 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
It depends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@MCL, do your normal skis never chatter when at speed?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
@miranda, not to the extent of last year's hire skis or my previous pair
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@MCL, try Kastle LX 82, in a 164 cms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
You say that you find your current skis heavy when doing tight turns, but good in other conditions. But you are asking about reducing the length. Do you think the problem is the weight or the length, or are you trying to reduce the weight by reducing the length?
You are also comparing the hire 'piste' skis with your own 'all-mountain' skis which have rockered tips. You observe that the piste skis were a bit shorter - do you think they were shorter than the effective length of your rockered all mountain skis (rockered skis generally having less ski in contact with the snow). All other things being equal the shorter (and presumably narrower) piste skis may well have been somewhat lighter (due to their reduced dimensions) but perhaps not effectively shorter?? So do you really need a shorter ski, or just a lighter one?
Assuming it is fundamentally an equipment problem, it could well be technique - or physical strength. It's probably worth getting a view from an instructor who has actually seen you ski.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@MCL, I'm certainly no expert but I tend to think that if my skis are chattering I need to correct my position. I have been skiing Head Super Joy piste skis this season for the first time at 158cm and I have found them... a joy! They are very light skis and I really feel in control of them, both off and on piste. Did a couple of days off piste in chopped up and crust with Total Joy "all mountain" at 163 and they were good for the conditions and still very light (did a 10-15 min uphill hike carrying them no problem) and were also fine on-piste, but I preferred switching back to the super joy when on piste only.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Tubaski, thanks for reply, yes you are right it may well be a weight issue rather than length, if indeed it is a problem at all, I may be the problem which can be resolved  I am quite strong for my size but technique can definitely be worked on.
Have picked up other all mountain skis in shops and think they appear lighter- I think K2s are known for being "sturdy". I find them quite heavy just to carry about.
Have had lessons on these skis and no mention from instructor re length and we did chat about the skis come to think of it.
I suspect I may have just got the idea in my head that they are too long!
got the K2s after doing some demos in indoor place- at the time I liked them as they seemed forgiving when I had a wobble - have definitely improved since then so maybe something lighter would suit me
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@miranda, they sound ideal - especially lighter to carry sounds good
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@MCL, for what it's worth, I'm a lightweight male at about 10.5 st and 5'10". My skiing is very similar to what you have described. I find that heavy skis are much better suited to me than lightweight skis, but I am not entirely sure why. Heavier skis just usually feel more stable to me.
On good visibility days I like relatively stiff 163 cm non-rockered piste skis. Anything shorter is too short and anything longer (non-rockered) feels like too much effort or just not nimble enough.
I found that working on improving my short turn, steeper slopes technique definitely helped me. Better use of the poles and getting the perfect pole length was quite important for me. Good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
@Walter-Spitty, what do you mean by "heavy skis"? Do you have some examples of skis that have worked for you and skis that haven't? I'm really interested in trying to learn more about this as I always just take what I'm given (have never owned a pair of skis) so it's interesting to suddenly find myself on a pair of skis that "feel right" on the first day of the season, without improvement in technique from the last day of the previous season.
(To be fair, you are 5 inches and 2.5 stone bigger than the OP, which is quite a difference).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@miranda, by heavy skis I mean racing-inspired Head skis like: i.Supershape Speed, i.Supershape Magnum, i.GSR Worldcup Rebels. There is something about the heavy Head skis that seems to really suit me.
My 2011/2012 Head i.Supershape Speed skis felt quite heavy to carry, but nimble to ski. One of them recently died so I rented Head i.GSR Worldcup Rebels (slightly stiffer but also slightly lighter) and thought they were amazing in good weather, but quite unforgiving and difficult in poor visibility.
Rental skis I enjoyed but can't remember if they were heavy: Stöckli Laser SC 163 cm, Salomon XWing Tornado Ti 162 cm.
Some rental skis that didn't particularly like me were Dynastar Contact Groove 165 cm, Dynastar Contact Groove Ti 160 cm. However, I think the quality of rental skis has improved since then and my skiing has improved significantly too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My 12 year old daughter currently skis on 155 skis with a 80mm waist width and has no issues, it's either they're just not the right ski for you or a brush up on technique might be needed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@MCL - experimenting with different rental skis can be very illuminating, but as you say it's all down to whether you can be bothered to go back and forth to the rental shop.
I did it a few years ago and had to put up with much pee-taking from my ski party when I changed my skis every day. However, it opened my eyes to the differences between skis and I ended up finding a pair that was perfect for me, then bought the same skis from Edge & Wax back in the UK. They felt a little different to the same model of rental ski, but in a good way.
From my admittedly slightly obsessive testing, I now know that for piste-only skiing I like a radius of around 13.5 metres, a non-rockered length of 163 cm (nose height), tip-waist-tail dimensions close to 115-68-99 mm and a tail that is a bit rounded off (i.e. not completely straight like some slalom skis). Finding skis that really suited my style has helped improve my skiing and made it even more enjoyable.
Please let us know how you get on and good luck with your search for the perfect skis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@Walter-Spitty, how do the skis know what the weather is doing?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@under a new name - I am sure that you know exactly what I meant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Well after hiring two different skis that were both longer than my own I can now conclude that it is the weight that has been the issue.
Tried some rossignol piste skis yesterday that were heavier than my own and found them challenging. Today had some all mountain Blizzard kabookie all mountain skis of same length and they were brilliant- on well pisted and choppy stuff.
Just looked up the Blizzards and they are recommended for lighter skiers. They do feel lighter than my skis too
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
my 13 year old son is about 5'2" and no more than 7 stone. This season he has been on 162cm Rossi Saffron 7s, rockered, 92mm waist, 14m radius (2014 version which is white rather than pink so not too offensive to a teenage boy! I thought the construction would suit him better than a man's ski given his weight).
Obviously they have floated beautifully in soft snow but he's been carving a wide range of turn shapes on piste too.
So no, I don't think you need a shorter all mountain ski.
Of course this kind of ski is not ideal on real hard pack when something a bit shorter, narrower, stiffer (and consequently quite possibly heavier) would grip more easily. Still I think may be you should book a private lesson when you next encounter those conditions - suspect a few little adjustments would allow you to hold an edge better and grow in confidence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@Walter-Spitty, what I suspect you mean is that you need to get more comfortable in crappy weather 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@under a new name: yes indeed, although the weather wasn't just crappy - the visibility was so bad I was searching for and following the poles on the side of the piste. Only fools like me were still out skiing. I find the relatively stiff and short race-like skis to be difficult to use in conditions like that, whereas a good all-mountain ski can still be easy to use in similar conditions - the old Scott Neo springs to mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@Walter-Spitty, I think you can be forgiven. I suffer very badly such poor vis.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@under a new name, thanks for the forgiveness  .
@MCL, thanks for reporting back.
I think many skiers could benefit from trying different skis to see what suits their style and level, etc.
I also think most of us could benefit from lessons with a *good* instructor, but as long as people are enjoying themselves and not being a danger to others then I don't much care what they look like.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Walter-Spitty, I do, but then I have been diagnosed with OCBMED
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
