 Poster: A snowHead
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Last year I narrowed down my choice of new ski to the Karma, but never got round to making the purchase. Now thinking about it again.
I'm 6ft 1in, about 13.5 stone, ski all over the mountain, but mainly on piste or in fresh to the side. Like to try some tricks but certainly no master in the park (180's my limit at the mo). On piste I ski fast, aggressive, like mixing up short and long radius turns. My favourite style is to blast GS style down reds. I'm OK in the bumps but the knees are getting a bit old now so tend to stay away now. Also need to spend time on gentler slopes with my kids.
Only want one pair of skis, as I also take a board so a one ski quiver is the order of the day.
Never skied on the Karma's but read enough to convince me they're right. Had a pair of K2 Apache Recon for a day last year and was very impressed, but gosh were they heavy, just not sure they're quite as versatile as the Karma.
Any suggestions / alternatives ? If I do go for the Karma, then should it be the 177 or 185 ?
thank you.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Just FYI I don't think the Karma is not part of this years range, it has been replaced by the Bridge. There are a few sets around (EB at Castleford has some on sale I noticed at the weekend) but you might want to buy quickly if you want a pair. At your height and weight if you want them as an all mountain ski I'd go 185, the 177 would be better for freestyle but I'm guessing that's not your thing
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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hasn't the Karma been dropped in favour of the Bridge?
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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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BGA, Arno, thanks, EB do have some left in stock, also ski-bilek have some on ebay at the moment so keeping an eye on those. Isn't the Bridge simply a rebrand of the Karma, much the same ski underneath ?
BGA, re length, that's pretty much the conclusion I came up with, but my ski/board bag is only 180cm long (can just squeeze in 181cm 1080's), don't think the 185's will stand a chance ! But that shouldn't rule me head I guess ....
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Ang bags out there big enough for a wide board and 185cm skis ?
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or preferably, big enough for a wide board, 185cm skis and my wife's 154's.
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Volkl have got some new twin tips for '08, the Bridge and the Wall. The Bridge is 92mm underfoot whilst the Wall is thinner at 87mm - however they both have the same turn radius and the Bridge is infact thinner in the tail. The Bridge has got SZK very excited, he keeps mumbling about getting himself a pair and if I hadn't already got myself a new pair of skis I'd definitely be looking at the Bridge - I reckon its a kick @ss all-round ski if you're looking to include a bit of park and spinning in your skiing. I'd go with the 185 at your size, better for the piste and off-piste skiiing.
Another ski to look at is the Nodica Enforcer Supercharger; 98 in the waist with a radius of 21m in 185 its another very versatile ski, although not as stiff as the Volkl range.
Away from the twintip side of things you've got the ski of last year - the Scott Mission. Awseome all-round ski, I skied it a few times in different conditions and thought it was cracking.
Because it's a new season I reckon it's worth having a look around and trying to test some of the new releases before maing your final choice.....
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brian
brian
Guest
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I demo'd the Bridge at Braehead last week. Ok, hardly an all mountain demo but it was great, didn't feel like a big tanker of a ski at all. Looks minging mind you.
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K2 Seth Vicious are great all-rounders, have you tried them?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ski bag should be no problem. First step, throw away the snowboard, then get one of the large wheel bags from S+R, which will take four sets. I can get my 190 Gotamas, 181 Factions, 177 Supersports and my OH's 168 Karmas in no problem. Bit unwieldy in the airport but manageable.
People I know who have skiied the Bridge rave about it (although they are sponsored by Volkl), but I would agree with brian, the graphics are awful
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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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I am a convert to last year's Scott Missions, mainly due to their versatility.
Need to learn to put them on edge properly on pisted runs, but when you do, they hold a great edge. And then they're wide enough for pretty much anything that Europe can throw at them.
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This is interesting. For my post no. 666 I recommended a ski that has a faint picture of Jesus on the topsheet!
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You know it makes sense.
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horizon, scary.
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brian
brian
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I liked the missions too but I don't think they'd be much lighter than the recon whereas the bridge is quite light, considering its girth.
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Poster: A snowHead
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masmith, Can recommend demo'ing the High Society FR. No problem demoing either the 179cm (92mm underfoot) or the 187cm (104mm underfoot) at Castleford so you could try em alongside any of EB's demo stock as they have both Seth & Bridge demo's.
There's also a EB demo day at MK at the end of Sept which'll have a lot of all mountain twins available to test.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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spyderjon, what's the score for demo'ing at Castleford? Do you just pay for slope time then arrange to take skis in from the EB shop ?
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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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masmith, Yep, you pay for your slope time as normal & then just get what skis you want from EB's. If you want a spin on High Society's/Icelantic's then I'd arrange to meet you there. When demoing from EB's I think they ask you to leave a credit card or driving licence with them as security.
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FWIW, I don't think the Recon is heavy....the Outlaw is...esp with rental bindings.
But it appears to be a bit of a compromise here. I am not a park rat so do not have to consider a ski for that purpose but you want the lenght for OP...and the shortness for tricks and twins ski short so I'd say a 6 footer, av weight wants a 185 type lenght to cover your bases...
