 Poster: A snowHead
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just back from a fantastic hol break in lanersbach. unfortunately my sking was shite. took my new skis for the first time this year and found them v hard to manage. had originally got a pair of dynastar distinct 156 as a pres but thinkin i was a better skier than i am i exchanged(+ cash) for a pair of atomic nomad blackeye 164. did a lot of research on here and on line and thought these were the skis for me. didnt have option of testing as im in southern Ireland.
im 5 6" 11.5 st and have had 15+ weeks + many classes and am medium fitness. Q is what to do now
1. try them again and get over it ( tried this already last week)
2. ask shop where i got if they will do trade in
3. sell on from here or ebay
4. tade in in next resort i go to so i can test different skis before i buy(do shops do this)
what would you do?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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creedgearoid, get better?
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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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creedge, take a lesson on -these- skis?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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What he said
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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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A difficult one.
First off, I doubt you're 'not good enough' for your skis with 15 weeks and lessons under your belt. It's quite possible that, while they're a good ski, they're not the ski for you. Some people like BMW, some like Audi, I'm a Saab man (or I was before they went tits up). Perhaps more relevantly I've tested a ski (Fisher Watea) that lots of people love and couldn't wait to get off it. Not the ski for me.
I don't think there's much point asking the shop to trade until you know what to trade for.
I think if it were me I'd:
~ immediately book another week's holiday (the sooner the better)
~ take the Blackeye and give it another go
~ hire some a few different skis for a day each even if you find you like the Atomic
Then if you still don't like the Atomic, flog them here (or Ebay if you don't mind the fees) and buy something you know you like.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
First off, I doubt you're 'not good enough' for your skis with 15 weeks and lessons under your belt. It's quite possible that, while they're a good ski, they're not the ski for you. Some people like BMW, some like Audi, I'm a Saab man
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I disagree. First time I skied my Big Troubles last season I really didn't get on with them, as well as being the first 'fat' (they're only 92mm) skis I'd used, they were more stiff and powerful than I was used too, and longer. That was after 16 ish weeks of holidays, which I thought made me a good skier. Four weeks (inc instructor training, probs the key bit!) later, I loved them, especially in tricky snow conditions. It wasn't just getting used to them either, I used my other skis for pretty much all that time bar once or twice. It was sorting my technique out that made the difference.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 2-02-10 19:31; edited 1 time in total
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How long were you skiing on them? It may take a good few days to adjust to a new set???
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Quote: |
First off, I doubt you're 'not good enough' for your skis with 15 weeks and lessons under your belt. It's quite possible that, while they're a good ski, they're not the ski for you. Some people like BMW, some like Audi, I'm a Saab man
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I disagree. First time I skied my Big Troubles last season I really didn't get on with them. That was after 16 ish weeks of holidays. Three/four weeks (inc instructor training, probs the key bit!) later, I loved them, especially in tricky snow conditions. |
I can imagine the Big Trouble being a bit more of a shock to the system than a Nomad Blackeye though.
I don't doubt that some instructor training would help - it would for most people - but I'd expect a 15week skier with 'many classes' to be able to drive the Blackeye.
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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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creedgearoid, ok time to stop being cheeky. Why'd you find them so hard to manage? What were you experiencing? You're heavy enough to handle 164s (of pretty much anything, I'd wager).
A little more info would help. In the absence of any, I'm going to guess that you found them hard to turn and a little unstable?
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Could it be anything to do with the boots you have?
There are many variables.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Higs wrote: |
| First off, I doubt you're 'not good enough' for your skis with 15 weeks and lessons under your belt. It's quite possible that, while they're a good ski, they're not the ski for you. |
Agreed. You need to know what type of skiing you prefer and what type of ski will best cater to that.
Next time try to test a variety of skis in the resort. Some resorts have test centres where you can regularly try different stuff.
Snowheads EOSB had a really good ski test option one year in conjunction with Fall Line magazine. I am not sure if that was repeated. If not shame.
Some countries may favour national brands so an Austrian ski may be difficult to find in some French resorts but hire until you know what you really want.
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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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| Quote: |
| im not good enough for my new skis |
Be good. Behave better. Don't be like Terry.
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Just man up. Ultimately they'll improve your skiing. Just because they're challenging you doesn't make it a bad thing. Even if you are short your previous skis sound exceptionally short too me. Stick with em otherwise it's just a waste of your money.
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You know it makes sense.
