Ski selection question

I tried a pair of K2 outlaws last week and found I am no longer afraid of a
wide width in the middle. I had zeroed in on buying a pair of Volkl AC3's
but found the K2's really nice even though I was skiing on mostly groomed
runs with crud. They edged nicely and seemed a looser than the Volkls easier
to side slip and more turny around the center but not as locked in on edge .
I am an upper intermediate and am looking for the best I am thinking maybe I
should try the AC4 Volkl to.
I got fixated on the Volk when I tried them a couple of years ago but maybe
I shouldn't be. Since I now have more time to ski I am thinking about buying
a pair. Is there any really big tradeoff to going wide if your not trying to
that fast? Any comments on the AC4 versus the K2 apache outlaw.

Charles Jutkins wrote:
I tried a pair of K2 outlaws last week and found I am no longer afraid of a
wide width in the middle. I had zeroed in on buying a pair of Volkl AC3's
but found the K2's really nice even though I was skiing on mostly groomed
runs with crud. They edged nicely and seemed a looser than the Volkls easier
to side slip and more turny around the center but not as locked in on edge .

Yes, sometimes a side slip can come in handy
and sometimes steady is better than fast.

I am an upper intermediate and am looking for the best I am thinking maybe I
should try the AC4 Volkl to.
I got fixated on the Volk when I tried them a couple of years ago but maybe
I shouldn't be. Since I now have more time to ski I am thinking about buying
a pair. Is there any really big tradeoff to going wide if your not trying to
that fast? Any comments on the AC4 versus the K2 apache outlaw.

Don't know about the AC4 but I have demoed
K2 outlaw(fat) vs recon (wide) vs crossfire(fast).
I like them all, but settled on the recon
as the best compromise for bumps, crud and powder.
If I were still in the market, I would also try
out the head monsters.

-- Mike Treseler

Mike Treseler wrote:
Charles Jutkins wrote:
I tried a pair of K2 outlaws last week and found I am no longer afraid
of a wide width in the middle. I had zeroed in on buying a pair of
Volkl AC3's but found the K2's really nice even though I was skiing on
mostly groomed runs with crud. They edged nicely and seemed a looser
than the Volkls easier to side slip and more turny around the center
but not as locked in on edge .

Yes, sometimes a side slip can come in handy
and sometimes steady is better than fast.

I am an upper intermediate and am looking for the best I am thinking
maybe I should try the AC4 Volkl to.
I got fixated on the Volk when I tried them a couple of years ago but
maybe I shouldn't be. Since I now have more time to ski I am thinking
about buying a pair. Is there any really big tradeoff to going wide if
your not trying to that fast? Any comments on the AC4 versus the K2
apache outlaw.

Don't know about the AC4 but I have demoed
K2 outlaw(fat) vs recon (wide) vs crossfire(fast).
I like them all, but settled on the recon
as the best compromise for bumps, crud and powder.
If I were still in the market, I would also try
out the head monsters.

-- Mike Treseler

Once you are in this realm, you do yourself a disservice
by not trying some of the Atomic Metron line. I have
friends who swear by M10's, I have the M11-B5 version
and couldn't be happier.

Charles Jutkins wrote:
I tried a pair of K2 outlaws last week and found I am no longer afraid of a
wide width in the middle. I had zeroed in on buying a pair of Volkl AC3's
but found the K2's really nice even though I was skiing on mostly groomed
runs with crud. They edged nicely and seemed a looser than the Volkls easier
to side slip and more turny around the center but not as locked in on edge .
I am an upper intermediate and am looking for the best I am thinking maybe I
should try the AC4 Volkl to.

Yes, you should definitely try the AC4. Despite the higher number it's
actually a more forgiving ski than the AC3. It's softer, and you don't
have to work it as hard or stay on top of it as much. It might be what
you're looking for. Anyway, an easy mistake to make is trying the AC3
and deciding that it's a more demanding ski than you like and then
skipping the AC4 because you think it's even more demanding. It isn't.

BTW, I tried the Head Monsters over the weekend (25cm of fresh!) , and
while they're pretty good, they're not as good as the AC4. Less grip on
hardpack, and not as smooth in the crud. Yes, the Monsters were better
in those conditions than my 5 stars, but at this point we're comparing
apples and oranges.





I got fixated on the Volk when I tried them a couple of years ago but maybe
I shouldn't be. Since I now have more time to ski I am thinking about buying
a pair. Is there any really big tradeoff to going wide if your not trying to
that fast? Any comments on the AC4 versus the K2 apache outlaw.

I found a lot of shop people were telling me to stay away from the AC4
because it was stiffer and more demanding.

"Walt" wrote in message
...
Charles Jutkins wrote:
I tried a pair of K2 outlaws last week and found I am no longer afraid of
a wide width in the middle. I had zeroed in on buying a pair of Volkl
AC3's but found the K2's really nice even though I was skiing on mostly
groomed runs with crud. They edged nicely and seemed a looser than the
Volkls easier to side slip and more turny around the center but not as
locked in on edge . I am an upper intermediate and am looking for the
best I am thinking maybe I should try the AC4 Volkl to.

Yes, you should definitely try the AC4. Despite the higher number it's
actually a more forgiving ski than the AC3. It's softer, and you don't
have to work it as hard or stay on top of it as much. It might be what
you're looking for. Anyway, an easy mistake to make is trying the AC3 and
deciding that it's a more demanding ski than you like and then skipping
the AC4 because you think it's even more demanding. It isn't.

BTW, I tried the Head Monsters over the weekend (25cm of fresh!) , and
while they're pretty good, they're not as good as the AC4. Less grip on
hardpack, and not as smooth in the crud. Yes, the Monsters were better in
those conditions than my 5 stars, but at this point we're comparing apples
and oranges.





I got fixated on the Volk when I tried them a couple of years ago but
maybe I shouldn't be. Since I now have more time to ski I am thinking
about buying a pair. Is there any really big tradeoff to going wide if
your not trying to that fast? Any comments on the AC4 versus the K2
apache outlaw.

Charles Jutkins wrote:
Walt Wrote:
Yes, you should definitely try the AC4. Despite the higher number
it's
actually a more forgiving ski than the AC3. It's softer, and you don't
have to work it as hard or stay on top of it as much.

I found a lot of shop people were telling me to stay away from the AC4
because it was stiffer and more demanding.

I've found a lot of shop people have no idea what they're talking about.
Obviously this depends on the store and who you talk to, but there's
a lot of people selling gear who's opinions are based on glossy
brochures rather than actual experience with the gear in question.

The AC3 was more lively, with more "snap" and more "rebound". It wants
to go fast, and you have to work a bit to keep it from running away with
you. The AC4 was more damp and easier to control. Skiing it was rather
effortless, even in crud and what passes for steeps around here.

Is that what *you* like? I have no idea, but it's a mistake to try the
AC3 and not the AC4 because some shop weenie tells you it's too demanding.

Anyway, my opinion is worth what you paid for it. It's worth trying the
AC4 - if you don't like it, well, that's why you demo: to find out these
things.

//Walt