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Please help with ski choice! Int / adv female piste ski

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi!

I’ve been lurking around this fab forum for a month or so and am need of a bit of help myself now – apologies in advance for the essay!

I’ve returned the skiing this season after pretty much a 10 year break (non-skiing husband until this year – old husband has come on board, not a new husband).

Clearly, ski technology has changed a fair bit so I’m getting my head around all the new options open these days and trying to pick something sensible.

Weight: 8.5 stone / 54kg
Height: 5’7”
Ability: Higher intermediate. Happiest on blues and reds but reasonably composed on most blacks as long as conditions are ok.
Intended use: Probably at least 90% piste, if not 100%, hubby will need quite a few more weeks under his belt before off-piste is an option. Will probably be used in the fridge as well together with the odd session on mat (with a very thick layer of wax on the base) while he is still working on progressing.
Skiing style: I prefer working on well executed, short radius turns, also working on my carving (new concept to me). I’m more interested in improving my technique at lower speeds than going fast.

Whilst away I skied on a pair of 153cm Blizzard SLR magnesium’s (105-68-121, radius 13.5m) which I quite liked but they didn’t feel as easy to ski on as I would have expected for such a short and narrow-waisted ski – they seemed to need a reasonable amount of speed for me to produce smooth turns (probably a fault with my technique rather than the ski).

Anyway, I’ve been looking through the possibilities and have come up with the following front runners:
Atomic Cloud 9
Head Perfect One
Fischer Koa 78
Volkl Sol

Does anyone have a view based on what I’ve mentioned above? My thoughts are that the Atomics are probably suited to what I want them for now but the latter 2 (the Fischer and the Volkl) probably have more scope for varied conditions.

Also extremely open to any other suggestions if I’m on the wrong track here.

Thanks so much in advance!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
skidiva, Hi welcome to Snowheads!
What a fab time to return to skiing -the new stuff is just so my better than 10 years ago and your list above seems to say you are still smiling snowHead snowHead

The clouds look cool Cool

One of our coaches at HH uses the Head Titans with KER's http://www.head.com/ski/ski.php?region=eu&tag=racing&id=3020 -all the fun you need but with a nice soft ski for poodling around and an immediate "sports" mode for ice and speed, if and when you need it. With a very modern side cut they carve extremely well and with the softening up allowed by KERs and decent underfoot, gives you the choice to wander off piste as/when/if you wish. Just a thought.

Other than that for piste only, maybe one of the Atomic race series- some of them are down to radii of 11m or so: The race ST looks perfect for what youv'e asked above and is a very nice ski - http://www.atomicsnow.com/en/ProductFinder.aspx/#/alpine/alpine_ski/4/race/aa0002250/race_st
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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?
K2 Burning Love, fantastic ladies ski and will be quick enough to keep in front of the guys. As always, hire it before you buy it, (no cowdoo I teach skiing)
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Terrific, thanks guys. Jivebaby, I like the look of those atomics, definitely added to the list. Will do some hunting and try and demo one or two. Cynic, Thanks also, will have a look at those k2s as well.
Ta!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
skidiva, I've got some second hand Volkl Attiva S5s in a 161 (piste ski) for sale if you're interested. They have had 30 days use and would be a lot less than some new Volkl Sols would set you back. Anyway, PM me if you're interested.
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VolklAttivaS5,
Quote:
I've got some second hand Volkl Attiva S5s in a 161 (piste ski) for sale if you're interested
What will your new name be? Icelantic Pilgrim prehaps or are you running a competition?
snowHead snowHead
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'd seriously consider the Burnin Luv for what you want. Have a poke around the for sale section, there was someone advertising a pair on ebay but prepared to pull them. For a purely piste ski they seem to be very good for what you've asked for.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
skidiva,
i have some 160cm Burning Luvs for sale on the forum - Im prepared to negotiate!
http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=73796
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Monium, Thanks, just been looking at the specs and they do look v promising.
marksovereign, I'm tempted but think they might be a tad long for me, I'll have a think though.
VolklAttivaS5, Again, might be on the long side but will look out some reviews and let you know if I'm interested.

