 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, I'm in the market for a new pair of skis but am indecisive at the best of times and am finding it difficult to work out exactly what I want. Rather than contact individual shops I thought I might ask for some independent advice. Is anybody here able to offer any suggestions? Thought I'd ask this first before writing chapter and verse about me and what I've done etc etc, but can provide full details if anybody thinks they can help 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, of course it depends on what you want to do. I bought a pair of Head Venturi 95 all mountain skis about four years ago and I love them. Cost me £600 with a discount I went for all terrain semi powder skis because my eldest son went over to the dark side a number of years ago and started snowboarding. Also at the time the French snow was changing to much more powdery snow. I wanted to be able to follow him off-piste more easily and these skis do it. An added benifit was that at the end of the day when I am tired and the pistes are turning slushy these skis just ski through (over?) the slush with the greatest of ease.
They seem very basic with no visible bells or Whistles but they have a small amount of that thing where the tips bend up when you press down in the middle. Sorry can't remember what it is called. They are twin tipped so I have to ski backwards from time to time to justify that.
And they are matt black!! But best of all they turned out to be the skis (all be a slightly different radius) that the piste patrol used in the resort I was in a couple of years ago!
Hope this helps. Rock on!
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 27-01-20 12:00; edited 1 time in total
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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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Hi @scarah73, welcome to snowheads. More knowledgeable people will be on to advise, but your question does beg the 'what for'. Skiing I know, but if it is primarily piste and you are a holiday skier like me, the 'All Mountain' bracket could be where you are looking. You suggest in your question that you already own a pair, if so, it's ability, weight to a certain extent, and certainly height that come into play. You will probably need to give more info though for better advice. If you are lucky Spyderjohn may pick up your post. If you are close to a snowdome, you can perhaps try before you buy for the price of a lift ticket? Good luck
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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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Hi, thanks, yes I can provide full information on what for, my ability, size and weight etc and the skis I already own and have skied recently. I just thought I'd wait and see if anybody was available to offer any thoughts before I wrote a massive essay!
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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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I'm sure we can come up with some ideas if you can give further info:
- Gender
- Height
- Weight
- Ability Level
- Aggressiveness
- Where you like to ski (and if Off Piste - how often)
- Preference for character of ski ie. Playful or Damp and hard charging
- Skis that you have enjoyed in the past
Without this info, it's hard to come up with appropriate suggestions.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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But we can say what works for us and why.
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People here love pontificating on other people's ski choices. But they do need some data to go on and bear in mind that lots of advice will be pretty useless. Very little point in me advising on anything in lightweight women's skis unless it's by the numbers advice - you're a really strong technical skier who wants the ultimate piste short turn carving machine - FIS SL in 155.
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| People here love pontificating on other people's ski choices. But they do need some data to go on and bear in mind that lots of advice will be pretty useless. Very little point in me advising on anything in lightweight women's skis unless it's by the numbers advice - you're a really strong technical skier who wants the ultimate piste short turn carving machine - FIS SL in 155. |
IMO. Advice is not so much "Buy this ski"....but "Here are one or two skis, that might be suitable to add to your shortlist to try out". It's about highlighting potential choices and helping narrow down the field.
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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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Okay, thanks for the replies. Here is some more information:
Female (but don't mind skiing on men's skis and have been told in a shop in resort that men's skis might suit me better).
5' 5" and weight anything between 10.5 and 11 stone depending on how many pies I've eaten.
I'd describe myself as reasonably advanced. I've been skiing over 30 years and usually go 2-3 times a year. I'm happy to go down pretty much any slope I come across and enjoy the challenges of steep blacks, moguls etc. I can go down most moguls pretty smoothly but once they get massive I still end up just getting down however I can. If a run is really steep I might slow down a bit rather than zooming down it but I'm still pretty confident. I'm aware that I'm British and not out there all season though so no way am I as experienced as a lot of people!
I would say medium level of aggressiveness depending on my mood. I do like a good charge around and then I'll really go for it and attach the mountain but equally I can be quite lazy and sometime like to cruise around not really putting much effort in!