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creedgearoid, it's my impression that lots of people who still have a way to go technique wise and are held back by the fad of buying fatter skis. It's my feeling though that most don't actually acknowledge this and just carry on undaunted. Seems to me that you're already a step ahead by at least being aware that the skis don't work for you. I'd say that if you're sure your basic technique is already very sound, you should persevere with the Nomads, though it'd be reasonable to suggest you'd've had more success by now and not be posting. Otherwise, and partic if you know you have a way to go, I'd recommend lessons and more piste orientated skis for now. Probably less painful in the long run than trying to learn a solid basic technique while contending with non-piste skis. 
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Tue 2-02-10 21:25; edited 1 time in total
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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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creedgearoid, what was the problem with them/your skiing?
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Poster: A snowHead
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slikedges, A 164 that's 79 underfoot is not in anyway shape or form a fat ski. It is not in anyway a really hard ski to ski. It's not 90/100/120+ underfoot, it does not have a 25/30/35m+ turn radius, it's not 180+.
The OP asked a number of questions when buying these skis. He described his previous skis. Basically they were a pair of short soft skis that were always easy to ski. Now he is in possession of a pair of skis for the first time in years that are challenging his skiing. I suggest that he persevere with them rather than just giving up because they're more difficult to ski than his previous skis.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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creedgearoid, You sound a kindred spirit - read my Magfire thread  I'm persevering with mine on the basis that my skiing should improve, why not give them another try - you could do some leg strength exercises before you go again and maybe an instructor could help you with them.
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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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slikedges, agreed. Everyone aims to ski the best they can and perfect their technique. Skis do differ and it depends on how fast / how confident etc.
you are. I tried Fischer Watea (the fat one), Fischer Heat 76 and Stockli Rotor 74 last week. The Fischer Heats were great in the bumps but on piste they seemed to work best if you put more energy into your skiing - i.e. skied fast and fun. The fat Wateas were good but on balance I preferred the Rotors. For me, they were easy if I just wanted to cruise and they were stable if I picked up a bit of speed. Incredibly well balanced, very smooth ride - no chatter like I get with some womens' skis. Great carvers. They also performed admirably for me off piste. But, my off piste is limited to new snow fall just off the piste and not jumping off a ledge somewhere on a mountain.
BTW My friend hired Nomads and loved them.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| slikedges wrote: |
| Otherwise, and partic if you know you have a way to go, I'd recommend lessons and more piste orientated skis for now. Probably less painful in the long run than trying to learn a solid basic technique while contending with non-piste skis. :nice: |
Also, Better boots can fix a lot of the problems that become apparent with "non-piste" skis.
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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'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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erica2004, glad you found something you like and are comfortable with. 74mm can just sneak into all-mountain and depending on your weight may give you a helpful amount of float in softer deeper stuff, comparable to an 80-85kg bloke on moderately fat skis.
comprex, good point
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thanks for all the replies. firstly i have not had any lessons on these particular skis. i also have new boots which were super as i had them heat moulded with footbeds so def no prob there. main problem i had with the skis was instability, i was doing all i could to stay forward but the skis were all over the place. found it very difficult to find the centre ballance point of the ski. the worst was when sking or even when stopped i felt like i was wearing clown shoes, if you know what i mean , or it felt like there was an added foot on the end of my ski which i didnt need.
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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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Do the new boots have shims behind the calf? It's been pretty much my first port of call to fix these kinds of issues...
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creedgearoid, you've got good kit, you know there's a problem but don't know how to fix it... private lessons are the answer, my friend. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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what boots are they out of interest. an instructor should be able to spot any stance issues..and shims or boot adjustments could sort that
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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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I should join in this thread, what with my High Society Freerides dumping my nose into perfect powder due to tip dive...
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I hired some X-Wing Tornadoes last year and kept falling over, kept catching my back edges especially toward the end of the day when I was tired or lazy. Just bought some Contact 10's which I absolutely love, seem fine in soft snow and edge of piste powder and never threw me off.
So I think it is possible to have too demanding skis, however I would also vote for private lessons to deal with any technique issues.
There is a danger that once a year UK and Eire skiers are incredibly "expert" with 10-20 weeks experience, I would suggest that by Alpine standards we might flatter ourselves by considering ourselves to be "intermediates" let alone "advanced" ... this might lead us to be over ambitious with our equipment selection.
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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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| comprex wrote: |
| ...... I suspect the boots |
Could well be! I've had lovely new boots fitted by the master that is CEM for the first few days I simply couldn't get on with skiing....now I know it's not the skis, I've had them for years and love them to bits....so it has to be the boot change! Happilly a few days of excellent instruction in Austria and some fab skiing in fantastic snow conditions has sorted it all out for me.
Worth persevering with the skis and taking a lesson or two before giving up.
| Axsman wrote: |
| P.S. I've probly skied as many or more weeks than the OP, but am stil crap! |
Me too!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
I've probly skied as many or more weeks than the OP, but am stil crap!
