 Poster: A snowHead
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I do....i reeealy do.....honest....please Mum!
I've been making do up until now with club skis with edges that couldn't cut butter, but I think it's about time to get something that I can at least stand a chance of making a tight turn on.
I'll mostly be using them on plastic, I have no intention of racing competitively on snow (and actually little chance of being competitive on plastic if truth be told), but may take them onto snow occasionally. I'm about 90kg and 181cm - and generally ski too agressively for my own good. As for length, it has been suggested that I should go for about 160cm; I know that FIS regs require 165cm minimum, but those aren't applied to races on plastic. So should I really go for 160cm?
Now I was trying to be sensible about this and wait until I'd tried a few out (at the PSB I hope), but there're so many Fischer RC4s (mostly Race SC, but some Worldcup SC as well - but I'm assuming they will be too stiff?) going at the moment for silly money (about £200 brand new, including bindings  ) that I'm seriously tempted to take the plunge now.
The alternatives I know of are Dynastar Omeglass 64, Salomon 3V, Elan SLX, Rossi 9S, Atomic SL:9. There're also some Omecarve 10s around - less of a full on race ski than the Omeglass. Of these the most common at the moment seem to be the Salomons, followed by the Elans. But all of those seem to be going for about £70-150 more than the RC4s. The other complication is that the Elans currently available at these prices are only 165 (or 170), and the few Omeglasses in 157 or 165. I am also (probably irrationally) biassed by my experience of their all-terrain skis in favour of Dynastar (my normal skis are Legends and I love 'em) and against Atomic (I've hated the Beta Ride/R9s I've skied before). The reviews though do say that the Omeglass is probably better suited to the lighter skier.
So what should I do? Wait 3 weeks, try some out, make a rational decision and then look for something at a reasonable price - particularly since I've never skied on any of the above list (or any other proper slalom ski for that matter)? 
Or stop looking a gift horse in the mouth and get sniping? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Fischers got a very good review in the recent Skipressworld reviews. At that price I think you have no choice: Buy Them! Is that price with Ski Bilek?
Two or three years ago many of the World Cup slalom guys were on 155cm skis, and only moved up to 165 when the regulations forced them to. I'm about 5 kilos lighter than you and happily ski on 155 so I'm sure you'll by fine on 160 (although I've never skied these on plastic, so take this advice with that caveat).
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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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GrahamN,
I know you're going to hate this, but if you've never tried any of them wait 3 weeks and try before you buy...
I recently bought the 3Vs and chose them over the Rossi 9S as they area meant to be more suitable for a lighter skier (I'm female and only 55kgs). When making my decision I got some very helpful comments in this thread:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=145953&highlight=rossi+9s+vs+salamon#145953
(Sorry, forgot how to make it look neat!)
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GrahamN, just to add a bit of confusion, don't rule these ones out.
Colour aside, I've found them to be a great ski and not "too much" for me at 165. The only other ones I've been on were the Elans at 155, very impressive too. In fact very similar to the Dynamics. rob@rar.org.uk, pages above do cover all the skis though.
I'm only a little taller and heavier than you, so would be suprised if you found the 165's to big. You never know, you may get a chance to race indoors too, so you'd need legal skis. I'd also presume that slightly longer planks make a more "all round" ski for the trips to resorts.
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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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| marc gledhill wrote: |
| GrahamN, just to add a bit of confusion, don't rule these ones out. |
But those skis are £150 more expensive than the Fischers that GrahamN referred to in his first post (which I think are a race department ski rather than designed for a retail market). If money is not a factor there are lots of great skis to choose from, but if you are on a budget I would say that the Fischers or the Head WC iSL with Vist race plates that Bilek are also selling are unbeatable value for money.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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You could keep an eye on this ebay auction from Ski Bilek for Head WC i.SL with Vist plates, but no bindings. The skis are currently not FIS legal as they are 161cm. The last couple of auctions for this model ski finished at £172 and £191 - on top of that bindings will be in the region of £70 plus a bit for shipping and PayPal charges.
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GrahamN,
Wait 3 weeks and see what else there is. You may find a shop there doing deals and all sorts. If the RC4's are that cheap and plentiful they will still be there after the PSB. And I would be thinking 165 for you as you might need the lenght on plastic, will perform on better on snow IMO. But, and I am not a plastic fan, I wouldn't want to be running new/good bases on plastic unless there is a good sprinkler system all the time. This may be based on the fact that my local slope doesn't run what I would call a good sprinkler sys'.
But if you were to disregard all I've said, then cheap 155's would be the way to go.
Not much use, this post, was it?
