What recreational skis should we try?

My wife and I are interested in renting some demo skis this winter.

We are both recreational cruisers -- mostly east-coast intermediate trails..

I also like to squeeze an easy black into the day. Occasionally I will ski
over a table top (no air) or other terrain for interest. I am a confident,
moderate skier with good technique on groomed slopes. I can also handle
the thick, heavy stuff that throws a lot of the locals. I am 130 lbs. 5'
6".

My wife is a cautious and non-aggressive skier, but she skis a nice carve on
groomed blues. She is 134 lbs. 5' 1"". Occasionally, she will ski
rollers or elephants, or non-aggressively carve through slalom gates.

We both love our existing skis. Mine are Volkl Prestos 178 cm.. Hers are
Lady Volant FX-2L steel skis 160 cm. But we were wondering if we could
get increased efficiency and ease with some newer style skis.

We were also wondering what people's experience has been with the new skis
that include integrated bindings, and the new forward flexing boots.

We are both older skiers, with not quite the stamina of a younger skier.

Looking forward to your feedback regarding what demo skis we should try out.

- David

David D. wrote:
My wife and I are interested in renting some demo skis this winter.

We are both recreational cruisers -- mostly east-coast intermediate trails..

I also like to squeeze an easy black into the day. Occasionally I will ski
over a table top (no air) or other terrain for interest. I am a confident,
moderate skier with good technique on groomed slopes. I can also handle
the thick, heavy stuff that throws a lot of the locals. I am 130 lbs. 5'
6".

My wife is a cautious and non-aggressive skier, but she skis a nice carve on
groomed blues. She is 134 lbs. 5' 1"". Occasionally, she will ski
rollers or elephants, or non-aggressively carve through slalom gates.

We both love our existing skis. Mine are Volkl Prestos 178 cm.. Hers are
Lady Volant FX-2L steel skis 160 cm. But we were wondering if we could
get increased efficiency and ease with some newer style skis.

We are both older skiers, with not quite the stamina of a younger skier.

Looking forward to your feedback regarding what demo skis we should try out.


You will probably find that the "new" shaped skis will open up a new
world for you - easier turning, more control, less fatigue. (I put
new in quotes since they've been around for almost a decade)

I'm not sure what exactly to recommend, since it sounds like I'm a bit
more aggressive than you and your wife. I also haven't had a chance
to demo any skis yet this season (no snow yet, you see) so I can't
speak for these year's product line.

Based on last year's models, you might try the Volkl 724 Ax2 (which
seems to be the successor to the Vertigo G2) the EnergY 220 and 320
(successors to the V2 and V3) or the supersport 4 star.

Your wife might be happy with a ski from the the Gammma series (this
year's incarnation of the 20/20 series - 20% lighter and 20% softer)

Last season I demoed some fine skis from Atomic, Head and Dynastar so
you might want to demo those product lines too. The only way to tell
for sure is to get out and ski on them. Try demoing from a shop that
lets you trade skis over the course of the day.

I should add that the usual advice is to buy good boots before you buy
skis. If you're still skiing rear-entry boots, you should consider
replacing them.

We were also wondering what people's experience has been with the
new skis that include integrated bindings, and the new forward
flexing boots.

Increasingly skis are being designed to require a certain brand of
binding. I don't like the trend, but there's nothing that I can do
about it. The idea is that a ski-binding system that's designed to
work together will work better than two disparate technologies. I'm
skeptical about whether this is being driven by technology or
strategic marketing alliances.




//Walt
//
//The Volkl Conspiracy

David D. wrote:

My wife and I are interested in renting some demo skis this winter.

We are both recreational cruisers -- mostly east-coast intermediate trails..

I also like to squeeze an easy black into the day. Occasionally I will ski
over a table top (no air) or other terrain for interest. I am a confident,
moderate skier with good technique on groomed slopes. I can also handle
the thick, heavy stuff that throws a lot of the locals. I am 130 lbs. 5'
6".

My wife is a cautious and non-aggressive skier, but she skis a nice carve on
groomed blues. She is 134 lbs. 5' 1"". Occasionally, she will ski
rollers or elephants, or non-aggressively carve through slalom gates.

We both love our existing skis. Mine are Volkl Prestos 178 cm.. Hers are
Lady Volant FX-2L steel skis 160 cm. But we were wondering if we could
get increased efficiency and ease with some newer style skis.

We were also wondering what people's experience has been with the new skis
that include integrated bindings, and the new forward flexing boots.

Integrated bindings are a sales gimmick (and a shop gimmick - it takes
less skill to mount the binding when it just bolts to ready made holes.)

All boots "forward flex." You still need some level of stiffness, so be
wary of too-soft boots, especially if you still try to learn skiing
skills - a soft boot will deminish any chance of learning true skills.

But to your main question - demo (AKA performance) rentals at the slope
usually allow exchanges during a day, at least at bigger mountains I'm
familiar with. So ask the manager to recommend a couple of pairs with
different characteristics and try them both. Then do the same the next
day on two more different skis. After 2 or 3 days you'll narrow down on
skis you like.



We are both older skiers, with not quite the stamina of a younger skier.

Looking forward to your feedback regarding what demo skis we should try out.

- David