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Absolutely. Some people can become very good very quickly - I had a lesson recently and we talked about starting ages - he said he had a friend who started skiing at 18 and was a fully qualified instructor 10 years later. But many more people who have skied for years just never get any better after the first few years, when they stop taking lessons. I have friends who've been skiing for 25 years, once a year, and are still rubbish. I've been skiing for 23 years and am not rubbish, but neither am I any where near an expert, and only slowly improving thanks to loads of lessons and skiing several months a year for the last 7 years. Not too many people who have only spent 15 weeks on the snow are that good, unless they are BOTH quite talented, athletically AND had quite a lot of lessons. And I bet there are more people skiing round hampered by skis that are too demanding for them, than hampered by having too easy ones. Is it a bit of a British disease, getting flash new skis? I bet there are loads of Austrians, for example, who are expert skiers, been skiing since they were 3, and sweeping around on skis that trendy Brits wouldn't be seen dead on.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w, Ouch!! 
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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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I skied a pair of Atomic Nomad Blackeye TIs a few week ago. As far as I am aware, they are designed to be superlightweight and that, combined with being stiffer than many all-mountain skis, make them very quick edge-to-edge. I thought they were great but with those characteristics are inveitably going to be handful for the first few times out if you're used to a softer and more shovel-type ski (and that pretty much goes for any hire ski). I would persevere - they are not skis only for experts nor - being so light - are they skis which you would have to be a certain height/weight to handle. At the end of the day, I would probably aim for my technique to catch up with my skis!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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creedgearoid, Get up to me in Kilternan and we will sort that out for you!
Allot of people struggle for the first week or two after converting from a 69-70 underfoot ski to a 76 or greater ski. Does take some time to get a feel for the ski.
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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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pam w,
| Quote: |
| But many more people who have skied for years just never get any better after the first few years, when they stop taking lessons. |
I think that's a fair comment. Those who do get 'good' generally have done so by going through some sort of Instructor training, Race training or Coaching program. The 'locals' you see in resort who can ski probably went through a race program as school.
I don't know about you though, I'm always surprised at relativly poor standard that some 'locals' ski at, although this does vary from resort to resort (and I guess they might not be all that "local" after all)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
There is a danger that once a year UK and Eire skiers are incredibly "expert" with 10-20 weeks experience, I would suggest that by Alpine standards we might flatter ourselves by considering ourselves to be "intermediates" let alone "advanced
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I was trying to find a way to say this without being bitchy/insulting. In my view intermediate level is to be able to ski (not survive) a black run.
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Is it a bit of a British disease, getting flash new skis? I bet there are loads of Austrians, for example, who are expert skiers, been skiing since they were 3, and sweeping around on skis that trendy Brits wouldn't be seen dead on.
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Definitely, but you gotta love getting new toys 
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Allot of people struggle for the first week or two after converting from a 69-70 underfoot ski to a 76 or greater ski. Does take some time to get a feel for the ski.
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Really? That really shouldn't make too much difference to a decent skier. I can understand <70 to 90< being an issue, but that's only a few mm...
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Doesn't it depend on the ski, not just the width? I have Line Celebrity which i think are about 88. They really took next to no getting used to, and are fine on all except very hard-packed pistes, but then they're a very girly, easy sort of ski. Which is why I bought them - ex demo and very cheap. I'm sure some would be more brutish!
david@mediacopy, yes, I'm often surprised at the very poor standard of some French skiers who, to judge by their clothing, have been skiing for years. (lots of 80s Degré 7 pink and purple, which I recognise because I had one too!)/.. A great deal of random arm and shoulder swinging goes on. But I don't think they're local. Any more than someone from Surbiton would be "local" to Aviemore.
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pam w, I think we get a fair number of people up from Albertville and Annecy, the plates on cars are from all over France though.
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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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comprex, no didnt try the distinct skis before i exchanged prob should have!. new boots are def better tighter fit which prob makes them stiffer but i cant understand why a better boot fit is going to put my knees forward. isnt this whwere their supposed to be?DaveC, what do shims do?papasmurf, boots are salamon impact8s custom shell
homphomp, again the boots are aperfect fit so why should that make me ski crap (er)
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The first thing I would recommend before you trade or sell is to have them tuned! many times new skis dont have the correct tune up and if the bevel angles are off and the ski isnt tuned properly it will ski like POO...find a shop who can do good tune ups and tell them how you ski. they should be able to help with recomendations for edge bevel and proper detuning of the ski to ensure that the edges arent biting when they shouldnt and that you have better feeling under foot......if you still hate them trade em in for a different ski
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