 Poster: A snowHead
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First, I've searched many sites for a comprehensive ski forum, reading many of people's posts I think I'll enjoy my time here.
Second, at to the job at hand... I am looking to buy a pair of skis and I was wondering if you can comment on the skis I have in mind (and have been recommended) or perhaps suggest an alternative.
About me... weight 80kg, height 188cm, will ski all day given half the chance.
My ability... I ski in Australia/New Zealand (and did a few weeks here and there in France 15 years ago). I rate myself as a strong intermmediate skier, comfortable skiing most of the terrian here down under, only a few blacks do I struggle with both in confidence and ability and I have limited experience off piste but weather permitting I'm hoping this will change this season.
My weakness... it's a funny thing to be fearful of a "soft" landing when we talk about snow, yet I have this tendency when faced with steeper terrain; I lack the confidence under these conditions on steep sections of black runs with a tendency to lean back or into the hill which I KNOW is not good practice, but hey I'm working on it.
What am I looking for?... 80% groomed piste/20%off piste. I want to venture out a little, try off piste, less of the groomed runs and to concur my loathing of steep moguls (technique again!)
What I've tried:
* Apache Crossfire (or it could have been the X) - L168 - we're okay but I found them less responsive in the softer snow, especially in the warmer months of the year or in drizzle.
* Salomon Scream pilot 8s - L175 - very comfortable - a good all rounder on groomed runs.
* Salomon Scramber 10s - L170 - less responsive on groomed trails. Preferred Scream's over these.
What I've been recommended:
* Apache Recon - owing to it's wider waist compared to the Crossfire
* Elan Magfire 10 (not 12)
* Volkl AC3
* Fisher AMC 76
* Atomic Ski Metron M10 (not the 11)
* Nordica Ski SUV 10.1
I've been renting each season for the last 4 years, it's time for a change, lend me your thoughts...
Many thanks, MTB (that's my #1 passion)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Rossignol Bandit B2s should be on the list, as should Scott Aztec Pros. I would have been able to give you a personal recommendation on the second pair, if I'd been able to get anywhere near them at the EoSB!
BTW welcome to snowHeads.
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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 would also recommend trying at least one pair of "fat" skis, they may well change your attitude to off-piste skiing completely.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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thanks for the tip
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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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You should probably also try on of the Head Monster range - width up to you. I find the 72 is better on hardpack than many 67mm-waisted skis but the extra width is a good intro to powder
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Funny you should mention it, it was through a search that I found your original post (http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=11004) that drew me to the site. Many thanks, in more ways than one!
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mtb, de nada! And a belated welcome!
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Just a suggestion, but you may want to think about buying a shorter ski. I know you are tall, but technology has come so far in the past 10 years that shorter skis are doing everything longer skis used to do, and doing it better. Professional racers are skiing on 160 cm skis instead of the 220+ cm skis of past decades. I ski the Atomic Metron B-5's (I'm a huge Atomic fan and would highly recommend the M-10's). A friend of mine (he's taller than 6 feet) demo'd the B-5 at my urging and HATED it. He couldn't understand what I liked about the ski. When I realized he demo'd the 172 cm, I made him demo the 162 cm skis instead. He put his ego aside (he had never skied a ski less than 175 before) and tried the 162, complaining all the time it was being adjusted that it would be too short. Well, he ended up buying a pair the next day. He said the 162cm ski was like an entirely different ski than the 172cm.
I am pretty short and I ordered the B-5's in 152cm length after having only demo'd the 162's (no one ever has the shorter skis available for demo). The first time I skied them, I thought I had made a big mistake as they felt sooo short. But after a couple of runs, I got used to the length and have loved them ever since! I've had two entire seasons on them (40+ days of skiing each season) and have never regretted getting the shorter ski. I'm especially happy that they are short when I'm in the trees and on moguls (though they are way too stiff to be a good mogul ski).
And yes, I do like to go FAST.....with the B-5 technology, they are fantastic at speed. No chatter, very stable and they carve like a dream.
Good luck!
