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Should I go for shorter radius skis?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi everyone,

A group of us are going to skiing next week and I'd like your advice about choosing an alternative type of ski.

I'm a low-intermediate skier who can parallel turn (sideskid) down green and blue runs, albeit a bit slowly on the blues. Towards the end of our ski trip last year, I started tilting my skis onto their edges on some turns and this time round, I really want to learn how to carve properly. The problem is, I usually make quite a few turns to control my speed and I'm a bit worried that normal radius carving skis might be 'too fast' for me and might make it more difficult learning to carve.

Does it make sense to go for shorter-radius skis instead? Would they allow me to carve shorter sharper turns and thereby limit my speed or would you recommend I stick to standard carving skis?

Thanks in advance.
Nas
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Nas, why not give them a whirl? Most hire places will allow you to chop and change skis. Tell 'em you want to try a particular type and see how it goes.
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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?
Nas, if you're hiring skis from a reputable shop, and you're honest with you assessment of your abilities, including telling them how many weeks you've skied, then any beginner/intermediate piste ski should do you fine.
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I improved loads when I moved from relatively long beginner skis to good quality GS ones. They're much easier to turn, especially at lower speed, and built my confidence right up. I'm now happy skiing easier blacks and everything else below it. Go for it, you can always take them back and exchange them if you're not happy!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
magriggs wrote:
I improved loads when I moved from relatively long beginner skis to good quality GS ones. They're much easier to turn, especially at lower speed, and built my confidence right up. I'm now happy skiing easier blacks and everything else below it. Go for it, you can always take them back and exchange them if you're not happy!

That's really interesting that you switched and were happy with the results straight away. I'll defintely give it a shot.

Did you find that the shorter radius skis were unstable in a straight line or over small bumps, though?
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Nas, Welcome to snowHead You sound like me a few months ago! I was reluctant give up 'beginner skis' and ask for intermediate as I was worried I would suddenly 'whizz off' however in january I hired intermediate skis and they were brilliant, so much easier to turn and more controlled! I'm 5'2 (nearly!)and had 143cm skis! good luck Very Happy
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Nas wrote:
The problem is, I usually make quite a few turns to control my speed and I'm a bit worried that normal radius carving skis might be 'too fast' for me and might make it more difficult learning to carve.

Does it make sense to go for shorter-radius skis instead? Would they allow me to carve shorter sharper turns and thereby limit my speed or would you recommend I stick to standard carving skis?Nas


The best way of managing your speed when learning to 'Carve' is by choosing very easy terrain to practice on, i.e. wide, quite flat open area's. A more shaped ski will make it easier to 'carve' tighter arcs and get the feeling of riding the ski's natural turn length.

Carving is all about eliminating 'skid' so speed is going to build rather than reduce Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Nas, I would drop right down to blades and work back up.

Having said that I wouldn't necessary buy rather than hire shorter skis. I learned to carve on snowblades, then 150cm/10m radius skis. Then I got some Scott Misssions at 178/16m. Last Sunday I decided to ski my 150s again since the snow was quite hard. After 2 hours I switched to the missions and I actually enjoyed them much better.

The 150s are a bit of a one trick pony. Invaluable for learning carving (preferably in softer snow) though.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Hi. I've read this with interest.

I'm an intermediate who is very happy on blues and most reds but get nervous turning on steep reds/blacks. I can parallel turn and my carving is coming on. A friend said for me to try slightly shorter skis to help build my confidence turning on steep stuff. In Morzine, a few weeks ago the ski hire guy said "non, non, these (can't remember the length) are fine for you". I did query in my mind most of the week - when attempting steeper stuff - as they did were quite long and I sometimes felt I was turning in unruly great big 'clown shoes' if you know what I mean!

I'm off to Lech in 3 weeks. At 5'6" what kind of length would I be looking at if I wanted to go a bit shorter to just see if they made a difference? Can anyone help?

Though, as mentioned above, talking to a decent ski hire shop, they should be able to recommend the best, but 'intermediate' is such a melting-pot level and no-one probably really gets across their ability correctly.

Thanks.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
magriggs wrote:
I improved loads when I moved from relatively long beginner skis to good quality GS ones. They're much easier to turn, especially at lower speed, and built my confidence right up. I'm now happy skiing easier blacks and everything else below it. Go for it, you can always take them back and exchange them if you're not happy!


