 Poster: A snowHead
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With summer definitely over now (in the north of Europe, anyway) I'm trying to come up with a short(ish) list of skis to demo this year, to replace my current K2 AMP rentals from 2011 (bought cheaply here in Sweden & done their service, but I'm listening to the instructor who swapped skis with me in France, played around on them for all of 2 minutes and begged me to get something a little more up to date, stiffer and with less camber - this is having skiied with me for 2 2 hour lessons, so he had a pretty good idea of how I ski). I'm 175 cm tall, 67 kg (plus gear) and somewhere between level 7 & 8 on the Inside Out scale. I get 15-20 days on snow a year, mostly in Sweden but with a trip to the Alps as well. I'm after something playful, lightweight and not too stiff (I'm not strong...) that lets me mess around off the sides of the piste but still handles hardpack and some ice; much as I would love to be off-piste more, the reality is I'm on my own or with family (who aren't up for off-piste) a lot of the time which limits where I ski. Local skiing here involves a fair bit of man-made snow, at least it has the last couple of winters, rather than endless fresh powder.
Last winter I demo'd Head i.supershape speeds (OK), i.supershape Magnums (better) and BBR 8.9s (did nothing for me) but none of these stood out. The BBRs were easy to ski but felt dead; the Magnums felt good but for me they were too stiff, and the Speeds, hmm, just didn't work. The nicest skis I've been on were the aforementioned instructor's Apo planks, not sure which model but they were somewhere around 90-100mm wide, flat/cambered and lots of fun.
So, I think I'm after an all-mountain twintip (I like going backwards, and get dragged into the park by my daughter) and so far on the list to try are:
Volkl Bridge
Nordica Soul Rider
Atomic Theory
I'm not convinced about the width, especially as an intermediate, but they seem to fit the bill based on reviews. Am I on the right lines, or completely bonkers? Any other suggestions?
Cheers!
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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 have a pair of 2012 Soulriders which I loved for 3 seasons (I've now gone even fatter!). We also have a pair of Atomic theories in our family which are highly rated, but which I haven't skied. The SRs are dead easy to ski- I have the 177s and am a girly 5ft 5in 60kg skier, small turn radius and ski short for their length. They do really well on piste. Ski level maybe an 8, so similar to you. I should sell the SRs and you're welcome to buy them, but they are possibly a little short for you.
I had a go in the Whitedot directors at a snowheads ski test last year. Really liked them...maybe worth adding to the list too!
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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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@perty don't tempt me, please! I would probably test the 177 soul rider, does it really ski that short? 185 sounds like a lot of ski to me. Hadn't thought about the Directors, I'll look into them, thanks.
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Scott The Ski, fits exactly the description
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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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@mgrolf, I will also be selling a pair of 185 Soul Riders soon 
Yes they do ski quite short, with the twin tip, tip/tail rocker and fairly soft flex.
They're much better on hard snow than I expected, and have way more edge grip than a 97mm ski has any right to on ice. Really fun ski, but just too soft for my tastes (I'm 5 foot 9 and 70kg btw).
The review on Blister is a pretty good summary: http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/update-2012-2013-nordica-soul-rider
Mine are quiver killed for Marker Barons and have some top sheet damage (bases are fine), so I'd let them go for €150 plus postage (from Austria) if you're interested.
Maybe also look at the Nordica El Capo and 4FRNT Devastator?
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@mgrolf, Yes-they really do ski that short! Though I may be a little crazy to have them that long, I am very glad I didn't go for the 169s as you would not get the on piste grip with the shorter running length. They are not too stiff at all, and I think that's why I have moved up a gear as I am finding the need for something stiffer [ahem!]. The 2012 ones are the ones with the mad graphics of the skeleton playing maracas. So cool to get on the lift as a middle aged girly skier with these on my feet! Mine have Marker Griffon bindings, set up for a boot sole length of 285 or thereabouts, so if you were interested in doing a deal  you would probably have to move the bindings for bigger blokey boots.
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@mooney058 have you skiied the ski? It sounds like another to add to the list, based on the limited amount I could find out about it.
@clarky999 you like your skis long, don't you?! I get the feeling you're a *much* better skier than me, but maybe I could handle the Soul Rider in 185. One to try. The Devastator and El Capo are both wider than I think I could ski well right now, I'd be worried my technique wouldn't match up to the skis on piste.
@pertyThe 2012 graphics are definitely...different. Not sure if they're quite my cup of tea, but then again, anything that starts a conversation  . More recent vintages have been a little boring.
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@mgrolf, I'm ok, but certainly not great. But yeah, I generally ski high 180s to low 190s. Rocker means you can manoeuvre a longer ski MUCH easier than a fully cambered ski of similar length, so you get the extra stability at speed without really any tradeoffs.
Soul Riders are genuinely a very fun and very easy to use ski though. Easier than the 176 Dynastar Big Troubles that I had for that spot in the quiver previously.
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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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| mgrolf wrote: |
@mooney058 have you skiied the ski? It sounds like another to add to the list, based on the limited amount I could find out about it.
@clarky999 you like your skis long, don't you?! I get the feeling you're a *much* better skier than me, but maybe I could handle the Soul Rider in 185. One to try. The Devastator and El Capo are both wider than I think I could ski well right now, I'd be worried my technique wouldn't match up to the skis on piste.
@pertyThe 2012 graphics are definitely...different. Not sure if they're quite my cup of tea, but then again, anything that starts a conversation . More recent vintages have been a little boring. |
I did ski it for a week. Very nice ski stable and easy going stable at most speeds, except at very very high speed. The best easy all round ski I ever skied.
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