 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi all, I'm currently working a season in Megeve and have decided that I'm already sick of skiing on seasonaires rentals. I normally rent premium/advanced skis so this has come as a bit of a culture shock and my skiing technique, etc is struggling - I want to get better this season, not plateau  So, I've decided to bite the bullet and buy myself some skis; I'm here for 5 months, may as well ski the best I can and they'll be used at least once a season afterwards so seems like a sound investment.
My only problem is I'm rather short (4'11) so my ski shop has nothing in stock that is my proper size for me to get a feel of the ski type I'd like with. I normally ski a ~145 but would like to increase this a bit, ideally. I've just borrowed a pair of Volkl Alley 158s from the ski shop to try out how a slightly fatter ski than I'm used to will ski. It's slightly long for me and took a couple of runs for me to feel like I could actually ski lol, but I loved how much more stable they were and the extra zip of speed with ease of carving!
I would like a pair of skis which can handle everything but be especially decent on piste, capable of short snappy turns without too much effort because I haven't got the physical strength or dimensions for anything which is too hard. So All-mountain with 50%+ piste aspect?? I've found 3 skis I like the look of so far: Fischer Koa 84, Atomic Vantage 85, ROXY Ily 2017. Any opinions or thoughts which may help me choose or other options which I haven't discovered? Thanks a lot 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@ballyellie, have a look at Dynastar's offerings?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Also look into the Rossignol Temptation line - the 84s or the 88s might fit the bill.
The new Head Joy range is very light which you might like, I think the Total Joy (84/85 waist) would be the one for you, and the shortest length is 148.
One you might love is the Nordica Santa Ana - it's getting rave reviews from female skiers.
Another possibility is the Blizzard Black Pearl in a 152 length. They ski short so that might be ideal.
Have fun demoing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
The Atomic Vantage 80 (different range to the 85) is the successor to my Storms, which are excellent on and off piste (but slightly fatter at 84). Good, solid but light skis.
I love the Santa Anas, but they are more of a freeride ski (available in 90 or 100mm I think), so it depends on whether you want that.
I would probably go for an all mountain/piste ski rather than an all mountain/freeride ski initially, and then buy a second, fatter pair (100+) if funds and conditions allow. You want something you will be happy on every day, whatever the conditions, rather than go too fat and specialised.
Also, Scott the Ski, and the Volkl Flair looks good on paper though I didn't like it as much as it's predecessor. I've seen some very good deals linked on here for Volkl Chiaras (last year's), they would be a good bet of you could get hold of some.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Scarlet wrote: |
Also, Scott the Ski, and the Volkl Flair looks good on paper though I didn't like it as much as it's predecessor. I've seen some very good deals linked on here for Volkl Chiaras (last year's), they would be a good bet of you could get hold of some. |
Just since you mention Scott, what's their ladies ski that was extremely popular at both EOSB and Oktobertest? Everyone loved it and Jon had a queue at EOSB waiting to take them out.
The Ski is quite a stiff thing, I found that it needs solid technique and a fair bit of weight to move it... not as much as say X-Drives but more than many all mountain things. Have you tried it?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@dp, Scott Luna? Could well fit the bill. I'm just getting used to mine, haven't skied them in all conditions yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@dp, must have been the Luna, I don't think he had The Ski then. Seemed ok, pretty turny, bit short for me but might suit the OP.
Preferred The Ski personally. Tried it at Manchester. Jon told me I ski like a man 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Scarlet, you also look like... wait no, I'm feeling nice today, it's the weekend and stuff
It was the Luna I was thinking of.
I didn't like "The Ski" much. I tried it with much anticipation and it felt a bit dull to my tastes.
Did you try the Black Majic?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
What are the best sites to buy off? I don't think I'll really have the opportunity to demo any as my ski shop doesn't have any in short enough lengths - the smallest they had were 158s!
Just went to buy my first and second choices and both are now sold out  (( Really like the sound of the Luna's and Black Pearl but can't seem to find any online in my length! Ideas? Thank you!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@ballyellie, I bought my Lunas from our very own spyderjon (The Piste Office).
