missing, but you won't know.
It seems a crazy thing to me, but each to their own.
Reviews are useless in my opinion: what works for me may not work for you. There us broadly no bad gear, there is simply a range of stuff.
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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 think it's pretty hard to get a truly awful ski now unless you choose a ski which is totally unsuitable for your skiing or where you want to ski it. I went to a ski demo in Stubai over 4 days and while I could tell differences between skis skiing them back to back over the same runs on the same day, in reality I would have been pretty happy skiing most of the skis I tried. There tended to be a pretty obvious reason for the ones I didn't get on so well with ie. too short cause that was the only size they had. I've bought quite a few skis without demoing them, some of them I've ended up selling on but skiing them has at least taught me a bit more about what I like or don't like to ski.
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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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Done it three times, trusting ExoticSkis.com. Whitedot Preachers, Whitedot Ones and DPS cassiar 95s. Every single purchase has worked out brilliantly. The Cassiars especially are stunning bits if kit to ski on.
I may have just been lucky.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Harry Flashman, I have a bit of a hankering for some Cassiar 95s - how much have you skied them so far?
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But..............
If you demo an average ski with a good tune (waxed and sharpened) and a really nice ski that hasn't seen a tuning bench in a while, the average ski may well feel better!
Believe me, I've been on some demo skis which should have been embarrased to be out!
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I've bought 5 pairs of skis in my life. I demoed only 1. And I wasn't actually looking to buy a pair when I borrowed them from the shop I worked in. But after an hour I knew I had to own those skis. Never ever had that with a rental pair before or since.
But the ones I haven't demoed, only 1 would I regard as a failure. But a lesson learnt all the same. Turns out I'm far too light to ski stiff offpiste skis.
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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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@flaming, You just need a heavier rucksack 
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@Scarpa, Going to start with seconds tomorrow....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've NEVER demoed a ski before buying, and have always liked the skis I've bought. But I understand how shapes and constructions affect performance in different areas, and I know how I like to ski.
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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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I demoed about 15 skis last year in a 3 day test event in Sölden. It was organized by a Dutch firm (I'm from Holland, to be clear). This year, I demoed an other 7 or so, also in a test and clinic event in November, this time in Kaprun. What I learned from demoing is to better interpret the lingo used in online reviews. Also, it helps te determine what specific features you do and do not like in a ski. This goes for width, radius, rocker shape, flex, construction - and it's always the combination of all these things. After all this demoing, by whch my thoughts on several skis were actually confirmed (and I also found out that revews from specific people make a lot more sense to me than others, so now I know I can value their opinio higher because they ski more like me and have the same preferences, I suppose), I made a purchase last summer, based on reviews only (but I did demo the brand and bits and pieces of the construction) and I love them.
So yes, it is possible. But then I have to say that without the demo experience that I have, I would not have been able to get the same result - or the confidence in reading reviews and basing choices on that.
Every November, this Dutch company organizes a test trip to Sölden, Autrsia: http://tirolevents.nl/skitest-trips?prod_id=100089. Since they have an English page as well, I assume you would be welcome to join next year.
Over the pas two years, I demoed the following skis: Fischer Motive 80, Movemment Jam, Blizzard Brahma, Salomon Q 98, Fischer Watea 88, Nordica Burner, K2 AMP Rictor 90 XTI, Rossignol Experience 88, Atomic Vantage Ritual, Elan Amphibio 88 XTI Fusion, Salomon 24 hrs max, Nordica Hell & Back, Nordica Steadfast, Salomon Enduro XT800, Dynastar Powertrack 89, Nordica Nrgy 90, Nordica Nrgy 100, Nordica Patron, Nordica El Capo, Rossignol Soul 7, Fischer Ranger 88 TI, Armada Norwalk, Head Rev 105, Head Rev 98
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| Arno wrote: |
| @Harry Flashman, I have a bit of a hankering for some Cassiar 95s - how much have you skied them so far? |
5 days in Tahoe concrete and lovely Utah packed powder.
I like them a lot, but they are not forgiving beasts, and very much fast open carved turns than short turns or moguls. Will report more after another week or so. Got to say I wasn't getting on with them today - I was being lazy, and they don't like that...
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You know it makes sense.
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My brother and I have bought skis based on reviews and recommendations, but always taking into account the specs etc. I wouldn't have a problem with replacing my current skis with something identical/similar specs from the same brand.
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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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| Harry Flashman wrote: |
| I like them a lot, but they are not forgiving beasts, and very much fast open carved turns than short turns or moguls. Will report more after another week or so. Got to say I wasn't getting on with them today - I was being lazy, and they don't like that... |
Thanks
The don't be lazy thing applies to the DPS skis I already own
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Poster: A snowHead
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I kept a ski diary on my "tablet" of what I hired over the last few seasons - inc. length, and width dimensions - have now bought a similar Dynastar but a bit longer than I managed to hire last year.
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FAQ
Currently considering Soul or Sin 7’s
merry xmas to you all and goodwill to all man (including bladers 
so thank you for the positive feedback all food for thought 