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What skiis?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Im looking to get some skiis before i head out to andorra in jan. I havent a clue which skiis to buy ( i dont really pay much attention to skiing equipment). i feel i am a pretty decent skier and like to go off piste quite alot, i also like to try and showboat trying as hard as i can to do tricks, i had a look at the freestyle range skiis but they seem like they are for ppl who use the snow parks alot. any infomation would be great, cheers brad.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi Brad. Try some intermediate skis. Any should do. Or fish.

Sorry - ignore that.

How about your height, weight, experience and more info about the type of skiing you want to do...
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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?
Height about 5,10 i would say! type of skiing i wanna be doing is off piste as much as i can and black and red runs, i like to go fast and attempt any jump i can, ive had about 12 weeks of skiing in all, been chamonix,les2alpes,alpe d'heuz, a few places in italy (not sure of the names).
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
K2 PE's or Made n AK's

A
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Brads, Please do not take this the wrong way. Why are you buying skis?

Economically (if that makes a difference) most people are typically better off renting...
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Why do you want to buy skis here? I always thought they were cheaper in Andorra (duty free and all that)?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I agree with David Murdoch that ski carriage charges and servicing costs (often overlooked) make the economic case for buying skis more difficult than it used to be.

Could I ask what's motivating you to buy?

We can give you suggestions until the cows come home, but the only way you'll get the right skis is to demo them first. So, if you want to buy then demo a range of skis in Andorra and see what feels right to you.

If after demoing you can't tell much of a difference between the skis you've tried then IMHO you should continue renting.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
A friend bought his in Andorra as they were cheaper than here, and he could try them before buying.
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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.
i've just switched from K2 crossfire 167 to metron B5 162 (not skiied them yet). i've read loads of B5 reviews & i'm hoping i've done the right thing - btw i'm around 13 stone/5ft 10ins.! i spent most of last season skiing on/off piste in B.C. The K2's were great on piste, but not so good in crud & powder. While i was out there i tried a pair of zenith Z5 in 170 & they were at least 20% better than the K2's in powder/crud, though you had to work them harder to make short radius turns on the really narrow tracks. Maybe they were a bit long for me (?) Like many skiiers, i want a ski that will do most everything, while being suspicious that such an animal exists. It seems most people think Atomic are a long way towards that with the B5. ~Has anyone compared the metron B5 to the zenith Z5 , which also has some pretty good reviews (not seen a bad one yet... Puzzled )
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
riverwhy,
I have Z5's in 176 and love them but would Z9-B5 not be a better comparison?
I bought my Z5's because they were £20 cheaper than the SX10's they had in the shop.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
that's a long ski - how "big" are you? Yes that might be a more direct comparison i guess - i understood there wasn't much difference except the Z9 was a bit better at very high speeds.
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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.
II wrote:
riverwhy,
I have Z5's in 176 and love them but would Z9-B5 not be a better comparison?
I bought my Z5's because they were £20 cheaper than the SX10's they had in the shop.


I get paid to test skis, and snowboards, as well as do a few other things within the ski industry, such as tune skis and fit boots, a lot of what i write gets published to the public, now that i have declared that.

I have tried all the above mentioned skis, as did my ski testing colleagues some of who are much lighter in weight than myself, the Atomic Metron B5 (2007) model is a very good ski especially for an aggressive and / or heavy in weight skier, but i consider the new Atomic SX10 with B5, to be a better all round ski, as it has a larger turn radius and is not quite as heavy, sure the B5 will hold a better edge on ice, but is more challenging in both moguls and deep fresh powder, i was not keen on the SX10 B5 at carving very short radius turns on hard pack at lower speeds as the 16 metre radius didn't want to carve easily at a 12 to 13 Metre radius turn, and i had to let them slide just a little to get the tighter turns in.
The Rossignol Z skis are very good when new, but quickly become concave in the base and are then harder to tune back to the factory settings, the 2 degree side edge bevel on the Z skis allow for the edge hold to let go with not much effort for aggressive and heavy skiers, but they will suit lighter weight recreational skiers, and they have such a large sweet spot, so they are a good fresh snow ski that is very forgiving, i wouldn't recommend them for high speed on very firm snow unless you are very light in weight and don't mind them sliding around a little.

The Fischer AMC76 is a very much under rated ski as an all round solid performer, and i consider it to be even better than the legendary Fischer RX08.

