 Poster: A snowHead
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Mrs UKTM is looking for a new pair of skis for her birthday.
She's a good skier on piste (about 10 weeks experience) and looking to start exploring off-piste a little more next season. Current skis are Head Cool Thangs, which are fine on-piste, but far from ideal in the deeper stuff. So she was thinking about progressing to something a little wider and more advanced at the same time. Possibly keeping the Cool Thangs for a while as a piste/learning ski. We started looking at women's all-mountain skis (eg. Head Wild Thang, Dynastar Exclusive Legend, Rossi B78/B83, K2 Lotta Luv, etc) but there's not much left in the sales at the right length. One shop had the Head Wild Thang in stock, but advised that they would be a bit of a handful for her (she's only 55kg and not very aggressive/powerful). The Rossi B78 looked like a good candidate, but they didn't have the right length. The Lotta Luvs failed the graphics test, so a definite no-go even if they are amazing to ski. They were heavy too, which put her off.
So the shop guy then mentioned twin tips as a possible alternative, even if no intention of going in the park. He specifically recommended K2 MissD's, even though they didn't have them in stock either at the right length. Twin tips are something we've never really considered before, but I can see his point. They're generally lightweight, wide enough for powder and still reasonable for carving groomers. So there's no reason why they shouldn't make good all-mountain skis, particularly for lighter women. They also seem a bit cheaper to buy, which is a bonus. Any thoughts on this? Obviously the more sexy graphics are a factor here, otherwise she'd probably go for a more conventional AM ski (probably the Rossi B78s or Dynastar Legends). But is there any real technical reason not to get the better looking and cheaper twin tips? I told her she can then learn to ski backwards too 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wild Thangs are (from female friends) pretty agressive skis (and the ones for next season look very cool in pink) - but on the other hand I found that my skiing came along no end when I had to ski much more aggresively to control my last pair of new skis.
If you ski behind Mrs UKTM then the problem with twin tips becomes very clear....a face full of powder! Otherwise they tend to be pretty flexible.
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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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clubman, Cheers. I don't think the Wild Thangs would suit her style, but I agree she would probably benefit from something a bit more challenging than her Cool Thangs
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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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uktrailmonster, my better half skis on Wild Thang's and she is not an aggressive skiier, about 1.62 in height and the same weight as Mrs UKTM. She skis at various speeds on piste from cruising around to blasting about with the odd bit of playing around in the soft stuff off the side and on that basis seem to be a real all mountain ski.
The skis (from memory) are either 154 or 157 in length and her skiing has really improved since she has had these.
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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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My personal theory on twins is that they are a good thing even if you never have any intention of "riding it switch to the road".
1 You can rooster tail
2 In powder you get a ski which has bigger surface area for float but an effective edge which is shorter on hardpack
3 They generally come with more juvenile graphics
4 You can take up more slots on the gondola ensuring more space for your party inside
5 As you have noted they are often cheaper than the corresponding trad ski.
Drawbacks
1 Skins harder to fit
2 Added complexity to the tele turn
3 You may not be as rad as you look
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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i think there are *some* twins which are cheap because they are made more for grinding rails than carving pistes so be a bit wary of them. other than that i think fatbob sums it up
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Hofmeister, Thanks for that. Do you know what model year her Wild Thangs are? They've gone wider this year, but I'm not sure about any changes in construction etc. The ones in the shop seemed pretty hefty and stiff for a women's specific model. Far stiffer than anything else similar in the shop. Interestingly, I ski the men's equivalent of the Wild Thang (iM82) and it does seem quite a stiff, fairly demanding ski to me. They weigh a ton too, but don't feel heavy in use. I really like them, but I think she might find them just a tad too tiring at her current level.
fatbob, Sounds good to me. The drawbacks you mention won't be an issue for her. She's young and good looking enough to get away with point 3 
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Arno, Cheers, she's already been warned off some of the cheaper K2 twin tips for that reason. But as I suspected, it seems like there's no real reason to avoid twin tips providing they're intended for use outside the park. She'll be happy with that news as she finds the graphics on conventional skis extremely dull. I think she's got a good point there actually. Everyone says graphics don't matter, but it just ain't true!
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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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uktrailmonster, I agree they weigh a ton when carrying them but don't seem to affect the way they ski - good for blasting through crud though.
They are model year 2006 (in orange) and having checked in the shed, the dimensions are tip to tail, 115-71-101, 156 in length giving a turn radius of 12.8
I think for this year in the same length they increased the waist to 76mm giving a slightly longer turn radius of 13.9 but don't think there was a radical redesign so is essentially the same ski underneath.
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It's all relative - I've just bought a pair of the M82 and find them very light!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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uktrailmonster, i bought a copy of Skieur magazine last time I was in France and there was an ad for someone who would do custom graphics on your skis. i'll see if i can dig it out when i get home
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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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Hofmeister, They've changed yet again since then. The current ones (brown) are now 121-81-107 and 15.4 m radius, which is quite a difference. I thought the extra width was a positive thing for learning off-piste, it was more the weight / stiffness I was worried about on this particular ski.
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clubman, compared to what?
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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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uktrailmonster, Head XRC1400 / some heavy duty Tyrolia bindings. I never cease to be childishly amused by handing them to friends to hold.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Axsman, She hated the graphics on this year's Lotta Luvs, so that was basically the end of that. I must stress that graphics are not her main concern, but she has got to at least like them a little. The B78Ws are still a possibility, but they'd have to ski significantly better than the undoubtedly far more sexy K2 twin tips. I must admit at first I was a little negative about twins in general, but then reading a few reviews of the K2 MissDemeanors and other similar skis, they do seem like pretty competent all-rounders. Also even cheaper than the B78s, which is a nice bonus.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| clubman wrote: |
| uktrailmonster, Head XRC1400 / some heavy duty Tyrolia bindings. I never cease to be childishly amused by handing them to friends to hold. |
Ok, fair enough. I can't see Mrs UKTM going anywhere near that kind of ski! My M82s (183) are pretty hefty beasts for their width, although they do ski surprisingly light.
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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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uktrailmonster, Heh. Nope. I'm pretty sure they are not her thing at all! I think mine are about 170 and the M82s are about 183 as well...I have to be much lighter in my skiing with the M82s...first day out was a bit embarassing as I fell over a couple of times in front of a bunch of strangers...
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FAQ
