 Poster: A snowHead
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So whats everyones view on snowblades/snowskis (depending on brand)? Thinking of trying something new this season and was looking at getting one a set of 70-99 cm skis. Also, any recommendations on brands? Also what about the boots? I have my tradional boots but is there a lighter boot that is more realistic with these short skis? Overall for those who tried? Were you hooked or not?
Thanks
Chronic!~~
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ski'd on blades for best part of 6 yrs before going to freestyle twin tips back a year ago.
I had Line Pro 98cm Ski Blades and just normal Ski Boots (Head edge) worked for me!
I think they are really great fun but they turn you into a really lazy skier, becuase they're short you dont bend properly, you just force turn the little beasties, apart from that they're cool!
Go for it, you'll have fun - and dont let eveyone going on about spiral fractures put you off, in all they years i didn't so much have a bruise let alone anything more!!!
A
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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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they're fun, you can kind of bundle your way down anything on them - but be warned, ski forum users love the chance to jump on the evil snowblader  (generally because small children/idiots are also attracted and give them a bad name)
*edit* how similar are full length twintips to blades adam?
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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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my twins are 175cm v blades at 98cm
Took about 3 hours to get used to them again lol.
I learned when i was 12 on very straight 210cm dynies lol
A
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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On boots, you just use ordinary ski boots. Some skiboards (I think that's the right word) have proper ski bindings, most have have sort of clippy things which don't release (hence the thing about fractures, and it is possible, a young French guy I ski with now and then had a bad leg fracture using blades. He still uses blades all the time, but now has a pair with proper bindings). The boards with releasable bindings are much preferable, but a bit more expensive. We use blades sometimes, skis mostly, cross country sometimes, snowboard sometimes. There are a few fascists/fanatics around who believe in One True Path and rubbish the rest. Ignore them. Blades are fun and although theoretically not possible off piste my kids have, as toiletduckuk says, "bundled" their way down anything. You'll enjoy it. I don't think they are as bad for your skiing as some people claim, actually, because they go best when kept on their edges. If you stand flat on them (except for 360s etc) they shake, and you soon learn how to stop that by getting them on their edges. You also have to get your weight forward; it's not possible to "sit on the tails" because there aren't any tails. Some of the people who regularly rubbish blades would do well to spend a few days on them; it would improve their skiing. Some highly regarded ski teachers put people on blades to get some points across. Certainly there are idiots around on blades; there are idiots (much more dangerous ones) around in 4WD vehicles but that doesn't make them the invention of the devil.
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Definitely agree with pam_w about having to keep them on edge too - basically you'll learn to carve very fast through lack of other options, since sliding on them isn't particularly useful 
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toiletduckuk, exactly. Blades taught me how to carve. Now I am on 150 fun carvers and I can carve them more or less the same. chronic, I used snowboard hard boots which were fine. These are a lot softer than any ski boot so any ski boot should do but I would imagine the softer the better.
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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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Snowblades look way too dodgy to me, but I was thinking of trying out some mini-skis this season i.e. something half-way between "proper" skis and blades, say about 1.2 to 1.4m long. They seem to have plenty in hire shops. Has anybody used them?
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the ice perv, snowblades are not exactly "dodgy" .... but we bought a pair of the Decathlon Wedze skis last year. They're good, feel way more solid than blades and are used like ordinary skis. We found them particularly useful to lend to adult visitors who used to be able to ski, but haven't been for years. Once they got over how short they were, and persuaded to give them a go, they were universally popular, especially as borrowing ours saved them the cost of hiring! What surprised me was that they are not at all slow. On paths, the sort of thing where you just hope you keep going, my husband is generally faster than me (heavier, longer skis) but, for a reason I couldn't begin to explain, I kept up better on the Wedze skis. They are quite cheap, too. There are two lengths, we have the shorter ones (billed for beginner to intermediate skiers). Great on bumps, for people like me who are not good at bumps. However, for skiing faster on big cruisy red runs, I prefer my longer (but still shortish) Volkls. More relaxed. But I am not someone who can distinguish between the finer points of different skis. Easiski has some Wedzes, she will probably be a long with a more expert opinion.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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the ice perv, I started to ski on snowblades because I had a bad leg injury (road traffic accident) that meant I couldn't snowplough for any length of time - it was just too painful. Blades allowed me to go quickly to parallel turns, avoiding the long days in snowplough position. As my leg strengthened up, I changed to long skis, and did this by my own "ski-evolutif" i.e. I moved from 99cm blades to 120cm blades and finally to long skis (although in my case, 147's come up to my eyes, and so they aren't actually long in the overall scheme of things, just the right length for skis for me). I insisted on release bindings for my blades.
While it is true that blades can bring in bad technique i.e. forcing skis round, and rotating upper body, I learned with BASI instructors and always with the intention of moving to longer skis, so I learned to "ski properly" on blades before getting onto longer skis, rather than messing around and then having to undo bad habits. I learned to carve on snowblades, and this was one of the best lessons I've ever had!
So, I have used 120's, and to me they felt more like blades than skis - they were too rigid to push on and bend properly, at least for somebody of my light weight. They were Rossignol Scratch 120's.
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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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chronic, take a look at www.skiboards.com plenty info there, plus a forum for dedicated blade/skiboard advice
graeme
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| Quote: |
Great on bumps, for people like me who are not good at bumps.
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Exactly what I wanted to hear! I just fancy a change from my own 177cm skis really. I might as well rent something totally different if I am going to go to the trouble of walking to the hire shop. 
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You know it makes sense.
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| adam_button wrote: |
my twins are 175cm v blades at 98cm
Took about 3 hours to get used to them again lol.
I learned when i was 12 on very straight 210cm dynies lol
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That was my first thought instead of going with blades was to get a large size of twin tips and see how that feels, but to easy my spending habits this year I thought I would try the blades instead.!!
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