Are my skis holding me back?

[RadRab]

Bs"D

Will do Max, but don't forget that those words are not mine. I was quoting Harald.
When HH says that he tired from them after 3 runs and his knees hurt, that scares me off.
But, I now have come full circle and will try them just for powder to compare to my 8800s.

[Harald]

Ken you are right, I bend the ski more than anyone at my all mountain camp. I looked down on the first day and my skis were the shortest and narrowest in the group and on that day I was on my 170cm iM72.

Next day I went to a SS, 170cm.

[RadRab]

Bs"D

I can second the idea.
I am pretty strong and probably have 30lbs! on Harald, but use just the same 170cm SS.

[JohnMoore]

And, think small. Harald, not a heavy guy but a very strong skier, uses 170s. Unless you're much bigger, stronger, and heavier than he is, go shorter.

Yes, I was planning to go for 160s. My current Atomics are 170cm. My girlfriend appears to be a much better skier than me, but I like to blame it on the equipment . She skis pretty much the same ski (actually BetaRide 9.20 instead of 9.22), but in 160cm not 170cm, and she is not far short of me in weight (she doesn't read this forum, otherwise I wouldn't dare write that). I keep meaning to give her skis a go some time, just to see what difference the 10cm makes.

Notwithstanding what HH says, I really do need just one pair of do-it-all skis, so I'm interested in the best compromise (appreciating it is a compromise). I pretty well always fly to the resorts, not drive, so unless I am going to rent skis each time (expensive and a hassle), I want a single pair of skis which work on the piste but also allow me the occasional off-piste excursion without hobbling my chances of success.

[Ken]

I really do need just one pair of do-it-all skis,

http://www.head.com/ski/products.php?re ... ing&id=212
http://www.head.com/ski/products.php?re ... ide&id=109
http://www.head.com/ski/products.php?re ... ide&id=234

Also maybe Atomic izor 9:7; Nordica suv 12.1; maybe Volkl AC2. Suggestions taken from Peter Keelty's TechSupportforSkiers.com


Ken

[JohnMoore]

Is it possible to deduce a kind of rule-of-thumb for PMTS-suitable skis from this? E.g.:

Maximum waist width of 72mm

Maximum turn radius of 15 metres

[Harald]

You can?t compare an Atomic 920 or 922 to a Super Shape or iSL. The Super Shape is twice the all around ski than any Atomic. I don?t like the way Atomic?s bend. They hold great, but they do not go into the turn without some extra cozying. The Super Shape is 66mm under foot, wider than a slalom, but with the same radius. This means the whole ski is wider. Atomics are now too wide even though they are carving skis. The Metron is 72mm yet something about its stiffness makes it jumpy and unstable and hard to manage, especially if you are not an expert tuner. A Super Shape you can ski right out of the wrapper. I compare our clients skiing on all these products. I select the skis that work best for our skiers when I endorse a product. I can see when people are struggling and I think skiers on Atomic have more difficulty balancing and learning with ease.

[JohnMoore]

Harald, are there any other skis you like at the moment? I am going to Switzerland in a couple of weeks and will try out some skis there. I didn't see any Head stuff in the resort last time I was there, though (last March). Do you still like Elans?

[Harald]

Nordica is the coming ski in the future, we will be testing it for the next season. Salomon is losing ground, so is Rossingnol, it looks like Austrian skis, which includes Nordica, are making the comeback. One of our Canadian coaches is sponsored by Nordica. He skis on their soft SL ski. He skis very well and seems to ski every condition with the same ease we do on our Head skis.

[JohnMoore]

Thanks for the tips. I thought Nordica were Italian (the sports division of Benetton, at least originally), but it's a confusing world. Head's an Austrian company but Head boots are Italian, so clearly the reverse happens with skis!

[Harald]

Head is owned by one man, in a consortium, Nordica skis are really made in the old Kastle factory and Benetton sold Nordica a few years ago to Tecnica. We do not like Tecnica boots, but we like Nodica boots, they are completely different, go figure. Now K2 owns Volkl and Volkl and Tecnica are together.

[JohnMoore]

Harald, do you have a precise model name for those Nordica skis your Canadian coach likes? I can't find anything uniquely matching the description of "soft SL ski" in Nordica's range.

[Harald]

I'm not sure, but I can find it. It is a 12 to 13 meter radius SL, with a cap construction, black with the big red "N" on it. I'm not up on the Nordica line right now, but I will be by the end of the month.

[JohnMoore]

Thanks! It sounds like it might be the Dobermann Pro SL:

http://www.nordica.com/ski/scheda.php?s=1&target=188

Or perhaps the Speedmachine 14.1:

http://www.nordica.com/ski/scheda.php?s=2&target=192

[Harald]

I checked the site and the skis, it is the Doberman SC

http://www.nordica.com/ski/scheda.php?s=1&target=190