Mostly I ski on piste nowadays but I like to tackle anything that comes my way including all snow conditions from hard ice to slush and everything in between. I like both groomers and moguls but I also enjoy doing the runs that are marked out an ungroomed so that could be powder or chopped up stuff or proper moguls depending when it last snowed. I also like to pop off to the side of the runs if there's fresh snow but don't really do any proper off piste any more.
My ski preference is for something that will tackle all of the above and will deliver a mix of short and long turns, will step up to the challenge when I want it to but will also let me relax when I want to chill out. I do like something a bit more on the playful side I think but I also want it to be solid and reliable when it comes to things like ice.
My current skis are a pair of Blizzard Black Pearls with an 88mm waist. I got them about 5 years ago to help me improve in powder and when I planned to do a lot more off-piste skiing. They've improved my powder skiing no end and I really like them for softer snow, slush and chopped up stuff etc but I hate them for hard snow and particularly ice. I also find that they just want to go faster and faster all the time when on-piste and need to be going fast to get the best out of them. Great when I'm in the mood for that but not when I'm not and I want to be the one in charge, not the skis! I know I could probably address this by working on my technique a bit more but I'm middle-aged and out there for a holiday so I'd rather just get something else and have an easier life!
So the plan is to keep the Black Pearls for more powder and then get another pair for all the rest of the time. But I'm undecided between some fairly narrow waisted piste skis or something a bit more all mountain but more piste orientated than the Black Pearls.
Before the Black Pearls I owned a pair of K2 Lotta Luvs from about 2007. It's a few years since I skied them but I recall that they were pretty good fun for everything apart from being a bit more effort in powder. I reckon I could probably get a decent tune out of them in all but the deepest powder now and do plan to get them out and give them another whirl (they've been sitting unloved and unused in the attic all this time). They've not got much life left in them now though so they're not a long term option for the future.
The only other skies I've been on in recent years are a couple of pairs I hired in Tignes last week in the hardpack and ice as I was fed up of sliding round everywhere on the Black Pearls and wanted to try something different. The first ones were a pair of Rossignol Hero Elite ST TIs and I've got to say these were the best fun I've had in years! They were absolutely brilliant for charging around the resort and made me feel so confident. I did a bit of everything on these skis and they performed everywhere I took them but obviously I hired them with the current snow conditions in mind and I don't think they'd be a suitable for varied conditions and slush in March.
I also tried a pair of Dynastar Speedzone 12s. I found these to be okay but not that exciting really. They did everything I asked of the but weren't much fun and they actually didn't inspire me to go charging around so didn't really live up to their name for me! I will say though that the pair the shop gave me felt a touch on the long side so I was perhaps a bit more cautious on these. They certainly didn't do it for me the way the Rossignols did though.
So that's my big essay! If anybody has any thoughts or suggestions based on all of that I'd be very grateful. My general issue as I said above is that I can't decide between straight piste ski or something a bit more all mountain. Also I'm a bit wary of buying something that's a bit too much for me, as I think may be the case with the BPs, but I equally don't want to buy something more suited to an intermediate and then find it dull and slow!
Thanks to anyone who has read this far
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That's brilliant. It's hard coming up with a ski suggestion for someone else (especially if you're a bloke recommending a Women's Ski), but the more you know about them and their preferences, the more likely the suggestions will be somewhat useful.
From what you say, you are likely looking for a Piste Ski, as you already have some excellent AM skis.
It sounds like the Rossignols should be on your shortlist, as you always have the Blizzards as back up.
Do you like the way the K2s feel, enough to consider a Piste ski from them?
The likes of the Head Titan might be a possibility, as it's 80 under foot, which is narrow enough for Piste and wide enough for Off to the side of the Piste......It's close(ish) to the width of the Black Pearls, though with a totally different sidecut.
I'm heading out now.....but can come up with other ideas later if that's helpful to you.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Mon 27-01-20 21:15; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sounds like you just need a turnier ski. 88 isn't particularly wide.
