 Poster: A snowHead
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I am an intermediate skier, skied about 6 weeks in total, aged 52 and never had a lesson apart from the "advice" from friends on my first week.
After the first week in Courcheval, I decided skiing was not for me, but after I got home something clicked and I could not wait to have another go.
My second week was memorable for getting stuck on the "Face" but by week 3 in Sauze I had the breakthrough moment when I realised I wasn't scared anymore.I could parallel turn, I could Hockey stop, in short I was having fun.
Anyway, I bought my own boots (Tecnica) and then bought a second hand pair of Atomic Beta Carv 9 18's which I have used for 2 weeks in total .
For this coming season I decided to splash out on some new skis.I know all about the argument about hiring versus buying, but dammit, I get a lot of enjoyment just looking at these new skis, and I am a lover of machinery if that makes any sense.
So back to the original question !
My breakthrough in Sauze came about on a pair of hired Fischer skis, just a lowly pair with Plasma edge or something, but they left a lasting impression so I have bought some new AMC 76 all mountain jobbies.I have not tested them but done a lot of surfing reading up on peoples opinions and the thing that always seems to crop up is that this or that ski is an Intermediate ski or an expert ski. Why ?
I always thought that to turn a ski, one had to pressure the outside ski to bend it into shape and therefore bite into the snow and thus carve a turn. So is it just the case that an expert ski requires more force or is it something else.
I also looked at the AMC 79 and many reviews label this as an experts ski but what makes it such.
So, it's the Fischer AMC 76 Air Carbon Titanium with Railflex 12 bindings for me this year ! All nice and shiney and new 
I can't wait.
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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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Price.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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bernie, i have just purchased a pair of amc76 as well but with different bindings
when are you going to introduce them to snow for the first time?
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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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bernie, It is a lot easier for a ski to be an 'expert' than a skier.
I would not worry about using skis with that label attached. I have not tried the ones you have just purchased.
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Roger C
Unfortunately, it will be in the new year. It,s agony watching all that snow in the alps and not being able to use them
This year I am spending more time on the old exercise bike trying to get my thighs stronger.
Still waiting for the definitive answer though !
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Ooohhhhh, what a topic.
1, Quality.
2, Lifespan.
3, Price.
4, Purchase Insecurity.
If you'd never skied, and jumped straight on a pair of W/C skis, would it hold you back? Or would that just be the reference by which you measured progression?
If so what would you need after.
Stuff is designed to help you progress, however so are Cigarettes. Start with Marlboro Reds, stick with Marlboro Reds and Silk Cut will always be, Silk Cut.  
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About £150 a pair 
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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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fatbob, About 300£ worth of design time and Quality.
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[quote="bernie"]
So, it's the Fischer AMC 76 Air Carbon Titanium with Railflex 12 bindings for me this year ! All nice and shiney and new .....Your credibility will increase in proportion to the lack of shineyness and newness...don't expect them to stay like that for more than a few hours..they will look like your atomic 9 18's in a few days - don't get stressed about what happens to them or trying to avoid every little bit of gravel and flint that will leap out from the snow to trap you or else you will ot enjoy skiing for a single moment....don't forget they are a consumable and you can get another pair...you will never get your time back. Enjoy them but don't be protective...they aren't a pair of Fiesta Red '59 strats.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| bernie wrote: |
| .....So, it's the Fischer AMC 76 Air Carbon Titanium with Railflex 12 bindings for me this year ! All nice and shiney and new.... |
Get 'em hot waxed before you go.
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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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| fatbob wrote: |
| About £150 a pair |
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"Expert" skis go with green boots.
Intermediate skis go best with leaky red boots.
*Note, this post is laced with sarcasm.
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You know it makes sense.
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I heard
| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| "Expert" skis go with green boots. |
that that's only for the first few months of dating whereas
| Quote: |
Intermediate skis go best with leaky red boots.
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forever ?
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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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bernie, It doesn't look like you're going to get a sensible answer tonight.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Personally... expert ski is designed for those who enjoy going off-piste/jumping off kickers/bit f***ed in the head.
Intermediate ones would be for those who enjoy the red runs and don't generally do anything else.
I see it in the way that you wouldn't buy a sports car to drive around London (yes I know people do this but you get the point >.<).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No idea! It used to be easy. Experts skied on skis that were at least 210cm long and were stiff as planks, intermediates skied on 190s. Intermediates were easy to identify and look down on. But since the carver came along it seems that you can distinguish experts from beginners by how FAT the ski is, to the extent that some experts now strap a snowboard on each foot and then jump off cliffs. I guess the idea is that the snowboards slow your descent enough so you don't always break your back on landing 
One thing's for sure, the guys with expert skis pull the birds, so for that reason alone they are worth every penny.
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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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bernie,
| Quote: |
| What's the difference between "Intermediate" and "Expert" skis |
The bod on top of them
The real difference is that the better construction (and usually higher price) means that the ski will perform well at higher speeds and loading and will need rider skills to do that. A lower level skier will often have no problems with skiing this these skis. My first ski was an Atomic sx10 (considered an advanced ski) but I find that they are superb and forgiving when pootling around . . . short enough not to overload knees and ankles and not so wide at the tip for them to be knocked about by the crud. They are stiff, which suits my higher weight and when they start to carve they are easy to control and either increase the grip or progressively 'wash-out'.
