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#1
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
I'd really like to buy a ski within a week or two tops to take
advantage of some really nice deals to be had on the 2003 stuff (50% off list seems fairly common). Some more detailed info on me: - 5'11" 165 (182cm 75kg) - west coast skiing (Cypress, Whistler, practically never icy) - skied for 10-15 years in Europe (ice most of the time) on crappy pencil skis with badly adjusted boots, didn't ski at all the past 4 years, am going to get back in it this year (finally!) and have been reading up a lot on shapes etc. - fairly competent on pencils, never tried shapes: I can ski fairly close to parallel on anything up to 'moderate' slopes (say, European reds to some easier blacks) and can ski pretty much anywhere save monster moguls on 80 degree-type slopes (been there, done that, didn't enjoy it at all ). - Hate moguls, dislike extreme speeds (only -extreme- speeds, I am not a slowpoke by any stretch of the imagination), enjoy the most Giant Slalom type slopes on groomed but don't mind some powder every now and then. Really love carving mid-sized turns at 'cruising' speed (say, 20mph). - looking for a swiss-army-knife type of deal obviously (can't really afford 3 skis ) with a definite bias towards groomed. Skis I've been considering (also because most of them I can find locally) are head ic160 (but how do they stand up in powder?) head monster 70 (but what about the groomed?) K2 5500 (heard good things about them) Rossi XX (but I think they're a bit too wide) the skis I'm going to buy should last me -AT LEAST- 4-5 years so something I will outgrow in a season of weekly skiing is a definite no-no. Right now I'm leaning towards the ic160s but what's holding me back is the fact that I wonder how they'll perform in crud/powder/choppy snow, if I was still living in Europe they'd be a no brainer but the 70mm mid-fats seem tempting. OTOH I don't plan to ski too much outside of the groomed slopes, so maybe I'd do better on a carver than a mid-fat. In terms of length I think 170 would be a good match for my height/weight/skillset. I'd really appreciate any help, thanks! |
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
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#3
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
- west coast skiing (Cypress, Whistler, practically never icy)
No, but I've skied in the cascades so water skis may be a consideration. lol Prolly wasn't 80 degrees, maybe 80 percent (yeah, let's have this discussion again, it's time). heh, I was just trying to say 'too steep for sane people', I only skied once on a slope where I honestly feared for my life, it was a near-vertical-number with monstrous moguls that at the bottom had a several hundred feet plunge-to-your-death-on-the-rocks-below drop (argh!) The 'only for EXTREMELY EXPERT skiers' sign at the lift and the lack of people going up should've been an indication that I was in over my head, but my 'friends' kept saying that they had already skied it and it was no big deal etc. etc. etc. (one of said friends basically learned to ski before he learned how to walk, and the other just after). Sounds a little to me that you may be in something of a rut. I might suggest a few lessons once you get your new kit in order. definitely, while I was living in Europe I was a poor student so I couldn't really afford them, now since I do have a job I do plan to get some Prolly OK, most of these 70mm wide skis are considered pretty good here in the East (read firm conditions), my X-Screams are in this class. I keep hearing a lot about 70mm but at the same time I hear that they tend to not allow you to progress as much (in terms of technique) as 'thinner' carvers (the ic160 are 64mm IIRC). OTOH it might all be a load of ******** and I'm gonna be perfectly fine & happy on a mid-fat... If I were to have one pair of skis in the gloppy PNW (I skied on X-Screams when I was there), I'd go for the 70mm wide mid-fats without batting an eye. The super-carvers, even my Free-Rides I think could be TOO turny in certain conditions and wouldn't float well enough in others. thanks for the feedback! Now, before LAL pipes up and tells you to stay with your "pencil" skis and Astro, among others, tells you to go buy there's no way I could 'stay with my pencils', first of all I didn't bring them here to NA so it's kind of a moot point, and secondly they were REALLY BAD, I mean, first of all they were too short (180cm) and secondly they were some crappy low-end fiberglass (I think) number that chattered at high speed, had trouble holding a line (any line), had really bad edges (which on icy slopes were a lot of fun, ahem) and on and on: they were really horrible but in some ways I was fond of them as they were the skis I learned