Thanks again all!
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skidiva, I'm 5' 4" and ski Burnin Luv in 153 - they do ski short. I would consider 160 myself, so marksovereign's 160's would not be too long for you, IMHO (although you are 3 stone lighter than me Embarassed )
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skidiva, holidayloverxx, I'm done! snowHead
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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.
skidiva, My wife bought a pair of Dynastar Exclusive Fluid's in a 158 length and loves them. She's a reasonably good intermediate, about 170cm tall and about 61Kg. Dynastar still do the ski this year but have changed the graphics. We bought them from Sport Conrad in Germany, who shipped them via UPS

http://www.sport-conrad.com/ladies_ski_packages_br_bindings_incl_/29/

This link shows the 2010 model my wife bought and has a link to the 2011 model

http://www.freeride.co.uk/gear/skis/2010/dynastar/exclusive-fluid.html
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
If you're going to consider K2's I would recommend the Lotta Luvs (and not just cos I'm biased). I think they are more engaging than the Burnin' Luvs and are fab on piste but slightly wider base which means you can venture off if you so wish. Feels very solid, turns like on rails and will get you out of trouble if you have a momentary lapse and get wobbly. And holidayloverxx, will also testify they're great fun too (she's borrowed mine when I was 'ahem' temp out of action)
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Eeyore wrote:
If you're going to consider K2's I would recommend the Lotta Luvs ....


You're
making feel nostalgic Toofy Grin
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
achilles, LOL Very Happy

Thanks again all. The Burnin Luv's look very promising so I think I have it down to those or the Atomis ST's. Eeyore, the Lotta's look good too but I get the impression the Burnin's will cope better with lower speed, less agressive turns - happy to be corrected thought!

I also get the impresssion the K2s will be a little more versitile than the Atomics so am leaning in that direction. If I knew I'd be skiing on hardpack all the time then I think they would be the way to go but for more mixed conditions the K2s might be a little better.

holidayloverxx, Thanks, that's helpful. I've called a couple of placed for a second opinion but the concensus seems to be that for my weight (I'm on the light side of 8.5 stone) and the fact that agility at lower speeds is more important to me that stability at high speed, the 153 would be a better option - which is annoying coz it rules out both marksovereign,'s set and a pair of 2010/11 ex demo's I found for £250 Sad .

Probably going to try the K2s out at MK in the next week or so (might try the Volkl Sol's for comparison too) so will report back!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
skidiva, no probs. I'm only 5ft 5 and skied them as an intermediate though (i.e. not fast at all) so they shouldn't be too long for you at your height. Still, up to you, you can always PM me if you decide you are interested later and they haven't sold already. When I first bought them I wondered if they might be a bit long for me but they weren't at all. Also you might find if you buy a ski in the 150s that you might find them too short when you progress if you see what I mean, only to then want to buy something longer.

Hope you find something anyway Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hiya,

I've just bought the Rossignol S86w, they're a 50% piste/50% off-piste ski and they're AMAZING. Fast, stable, grip like ice skates on boilerplate and bust through crud and small bumps.

Definitely worth looking at.
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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?
skidiva, take a look at the Nordica Hot Rod Tempest - I've just tested a pair (for two days - one in fresh snow and one on boilerplate) and bought them. And I'm a life-long Atomic skier.

I was recommended them by a ski school I worked for and they know my skiing well. We all usually ski on Atomic as we work in the Atomic facotry's backyard. I was recommended to go for the Atomic superCross 7s again (I have a pair already) or to look at the Blackeye or Nomads by a ski shop that did not know my style. As I have messed up both knees skiing, my friends felt the Blackeye and Nomad would not be the best for my knees.

I found that they managed all conditions really well and was really impressed how they cut through the heavy wet stuff but were a joy to ride on the boilerplate as well.

I don't think that they are specifically a woman's ski, but I am a wee bit heavier than you (quite a lot actually Embarassed ) and not as talll (5' 3"/159cms). I ski the shortest length which is 154cms I believe.
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skidiva,
Can I ask where you found those bUrnin Luv 10/11 demos for £250 ( obviously if you are not buying them
Thanks
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I definitely wouldn't discount the fischer KOA 78. THEY ARE SO MANOUEVREABLE, I'm 51kg and ski the 150 but void prob get away with the 159, so have a shot at that length of you can. Also worth figuring out if you like ligjtweight and. or damp. Ask some wider skis fee wide, strangely others don't and nowadays l mountain skis that don't hugey sacrifice poster performance unless you are at high speed can go to mid 80 underfoot. In fact my 90 underfoot pilgrims carve better than some narrower skis. Sorry that's probably more confusing than helping. One poster said they loved their rossignol s86w, I m thinking of moving on my rossi sc80w from 08/09 (green graphics if you Google them) and they are quick edge to edge, carve shot turns with a 11m radius and only used 8 days with almost no sign of use. Anyway pm me if interested
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skidiva, Saliandski.com have a really great sale on -just picked up the Salomon Aero-X jacket with back protector for £215.95 v list (£480 ish) couldn't resist: They have a special offer for face book members, and some of the ski deal such as the Sallie 24hr models are cracking!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I've been researching for new (first!) skis too - considered pretty much all those you listed above - but also the dynstar idyll and the volkl kenja.....
Looking round the shops I found the K2's to be on the heavy side..... not ideal when you have to carry them to the nearest lift. The HEAD everyone gets a good review - just not managed to source them in the UK yet.
Are you any closer to a decision??
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
My wife came very close to buying a pair of Cloud 9s but, on the advice of a ski tech, ended up buying a pair of Atomic Elysians. These are fairly wide waisted (92mm) and twintipped; she was a little concerned that they were too off-piste oriented for her but this proved ungrounded. She absolutely loves them and I can confirm - after having tried to keep up with her for the last 4 weeks - that they turn on a sixpence on absolutely anything from thigh deep powder to sheet ice.