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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 tried out some Atomic Vantage 83's a couple of years back, they were great, a lot underfoot but gripped well on ice and hardpack in the turns. I'm going to try out Atomic Vantage 86 C's in March, see if they are still good (I've been trying out a few other models in between).
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So it has to be a single ski? People have quivers for a reason and your circumstances sound like the perfect case - you want a piste/hardpack performance ski but one you shoudl deploy in parallel with your Black Pearls. One takes care of the fresh snow/chunder/spring soft days i.e. 3D snow, the other the more "average" days.
As you are discovering trying to cover all of that in one ski is a challenge. That said instructor types seem to like the Titan solution. In your situation I'd probably go for a piste Rossi and quiver kill both than and my Black Pearls and pack light on everything else on a trip.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've got a pair of brand-new-in-the-wrapper 2016 Stockli Laser FIS SL's in 150cm going at the right price. They'd be right up your street and make a great two ski quiver with your Black Pearls.
They come in the flat so I can either supply'n'mount bindings but if you usually fly to ski then I could install Quiver Killer inserts in both pairs and you can share the one binding.
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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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It's hard to compete with the Stocklis, which will be so much fun, it's almost sinful......and at an affordable price.
My reading of what you are looking for, are skis that are Fun and Lively, yet Versatile and Stable....So in case you want further suggestions, these also might work:
Salomon S Max W10
Head SuperJoy
K2 Luv Machine 74 Ti
K2 Anthem 80
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Tue 28-01-20 14:05; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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the head super shape range Magum/rally/titan might be worth looking at.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@scarah73, If you like the Hero Elite ST Tis so much have you considered the Hero Elite Plus Tis, similar turn radius but wider at 130/78/110 compared to the 122/68/104 which would give a bit more float in the side piste. Just had 2 weeks on these and loved them, so much so that I have stopped looking for new skis.
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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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| Timc wrote: |
| @scarah73, If you like the Hero Elite ST Tis so much have you considered the Hero Elite Plus Tis, similar turn radius but wider at 130/78/110 compared to the 122/68/104 which would give a bit more float in the side piste. Just had 2 weeks on these and loved them, so much so that I have stopped looking for new skis. |
That sounds like a really good suggestion to me.
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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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Thank you for all the suggestions, there's lots to go on and dither about here! I've started to read up on some of them and am liking the sound of quite a few of them so far so I guess it will just be whether I try to make a decision and plump for one or see if I can get to demo some of them before buying.
I don't know how to quote individual responses so apologies if I overlook anything anybody has said but I am considering and looking into all the suggestions. I think it's possibly going to come down to Rossignol, K2 or Head. I'm really liking the suggestion of the wider Rossignols as it kind of makes sense given how much I loved the STs. I've always got on well with Rossignol stuff and my last two pairs of boots have both been Rossi's having tried several other brands and working out that these suit me best. I'd also definitely go for another pair of K2's as I really liked my old ones and would probably just resurrect these if they weren't at death's door. They also pre-date rocker technology and weigh an absolute tonne (due to the way the boundings were mounted I gather) so I think something more up to date could be beneficial.
Head skis I know nothing about and have never skied on before as far as I can recall but I'm really liking what I'm reading about them and reviews look good as well. I do notice a lot of people using them in resort which probably says a lot too.
As far as the offer of the Stocklis goes, I had a look at these and I think they will probably be a bit too short and narrow for what I'm after but thanks very much for the thought. Can you tell me more about this Quiver Killer business though please? I've not come across this before. Thanks.
Thank you all again, this has been really helpful
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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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Quiver Killer's are small threaded inserts that are put in the ski where the binging screws would normally go straight into the ski, this then lets you easily move a set of binding between various skis also equip with quiver killers.
read this it explains it better! https://www.thepisteoffice.com/index.php/the-piste-office-store/quiver-killer-inserts.html
Having said that some of the skis you are looking at may well use pre mounted system bindings rather than being flat skis.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| scarah73 wrote: |
| .......As far as the offer of the Stocklis goes, I had a look at these and I think they will probably be a bit too short and narrow for what I'm after but thanks very much for the thought........... |
They're not if you want a pucka piste performance ski to go with your Black Pearls which is what I interpreted your requirements as.