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Thanks guys'n'gals. The budget isn't a real problem, just me being a bit of a tightwad and not wanting to go overboard on this racing lark - as my preferences mainly swing the other way (off-piste and touring). Looking at it over the course of the year though even at just a few hours a week I suppose I will spend about as much time on these as on the off-piste stuff. I really got into this for some summer practice and a means of technique improvement, but as I can never resist a challenge and am quite competitive and am really quite enjoying it - but I doubt it'll replace wanting to get off the pistes.
rob@rar.org.uk, the majority of the deals at present seem to be coming from Sport Donnerer in Markt Hartmannsdorf, Austria, but are in the same ballpark as ski-bilek. Auction final prices seem to be about Eur260, add Eur30 for upgrading bindings to FX12 and 15 Eur for shipping. Adding about 5% for Paypal fees takes it up to about £220. The ones I'm probably looking at are the Race RCs which I'm told are a step down from the full-on Worldcup SC. Thanks for that link - I wasn't sure what models of Heads were appropriate. The possible urgency is that, while new auctions are still turning up, they do seem to be slowing down a little compared to a couple of weeks ago.
marc gledhill, snowdome racing requires FIS compliant skis? Is there a dome race series? I guess with the increasing number of plans for converting plastic slopes going to domes, I wonder how long do think it will be before the home race scene moves on to snow. Almost certainly not within the lifetime of these skis.
Looking at the link on the VR27, they make the point that softer skis are better for plastic (tighter, more technical courses). Do we believe this?
JTYour post makes complete sense, and I really want to agree with it. I guess I keep watching how often new auctions turn up, but get ready to go if things do start drying up. As for wasting new skis on plastic, I agree in principle (particularly as Aldershot is pretty hard on edges), but these prices are not too dissimilar to 2nd hand and you then know that you're at least starting off with non-knackered skis.
Anyone else out there with experience on plastic? (where's ski when you need him  ) - and it's a shame easiski is sort of offline at present.
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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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| GrahamN wrote: |
marc gledhill,
Snowdome racing requires FIS compliant skis?
Is there a dome race series?
Looking at the link on the VR27, they make the point that softer skis are better for plastic (tighter, more technical courses). Do we believe this? |
I believe so.
Yes, the SALOMON XSCAPE RACE SERIES.
No idea. 
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GrahamN,
If you don't buy soon have fun testing slalom skis in LDA. That is the type of skiing I am expecting anyway
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JT, absolutely - although whether I've bought any or not shouldn't affect what we do then . Three more pairs went this evening, even cheaper (Eur235-241). My computer helped in me not placing a (winning) bid by hanging up at the relevant time....phew! I've also sounded out with easiski the possibility of joining in a bit of race training session. Not sure whether it will happen yet - and if so whether it would be SL or GS.
marc gledhill, thanks.
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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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marc gledhill, GrahamN, I did a couple of the Xscape races, No need for FIS-compliant skis.............
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| Quote: |
(about £200 brand new, including bindings )
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RC4s then
No brainer.
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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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GrahamN, that's a great price for top of the range skis, even with the last minute bidding. Not sure where you are in Surrey, but if you passing through Uxbridge you might want to call into www.skibartlett.com as they seem to have a wide range of tuning kit, from budget to expensive (ignore the paucity of stock on their website - they have a much wider range in store, and seem very knowledgeable as well).
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Poster: A snowHead
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GrahamN, You ship 'em & I'll tune 'em 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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GrahamN,
Seems a pity racing new skis on plastic. I'm slightly lighter than you, still anything resembling carving turns results in a nasty burning smell 2/3 of the way down. I have some new-ish 9S's, no way would I waste them on plastic.
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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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ski, I shall investigate polar-x. How many runs would you say a coat would last? (assuming you avoid the worn out matting / stones / bits of wire)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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MartinH, I do mine monthly. That's about 4 hours use on a misted slope - race training. Our slope is approx 80M long. Edges sharpened every other week.
Mind you don't overheat the skis applying Polar-X. I use yellow and then scrape off hot to pre heat the ski. Zardoz on the top makes it all last that little bit longer.
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Oh and MartinH, if the slope isn't misted I don't use my good skis............
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ski, I wonder if slope length might be the problem. Stoke main slope is 140m long and it's the the last 50 that seem to do the damage, as the bases get progressively hotter, even with water turned on.
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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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MartinH, I've used them at Chatham, Wycombe etc, no damage done. The hard wax makes your skis run cooler, so you should be OK
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FAQ
. Did the deed yesterday eve and should shortly have a pair of RC4 Race SCs with FX12 bindings speeding their way to me for the princely sum of £224.51 delivered.
. It's what I started with nnn 
years ago.................. You will need a vice and a bench too. 
Mind you, where else am I going to use them properly (i.e. in gates) 