I have a pair of Stockli GS skis, as well as a pair of Volkl slalom skis. I find the GS ski a lot more challenging to ski properly on (Carved) as due to the much longer radius, your arcs are big and that in turn makes you pick up lots and lots of speed.

Lots of speed requires lots of strength because speed causes higher forces to develop.

Higher forces on the edge in turn require better balance on the skis to make the skis hold their edge.


Skidded turns can be done on basically any ski, the sidecut doesn't do a whole lot when skidding.

So my recommendation is to use a quality slalom class ski (around 13-14 meters). Good equipment helps, and floppy noodles that are given to beginners does not help you progress.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Ronald wrote:
magriggs wrote:
I improved loads when I moved from relatively long beginner skis to good quality GS ones. They're much easier to turn, especially at lower speed, and built my confidence right up. I'm now happy skiing easier blacks and everything else below it. Go for it, you can always take them back and exchange them if you're not happy!


I have a pair of Stockli GS skis, as well as a pair of Volkl slalom skis. I find the GS ski a lot more challenging to ski properly on (Carved) as due to the much longer radius, your arcs are big and that in turn makes you pick up lots and lots of speed.

Lots of speed requires lots of strength because speed causes higher forces to develop.

Higher forces on the edge in turn require better balance on the skis to make the skis hold their edge.


Skidded turns can be done on basically any ski, the sidecut doesn't do a whole lot when skidding.

So my recommendation is to use a quality slalom class ski (around 13-14 meters). Good equipment helps, and floppy noodles that are given to beginners does not help you progress.

Thanks Ronald, your post was useful and I'm going to try and get my hands on some slalom skis next week and see how I get on with them!

I need some more advice though. What should I look out for when inspecting skis offerred to me at the hire shop?

The reason I ask is becuase on my second ski trip a couple of years ago, when I really was a novice, I was given skis with big gouges on the underside of them which would catch every now again causing me to lose balance or fall over. Like a fool, I continued skiing on them, thinking this was normal and was what skiing was all about! As you can imagine, it made and for a chaotic weeks skiing, all of which was captured on video by my family! snowHead

I'll know I need to look out for gouges and check the edges are sharp and smooth but is there anything else I should check?

Thanks
Nas.
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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.
Bases should be flat, with a slightly visible structure, usually crosses, no gaps and holes.
Edges should be sharp and smooth.

If in doubt, get another ski. Renting is not exactly supercheap, so make sure you get good equipment from them...
Don't get 'basic'/'blue'/'beginners' stuff, this is not quality equipment. I got on a pair of Volkl Allstars quite early on, its an 'advanced'/'vip' ski, but reasonably soft (due to it being designed to be 85% on/15% offpiste)
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Nas, Welcome to Snowheads snowHead

I'm in a very similar state of development to you - I think I "got it" last weekend but was going v quickly on what I think were long radius stiffish skis. Being an ingoramus I forgot to check the make, length, width, stifness, sidecut etc etc.

Back out again in a few weeks I'll be hiring again and I agree that intermediate covers all sorts and when combined with a language difference then anything can happen.

As a point of reference, can any of the experts help with educating us on what is short , long, wide narrow etc? Obviously height is the big input that will change the relationships but I'm a bit clueless about where the boundaries might be between slalom, GS, etc etc (see - I don't even know the names of the categories never mind what they mean)

Apologies if this is already in the forum somewhere....

(btw I'm 1.85m, 95kg so somewhat different from some others posting here!) snowHead
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I heard a rumour that skis with very narrow waists and fat tip and tail could be a bit twitchy...
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Snowy, I still clocked in 95.59 Kph on the Allstars down the speedtrap at the Haneggshuss here in Wengen, and the trick i have for that is to keep them very slightly on edge, this takes away the twitchy feeling you may have when running skis with large sidecut (ie short radius) at speed.

We actually believe the speedgate is too far onto the flat section to clock the topspeed reached...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Ronald, Very slightly? Shocked which edges? or are you switching them? at 100kph? Shocked (near enough for me anyway - bet you were well over at your fastest wink snowHead )
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
kewhoward, pretty much like carving a really long arcs almost straight down the fall-line
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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?
Snowy, they can, but if you keep them on the edges it isn't an issue.
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