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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mtb, Welcome to snowHeads. I support irishskier's views re Atomics & ski their b5's, M:EX's & Sugar Daddy's. At your dims you'd easily ski the M11 but if you don't fancy an 11m radius ski then their new 170cm M11B5 at 15m radius would be right up your street - especially if you like your effort rewarding, unlike the v.damp & boring Recon's & B2's. At the end of the day however it's personal choice so the trick is to demo, demo & demo again. A further benefit of Atomic's Neox bindings is the abilty to play around with the fore/aft binding position to suit your preference.
irishskier, welcome also from a fellow Atomic fan. And you're right in that you've got to be 240lbs+ to ski the 172 b5  .
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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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mtb, just to be controversial, how many days do you ski a season? I'm not convinced that owning skis, especially as technology is evolving so rapidly, is economically sensible unless you ski more than 14 days or so a year. I wouldn't want to run on skis >3years old, and expect 120 days use from them.
Maybe I've just talked myself out of my own argument...??
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You know it makes sense.
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Thats interesting to hear easiski, and David Murdoch, - i've thought about getting my own. For no sensible reason other than just having some!! (perhaps a crazed notion of going for an impromptue ski when we have freak snowstorms in Kent and such like!)
And because they're shiny and pretty  Like I said - no real justification though. I guess it's to do with the excitement the rest of the year - can just look at them and polish them or something until you get to the time of year you can actually use them!!
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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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eddyr, You can buy some old skis from ebay for Kent - good idea, but you can always rent the latest and best. After a year or two your own skis will be outdated, and at £500 + per pair that's a lot of looking and polishing!!!!
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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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Just to Hoppo, explore the "economically sensible" aspect... I feel one needs:
GS skis
SL skis
Powder skis
Everyday skis
Touring skis
Maybe even some nice SG skis like these?
Implying also:
Garmont Endorphines
Tecnica Diablo 130
Plus various and appropriate technical wardrobes.
If you don't ski >2 weeks a year and don't need immediate weekend access you don't need to buy your own skis. Honest. Trust me.
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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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Hoppo, I would never buy skis if it wasn't my job. Sooooo many skis to try!!!!
David Murdoch, Beg to differ: SL skis for everything except off piste. One pair all mountain skis for those off piste days. + Snowblades for occasional use.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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David Murdoch, easiski, I know I don't *need* to buy skis but they're nice to have!
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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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There is also the fact that you get used to your own skis as well. Having rented for the first time ina while I was pretty dissappointed with what I got. Granted I was looking for twin tips. I rented some rossignol scratch sprayers for a day and I think they were awful compared with my scott p3s. I tried the Volkl dogen as well which was much better but not as good as the p3, I think I have gotten used to the stiffness of the p3 and I think this translates to my confidence on the hill.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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While I agree that most 1 week "holiday" skiers don't really need their own skis its an important part of the market that drives volumes for the rest of us (minority) to get the skis we really "need" . There is also a reason if you want a high performance ski or a fat ski etc as these aren't always readily available for hire. or you don't want to be noodling around on Rossi CUTs or Salomon Verses or whatever the default hire shop ski is.
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easiski, I only have one pair of skis - and they are second hand...
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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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| eddyr wrote: |
Thats interesting to hear easiski, and David Murdoch, - i've thought about getting my own. For no sensible reason other than just having some!! (perhaps a crazed notion of going for an impromptue ski when we have freak snowstorms in Kent and such like!)
And because they're shiny and pretty Like I said - no real justification though. I guess it's to do with the excitement the rest of the year - can just look at them and polish them or something until you get to the time of year you can actually use them!! |
Eddy,
Buy your own skis if you want to. Economics isn't the issue - it's nice to have your own stuff. I ski about 5 weeks every season and I've always bought skis. If skiing was all about financial justification then none of us would ever go in the first place.
In any case, ski shop owners have wives and kids to support!
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IrishSkier and Spyderjon... thanks for the input regarding the shorter ski. You're right about the ego playing a role... I used to ski 195 GS skis before the shaped skis made an impact and have since skied on 170-175. I'm off to the snow next week so I'll let you know how I go.