The Karma or equiv sounds on the right lines...but spyderjon's and kiwi's ski sounds worth a demo.
As always, the more you get about on different skis, the better you can make the decsion
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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 all. Phoned EB at Castleford - they're sort of in limbo at the mo - sold off most of last seasons demo's, but not got a great selection of next seasons yet. So not much point in a test session just yet.
btw, are the  's ski tests now over for the year, guess I missed the boat there ...
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spyderjon, I'll also have the 08 VIST skis there.
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| Quote: |
| My favourite style is to blast GS style down reds |
So what's wrong with a full on - or detuned - GS ski then? If you're not off piste, there are many fun things to look at...
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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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David Murdoch, Have thought about that and in some respects I'd like to. Used to ski Rossi 9X a fair bit and loved them, but that was in the day's when skiing was more serious. Since the little un's have grown up and a new wave of friends have joined us on our trips I've sort of calmed down and started to 'play' more, doing less intense blasting. Skiing for me is now more of a holiday, whereas up to 3 or 4 years ago it was a means to an end, 6 days of solid sliding with nothing getting in the way! Oh the joys of family life ... wouldn't swap it for the world though.
Don't get me wrong, I still need a good blast or 2 each day to keep me sane, but I just don't think a full on GS ski would be versatile enough.
Having said that, even with the Karma or similar, I'd still be tempted to rent a good fast ski for the odd day just for the hell of it 
Out of interest, what's in the leading crop of recreational GS ski ? It's been a while since I looked ....
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masmith,
Recreational GS..... ?? what DM means, I think is the Race GS skis which aren't hard to ski at all..if you have skied a bit. You can looking at Elans as they have some very good skis in the range. Never discount a Volkl for doing what it says it will. If you want a bit more versatilty that will take a foray into deeper stuff then the Recon is good...as is the Stockli Stormrider XL. The Movement Spark is wider but a b0ll0cking ice ski, IMV and at 82mm, it is versatile OP. Maybe the Volkl AC4
It comes down to where you want to spend most of your time. The Karma sounds a good compromise as well but I can vouch for the Spark and XL as having almost Race GS edge hold...IMV.
But as always, one ski will always need a compromise somewhere if you want to ski the whole hill and bits in between.
If it were me, I would buy that one ski that does 80-90% of what I ski and then rent the specialist ski for those 'other' days. So if I run a fattish ski at around 94mm for that time, I would need to cover hardpack/no-snow-for-weeks conditions with a Race GS ski rental for blatting around on piste/ice
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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EB have the 4FRNT MSP + Scratch 140 Ti for £270 - seems a good price, but is it too much of a pure park ski, will this achieve the 80/90% objective, as JT puts it?
I don't know anything about these skis at all so forgive me if this is way off target.
The description however does say "If you're looking for one twin to ride the whole mountain, then this has to be right at the top of your list".
Cool graphics on the 180 too.
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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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New for next season, also looks like it might fit the bill ?
Scott Punisher
Essentially Mission's with twin tip ...
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Well, an offer too good to turn down led to my buying some Karma 185's. With Tyrolias Free Flex 14, mounted and delivered for £260.
Would really like to have tried a few of the skis mentioned above, particularly the Mission's, but given the cost difference and that fact that the Karma ticks most boxes I just went with my gut instinct.
Won't know whether I was right or not until early december when they are unleashed on the slopes of Ischgl, but will post some feedback here. Thanks again for contributions and help.
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You know it makes sense.
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masmith, were did you find the Karmas? any left?
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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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skimottaret, they were bought in an ebay auction from Ski Bilek
They have another pair on auction now, auction is for skis only but you can choose bindings after.
Unfortunatley there's a bit more interest in this pair, they're already more than when I won mine (€ 207)
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Poster: A snowHead
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| masmith wrote: |
skimottaret, they were bought in an ebay auction from Ski Bilek
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That's where I got mine as well. Can't remember how much exactly, but I was delighted with the price.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skimottaret, or Sport Conrad had some a ta good price but only 169cm.
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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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skimottaret, theres a high chance Ill be selling my karmas, they're 2 seasons old... PM me if your interested 
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masmith, thanks for that i saw the sport conrad but didnt appreciate they are only in 169....
george_1, could be but still need to demo some other skis before i make up my mind but will get back to you if Karmas are the daddies...
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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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skimottaret, well you should definately give the karmas a whirl. The ones I have are a 177, not sure If that is the right size for you?
they are mounted up with marker bindings, and are in good condition.
Other skis you could try are the k2 public enemy, they are pretty similar and there are lots of good deals on last seasons at the moment.
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I love my Karmas and I would recommend anyone buying them especially at the great prices they have at sports-conrad.com atm.
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george_1, thanks but i got some without bindings so i could fit teles...
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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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skibomb, out of interest, as I've just invested in some, what you going for instead ?
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TexMurphy, got mine at ski bilek auction on ebay slightly cheaper than conrad
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