The new K2 Motosports will be a winner when you finally get them, maybe next season, but keep an eye out for them, and for those who like Atomic the new Nomad series will be a winner.

The Rossignol Z9 is very similar to the Atomic SX10 B5 with its 16 metre radius, but the greater edge bevel on the Atomic and the B5 technology outperforming the VAS, makes the Atomic a better ski for the money.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
whitethorn. i have just changed from K2 crossfires (167) to metron b5 (162) in the belief that the atomics will be better than the K2 in powder/crud & moguls. Have i done the wrong thing??
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Maybe, the Crossfires are a good all rounder, and my favourite K2 ski until the Motosports came out, The B5 is reasonably stiff for an ideal powder / mogul ski, but if your ability to stay in a narrower sweet spot is good in the powder you should be fine, in larger moguls, the Crossfire would have been a better choice in my opinion, but then on firm snow the B5 is way in front of the Crossfires. The B5 is a great crud buster, certainly better than the Crossfires.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
whitethorn wrote:
II wrote:
riverwhy,
I have Z5's in 176 and love them but would Z9-B5 not be a better comparison?
I bought my Z5's because they were £20 cheaper than the SX10's they had in the shop.


I get paid to test skis, and snowboards, as well as do a few other things within the ski industry, such as tune skis and fit boots, a lot of what i write gets published to the public, now that i have declared that.

I have tried all the above mentioned skis, as did my ski testing colleagues some of who are much lighter in weight than myself, the Atomic Metron B5 (2007) model is a very good ski especially for an aggressive and / or heavy in weight skier, but i consider the new Atomic SX10 with B5, to be a better all round ski, as it has a larger turn radius and is not quite as heavy, sure the B5 will hold a better edge on ice, but is more challenging in both moguls and deep fresh powder, i was not keen on the SX10 B5 at carving very short radius turns on hard pack at lower speeds as the 16 metre radius didn't want to carve easily at a 12 to 13 Metre radius turn, and i had to let them slide just a little to get the tighter turns in.
The Rossignol Z skis are very good when new, but quickly become concave in the base and are then harder to tune back to the factory settings, the 2 degree side edge bevel on the Z skis allow for the edge hold to let go with not much effort for aggressive and heavy skiers, but they will suit lighter weight recreational skiers, and they have such a large sweet spot, so they are a good fresh snow ski that is very forgiving, i wouldn't recommend them for high speed on very firm snow unless you are very light in weight and don't mind them sliding around a little.

The Fischer AMC76 is a very much under rated ski as an all round solid performer, and i consider it to be even better than the legendary Fischer RX08.

The new K2 Motosports will be a winner when you finally get them, maybe next season, but keep an eye out for them, and for those who like Atomic the new Nomad series will be a winner.

The Rossignol Z9 is very similar to the Atomic SX10 B5 with its 16 metre radius, but the greater edge bevel on the Atomic and the B5 technology outperforming the VAS, makes the Atomic a better ski for the money.

Thanks for the advice. I think we kind of came to the same conclusion:
Rossi Z9 is a competitor ski to the to Atomic B5
Rossi Z5 is a competitor ski to the to Atomic SX10
I’m not an expert skier by a long shot if I was I would not own Z5’s I would have a fat powder ski and one for racing etc….
I’m just some bloke who only has one pair of skis and ski mainly on piste but occasionally leaves the groomed run. I happen to own a pair of Z5’s and like them.
I can’t remember exactly but I think I paid £ 220-230 for them with Axial 120 bindings
When I went into the shop I was wanting to buy Atomic SX10’s but they did not have 180’s in stock so I bought the Z5’s instead and they were £ 20 cheaper.
I’m not trying to rile you and I am sure you have much more experience of lots more skis than me. All I’m saying is for my skill level I like my Z5’s better than the Salomon scrambler 8’s and streetracer 10’s etc that I tried before I bought them.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
II, Nothing you have said would rile me, or concern me in any way, personally for me and the way i ski, i don't like the Z5 but when testing them i can see why some skiers would like them, how they are tuned plays a large part in how well they ski.
I don't know how well you ski, but if you are capable of holding a good edge, you are going to love the B5 on groomers, the edge hold is like most race skis when you get the ski centred and on an edge. The Z5 may be a good one to hang onto for softer snow where edge hold is not as critical.

Pity they stopped making that Axial binding, they were a good choice of binding, although the replacement has retained most of it's functional properties, just not the turntable.
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