To SharkyMark... going to be hard pushed to find the Aztec's to hire, but with the variety suggested through this post I have narrowed down my selection to 2-4.
To Dave Murdoch and Easiski... I ski less than 14 days a year... it's a common argument to hire as opposed to buy, but I feel a good ski which I'm comfortable with which has lets say 80-100 days of wear and tear in them, and I ski ~14 days/yr, after 3 years that's still a big saving. I also understand hiring skis in Japan is ridiculously expensive which is an intnded holiday location in the new year.
Thanks again for the input.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Apart from economic reasons, rental stores may not actually have your favourite ski available for you to take out that particular day. While it may be economically sound to rent. I happen to like one of those nice black volkls with loads and loads of red stars on them, preferably in 168... which the rental store actually didn't have available some specific day. Now there are quite a few options from there that are definetly acceptable, it is extra hassle and time , and a rental shop doesn't know I won't like Rossi 9S's (which is a perfectly fine ski, but its not for me) if I'm not able to tell them:)
If you're willing to pay the premium over rental, nothing wrong with it imho.
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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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also for weekend trips when time is at a premium it's great not to have to fight with the crowds in the rental shop......
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| easiski wrote: |
fatbob, They may not always be available at the TO shop, but if you shop around you'll always find a shop that stocks what you want (in european resorts I mean).
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Not necessarily Charlotte, I've spent more time than I'd care to remember tromping around shops when I was looking to try some twin tips in La Plagne. We need 4 pairs for on/off piste and it took some effort.
I now own skis, so much less hassle when you arrive and when you want to leave resort and good for a last minute weekend/trip to Scotland etc!
Cheers,
Greg
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You know it makes sense.
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[quote="easiski"]Edmundh009,
fatbob, They may not always be available at the TO shop, but if you shop around you'll always find a shop that stocks what you want (in european resorts I mean).
Even in Chamonix - which must have one of the highest concentration os ski shops on the planet I've had a lengthy trail around to find a fat ski that wasn't a pocket rocket available for hire. Obviously I am now aware of SZK's offerings but actually by the time you've been to 4 shops with the same old rubbish you can lose the will to live.
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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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The problem is you don't want to spend half your skiing time looking for that ski do you???
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Poster: A snowHead
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| fatbob wrote: |
Even in Chamonix - which must have one of the highest concentration os ski shops on the planet I've had a lengthy trail around to find a fat ski that wasn't a pocket rocket available for hire. Obviously I am now aware of SZK's offerings but actually by the time you've been to 4 shops with the same old rubbish you can lose the will to live. |
I was amazed by the rubbish selection in Whistler. Seemed that B4s were the only thing available to hire. You could get more interesting things to demo but they'd only let you have them for 1 day at a time. Won't make the mistake of being too lazy to bring my own in future!
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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 can a bit a bit of a pain but then so is lugging them through airports etc...!!
I'l have a wish list and visit a few shops the evening I get there. You can always get a a good SL type ski for the 1st day of bombing around and by then you know what else is about. and what it is like up top. However, if you just take the standard price and the 1st shop down the road or the TO recommendation, you'll deserve what you get..!!
I've skied on Stockli's, K2's Dynastars, Elans, Rossi's just lately and the only time I've come up short is when I opted for Elans SL's and the glacier has a fresh dusting which made my 1st day up there a tad difficult.. or rather I could have been on more appropriate skis for the conditions..but what an edge hold on piste... so they were quite a ski in their own right just not the most ideal in fresh snow. So that choice was my fault...!!
I try and make sure I'll know what characteristics a ski might have and I listen to the tech...mostly they want me to like the ski and come back impressed with their choice/recommendation and if they have the attitude that this ol' ski will do you, I'm out of there PDQ. I can't recall a time when I thought I was stitched up.......