how to ski on and I never got around to junking them like I should have... boots first, I'll ask you if you have bought modern, good fitting ski boots yet? If not, do that before you buy your I am going to go to Whistler and get a well fitted boot regardless of where I'm going to get the skis, my old boots sucked (even more than the skis) and I definitely want a good, well fitted pair now. I could get the best skis in the world but if I used something like my old boots it wouldn't really make much of a difference... BTW there are some good websites that talk about boots and fitting. ask if you are interested. I heard good things about 'Wild Willies' in terms of boot fitters at Whistler and plan to go there soon... thanks for the feedback! |
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
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#5
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
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#6
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
Hi there wrote:
I'd really like to buy a ski ..fairly competent on pencils, never tried shapes: ... looking for a swiss-army-knife type of deal... with a definite bias towards groomed. Skis I've been considering (also because most of them I can find locally) are head ic160 (but how do they stand up in powder?) head monster 70 (but what about the groomed?) I had a chance to try both of these last season in Eastern Firm (TM) condiditons. The Monster did quite well on the groomed; I have no idea how the IC160 would handle powder. Both are very good to excellent skis. ( I demoed over 30 models last season and I'd put both these skis in the top 5). The Monster was a bit more work than the IC160, but not a difficult ski by any means. Get the IC160 if you just want to go out and have fun cruising the groomed. Get the Monster if you don't mind trading less forgiveness for more versatility. Since you've never been on shapes before, you'll probably be quite happy with either ski after you get past the initial get-used-to-these-newfangled-things adjustment period - usually about three or four runs. Whether it's the best ski for you is another matter - buying blind means that it probably won't be, but there's a wide range between acceptable and the best. You'll probably find that both the IC160 and The Monster are within that range. The Usual advice is demo-demo-demo, but if you can get a great deal now, go for it - if you hate the skis, sell them at a swap and take the $100 loss (you *are* getting a good enough deal to do that, right? - if not, think twice about buying blind) K2 5500 (heard good things about them) Rossi XX (but I think they're a bit too wide) I thought the 5500 was Ok, but not as good as the heads. YMMV. Didn't try the Rossi XX. the skis I'm going to buy should last me -AT LEAST- 4-5 years so something I will outgrow in a season of weekly skiing is a definite no-no. As long as you don't go around demoing the latest new technology, you'll probably do fine with any of these. You won't know what you're missing. (c: Right now I'm leaning towards the ic160s but what's holding me back is the fact that I wonder how they'll perform in crud/powder/choppy snow, if I was still living in Europe they'd be a no brainer but the 70mm mid-fats seem tempting. OTOH I don't plan to ski too much outside of the groomed slopes, so maybe I'd do better on a carver than a mid-fat. Some days there is no groomed, or it's all tracked up by 10am. At least that's my experience at Whistler. For those days, a mid-fat will do you better than a carver. In terms of length I think 170 would be a good match for my height/weight/skillset. Sounds reasonable. -- //-Walt // // "Fair and Balanced" |
#7
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
Dynastar 'Trouble Maker':
Performs well in every situation: groomers at mach speed, bumps, trees, crud and obviously the pipe and park. 165/175cm, 112-78-102, 1780g. New spring blade construction. You do not have to engage in crazy antics to get the most out of this ski! But ... it certainly helps. ~~~~ Redge Inquiro Et Invenio... "Hi there" wrote in message om... I'd really like to buy a ski within a week or two tops to take advantage of some really nice deals to be had on the 2003 stuff (50% off list seems fairly common). Some more detailed info on me: - 5'11" 165 (182cm 75kg) - west coast skiing (Cypress, Whistler, practically never icy) - skied for 10-15 years in Europe (ice most of the time) on crappy pencil skis with badly adjusted boots, didn't ski at all the past 4 years, am going to get back in it this year (finally!) and have been reading up a lot on shapes etc. - fairly competent on pencils, never tried shapes: I can ski fairly close to parallel on anything up to 'moderate' slopes (say, European reds to some easier blacks) and can ski pretty