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Get the Rossi's. Enjoy skiing on a 'proper 'ski and you will find that your technique will allow you to cope perfectly well in bumps, slush, ice, powder and everything in between. If you want some comparison, Head make great skis for piste work. Super Joys would fit the bill. [Edit: Or the Stockli's!]
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@scarah73, I suppose, the first decision to make, is how wide to go. The Piste Skis are around 74.....and there are a couple of options offering a little more All Terrain capability in the 78 - 80 range. IIRC The Lotta Luv was around the 78 region....and I know how heavy they are, as my Daughter has some Burnin' Luvs.
Re Head Skis....Your detailed description above makes you sound very similar to me. I weigh 65kg and have the same taste in the sort of ski (and skiing) I like - and on a recent Holiday when hiring, I first tried some Blizzard Quattros, which were solid, damp and worthy - but lacked the fun factor and wanted to go at Mach 1 before coming alive. I swapped them for Head Magnums, which were much my sort of ski. I thought they were fun, lively, versatile and stable.
To give you an idea of my taste: Recent skis have been Atomic Beta Ride 11.20 and SL11....and currently on Scott The Ski.
Last edited by After all it is free on Tue 28-01-20 12:34; edited 1 time in total
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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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| Quote: |
the French snow was changing to much more powdery snow.
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What the actual?
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@scarah73, take a look at the Scott range, fair pricing and some great models. Ski demo models in resort and buy there is my advice.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| Quote: |
I did clock 93km/h
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being the perfect example of why GPS speeds are crap.
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Hmmm? The satnav in the car is spot on.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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@Peter Stevens, there is no actual way that you did >90 kph on a piste. On punter skis. Without a catsuit.
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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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It did seem high, but it is confirmed in a vehicle.
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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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@Peter Stevens, no, really, truly, you didn't.
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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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If you were going that fast at your professed level of ability you are danger not only to yourself but everyone else on the hill. Work out the physics involved with such a speed.
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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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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
So it has to be a single ski? People have quivers for a reason and your circumstances sound like the perfect case - you want a piste/hardpack performance ski but one you shoudl deploy in parallel with your Black Pearls. One takes care of the fresh snow/chunder/spring soft days i.e. 3D snow, the other the more "average" days.
As you are discovering trying to cover all of that in one ski is a challenge. That said instructor types seem to like the Titan solution. In your situation I'd probably go for a piste Rossi and quiver kill both than and my Black Pearls and pack light on everything else on a trip. |
This really. Rossignol have produced a new woman specific range, Nova, which is probably worth a look.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
BTW, what is different about womens' skis? Apart from being quite often white.
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I'd like to know the answer to that too. I wonder if it's that the women's skis are less stiff than men's due to the fact that women often weigh less and are less powerful. I also wonder if this is why it's been suggested that I'd be better off on a bloke's ski because I'm pretty solid for my size with very strong thighs!
I think I'm going to act on the suggestion to try in resort where possible because even with just the suggestions here my short list is getting very long! I know the Superjoys were widely available for testing last week so I expect some of the men's Head models will be too. Not sure about some of the others but I can go with my list and find out...
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I have Skitracks.
I don't deliberately try to go fast but I am comfortable at speed and sometimes you need a long schuss to make it up the other side of a dip.
Over 3 seasons recent history the fastest I go is consistently 72/73 km/h.
I struggle to think of a slope when I could go 20 km/h faster. And I am not sure I would want to go 20 km/h faster either.
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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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@Peter Stevens, There are many many threads which debate the point fallibility of apps such as Skitracks such as https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=75819&highlight=speed+skitracks
However since they are populated by peope who've been posting longer than you and possibly have more posts I suspect they are immediately discredited in your eyes (perhaps Admin could reset all the forum clocks and counters so they only record Anno PS).
You're an engineer - go back to some calcs with some plausible assumptions about gradient, coefficient of friction, drag etc to prove your skitracks was correct
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FAQ
) if you are a crap skier like me, you have only yourself to blame, not your equipment 