Nobody in their right mind  would buy FIS race skis to tool around the piste
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Who said anything about having a "right" mind... 
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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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So I suppose the real answer is analagous to motorcycling, (my other passion), in that a less experienced rider could quite happily enjoy a Suzuki GSXR 1000, even though he/she is unlikely to use the power and handling available at the top end of its performance envelope, though a small less focused bike would probably be recommended.
In short, get whatever you want and enjoy it/them to the best of your own capabilities !
There, I have answered my own question.
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Isn't that strange then. A bloke asks this question and gets a load of jovial banter. A women asks this type of question and gets told "well dearie, get yourself some lessons first. You know you should have the intermediate skis because at your level you won't be able to flex the nasty, hard expert skis....' Is it a conspiracy to keep women in the slow lane
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erica2004, yes, but if I had replied to a woman with a comment about how colour was important, I'd have had my head lifted clean off me for being sexist!
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| erica2004 wrote: |
| Isn't that strange then. A bloke asks this question and gets a load of jovial banter. A women asks this type of question and gets told "well dearie, get yourself some lessons first. You know you should have the intermediate skis because at your level you won't be able to flex the nasty, hard expert skis....' Is it a conspiracy to keep women in the slow lane |
...actually, on a more serious note, a bloke (newbie) politely asked a question yesterday about instruction, and was rather rudely told by a female skier who hadn't seen him ski that he probably wasn't any good anyway.
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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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erica2004,
How sexist of you to assume that bernie is a man - is it not an acceptable diminutive of Bernadette or Bernice?
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erica2004, men have fragile egos and need to feel superior to others. The easiest way to do this is to belittle women, since we tend not to give a rat's ass about that sort of daft competition and will either fail to notice, ignore it altogether, or merely think it vaguely endearing/pathetic depending on how we feel at the time.
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brian
brian
Guest
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| Lizzard wrote: |
merely think it vaguely endearing/pathetic depending on how we feel at the time.
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So a bit like cat lovers then ? Only without the endearing bit.
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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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| erica2004 wrote: |
| Isn't that strange then. A bloke asks this question and gets a load of jovial banter. A women asks this type of question and gets told "well dearie, get yourself some lessons first. You know you should have the intermediate skis because at your level you won't be able to flex the nasty, hard expert skis....' Is it a conspiracy to keep women in the slow lane |
Sorry, but that is just utter rubbish.
I have found two similar recent queries by you, and neither got anything remotely like the response you claim.
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=752059
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=762580
The queries that do get that type of response are those (from either gender) where the poster is asking about which type of ski or boot they need, rather tan any sort of general query.
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brian, I am rather less fond of cats than usual today, after one of them crawled into the bed and clawed me at about three o'clock this morning. 
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You know it makes sense.
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alex_heney, Get a life - I was having a bit of fun.
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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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erica2004, get back in the kitchen.
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Poster: A snowHead
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erica2004, Sorry.
I realised your post was lighthearted, but thought it was meant to be based on reality, and wondered what had set it off.
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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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| Wear The Fox Hat wrote: |
| erica2004, get back in the kitchen. |
Hear, hear!
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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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I suspect that my new Wave Magic's are probably more ski than I need right now, but then what's the point in wasting cash on something that may only last a year or two. I've been told that they are also pretty forgiving and will turn well for me, also at my height and weight I shouldn't have any problems flexing a ski that is a little stiffer. This to my mind gives me the best of both worlds - something that I can ski now and probably have fun on into the future. There must be many higher level skis for both women and men that have these features. If that's the case why shouldn't us beginners buy some more decent kit straight out. I understand why this shouldn't be the case with boots due to their increased stiffness, but I can't see why it won't work for skis. I'll let you know if I'm right after the do in MK in December where I'll try them for the first time.
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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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Expert skis need more marketing and therefore keep Fall Line going. At Fall Line we recommend expert skis because of this, but actually print something slightly different to a) make everyone think we know what we're talking about [failed, to date] and b) pretend that the red ones aren't the best.
But if you want the vaguest form of nearly sensible answer, it's to do with stiffness. If, of course, you are very fat, then you can get onto a pair of very stiff/expert skis and find them much easier to use than if you are very thin and of the same ability.
In our experience expert slalom skis are the hardest to get what they're designed for out of them unless you are actually a very good skier. The AMC76s are a very good ski, by the way.
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GrahamN, The SL12s at the Mondial were "nice"
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| fallliner wrote: |
| In our experience expert slalom skis are the hardest to get what they're designed for out of them unless you are actually a very good skier. The AMC76s are a very good ski, by the way. |
That's my experience as well. Bought a pair of Head WC slalom skis a few years ago and I just wasn't a good enough skier to use them well. The only way to tame them was to ski hard and keep them on their edges - it was just too exhausting to ski like that for a week, so I sold them. More recently I bought a pair of Rossi 9S WC skis and I'm much happier on them because I've improved a bit and I think Rossi are a bit more benign that the Heads were.
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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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rob@rar, I think you're almost good enough to handle a proper ski now. Did I tell you there were some bargain Stormriders available?
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FAQ
