 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm an confident intermediate female skiier, looking to move up. I mostly ski blue runs in North America (mostly East Coast crud, but sometime good Colorado snow) and am very confident on the blues. I'm continuing to take lessons to improve technique when I can so I can be confident on black runs...about 5'6" and 148 lbs. Any suggestions? I have great boots but need to buy new skis. At the ski shop, they recommend I buy Volkl Gamma 320s. According to the Volkl website, these are for intermediate/advanced looking to move up, but from other forums and what I'm reading, they're more a beginner/intermediate ski. I definitely don't want a beginner ski.
I probably will never be an aggressive mogul skiier (bad knees) but want a ski that I can use for several years and 'grow' into, but still be comfortable with now.
I'll be at Mt. Stratton, NH, tomorrow, and am hoping to demo whatever they've got that might fit. I'd love to hear suggestions!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to snowHeads nicburnham, 
I'm sure there'll be someone along to help soon!
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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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K2 One Luv or True Luv
Oh, and Welcome!
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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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Welcome nicburnham,
Not that I have tried them but I have reviews of these skis which I will pass on
K2 Omni 3.5 and 4.5 the latter a quick turning improver and the 3.5 a lazier ski version of its big sister..!!
K2 One luv, good all-rounder for intermediate and up
Rossi Open 500, top Rossi recreational ski for perfecting technique
Rossi Zenith Z1, a Blue and Red blaster
Volkl 420 All-rounder with good edge grip for upper intermediates and above
Atomic SX10 good stabilty and grip and well suited to lighter skiers
Head IC Lightning - Ladies type ski from last year
Head IC160 good edge hold and stabilty
Head C140 Great sweet spot cruiser
Head XRC 500 An all day carver, fast and forgiving
All these skis are rated between 3 and 5 on a scale of 1-6, so should suit intermediates upto advanced.
I think all these skis should be within your scope and a good start for a piste cruiser but you may want to cross reference these with the ski shop. And you can always change them if they don't work, surely
And some friends of mine attended a ski test week and reckoned that collectively K2 were making the best batch of skis this year.
But then I don't think there are many bad skis out there.
I have been impressed with Head.
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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--this gives me a TERRIFIC start on what to try! I'll be sure to report back what I find/learn.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Rossi B2w
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nicburnham,
If after ladeez model, my wife has Volkl Supersport Gamma (ladies Supersport 4Star). She tested both and they're stiffer than K2 T-Nine True Luv so should take her further, but still very easy to ski. One Luv also supposed to be good.
Lots of good men's skis will suit you, but ask them before you borrow them 
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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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Cathy Coins, well, I have GREAT skis. What does that say about me? 
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Ah and I have even better skis than Wear The Fox Hat,
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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D G Orf, not better for me!
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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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Cathy Coins,
With all this clamouring for your attentions going on, I feel I would be doing you an injustice not to let you know that actually it is my skis that are the longest, stiffest, not too narrow though, and forgiving in all the right places.
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slikedges, well, your skis certainly sound ideal for you and I'm sure perform well. No wonder the ladies have to ask first before you give it to them.
As for DG and Foxy, do you have great skis in your opinion or do we have corroborating evidence to back up your claims? 
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You know it makes sense.
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Ah, you can have the best equipment in the world, but if you don't have the technique......
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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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maggi,
If you look at the "Skiing on piste is too dangerous!" thread you'll find I am very thoughtful about my technique and pride myself in knowing when to go fast and when to go slow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Cathy Coins, I'm using Head GS skis, very very good but heavy and very stiff, they need a pretty good skier to get the best out of them with very strong legs, not a good ski for an intermediate. For me they're ideal but for most people (at least 95%) they would be too stiff and heavy to use properly
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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D G Orf,
Now that's just bragging
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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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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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Well, I cannot personally vouch for Fox's equipment, but I did do my demo'ing yesterday (that's a verb, right?) at Mt. Sunapee, and thought I'd pop back in to report. (Yes, I said Stratton before...I knew what I meant!)
Because it was school vacation week here in Massachusetts (and for at least a portion of NH schools, where Mt. Sunapee is located), and I hear it was vacation week for Connecticut as well, the demo center was pretty low on skis. However, I managed to try out four different pairs.
Note: the slope was windy (wind blowing uphill at about 20 mph, depending on where you were and what reports you believe.) Surface was hard packed powder--even at the trail edges, I found very, very little of the soft stuff. It was like skiing on cordouroy that had been spilled on, then dried out. Some people are great on that stuff, but it took me a while to get my legs under me, so my first few runs were rather conservative.
First--I took out Volkl Gamma Supersports in 161 cm. I don't know if it was me getting used to the conditions, or if it was the skis, but I kept catching the inside back edge on my right ski--and at unexpected times. Because of this, I kept slowing down and skiing more conservatively--which I think made me catch that edge even more, but I was too afraid of going fast and catching it and having a real wipeout. I did about 7 runs on them because I couldn't figure out the edge issue. The skis definitely perform better at higher speeds, but that edge really threw me off, so I'm not sure of my opinion on the Volkl Supersports. I'd have to try another pair on different conditions, I think.
Second, I picked up a pair of Atomic B7 Balanze in 148 cm. Too short for me, I think, but that's what was available. These were very easy to control and I could carve fairly well on them (esp. after I'd been so hesitant on the Volkls with that edge issue), but overall, I found them a bit of a boring ski.
Third were my fave pair of the day, Elan Fusion S8's in 160 cm. These just sang. Lots of control, not too stiff (but not too sproingy, either) and I was able to get good speed and really cruise along if I wanted, or take a nice, lazy run without feeling like they wanted to run away with me. I liked the length, the control, the entire feel of these. Had some fantastic runs on these where I just flew.
Finally, I was tempted to try out the Volkls again to see if the edge issue was just a morning confidence thing, but the demo guy had just gotten in a pair of Fischer Vi30s in 155cm, and talked me into trying those. I'd rate these just below the Elans. They were fun and easy to control, but not as exciting as the Elans. Can't explain why--but then again, I was getting tired, as I used these for the last two hours of the day.
I'm going to try to demo one more time before I buy--maybe re-try the Volkls or get another pair of Volkls, maybe the 420s or the 724 just to check them out. But I really liked those Elans...
And again, I simply can't speak to Fox's equipment 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Also--forgot to add--I really want to try out the K2 Luv series. I hear such good things about them. Weren't any at the demo shop, though, or those would have been near the top of my 'want to try' list. Hopefully next time!
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Sounded like your demo went well nicburnham, and you found a pair of skis that suited you.
Think it's best to leave the guys' equipment out of it
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FAQ
plus they suit my old style skiing technique 