 Poster: A snowHead
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Chaps, I am at my wits end - I want to hire a selection of Volkl skis for various members of my group next week, and simply cannot seem to find them in Val d'Isere at all. The usual suspects all seem to have either stopped hiring them at all, or only hold the bottom of the range jobs. It seems odd as the last few times I was in Val I hired AC30s regularly with nary a problem - Killysport invariably had them, and if not, then Precision did.
Anyway, I'm after a pair of Grizzlys, a pair of AC50s, a pair of AC30s and a pair of Attiva Cielos...
If anyone has any ideas, please do let me know as I've drawn a complete blank - before ye ask, I have already phoned / emailed all the listed hire shops on the Val website, and also tried others that I could think of!
Hope you can help!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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redleicester, welcome to the mad house
why volkl???, there are plenty of of other great skis too, main issue is Val being in France and Volkl not being na french brand, whilst some places have them the quantity of them may be pretty reduced compared to salomon, rossi, dynastar
have you tried snowberry, (not sure if they are on the Val website) if they haven't got volkl they probably have some of the best rental kit in Val
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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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Thankyou for the welcome.
Yeah I've had a chat with Snowberry and they have plenty of other options for the rest of the group, but not the three Volkl skis. I'm always amused at the brand choices in the French alps - Volkl were all the rage ten years ago, then there was a pro-French purge, then they crept back in (plenty of ACs around a couple of years ago) and now they've had another purge! Damned annoying liking Volkl AND Val d'Isere - not a good combination!
Why Volkl? More to the question is why those particular skis surely? Having run two pairs of P60s to destruction years ago, and then having had a couple of years out from skiing, and several trips with small children, I have been hiring in recent years, and have tried multitudinous variations, but keep coming back to the upper end of the Volk AC range as a go-to ski. Lovely and stiff, great rebound, and will cruise on the piste all day alongside my less than confident wife, but will also turn up the wick and blast on groomers, yet still let me indulge a little off piste when I'm allowed to escape to such things. I've skied on various planks which have done piste better, and others which have done off better, but none that for me has had quite the same level of competence on both. I have a hilarious time on Volkl Tigershark Powerswitches last season, which were just incredible on the piste (for me, maybe not for everyone), yet more than hopeless off it. Given I spend most of my skiing time these days with my wife, I'd rather have something a little more flexible so I can go bananas when I want to (when she's safely ensconced in a cafe!) but that will be forgiving and stable when I'm hacking around with her too..... a tall order as ever.
If you can suggest other skis that have the same level of stiffness and all-round decent ability, I'm more than happy to try them, all I'm saying is I have a preference for those in particular. Maybe I'll just bit the bullet and buy a pair again, but safly I don't really ski half as often as I used to, so it's a little more tricky to justify these days. I was vaguely wondering about the newer Bandits, Salomon Fury things or Rossi Zenith, but am a little out of touch so I'm going purely on the maker's marketing of them rather than any real knowledge (or rather, I've skied on the older Bandits, but that's about it!)
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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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Red,
They are indeed thin on the ground. I always keep an eye out for them when I'm looking at shiny things in shops in the evenings.
Twinner Sport in Tignes le Lac definitely hires AC30s.
I have AC20s and love 'em to bits. 
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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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Glad it's not just me then! I adored the AC30s and meant to buy a pair just never got round to it (plus the idea of lugging two pairs of boots, two pairs of skis and a pair of anklebiters kids and all their paraphenalia never appealed!), so now thought I'd give the 50s or Grizzlys a go. Also wifey, who has been on something of a beginner/intermediate plateau for a number of years really REALLY improved with the Cielos last season, so I wanted her to have something "known" and "familiar" this time out.
Twinner Sport.... hmm... good option, just a pain it's in Lac not Val! The French obsession with their "own" brands always amuses me. Time was when all you could see in hire shops was wall-to-wall P60s!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just in case (and you can go for a look)...
Twinner sport is the first shop on the left of the Palafour lift (closest to the piste i.e. right hand side of the road) as you look up the mountain!
Just don't look at the retail prices ! 
Cheapest I've seen for AC50...
http://www.sport-conrad.com/index.asp?disp=artikel&art_nr=70401016
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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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There are 3 shops that I know of that rent Volkl.
Mountain Pro Shop - Near Bar XV - Limited number and range and expensive
Ogier Sports - Top end of resort a bit further that the old Precision (which has now closed ) on the same side of street - Good range but expensive
Napapijri ski (I think thats how its spelt) - Opposite the Casino supermarket and has a good range to buy and quite good to rent and probably the cheapest of the 3.
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I had wondered about Ogier, but struck out - they're not answering their phones and the website is down which doesn't bode well.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mountain Pro shop.... name rings bells, but not the store - do you mean the KillySport Pro Shop - the one under the Hotel de Savoie? If so, the only Volkl they say they have this season are the beginners "AC Unlimited" 
Shame, as I've hired from them regularly before, and always AC30/40s without a problem.
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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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Ogier definitely stock them and so do Mountain Pro Shop, I was there 3 weeks ago and will be back in 8 days!. Mountain Pro Shop is the other end of the village go to the main bus station, cross the road, turn left and about 30 m down it's on the right hand side. Great shop, lots of nice kit like Dynafit, Haglofs, Norrona, Volkl. The guys are really nice and some of most knowledgeable ski techs in Val but they are NOT cheap and they only have a smallish rental selection. From memory as far as Vokl are concerned they stock more powder orientated skis like the Mantra and even Kuro. Ogier should have plenty tho and it will be a quiet week anyway so I dont think you need to panic about sorting them before you arrive. Ogier definitely had Grizzlys but not sure about the others. Ogier also not cheap
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Interesting, Ogier have neither returned my emails nor answered their phones!
Ah well, as you say I shall just have to have a bit of a hunt when I get there. Thought I might also try some Rossi Zenith 9.5s and Salomon Tornado Ti's just to make sure I'm not missing out on anything by a history of too much Volkl!
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You know it makes sense.
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If you can't find Volkl AC's, try Dynastar Legend 8000's, Sultan 85's or at a push Sultan 80's (the 80's may be too soft). Maybe try the contact 4x4 too.
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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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^^ What he said, I dont know anything about the Rossi's but I generally stay as far away from Salomon skis as possible. Havent tried any with wood core yet tho. You wont be dissapointed with any of Dynastars offerings, they are sweet and the 4x4's are a sick all mountain with a bias towards 110 mph on the piste
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bias towards 110mph....  Sounds like my sort of ski!
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