much anywhere save monster moguls on 80 degree-type slopes (been there, done that, didn't enjoy it at all ). - Hate moguls, dislike extreme speeds (only -extreme- speeds, I am not a slowpoke by any stretch of the imagination), enjoy the most Giant Slalom type slopes on groomed but don't mind some powder every now and then. Really love carving mid-sized turns at 'cruising' speed (say, 20mph). - looking for a swiss-army-knife type of deal obviously (can't really afford 3 skis ) with a definite bias towards groomed. Skis I've been considering (also because most of them I can find locally) are head ic160 (but how do they stand up in powder?) head monster 70 (but what about the groomed?) K2 5500 (heard good things about them) Rossi XX (but I think they're a bit too wide) the skis I'm going to buy should last me -AT LEAST- 4-5 years so something I will outgrow in a season of weekly skiing is a definite no-no. Right now I'm leaning towards the ic160s but what's holding me back is the fact that I wonder how they'll perform in crud/powder/choppy snow, if I was still living in Europe they'd be a no brainer but the 70mm mid-fats seem tempting. OTOH I don't plan to ski too much outside of the groomed slopes, so maybe I'd do better on a carver than a mid-fat. In terms of length I think 170 would be a good match for my height/weight/skillset. I'd really appreciate any help, thanks! |
#8
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
In article ,
"Redge Egder" writes: Dynastar 'Trouble Maker': Performs well in every situation: groomers at mach speed, bumps, trees, crud and obviously the pipe and park. 165/175cm, 112-78-102, 1780g. New spring blade construction. You do not have to engage in crazy antics to get the most out of this ski! But ... it certainly helps. Isn't that the replacement for the Candide ? If it is, I second your recommendation. (Although at 6'3" I wish they had made a 190cm...) bruno. |
#9
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
I believe so Bruno, the TM also bridges the gap between Concepts and Little
Big Fats. I'm currently on 01/02 Concepts (leaf pattern) which have a softer tail than the Candide, these things are fun so I can only imagine the performance of a TM. I'm also 206 @ 5.9 so I'm looking forward to trying the new spring blade suspension without having to go too wide. Concepts: 95-72-103 .:. 165/180cm Trouble Makers: 112-78-102 .:. 165/175cm Little Big Fat: 117-89-110 .:. 158/168/178cm ~~~~ Redge Inquiro Et Invenio... "Bruno Melli" wrote in message ... In article , "Redge Egder" writes: Dynastar 'Trouble Maker': Performs well in every situation: groomers at mach speed, bumps, trees, crud and obviously the pipe and park. 165/175cm, 112-78-102, 1780g. New spring blade construction. You do not have to engage in crazy antics to get the most out of this ski! But ... it certainly helps. Isn't that the replacement for the Candide ? If it is, I second your recommendation. (Although at 6'3" I wish they had made a 190cm...) bruno. |
#10
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Please help me pick a ski (sales on the 2003 stuff)
Hey Walt
thanks for the nice reply I had a chance to try both of these last season in Eastern Firm (TM) condiditons. The Monster did quite well on the groomed; I have no idea that's very interesting, given how the conditions tend to be around here I was really thinking about a mid-fat, but I was really worried about its performance on the groomed... while Whistler tends to be more 'sloppy' the local mountain where I'm going to ski on all the time does seem to have some icy days every now and then (even if I do think that when locals say 'icy' it's not the same type of ice you get on glaciers in Europe) The Usual advice is demo-demo-demo, but if you can get a great deal now, the problem with demo-demo-demo is that I haven't skied for 5 seasons and I have never been on shapes, this means that even if I demo'd I doubt I'd be able to make an informed decision... next season it would probably be a whole different thing, but I don't want to buy a crappy one-seasoner ski because I probably wouldn't enjoy myself at all (and renting every week does not make sense from a money standpoint) go for it - if you hate the skis, sell them at a swap and take the $100 loss (you *are* getting a good enough deal to do that, right? - if not, think twice about buying blind) the deals seem to be in the 30% - 50% off list (more towards 30% on the 'nice' skis, I've seen even 70% off on 'weird' stuff) locally, I'll go up to Whistler this w/end or the next (to get well fitted boots) and will have a look at the deals available there. As long as you don't go around demoing the latest new technology, you'll probably do fine with any of these. You won't know what you're missing. (c: heh |
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