 Poster: A snowHead
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I was hoping you knowledgeable folk could help me spec some skis.
I'm the beginner end of intermediate, but I've got two trips planned for the coming season plus whatever I can get at Glenshee and Cairngorm.
I'm looking for some skis that will allow me to venture into the margins of off-piste - something a bit wider? but are still OK for cruising with the family on piste.
I'm 105 kg so nothing too flex will do.
Any suggestions?
TIA
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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How tall are you?
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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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Off-piste is much harder to ski than the pistes are, so at your stage you'd be better off focusing on piste skis. Head Titans are a good choice for heavier skiers and with an 80mm waste, reasonably stiff build and a bit of tip rocker they work well on the very variable conditions of Scottish pistes.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm a chubby chap too, I used to use Salomon XTi 800 at 182cm long.
I'll get them out again when I get the chance ..but they are "Heavy"
They have a core of Titanium and some Bamboo with rocker.
If you can get a pair second hand they would suit you well.
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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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| spyderjon wrote: |
| How tall are you? |
180 cm
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the replies guys, I'll have a look at the Head Titans and the Salomons.
How about Dynastar Cham 97 though?
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Hi,
How tall are you? I am 6'5", 106kg and have been skiing for quite a few years. I only recently decided I wanted to do backcountry/ off piste and took a couple of courses where I used Rossignol Sin 7 which are off piste skis. It is very different to piste and the skis are different too. If you want to mess about on the side then you can probably do so on a decent set of twin tips with decent width. I was in Kitz at the end of the season on some rented Rossignol Legends and had a good time jumping in and out of the unseasonably fresh snow off the side. The Legends are not fast on piste but fast enough when you are 105kg and can put the weight down. I am not endorsing the Legends merely using them as an example of making the best of what you got. However I would strongly recommend the Elan Spectrum 95 Alu ski 187cm as I used a set for a few days in Meribel...awesome skis capable of on and off piste with a fairly wide 95cm waist. I liked the Elans a lot and if I was not off to Japan to do mostly off piste I would buy a set tomorrow. They can take your weight and they will be more forgiving off piste than any other 'all mountain' ski I have used.
As I am heading off piste in Japan on advice (thanks Snowheads!) I decided to get some Whitedots which are pretty much just off piste. However if I had enough money Id buy the Elans too...yes I liked them that much!!!
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I am a 6'7" 115kg skier so I can relate to what you are after. I had a horrendous time hiring because the kids who get employed in rental shops over the winter would so seldom really know what they were on about and were always of the opinion that stiff skis were only for firmer snow.
I think Valkyrie might have a point. Off piste is something that everyone kind of wants to delve into straight away, but not necessarily with a proper understanding of what it's all about. One thing that is for sure is that skiing off-piste is much less forgiving of dodgy technique than on-piste skiing. Beginner end of intermediate suggests to me that you're probably still working on your technique. This isn't to put you down, but you will generally find that a nice carving ski will be better for helping to foster your developing technique, where a wider and more powder-able ski will be less forgiving and may end up taking you for a ride rather than the opposite.
*IF* I were to recommend a ski based solely on your request, I would say that I am a huge fan of the Whitedot Preacher. I have always found it to be very responsive both on and off piste and I think if you are looking for one ski which will go wherever you want to go, at this stage and long into the future as you develop your skills further; you would really struggle to find a better 'all rounder'. It is fairly wide, but it performs surprisingly well on piste. And by surprisingly well, I mean, very well - and you kind of look at it and think "what the  is a ski that wide doing performing like that??" Compared to the Zero and the One (other Whitedot piste-end skis), I think it's much firmer and more suited to big dudes like us. I really would buy a pair if I didn't have a pair of all mountains that I was very fond of. (Head Rev80s, but they don't make those anymore).
But I am also inclined to say that as a less experienced skier, putting you on a high-end ski like the Preacher could possibly be detrimental. I think you could find it difficult to ski, and skiing something you're not comfortable with would slow your development, as you'll be trying harder just to stay on-board, giving you less focus for your technique. As a result, I think the ski I would actually point you in the direction of would be the Salomon X-Drive 80 or 88. I've spent a lot of time on both the last 2 years and they're very friendly and easy to ski. Both still very capable skis by all accounts, and both still being very capable carving skis. The 88 would give you a bit more freedom off piste, but the 80 would be more suited to the piste.
As somebody who tried to dip their toes into off-piste very early on, and sucked at it because my technique wasn't good enough yet... I would highly recommend that you invest in a ski which is going to allow you to develop your technique the most. And the best ski to do that will be one that is easy for you to ski. Forget off-piste in any depth for now - by all means have a dabble between pistes though - focus on getting your technique tip top.
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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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Scott The Ski 185cm - great ski, sensible price & won't hamper your development.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| Scott The Ski 185cm - great ski, sensible price & won't hamper your development. |
+1
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just to keep things equal... I didn't like "The Ski" very much. I thought it was very boring.
