 Poster: A snowHead
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I have been given a bit of a hope that I might get a few days on the slopes this year so am back into ski thinking. Anyhow... I am more a skiboarder than skier. I learnt on skis but have probably only done two weeks on them. Since then I have done a months worth on my skiboards. I am youngish and reasonably confident and will go as far as blacks (albeit with caution on the steeper ones). The boards I have been riding are fatish and just over 100 cm. They are absolutely superb fun (especially in the moguls - my fave) but I have increasingly been finding the limitations. The two most notable are the stability at any real speed and the stability when the surface becomes less than ideal.
The first isnt as such a bad thing but does tend to mean I am overcautious on anything slightly steep because I can quickly find myself at uncomfortable speeds. The second is a bit of a pain really. I can be zipping along and all of a sudden come across a soft section or a soft bump and find the tips digging in and nearly tossing myself off my feet!
In light of this, I am recalling a suggestion of trying to move onto skis which give me most of the benefits but cut back on the negatives of the boards. It was suggested to me that I could achieve this using some very short fat skis which I could effectively then ski as I do my boards. Unfortunately, knowing I would be a long time from trying it again, I didnt think any further about the matter after last years trip.
So can anyone comment on this? I am not a trickster and not an off pister. My primary love is in the moguls, especially after a fresh snowfall. Is it worth giving something a try if I get onto the slopes or am I wasting my time?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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buns, getting on a pair of 130cms short skis will give you he added stability you require. Most resorts stock rental versions so there is lots of scope for testing. These short skis will allow you your fun on moguls and still have a skiboard turn response (ie quick). I would recommend you trying full length skis, though. You may well be surprised how good you are on them having spent so much time skiboards. Long skis are not as arkwards as you think. Good luck.
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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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buns, First of all, modern skis are a lot less difficult than they used to be and have come down in length compared to a few years ago. I have also skied the short skis and know what you mean about moguls, but really your just enjoying the fact that the skis are easy to rotate because of the lack of weight. Don't be afraid of longer skis as they can really reward you. I would suggest a lesson in how to get the best out of them, as your tehnique might need some adjustment. The main thing is have fun 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Thanks guys.
Chris - I think that was the sort of suggestion I heard before. Would I still need to be getting fat skis at that length? For the longer ski suggestion - what benefits would I see ahead of short? Keep in mind that I am now too old to be thinking about racing really fast and doing anything really extreme...
Dypcdiver - Will longer skis not be heavier and thus make my mogulling more awkward?
graeme - I was watching the longer boards last year. The icelantic look interesting but are rather costly, I wouldnt be able to try them out and I tend to wonder why I would get them and not just short skis. In honesty I find the really long boards a bit of a conundrum. I got into the skiboards because they were short, light and manoeverable. By the time they are up to the longer lengths, you need proper release bindings (adding weight) and my (untested) assumption is that manoeverability must be compromised. So again I wonder why I wouldnt just go for short skis and thus be able to get into the skiing fraternity without the scorn!
Edit: Just thought of one reason why long skiboards might better short skis... twin tips. I am not big on tricks but I do rather like the twin tips on my skiboards as i can mess around going backwards...
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buns, I think its more important that the 120-130cms are twin tips than fat but looking at these short skis they tend to be fat anyway. Long skis advantage is that they are much more stable and for an advanced skiboarder, (no more of that being pitched off in soft snow) much easier to use in all conditions apart from moguls. I love skiing 'over' moguls with short skis or blades but the technique of skiing 'round' them on skis is almost as much fun! And then you have off-piste where the shorts really lose out in the fun department! You say you're too old to be racing fast but with skis you won't be experiencing the nervousness of skiboards. I can travel twice as fast on skis as on skiboards but feel more relaxed at that much higher speed. If you want to try skis, rent a carving piste model and no longer than 162. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
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buns,
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Will longer skis not be heavier and thus make my mogulling more awkward?
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Initally yes, but in no time you will find that you have more overall control when the moguls get a bit hard.
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And then you have off-piste where the shorts really lose out in the fun department! You say you're too old to be racing fast but with skis you won't be experiencing the nervousness of skiboards. I can travel twice as fast on skis as on skiboards but feel more relaxed at that much higher speed. If you want to try skis, rent a carving piste model and no longer than 162. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
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I have to agree with chris, BTW what do you call old? 
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I switched from Blizzard Carvelino blades to 150 fun carvers and adapted very quickly. Certainly I prefer the normal ski bindings. I would have chosen something shorter but couldn't find any adult short skis at all. Now I am glad to have the longer skis.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Darn it... lost a reply with a dropped connection... I hate downloaders!!!!
I wouldnt really describe myself as an advanced skiboarder! I am confident but not dillusional!