She's probably a level 9 but during our trip she swapped skis with two different intermediate lady skiers who both found them far nicer to ski than their respective hire skis (both 2011 models - K2 Free Luvs and Salomon Origins Opal).
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Quote:

skidiva,
Can I ask where you found those bUrnin Luv 10/11 demos for £250 ( obviously if you are not buying them
Thanks


Sorry, was away at the weekend. They were on Edge & Wax BUT bizzarely the day after I spoke to them on the phone I went back to the site and they had gone up to £325 - not sure if it might have been a pricing error coz I was chatting to the guy about lengths for the K2 and mentioned that it was a bug the 160 was too long as the ex-demo's were on at such a good price.

bitoffluff, Jivebaby, ajrduff, Thanks for that, after a LOT of digging and weighing up the options I've plugged for a pair of Rossignol Attraxion viii's - found them at Sport-Conrad (in Germany) with about 30% off and since I wanted a couple of other bits from them anyway, I went for it. They are a tad wider in the tip and tail than the burnin luv's and when I sat down and thought about it I came to the conclusion that something slightly more 'all mountain' was probably a better bet.

scorpio21, I know, it's a mine field! I got myself in a right muddle towards the end of last week - just when I thought I'd found "the ones", I'd do one last google and find a review slating them which would put me right off! In the end I came to the conclusion that everyone is going to have different opinions so it is impossible to find a ski that is universally loved. In the end, the Rossignol's seemed to be well liked (generally) and the negative comments were aspects that aren't going to bother me too much (such as instability at speed). It tended to be the expert reviews that were less favourable than the user reviews so I decided to go with the users and not worry too much about the experts!

They might be worth a look depending on what you want? They are 127-75-108 and I found these sites useful (the Echo viii is essentially the same ski but slightly different constructiopn materials so it is 'eco friendly'. All the shops said it skis the same):
http://www.winter-sports.com/EN/Skitests/skitestsmodeles.php?anneetest=2010&id=176
http://www.newgear.net/skitest_skis_show.asp?LA=EU&SP=SKI&YR=2010&TY=M&ID=ROSAS1200
http://www.worldskitest.com/en/results/2010/ladies-high-performance-201011/8-rossignol-attraxion-viii-echo-wtpi2/
http://www.skis.com/docs/rossignol-attraxion-viii-echo-skis-2011-video-review-3/

However, if it's the Head Everyone you're after these guys have it and spoke very highly of it:
http://www.beansonline.co.uk/acatalog/BeansOnline_Head_Skis_130.html
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At the end of the day, you wont know til youve skied them if you like them!
Opinions are like Ar@eholes - everyones got one and theyre all different !
Enjoy your choice - my wife jas decided to have another pair of Burnin Luvs
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skidiva, Nobodys mentioned Volkl Auras here. My wife runs a pair of 154's, same build as you, she's got 30 weeks experience and developing into a tricky off-piste skier now, having mastered the on piste stuff in all weathers - we bought them for her last summer in the Sport Conrad sale, she was previously on Volkl Attivas and they are brilliant on-piste as well as crud-bashing just off the edge, used them first time last month in St Anton and loved them...............plus in the big-stuff next season (when there's some to go at properly). I know the Aura is described an all-mountain ski but dont discount them, they carve with the best of them on-piste at speed and are great in moguls or ice, more like a GS ski than a slalom ski and great to grow into - I run a pair of Mantra's (same as Auras just male version with Marker Duke binding) Aura with Griffon or Marker Freeflex 12 would be great combo I suggest.
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