But Jon doesn't do Salomon 
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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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| dp wrote: |
| Just to keep things equal... I didn't like "The Ski" very much. I thought it was very boring...... |
That's 'cause they're too soft a flex and too short (max length is 185) for your height & fat a$$ 
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Thanks again everyone, more to think about here.
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You know it makes sense.
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203s for slalom, 207s for GS.
Them's the rules.
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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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@spyderjon, even with rocker a 185cm ski for an 180cm tall early intermediate? I can remember being an early intermediate and at 182cm tall I found anything longer than 167cm started to get unwieldy, especially in any wider ski.
Of course, much has changed since then, but for 3-4 seasons of even regular skiing the additional length is not much fun, I know this after struggling for a couple of weeks throwing a pair of 174cm skis around.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Digger the dinosaur,
203s for slalom, 207s for GS.
Them's the rules.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Digger the dinosaur wrote: |
@spyderjon, even with rocker a 185cm ski for an 180cm tall early intermediate? I can remember being an early intermediate and at 182cm tall I found anything longer than 167cm started to get unwieldy, especially in any wider ski.
Of course, much has changed since then....... |
Yep, much has changed.
There's 350mm of tip rocker on 'em so they're equivalent to a 165cm conventional camber flat tailed piste ski in running length so they should be skied long. The rocker then engages in soft snow to give the addition float & fore/aft stability with the added effect of moving the mount point back.
And if he went shorter not only would they be too short but they'd then be too soft for his weight.
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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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When it comes to hard goods............... Boots first. Skis second.
If OTS does not have boots that should be his first priority. Too many focus on skis. Focus on boots first and THEN go from there. And, of course, one already has the proper clothing, gloves, goggles.... Get that and THEN think about skis....................
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 25-10-16 4:51; edited 1 time in total
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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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Hear, hear, Arcsinice.
Buy your left boot first and your right boot second, you can reverse the order if you like but forget about the skis until later. Don't spare the cash. Don't be fooled by guys who claim they can make a boot fit your foot. It never does, they just get close enough until you give up going back to them. Instead get a boot that actually does fit your foot. Get a custom made boot, it may have a foam, a remouldable cork or other form of liner but that liner inside a shell should match your foot from the very start because material inside the liner has flowed to fit your foot. No excuses, no adjustments, perfection is the minimum acceptable fit. You know that it is perfect when you never bother to loosen the clips at lunch time. You never have to tighten your boots to make them grip your foot more. That is because they are gently gripping you whole foot evenly. I have had 2 sets of Strolz boots and now Sidas. I prefer Sidas because they use a rebranded Salomon shell and should bits fall off or wear they are replaceable in any ski resort - no need to carry spare parts any more. Oh yes they do, if you own them long enough and ski most of the season.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| abominable wrote: |
Hear, hear, Arcsinice.
Buy your left boot first and your right boot second, you can reverse the order if you like but forget about the skis until later. Don't spare the cash. Don't be fooled by guys who claim they can make a boot fit your foot. It never does, they just get close enough until you give up going back to them. Instead get a boot that actually does fit your foot. Get a custom made boot, it may have a foam, a remouldable cork or other form of liner but that liner inside a shell should match your foot from the very start because material inside the liner has flowed to fit your foot. No excuses, no adjustments, perfection is the minimum acceptable fit. You know that it is perfect when you never bother to loosen the clips at lunch time. You never have to tighten your boots to make them grip your foot more. That is because they are gently gripping you whole foot evenly. I have had 2 sets of Strolz boots and now Sidas. I prefer Sidas because they use a rebranded Salomon shell and should bits fall off or wear they are replaceable in any ski resort - no need to carry spare parts any more. Oh yes they do, if you own them long enough and ski most of the season. |
It's a nice idea but sadly I, for one, simply cannot afford to go that far with it.
I had some nice Head boots which fit just fine. I went to a shop that let me try about 20 pairs. With custom foot beds and heat moulded boots, I think you're getting pretty close to 'your own' boot.
By the time I'd done 30 days in them, like a pair of normal shoes, they'd taken on all the properties of 'my boots'.
I personally think that's enough for most people. The secret there is going to a shop that actually have more than 2-3 pairs.
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I have boots that I'm happy with. Thanks.
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The perfectly bespoke boot is a nice marketing idea but I'd bet 99.9% of skiers can get a perfect fit in a stock boot with footbeds and maybe a zipfit, foam, intuition/Palau liner as appropriate. They just need to find the right bootfitter who'll size them small enough in the right boot and mod it as necessary. ( Very reluctant to let go of my shells CEM did for me, contemplating 3rd liner).
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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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Just to follow this up, I've fondled a few options in the flesh - thanks Nevisport, Tiso and Craigdon, and I'm 95% set on a pair of Head Monster 88s Ti.
I'm just waiting for my size to get transferred to the local branch for me to have a final stroke of 
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FAQ
it's the ski equivalent to a supercharged V8