 Poster: A snowHead
|
Let's put it this way. I can feel a difference between a 78 and 84mm skis in offpiste environment. It makes a big improvement in my skiing, and ability to control which, if I can appreciate, many others who are active skiers will feel alike. But note that wide skis are not necessarily easy to ski outside the groomers as the more serious offer on market is solid as sandwiched wood with two layers of metal. If you can't ski your narrow skis aggressively in good conditions you won't manage those either, particularly on more difficult parts of the mountain.
Now, I have gone above all my limits and got really fat almost straight planks (radius 38m) which I have not had a chance to run through powder or crud yet. From what I can tell having briefly tried them during Christmas was that I enjoy them on the windpack more than any other ski I have had, and on piste, while not carving, they deliver if my speed is high enough. My take on equipment therefore: if on piste only, don't go above 80mm. If outside, go wide, unashamedly. And enjoy!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
did anyone actually suggest that mod fats make powder feel like piste? I think Dave was meaning proper fat skis - more like 100mm than 75mm.
Incidently I don't agrre that powder feels like piste on 100mm waist skis - you get deliciously smooth, floating sensations.
What you don't get as much of is the natural bouncing rythyms where you build pressure and then release it being flung out of one turn and into the next, and I miss that. That's not to say I can't see the fun in skiing big super-g turns at speed across a virgin field of powder.
demos - I'm surprised that a 38m radius ski is optimal for windpack - would have thought you'd want to be able to carve a wide range of turn shapes on windpack.
J
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
jedster, with the snow packed as it was, it was rather a smooth windpacked surface, not the kind of crusty and uneven thingy which you may refer to (apologies if my English terminology of snow is more limited than it is in Finnish where I would obviously find the exact word of the 15 descriptions of snow conditions that we face...  ). Where the patches of soft were or harder bumps, it just ran through. However, at Christmas the amount of testing was very limited since there really was no proper conditions available. And, I was careful as ever because wind had blown a lot of rocks out from the snow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I think that the idea that a fat ski is automatically bad on the piste is outdated. It may only have been this year that it's been cracked, but it is possible to have a fat ski that carves and holds an edge on hard pack as well as a narrower ski. I shan't say which one it is, for fear of accusations of pimping.
Similarly I don't think that you lose too much by using a fat ski off piste (although I did demo some huge 130mm(guesstimate) underfoot twin tips last year, which turned the breakable crust into a piste). For my weight a 90mm underfoot ski gives a nice amount of float, giving me the confidence to either do perfect powder eights, and powder farm, or to rip it up with sweeping long radius carved turns, and far from gliding over the top of the powder they do sink nicely into it. For me, they've also boosted my confidence, which has also helped my technique.
Overall, with the right set of fat skis, I really don't see a downside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I really do want a caddy, with a quiver of skis. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
How about compairing fat skis and skinny skis to water surfing. In the good old days everyone surfed on 10 foot planks then came along shorter shaped boards that allowed tricks and novices to look better and progress quicker. down side was more surfers in the line up...like more off piste skiers
But a cool thing happened...Over the last few years there has been a strong retro movement back towards long boarding with "old school style" and tricks.
why cant the old school skiers strap on some skinny skis and look cool for those in the know who appreciate the difficulty in skiing with that type of equipment and if off by yourself in the backcountry feel good about your level of ability.
Glen Plake still skis on 2 oh somethings and is an avowed "long boarder" cause he likes it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
easiski wrote
| Quote: |
If the coinditions are suitable I take my beginners off piste in their first week.
|
that seems a very good idea to me. I see the ESF and independent local instructors taking classes of kids down through little off pistey bits through the trees etc and having a ball, but they do it less with adults. Our cross country instructor got us doing a bit of "off piste" last year, mostly with hilarious results, but I, for one, much preferred it to trying to snowplough down the prepared piste where falling over was really quite unpleasant. Especially as getting up again is easier with free heels. If people spend their first few weeks learning on super groomed runs with nice visibility they can fall apart when faced with unprepared pistes after fresh snow, poor visibility, etc. I have had a couple of lessons in powder, not super successful, but I am improving. One problem, I reckon, is having to unlearn the technique I spent a lot of time acquiring of having skis apart and the bulk of the weight on the downhill ski. I've been practising on piste having my feet close together with equal weight, or weight on the inside ski on easy slopes, to try to become more versatile with balance, and that has helped. As have some wider skis - I'll take all the help I can get. I'd rather do some modestly successful turns through powder on my wider skis than eat snow, thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How good...? A snowplough will go through fresh snow.... its all the million other things that can trip you up...not least route finding...!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
