This is the report, featuring the people from Elan, that talks a great deal about switching onto the 'wrong' feet. Yes, they do have left and right marked, but you are supposed to be able to get a benefit from switching them over onto opposite feet - I don't think Elan would have allowed their people to take part in this clip if it hadn't been a valid thing to do. I knew I'd seen it somewhere!!
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 18-02-13 21:23; edited 1 time in total
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?
In fact if you Google something like 'Elan amphibios on wrong feet' you get some interesting hits. I can easily believe that it is all marketting and smoke on water stuff, but its an interesting notion. However, I'd love to know what Spyderjon would do if the bases did need a good sort out!!
gatecrasher, no he didn't, but the testers seemed quite enthused with the notion of doing so. I guess it causes the leading edge into the bend to be the rockered rather than the cambered edge, which I guess might help with the float of the ski in deep snow or slush as I see the discussed when the fully rockered skis are under the spotlight.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thinking more about it, I believe Spyderjon may have answered the question about tuning - it may have been that because only the ends were alterred that they could be tuned as ordinary skis for most of their length without issue.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Megamum, tried to find something from elan that endorses swapping but can only find people doing it out of pure curiosity, maybe originally designed as a single use ski but they have inadvertently created something different?
We need your review!!! take one for Snowheads eh! but take care also!
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.
We are scheduled some fresh top ups later in the week, if I get a soft top surface I'll have a play and see if I can find a difference. However, if I can't it may be because I'm not a good enough skier yet, rather than the fault of the skis. However, I will have a try just out of pure curiosity. I am starting to get to grips with them now, so I shall be ready when the fresh stuff comes down. I also looked for 'official Elan endorsement too LOL
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
under a new name wrote:
musher, i'm a physicist.
This all sounds like engineering to me...
Engineer here also....way too anal about it all though not so you'd notice..!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
The review (I don't know what to put in a real review, but this is what I found LOL)
OK, we got 8cm of fresh powder on top of the bashed piste and it seemed the ideal opportunity to test out the putting them on the opposite feet, as that is what the testers recommended the change for.
I was skeptical (very skeptical), but I am convinced following the change that the tips of the skis felt, err....how to describe it........'lighter' I guess is as good a term as any. The tips seemed to float clearer of the powder snow and didn't dig in. The sensation was def. different. I put them back on the correct way round and until I readjusted it felt as though there was a tip edge to catch in the snow if I wasn't careful. Really odd that it was noticeable, but it def. was. Now I'm no great shakes as a skier - maybe intermediate level, I've got about 10 weeks under my belt and I've now skied in lots of different snow types. If I could feel a difference it must be there. I would even say that they seemed to ski like shorter skis when they were on the wrong feet!! If I got powder again I think I would consider riding them on the wrong feet all day.
FWIW there is a lot of these skis in resort, quite a number with hire stickers on them, and I've even seem the ladies versions in use. It is interesting that I have even seen a number of instructors on them.
Whilst I can understand the skepticism, having now tried the skis, in all conditions and even on the 'wrong' feet! I would now say don't knock them until you've tried them. They aren't a 'soft' ski, but unfortunately I would flatten a soft ski so that isn't a problem for me. I fancy they are as stiff as my Magfires. They are slighter narrower underfoot at 74mm, but I was impressed at how they skied the powder and soft stuff today - more than enough float for what I needed, and yesterday they performed equally well in the hard compacted conditions giving me an excellent ski on the world cup piste which has plenty of ice/hard compacted snow in it.
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.
Megamum, test 2 would be to try them the wrong way on hardpack too, you may end up liking them better that way round...period!
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
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
Megamum, interesting, well done Well my friend had no idea what she'd been given and hadn't noticed the Left and Right labels on the skis, so she was skiing them randomly all week, we mostly had very soft, fresh conditions all week with just one morning which was hardpack to start. She felt she had a couple of bad days. I wonder if this was due to the skis not being on the correct feet for the conditions. I do think the hire shop should really have pointed this feature of the skis out to her.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
gatecrasher, the way things are looking I might not get any more hardpack this week (oh dear!!!! ). However, the next time I get a chance to I'll come back and let you know how I got on.
sarah, I agree. Def. poor form on the part of the hire shop I think. I wonder if a better skier than myself would find the difference even more noticeable than I did?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Megamum, it's a hard life eh!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Megamum, in fairness, you don't need any float in 8cm of snow... It's very pleasant on a smooth base though isn't it?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
under a new name, no, you probably don't, but yes it was still nice to ski as you say Unfortunately I don't ski off piste so won't get a better chance to test that aspect of them than I did yesterday and in reality, although they say a good skier should be able to ski anything anywhere, I should think skis for skiing properly off-piste would be wider. These are, clearly, very much an on-piste ski and as noted above are performing fine for that purpose
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?
I've got a set of these Elans as well, and was shocked at the difference between wearing them the right way around versus back to front.
The major difference is that when you wear them "normally" they always want to be on their edges. This means that in deeper snow or bumpy conditions it can really take it out of your legs - I found myself making sharp zipzag turns rather than nice rounded ones.
For a while I had a huge case of buyers remorse, then I tried them the wrong way around - They feel smoother in all conditions, if you want to do a sharp turn you can, but it's much easier to do a long sliding turn. I use them like this 99% of the time and really enjoy them.
On a nice bashed piste though, after you get the feeling for them the right way around, they are insane - Turning is effortless, and the skis make it easy for you to push-down to get a bit more speed out of every turn. They feel like a cheat-code for carving - I'm not great at skiing, but I feel like a bloody god on these things in their conditions, which includes icy slopes.
All in all it feels like two pairs of skis. A set of monsterlike carving beasts as well as a set that are great in all conditions. I love these things now! As they're so great on ice I've named them Torville and Dean.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
but take care also!
Well my friend had no idea what she'd been given and hadn't noticed the Left and Right labels on the skis, so she was skiing them randomly all week, we mostly had very soft, fresh conditions all week with just one morning which was hardpack to start. She felt she had a couple of bad days. I wonder if this was due to the skis not being on the correct feet for the conditions. I do think the hire shop should really have pointed this feature of the skis out to her.
Unfortunately I don't ski off piste so won't get a better chance to test that aspect of them than I did yesterday and in reality, although they say a good skier should be able to ski anything anywhere, I should think skis for skiing properly off-piste would be wider. These are, clearly, very much an on-piste ski and as noted above are performing fine for that purpose 