I have tried some great skis and could even have wanted to buy a few but because of my condusive experiences I'll continue to hire so I don't have to get into skis-racks and carriage charges and the hassle of carrying and servicing etc. Even if I allow for £100 a week hire charge which is right OTT, its worth it to me at this time. I'd reckon on £300 a season charges tops
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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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But surely JT and David Murdoch own their own skis?
Owning skis will improve your skills as a skier. Everytime you go skiing you know excatly how your equipment works and you can worry about technique not what lame piece of hire ski you are using. That's a fact.
Whether it's economical is a different question, though for anyone skiing around 2 weeks a year it may well be - if you want to think about factoring in time. And yes I do own my own skis, but I will sometimes rent stuff if I see something I want to try. Anyway, as Telford Mike pointed out, skiing isn't in the least bit economical. Just like so many other things we enjoy!
I'm surprised at your expectations of ski life, I'd always thought it was around 100 days before camber started to go, with less for foam skis (especially PU injected which make up the majority of many hire fleets).
MTB, you should add the Nordica Eliminator to that list.
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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 not disagreeing with you easiski as with a bit of local knowledge I reckon I can track down a shop with most things in a ski resort - even teles and its a great advantage to be able to change skis by conditions each day.
I suspect that the hard on the gear pros also have a quiver of rock skis so that their latest and greatest don't take too many early season core and edge shots - its always destroyed edges and delams that kill my gear before it loses its pop. Another reason to rent, eliminate servicing costs too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Easiski surely the p3 is a park ski as well though granted more versatile, it was the sprayer model which has a different core to the fs I'd like to compare it to the scratch fs as they are same dimensions I think.
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Great input, I'll have to shop around for many of the ski's recommended, but I'll be sure to post my findings.
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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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Snowbot, the longest I used a pair of skis was 7 years (racing on plastic all summer and teaching all winter). they were K2 Comp 90s. 4 years for a pair of Head Cyberspace however both were completely dead by the end. I kept my Volkl P50 Slaloms for 2 seasons as best (30 weeks per year, winter and summer), and they're now my rock skis. I've had my Fischer WC SCs for 2 winters and this is the second summer. I'm debating whether to get new ones next winter - but they're still A OK, so I'll probably wait another season. I haven't noticed the camber going on a pair of skis for ages now - I wouldn't buy foam cored skis though. Even the Heads (still in my Dad's shed and I skied on them at Gloucester in June) still have camber!
fatbob, the tough pros I'm talking about are mostly freeriders when they're not teaching, and as far as I can see they wreck their skis on a daily basis!  Not at all careful like me.
Edmundh009, The P 3 is generally consider to be a pretty good all round ski, with more piste/carving tendencies. Most of the true park skis are very soft tip and tail (a bit like the old moguls skis), not so the P3 - he holds really well. A fair number of the instructors here ski on them as they really like them for everything, however most of them don't do much in the park. Don't know what they're marketed as though (don't read the bumph!) I'm finally going to try them out as Jutta has put some bindings on a pair of 168s - only had >170 before!
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hello - I thought I would post my findings. Unfortunately the snow didn't lend itself to trying more than the one ski. I had wished to try the Monster72s as well as the AC3, but alas these were all hired out. Anyway, the week was good enough break from the city. Here's what I tried:
Elan Magfire 10
L168cm R13.3m (125 / 75 / 109)
Ski conditions: Thredbo - 60cms base, little fresh snow, perhaps only a dusting while we were there. It was nbetter to stay high to get the most of the conditions before venturing into the soup later further down the mountain.
What I thought: They skied well through the slush as long as I didn't ponder too long on the flats of the skis... the soft conditions led the skis to "stick" in the mush which made it very hard on the legs, but when ridden on their edges they held firm and cornered on a dime. The wider waist made the days experienece very enjoyable, but legs were buggered by the end of it. I didn't get to try off-piste as the conditions didn't warrant it. Perhaps the skis were a tad stiff, but I cannot be sure as the terrain didn't offer much variety.
Again, I thankyou for your input, and it looks like I'll see another season of hiring rather than buying. Afterall... who wants to run their own skis into the ground on a soft base when you can hire the latest demos to do it for you. Cheers.
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FAQ
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