 Poster: A snowHead
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I am a 1-2 week annual skier who skis 95% on piste, blues reds and the occasional easier black. I'm male 5'8 and approx 11st 6lb.
I tend not to go too fast
I have carver skis which I bought 4 years ago, noticed that most other carver skis in my ski class have wider tips and tails than mine. An instructor said i would benefit with carvers with broader tips and tails.
The skis i have are "Atomic c6 carv" with a rossignol binding FDX95
The figs on the skis are 160....101.64.88 , there is also a 16 in a white circle, could someone explain what these figs mean and are my skis are "narrow" and would I benifit from a broader carver. I am thinking of selling these and upgrading to a new pair in the end of season sales.
The skis come to just under my nose when I am in bare feet.
I've also noticed that the skis are lighter than other others, what part does weight play.
Is it worth me upgrading
What should I look out for if I upgrade
Any models I should look out for
Wheres the best place to buy skis, online or bricks and mortar shop
Thanks a mil
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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BTW what is the radius, saw this mentioned on sport conrad site ?
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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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kendub, radius is the "16" on the ski, it is an approximation of the sidecut on the ski. Too many other q's for me to answer after a fondue...  Plenty of great info here regarding ski radius, shape, length and weight etc... Have a read around/
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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101mm is the width of the tips
64mm width under foot
88mm width of tails
ski length is 160 cm
radius is 16 metres. this I believe is the largest radius turn that the skis can make while carving. (stand to be corrected)
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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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You can make whatever radius turns you like by how you use your feet. It's more that that's the natural turn it likes to make. 16m is fine for a carving ski, don't worry. My carvers are 19m radius. My buddies are 12m radius. They have pros and cons, but you won't really be effected by them at your (assumed from asking the question!) post. I'm suprised an instructor would say that you need different...
Basically, don't worry about it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Broader tips and tails will mean a tighter turn radius, provided the middle of the ski stays the same width. In theory it means they will turn tighter on edge.
Wider skis usually mean you float better in deeper snow, although I'm led to believe the width underfoot is more important here than the tips and tails 
Go onto the big manufacturers websites (K2, Rossignol, Atomic, Head, Volkl, etc) see what they say about each ski they make and look at the dimensions, you'll get a feel for what ski does what.
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Or, rather than reading marketing blurb, demo some skis.
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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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16m seems a good general-purpose radius. The light weight is more of a concern, as it may be that the skis are not stiff enough for you so you lose the edge more easily at higher stresses.
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Demo, and then buy cheaply wherever.
Do you want to start skiing off-piste? That would be the thing which would drive me to suggest a change.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| beequin wrote: |
| 16m seems a good general-purpose radius. The light weight is more of a concern, as it may be that the skis are not stiff enough for you so you lose the edge more easily at higher stresses. |
At 11st 6lb, he is fairly light, so that migt well be OK.
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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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If your instructor says that, to learn carving, you would be better on a set of pure carving skis, I am sure he is correct; however, as your carvers get more single-function, they also lose their 'all-mountain' aspect.
I have a set of carving skis which are heavy with wide tips and tails and a narrow waist (Salomon Streetracer 10). They are truly excellent for on-piste carve turns, snap from edge to edge, and really grip on ice and hardpack; but (IMHO) are compromised for bumps, off piste, and any situation where pure carving is not required. All skis are a compromise.
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| penster wrote: |
| If your instructor says that, to learn carving, you would be better on a set of pure carving skis, I am sure he is correct |
I'm gonna drop the awful line that I hate, but.... "as an instructor", this is utter rubbish.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm not sure what a set of "pure carving skis" are. You can use edge control to steer your turns with any ski, if you use it right. If you want to do tight radius turns it's easier to do on a pair of skis with a tight radius, but that doesn't mean you can't carve on a pair of skis with a 27m+ radius.
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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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| rob@rar wrote: |
| I'm not sure what a set of "pure carving skis" are. |
Tight radius, narrow waist, low taper, and centered waist, possibly offset sidecut like the old 9-11. Slalom skis get higher taper and rearwards offset waist.
I get the impression from the OP that the instructor is demonstrating the effects of forward pressure and tail pressure on the turn shape, something with more bite than 101 mm, maybe 115-124mm could make the sensation of initiation clearer.
In fact, IMO anyone learning to engage the edge -progressively- i.e. tip to tail, is going to be way hindered by tips narrower than ~110mm.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| comprex wrote: |
| rob@rar wrote: |
| I'm not sure what a set of "pure carving skis" are. |
Tight radius, narrow waist, low taper, and centered waist, possibly offset sidecut like the old 9-11. Slalom skis get higher taper and rearwards offset waist.
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Can you still buy skis like that? I thought anything with a tight radius looked pretty much like a slalom ski?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| rob@rar wrote: |
Can you still buy skis like that? |
Sort of.
Hard to find a ski without 10-15 mm of taper, but you can find more centered waists either among the radical carving skis or among turnier twintip skis.
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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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Even some fattish skis approaching 100mm underfoot have under 20m turn radius. They can be pretty nippy when carving. A more up to date mid fat may well allow you to spend a little more time playing around at off-piste skills. If that is where your interests lie of course.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| kendub wrote: |
What do make of these 3 |
Decent chik ski / blah humdrum snooze / blah humdrum snooze
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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None stands out. Try talking to a store in the UK about some of their past season skis.
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