I am 25 but only started when I was 22. I also ski solo due to my holiday partners being happy on greens so I dont go too adventurous for fear of injury and no one to help! So the likes of off piste is totally out of the question.
Can maybe you guys give a few ideas of where to look at skis? I dont really know what to be looking at! Am I after freestyle? Slalom? I have very little idea! I would like to be sure that any renting I might do is off something I really would want!
Thanks again guys.
Adam
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buns, do a search on Google for Carving Skis (they are for piste usage)to get an idea of what your looking for. This type of ski will give the closest to skiboards in characteristics. As I said before, stick to 162cms or less. I would recommend Rossignol Z1 or Z3's as a good starting point. They are quite light (not compared to skiboards of course) and have some flex so if you try moguls they will be forgiving. Also, if you take your skiboards with you, use them on the 1st day. It will help with balance. Then try skis. This way is easier than going from skis to boards! If you can carve on your skiboards you will be able to do the same on skis. Try them for 2 days at least to give yourself a chance. Don't worry about it. If you don't enjoy it there is always the skiboards. After all, its all about fun.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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buns, the thing is, if you are using the correct technique, length and weight arnt an issue. (I must admit to never skiing anything less than 165 and enjoying movement PowPowLtd in 189 and 26m sidecut ! )
Heavy skis that i've tried wernt more cumbersome when on the move - the weight actually helps stabilise them for a smoother ride. You may notice the weight and length if trying to push them around - try a lesson with some nice piste carving skis 
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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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My goodness there are alot of options! I am used to this with my home cinema addiction, but at least with that it is easy to make an assessment based on specs! I think this is one instance where I cant work out what is best without actually trying for myself!
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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FWIW, I'm in the same situation (coming off blades to big skis).. I bought Salomon Streetracer 10's without really looking into it (my blades are salomon and they're dead turny, clearly the big version of turny skis will be what i want...). Bit concerned I've bought the ski equivilant of a lemon, but reading threads over at epicski will probably do that to any purchase.
Anyway, what I'm saying is, hopefully 174cm carvers will be like blades 
(A wee bit of a threadjack - anyone with experience of SR10's reckon it'd be better to keep them and try them this season or flog them on ebay while they're still new?)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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toiletduckuk, Reported elsewhere but my SO (who is a cheapskate ) bought the Decathlon SR 10 Demos from Decathlon ( i am assured they are the same skis) last year - sold through Trocathlon this year - she described them as ' worse than rubbish ' , and that from a woman who would normally claim she doesn't care what she 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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Oh another question... one of my real pleasures with skiboards is I dont have to carry poles! If I stuck with 130 odd skis, could I also survive without the poles?
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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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buns, yep I skied without poles on my 150s (until I got some poles for Christmas). Not sure what use they serve if you are carving and can skate on the flat.
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buns, Ah, don't force her, just let her see all the other people having fun. I met my wife in a bar at the side of a ski slope and she was already a skier. Now as for poles, once you have the longer skis then it opens up much more of the mountain ie. the offpiste bits, where you will realise the value of poles. Sometimes a few minutes of poleing will give you access to that bit of untracked heaven.
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buns, for what its worth I bladed for four years and whilst initially enjoying it found the same issues as you at speed etc. I tried Line 'performance blades with alloy bindings' and while better still had limitations. I have moved to twin tip skis that arent too park specific so I can still play but also ski at speed and this year hopefully venture off Piste if Winter Park offers enough (cant wait!)
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| graeme wrote: |
buns, how bout keeping the skiboard feel that you enjoy, and go for a longer style skiboard, skiboard companies are pushing the length of the boards now, summit do the marauder in a 125cm length http://www.skiboards.com/skiboards/summit/marauder.html also check out the icelantic range http://www.skiboards.com/skiboards/icelantic/icelantic.html other companies offer a longer board/blade, salomon do a 120cm, atomic do a 123cm, rossignol do a 118cm, although these 3 are a bit narrower than the 2 companies mentioned previous. i have the summit customs 110cm
graeme |
Icelantic will be in the UK next season and the 08 range varys in length from 143cm to 173cm.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I had a bit of a try... to be honest I went back to the skiboards. The skis were undoubtedly more stable for big long carves, but they just were not as fun. I couldnt come up with much more reason to stick with them. On the skiboards I can carve more easily, I can skid turn more easily, I can jump turn more easily, I can go through the trees and blast through the bumps - I also dont have to bother with these nonsensical pole things! There is only one real downside of the skiboards but since we had almost no fresh snow, this was moot.
Another interesting thing is that there seems to be mixed opinion about skiboards versus skis. Most people I encounter (including several instructors) consider skiboards to be much more difficult because they need much better balance. On here, many take the opposite view!
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FAQ
but then I found out I break 
BTW have you thought of changing jobs or aren't you serious about skiing 