Equipe 10 skate -- stiff versus soft

I'm in a muddle about stiff versus soft in the Salomon Equipe 10 skate
ski. The muddle is because I have a hard-to-pass-up purchase option on
a 186cm Equipe 10 soft, whereas I've convinced myself that I preferred
stiff skis.

My experience has been most with the Atomic RS line, where the
stiffness seems to give me added control I need on downhills. I've got
Fischer soft SCS classic skis, which seem to be floppy" for me, and
don't know how this feel would translate to a skate ski. I greatly
prefer my Atomic stiff RC's to the Fischers for feel, although I can go
faster with the Fischer's in certain conditions, and the bases seem to
wax better.

What adds to my confusion is that the Equipe has carbon layers, which
are presumably for added stiffness. In case it matters, I'm 5'10" and
weigh about 147lbs.

Thanks for any advice!
David

A properly fit pair of race skis can last 10 years of use. Is it worth the
$100 or whatever you'll save with the soft pair to not get what you really
want?
I'd really advise skiing on some demo skis (ask the local shops) and more
importantly be properly fitted. A good shop will not sell you a pair of skis
if they don't fit.

Paul Haltvick
Bay Design and Build - LLC
Engineering, Construction and Information Technology Services
FSx - Fischer / Swix Racing

wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm in a muddle about stiff versus soft in the Salomon Equipe 10 skate
ski. The muddle is because I have a hard-to-pass-up purchase option on
a 186cm Equipe 10 soft, whereas I've convinced myself that I preferred
stiff skis.

My experience has been most with the Atomic RS line, where the
stiffness seems to give me added control I need on downhills. I've got
Fischer soft SCS classic skis, which seem to be floppy" for me, and
don't know how this feel would translate to a skate ski. I greatly
prefer my Atomic stiff RC's to the Fischers for feel, although I can go
faster with the Fischer's in certain conditions, and the bases seem to
wax better.

What adds to my confusion is that the Equipe has carbon layers, which
are presumably for added stiffness. In case it matters, I'm 5'10" and
weigh about 147lbs.

Thanks for any advice!
David

I haven't bought skis in a long time, but I thought that stiff/soft was
determined by the trail/snow conditions.

I'd think you'd like the stiff skis for HARD/ICY downhills. And that
the floppy soft Fischers might come on strong in mashed potatoes
conditions with soft tracks. That kind of thing. Probably the stiff
Atomics would suck in soft snow whether going uphill or down.

So, you should make sure you get a good fit on all skis, then buy as
many as you can afford to fit the trail conditions you're likely to
encounter.

Also, is it pretty darn important to start out with suitable base
grinds as well? Or is it still fine for one to put in their own
rilling/structure. (Or is self-structuring something one does in
addition to a fancy stone grind?)

I suppose one starts with a properly fitted med-flex for both classic
and skate.

If you love the Birkie and are a midpacker then you also need your
Birkie skis which are soft, right? ---But still fitted to you.

Etc., etc., on out for your local trail conditions and races.

Right now I have 2 sets of skis, both soft---so I figure I'm set for
those conditions and for the Birkie. But I need some stiffer skis to
fill out my quiver. : )

My ideal scene would have soft/med/stiff skis in both classic and skate
and all fitted to me. Sigh!

--JP upnorthmag.com

On 14 Mar 2006 09:20:00 -0800, wrote:

I haven't bought skis in a long time, but I thought that stiff/soft was
determined by the trail/snow conditions.


http://www.engineeredtuning.net/SkateFlex.pdf

JFT

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The PDF doesn't really speak to the issue.

My allegation is that skis have to both match the skier and match the
terrain.

That is, Skier X will end up with several sets of skis that all are
selected to fit him but which are different from each other so that
they're fast and stable in a variety of conditions---typically soft
(Birkie), hard/boilerplate and medium trails.

Is that the case? Seems likely.

--JP upnorthmag.com

This PDF suggests that skiers get fit with the right flex, but it
doesn't seem to emphasize matching ski-flex to terrain. Yet I believe
this is a huge factor. I think that a skier will end up with several
sets of skis, which are hopefully all fit correctly to his weight (and
style), but which vary amongst depending on the trail conditions
expected. That is, ideally one has a soft, med and stiff flex ski to
work best (fast and stable) with soft, med and hardpack trails. --JP