Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

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Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby dtrick924 » Wed May 01, 2013 10:07 am

I am a female skier, 32, 5'1, 145 lbs. I consider myself an intermediate recreational skier, skiing groomed blues and easy blacks, 10-15 days a year. I am a slow tempo skier with generally short to medium radius turns and learned traditional technique skiing as a child. I have one season of PMTS learning using the books and videos. Right now I am working on the phantom move, foot pull back and pole push.

My current skis are 10+ years old, the Head Cyber X 18L at 160 cm and I think it's time for a new pair. I demoed the Stockli Spirit Motion at 157 cm this winter and liked it very much but the price tag made me wince.

Would the Head X-Shape STX at 156 cm be appropriate for me? I'm also looking at the Head MYA 3. Any other suggestions for a women's PMTS learning ski are greatly appreciated.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Mac » Wed May 01, 2013 3:36 pm

I went into a ski shop not long ago and asked to demo a pair of Stockli skis. The owner said "fine, no problem. But don't try them unless you're prepared to buy them. Because once you do try them, you'll never be satisfied with anything else. There's no substitute for quality." Well, he was right, I tried them and I did end up buying a pair. And I got a fantastic deal besides. So it sounds to me like you have already found your skis, now it's just a matter of finding them at a good price. And if you can't find a great deal on them at this time of year, then you're just not trying hard enough. Look around on line to see who's got them, but don't go by the advertised price. Pick up the phone and give them a call. You can't negotiate with a computer. You'll be surprised by what you might come up with just by asking. And if you don't get anywhere, PM me and I'll give you the number of a shop that I know has a pair of what you're looking for. Happy hunting.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby dtrick924 » Fri May 03, 2013 6:46 am

Mac,
Thanks for your reply. I did like the Stockli skis but I want to try a few other brands/models to compare.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Max_501 » Fri May 03, 2013 7:22 am

For a nice PMTS friendly flex pattern look at Head, Elan, and maybe Kastle. The Stockli's are fantastic when you need absolutely incredible edge hold but for developing PMTS skills there is no reason to spend that much on a skis.

Harald picked the STX as a good PMTS ski and 156cm sounds like a good size for developing your PMTS skills.

I'm think thinking the Mya 3 is too far down the Mya line. I will check on the construction differences later today.

Head X-Shape
New for 2011/12 the X-Shape STX is nimble and agile with SuperShape-like performance in a less-expensive package. Super for learning skiers, this ski will take you far in performance and terrain without busting the budget. More Super Shape performance with less need for speed and pressure on the ski. Without the Kers, and the (medal)?, so it’s lighter, but still makes SS turns.

Lengths: 149 / 156 / 163 / 170 / 177
Radius: 12.1 @ 170
Sidecut: 124/68/108 @ 170
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby CO_Steve » Fri May 03, 2013 11:34 am

My wife is maybe a bit more advanced than you but she loves her Head Mya 7.
Last edited by CO_Steve on Fri May 03, 2013 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby dtrick924 » Fri May 03, 2013 12:09 pm

Steve,
I saw your comments on the forum about the MYA 7 but I'm afraid that with the KERS it would be too much ski for me.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Mac » Sat May 04, 2013 4:55 am

I wouldn't be scared off by the KERS effect. I've had two pairs of the Supershapes (Titans, Magnums) with the KERS, the Titans are still my everyday ski. As far as I'm concerned, KERS only makes them ski better than the pre KERS models. And I agree that the Kastle's would be worth a try, I also owned a pair of those, too, although they are not exactly cheap, either. The Stockli's that I bought were a freeride ski, still in the wrapper with a sticker price of $1,379, and I ended up paying $650. I think even Max would have had a hard time passing that up. Oh, and don't let Max talk you out of getting that pair of Stockli's that you liked. Sometimes it's not all about what you really need, it just comes down to what you really want! :mrgreen:
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Max_501 » Sat May 04, 2013 7:25 am

Mac, KERS makes skis stiffer. For a heavier skier or a skier with highly developed skills this may be an advantage. For lighter skiers or those that are still developing their PMTS skills it may be a disadvantage.

I think Stockli makes great skis, but they are expensive. Even when buying at close out prices.

Here's an example of what you can do with Head on closeout.

http://www.levelninesports.com/Head-Pea ... 1-Bindings
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby jbotti » Sat May 04, 2013 9:18 am

I agree with Max on the Kers. If you get back on a ski with Kers it will kick and reasonably hard. I think this is the last thing that a skier learning PMTS wants to deal with.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Mac » Sat May 04, 2013 10:37 am

The only thing I can compare it with would be both pairs of the pre KERS SS Magnums and the newer pair I had with the Kers. Felt like the pre KERS ones I had were too soft to begin with, so the extra stiffness of the KERS model was a good thing, IMO. But I have no way of judging how a woman's version of the KERS is going to react to a female skier of her size and ability.
And I've got no agrument with Max's reasoning as far as price is concerned. I've got some great closeout deals on Head skis and bindings. I paid 2 1/2 times as much to have a Vist plate and binding put on the Stockli's as compared to what it would have cost me for a high end pair of Head bindings. But in my judgement, it was worth it. So I guess it comes down to the old saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Max_501 » Sat May 04, 2013 3:11 pm

Mac wrote:The only thing I can compare it with would be both pairs of the pre KERS SS Magnums and the newer pair I had with the Kers. Felt like the pre KERS ones I had were too soft to begin with, so the extra stiffness of the KERS model was a good thing, IMO.
\

Many of us thought the pre Kers magnum was on the stiff side. Not unskiable but the flex pattern wasn't as nice as the SuperShape.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Mac » Sat May 04, 2013 3:45 pm

The pre KERS Magnums that I had were a noodle, but I think we've already been down that road before. The Magnums that I had with the KERS were not that stiff, at least to me. And to be honest, I can't say that I have ever really noticed the "kick" that some people say they experience with the KERS. If you get in the back seat with any high performance ski, then you'll usually get punished for it. HOWEVER, I would highly advise the original poster to go with Max and JB's opinions here. They have a lot more experience with this kind of stuff than I do, and I certainly wouldn't want to see anyone get hooked up with a ski that is going to hold you back.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Max_501 » Sat May 04, 2013 4:01 pm

Mac wrote:The pre KERS Magnums that I had were a noodle, but I think we've already been down that road before. The Magnums that I had with the KERS were not that stiff, at least to me. And to be honest, I can't say that I have ever really noticed the "kick" that some people say they experience with the KERS..


None of the Magnum models would be described as a noodle so I'm guessing that there was something wrong with your pre Kers Magnums.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby milesb » Sat May 04, 2013 4:58 pm

The X-shape STX would be good, but be aware that is is not very stable when flat. Thus it won't be much fun if she's not committed to learning to tip her skis. I have never skied on a SuperShape, so I don't know if that is typical of skis with that much sidecut.
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Re: Women's PMTS Ski Recommendations

Postby Max_501 » Sat May 04, 2013 5:42 pm

MIles, that is typical for many skis with a SL sidecut. My 165 SS is very squirely when flat. The 170 isn't as bad but I still keep in on edge most of the time.
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