Hi all,
I'm looking to add a good PMTS ski to my quiver, as my existing Atomics don't fully respond to PMTS movements. Hope to demo before buying, but I'd appreciate suggestions for skis which might suit me and why.
About me...
60 yo male, skiing for 30 (5 years younger than HH and expect to remain so.. can't use age as an excuse! )
5' 10", 130 lb (a Featherweight, literally)
Have mastered (I think) ACBAES1 and some of ACBAES2, except that I need more (flexion, tipping, CA, CB... you know, more of everything)
Ski mostly in New England, plus 1-2 weeks out West each season
Ski all mountain & all conditions (exception: I avoid "trails" where if you screw up the mandatory air, you die plastered on a rock)
Wants/Likes/Dislikes
Frontside oriented ski that will support PMTS drills & movements to whatever level I can attain
Superb edgehold on ice (not wimpy CO ice, real VT ice )
No speed limit, or as high as is reasonable on public slopes... I dislike nervous, squirrelly skis
Fun in bumps or trees, as I'm liable to ski them at any time
Less concerned about deeper powder or crud... one of my Atomic skis is good in those conditions (where its PMTS shortcomings are less noticeable)
So, what's amiss with the Atomics?
Nomad Blackeye Ti @ 167cm (tuned 1d/3d, tried 0.5d/3d but it made them too grabby)
Good sidecountry ski, versatile in funky snow. Decent turning radius for PMTS (14.3m) but their heavy weight and 81mm waist make them slower than ideal for tipping. My long legs help me get them up on edge eventually and, once there, the stance ski responds beautifully through the first 2/3 of the turn. But it fails in the bottom third due to excessive tail rocker. The floppy tail robs them of all snap, as a fully loaded and arcing ski will wash out just at the point where you'd like to harness that energy to release. This is screwing up my transitions and it's frustrating, especially as I've skied on race skis that hold on until I tell them to let go.
D2 VLF 75 @ 166cm (also tuned 1d/3d)
A slalom-like ski... sorta. Good turning radius for PMTS (13m) and a reasonably narrow waist (75mm), but they're heavy and stiff - no rocker here - and the "D2" means Double Deck, so it takes work to tip them high enough. Once they're engaged they slice ice like razors, but I don't weigh enough or have the strength to bend them into clean arcs at less than SL speeds. At speed on hardpack they do short radius PMTS turns okay with some zing into the next turn, but at slow speeds they're clumsy and there's too much unavoidable skidding or grabbing. They wander in medium or long radius turns and of course that stiffness means death in bumps... I might as well be on a pair of 2x4s. I got them at a killer price and they only have about 10 days on them... anyone wanna make an offer?
What have I tried?
Just one, but clearly one of the best. I demoed i.SuperShape Speeds in Granby last month while my partner was attending the Green/Blue camp. (Camp was a huge success BTW... his skiing ability, enthusiasm and confidence have skyrocketed!) Diana put me on the 163cm after learning that I really don't weigh anything. They were (as many of you know) fantastic! Easy to make every PMTS move I tried, as slow as I wanted, good edgehold, instantly responsive without being twitchy, plenty of snap at the end of the turn to support an energetic release, fun in the bumps (at least the easy ones at Granby), happy at any speed I could attain there. They obviously love cranking clean, short-radius arcs all day long, but they also made medium-long radius turns without wandering all over the hill, which happily surprised me. They didn't handle windblasted/refrozen crud as effortlessly as the Blackeyes, but no one would expect them to.
Given all the above, should I demo the Elan SLX Fusion? Or, given my light weight, the softer SL Fusion? Or something else? I'd especially enjoy input from anyone who's compared the i.SS Speed to the Elans (or similar).