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@ballyellie, have a look at Ekosport (they have a .fr and co.uk site) or a branch near Albertville if you want a set of Black Pearls as they have them in 152 and 158 in the sales at the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Blizzard Cheyenne instead of the Black Pearl? Mrs B likes hers
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@ballyellie, glad you've found a selection of possibilities on Ekosport
I'm sorry I can't make a recommendation for you as I've skied none of the skis mentioned above except for the Black Pearls which I found a bit short and soft for my personal preference but they do get very good reviews.
Heard good things about the Cheyenne which @BillyJohnn mentions above and I think they were also discounted with Ekosport. It's a narrower ski than the Black Pearl and has a nice feeling flex to it (when I saw them in the shop) so I would think that they would ski very well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| ballyellie wrote: |
I've read some reviews saying that the Pearls are a bit more hard work - you have to ski them more aggressively? I'm competent enough for this but don't want a ski that is massively hard work. I want to glide and enjoy myself pretty much 😜
Any pros and cons on each to aid my decision making? Thank you! |
I had Black Pearls in a 166 and can assure you they are not hard work at all! They turn extremely easily and don't feel as wide as they are. They are super fun in soft snow, and cope OK on hard snow but there are better skis for grip on boilerplate.
I sold them to get something more piste-orientated; Rossignol Temptation 80s. I love them, they are ideal for what I ski.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 9-01-17 17:27; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I will offer one warning on buying a circa-88mm 'all mountain' ski.
This width - yes they take on all types of snow, from fresh pow to hard pack, better than a ski which is piste- or powder-orientated.
HOWEVER, they do neither as well as an application-orientated ski.
If you're out there all of this season and considering future seasons, you may like to think about buying 2 sets... a piste set and an off-piste set. The problem with all mountains is they seem pretty good off piste until you try a proper off-piste ski, then you realise you're making life a bit more difficult for yourself. Then the same happens when you try a piste ski.
I'm not trying to push you into spending money you haven't got. Maybe an all mountain would be best to get your through this season but try and pick up some other stuff in the end of season sales, you'll pay stupidly low prices for excellent skis by buying them out-of-season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@dp, I beg to differ. Well sort of.
As I said a few posts ago, I wouldn't pick a freeride ski initially due to the lower performance on piste, but personally I prefer an "all mountain" ski to a pure piste ski, and have tested plenty of both. My "piste" skis are 84mm, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
This is because mountains are a constantly changing environment. Yes, something skinnier will be better on hardpack and ice (provinding it is correctly maintained), but in almost all other conditions something more versatile is preferable. Fresh snow falls, runs get chopped up by traffic, it turns to slush in the afternoon or big moguls form - rarely does the hard snow continue all day. I tried piste skis 70-78mm and liked them, but in the end decided that I had no real use for them.
At that size, they are ok off-piste as well, though not as good as something more specialised, so on that we agree.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@Scarlet, +1. The only time I fancy anything narrower (current skis 84, previous Dynastars 85) is in the snowdome, where I occasionally struggle (especially with the Lunas,which I haven't quite got the hang of yet) to get them on to their edges. Last season, in Italy and at the EoSB, you got every possible condition in a single day, as you describe, pretty much every day, so an all-mountain ski was surely the most appropriate weapon. And, at my level anyway, I don't stay off-piste for a whole day, but am going back and forth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Scarlet wrote: |
| so on that we agree. |
Well at a preference level, we agree too. I ski all-mountain skis (albeit 80mm) as my piste skis, too.
However, I also know that some skiers struggle to make an all-mountain ski carve, because obviously with the ski being a bit bigger, they can take a bit more work to bend the ski properly.
I'm inclined to agree that, especially in the later season when things start to melt, an all mountain ski is way better at dealing with the less than perfect pistes than a proper carving ski; so perhaps the better type of ski at dealing with 'resort snow' as opposed to perfectly groomed morning pistes.
I guess what I kind of meant to say, in hindsight, was don't buy something too off-piste capable, and end up sacrificing on-piste performance. Respect the fact that you may well later on buy some wide, twin tip off-piste skis to handle all your powder day needs, and when you do that it'd be a shame to be compromised on the piste with your old all mountains. 76-84mm is probably about right, bigger on somebody who is not a bigger, heavier person might prove to compromise their on-piste / carving performance more than necessary and might be tougher to keep on edge when it gets to the icey end of the season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@dp, also agreed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
