 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
In feb this year I skied for the first time in 27 years and for the first time on carvers. Got the bug back but at the end of the week I still wasn't fully confident on the carvers - they felt clumsy and sloppy on my feet and I never really got the sense that I was 100% in control and that they were an extension of me. If that makes sense. Because of this I'd like my own skis so that I can really get into using them. Get to know them and how I can work with them.
So my first question is, has anyone done the Ellis Brigham ski trial thing where you hire kit to get a feel for them? Any good?
Second question: any tips for what type of skis a lapsed speed queen of big turns should be aiming for? I'd like an all mountain ski ideally so that I can do mogul and powder too, but should I be aiming for something different?
In all, I'm a bit lost with all the different kind of skis you can get now.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi There
IMO.
- Get the skis for where you ski most of the time. If you spend most of your time On Piste, get a Piste ski; if you occasionally go Off the side (between Pistes), go for a wide Piste Ski or a narrow All Mountain Ski (say 80-82 underfoot for a bit of extra versatility). If you spend more time Off Piste - say 40% - go for an AM ski that's around 88-92mm underfoot. If you spend as much time as possible Off Piste, go for a Freeride Ski (110-120 underfoot).
- If you go for a Piste Ski, choose the radius that suits your skiing preference ie. 11-12mm for Short Turns; 14-16m for versatility; 18-20m for longer turns.
- If you are light, maybe a more Playful ski; if heavier and ski fast and aggressively, maybe a damp, stiff ski (harder in moguls and Powder).
When I went from long, straight skis (2m @ around 60m radius), to carving skis (160 @ 14m), I was left behind, as everything happened so much more quickly than I was used to...So my advice for Piste Carvers:
1. Get lessons, which will greatly help you adapt and help you remove the excessive movements needed to turn Straight Skis
2. Concentrate on getting forward and across and pulling your feet back underneath you at the start of the turn, to prevent being thrown into the back seat. Make sure you finish your turns, so you are in control for the start of the next turn...or you can get pushed further and further into the back seat, resulting in loss of control.
Turning should feel less effort on carving skis.
Sorry, can't help with EB ski tests.
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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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I mostly agree with @Old Fartbag, but I would tweak the settings a little bit 
If you want a piste ski, stay below 80mm. For an all mountain ski, I find that the sweet spot if you are genuinely splitting your time on/off piste is about 95mm, so 90-100 is a good range. If you want a freeride ski and are small and light (you don't say how much you weigh, but I'm assuming you're a woman so might be on the smaller side compared to average man), you can stay below 110mm. If you are looking for a one-ski-quiver, then an all mountain 95ish would be pretty versatile.
I'm not sure about Ellis Brigham tests, but there is a SnowHeads ski test in October (check Events nearer the time) which has a variety of brands and ski types.
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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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Were you in hired boots? - If so, that could have added to the feeling of being "clumsy and sloppy". Generally, I think it's best to get Boots first, if you haven't already done so.
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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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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
| Were you in hired boots? - If so, that could have added to the feeling of being "clumsy and sloppy". Generally, I think it's best to get Boots first, if you haven't already done so. |
Exactly this.
Also, my own point of view is that owning skis just adds hassle to one's life. It's dead easy to rent well cared for models.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Amazing replies @Old Fartbag, and spot on with the boots issue. They were hired and because I have high arches and metatarsalgia I ended up with a wider mens boot which didn't give me the ankle support. I've started with the boots - 3 hours in Profeet yesterday and ended up with some mens Lange which tend to be narrower in the ankle/heel (I'm a woman and only 64kg but 5'9"cm and a strong skier), and my plan is to do a long session at MK a) working out what the pressure points are on those so I can take them back for tweaks and b) trying out a few pairs of skis.
On the lessons front, do you think it's worth doing that at MK?
Also, when you hire in resort, do you get a good choice of skis? I went to Intersport last time and you just had a choice of packages rather than the ability to specify a type.
I'm going to re-read your post a few times to get my head around the specifics but some excellent pointers.
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Thanks@Scarlet, I hadn't spotted the October test thing so that might be a better place to start.
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@Snowtuner, good on the boots. Profeet ought to be pretty reliable, although it's been many years since I went there.
Hiring in resort is based on finding the good shops (sorry if that's a bit obvious). Intersport generally is not the best - too mass market. Let us know where you're going and someone probably will have a rec.
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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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| Snowtuner wrote: |
On the lessons front, do you think it's worth doing that at MK?
Also, when you hire in resort, do you get a good choice of skis? I went to Intersport last time and you just had a choice of packages rather than the ability to specify a type.
I'm going to re-read your post a few times to get my head around the specifics but some excellent pointers. |
Yes to lessons at MK.....and then further Private lessons on the mountain.
Ask on here prior to going and you should be given advice over hire shops.
The small difference between the advice given by myself and Scarlet, really comes down to personal preference.
My weight varies between 64kg (up to recently) and 66kg (currently). This means I can get sufficient float from a narrower ski if wanting something AM oriented. As a lighter bloke, I also prefer something a bit more Playful - so am inclined to avoid the likes of Blizzard and Nordica. I have got on well with Head, Rossignol, Scott and Dynastar...and in the past, Atomic and Salomon.
However, nothing beats trying out different brands, widths, radii and lengths for yourself, when hiring.
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@Snowtuner, I think you're doing all the right things. The boots will help a lot, and getting them skied in and sorted out before you travel is an excellent idea. Snow domes are a bit limited for testing skis compared to a mountain, but they are consistent, and if that's somewhere you're going anyway, you may as well maximise the resource. You can definitely still get a feel for skis you like and don't like.
There are also ski test days all over the alps throughout the season, so if you are still looking by winter, you could head out somewhere that has a ski test running that same week. I was running a thread with the info, so I'll get that updated when details of events start to emerge.
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