OT: school me on snow skis

[bikeridah]

Short story is I've been out of the ski scene for a very long time and need some reco's for new skis this year

The last pair I owned was in the early 90s! What do people prefer these days? Is parabolic still in? I know there are plenty of ski forums, but I'm not prepared to sift through tons of threads with conflicting advise.

I'm an intermediate/advanced skiier, prefer groomed terrain, usually single diamond trails, and not a mogul guy. Figure mostly icy conditions here in the lower NE.

Looking to spend few hundred tops, already have boots.

Appreciate any input.

[kmla320]

Volkl skis

[moose8]

At this point is ski technology almost all of the intermediate/advance skis will be quite good. You just missed all the really good deals in the late summer/early fall/tent sales but you can still probably find something online. Most intermediate skis are still shaped but way less than when parabolics first came on the scene.

Volkls are super nice, but they are not cheap. You'll be happy with just about anything you get as long as it's from a known manufacturer. K2, head, rossignol, etc all make nice skis you can probably find a deal on.

[MadRocketSci]

parabolics are done...skis over the last few years have just been getting wider and more rocker. Rocker refers to the amount of reverse camber in the tip, tail, or entire ski. This supposedly means easier turn initiation and soft snow performance, at the expense edge hold and high speed stability. Just a rule of thumb though as i'm sure you can find fat rockered ski reviews that say how great the carving and edge hold is (Blizzard Flipcore series).

But, sounds like you don't need anything fat and that rockered...depending on how well you carve a turn...if more towards intermediate, some tip rocker can help, if more towards advanced, traditional camber. Something in the 80's width underfoot, maybe even the 70's if you don't care about pow performance at all.

Pure carving skis are hard to find in retail...they don't sell that well. But, many online retailers carry them. In this narrower all mountain carving range, i've read good things about Fischer and Head. Most of the cool racers are on Head.

[echelon_john]

Skis have evolved several times since you last skied. Hell, they've evolved from the skis I bought in 2007 to the skis I bought last winter.

Overall, like bikes, improvements have trickled down through product lines to the point where there are many, many options of competent skis at virtually every price point.

I would recommend demo-ing (as opposed to renting) at a place that's on-mountain, preferably on a weekday. That way you can realistically ski 5-6 different skis for a couple/3 runs each. Assuming your boots are a good fit, you'll definitely be able to tell what you like more or less among a sample set of 5 skis.

Keep a good record of the model and size of everything you try. If there was a clear standout, either:
- Buy it from the shop you're demo-ing from, if their price is decent and their service is good
- Look for a deal on the same ski (or last year's version), using the ski dimensions and construction details to make sure what you're buying is darn close to what you skied and liked
- Go on to epicski.com and put a feeler out for skis that are similar to what you tried and liked, and explore those.

If you find a good demo shop with competent folks working there, they should be able to steer you into some good options based on what you tell them initially, plus the feedback you provide on the first couple of pairs you ski.

Finally, if there's a pair early in the demo process that you love, make sure to ski them again at the end of the day so you can account for freshness/fatigue. It's good to confirm that they ski well for you at the end of the day, and that it wasn't just excitement and fresh legs that made them your favorites.

If you're coming to southern VT to ski, let me know and I can give you some shops to avoid and a couple to try.

Good luck!
JC

(who separated his shoulder 2 days ago while skiing, and whose advice on this subject matter may therefore be questionable...)

[zzy]

Is it really worth it to upgrade skis if you're a casual skiier? I have a good set of racing skis (long and narrow, no shaping) from the late 90s which serve me well enough. While skiing in VT last year some guys were going on about my ancient skis on the lift and how modern multi-material, shaped skis were so much better, etc. As a cyclist I saw their point but was skeptical about the significant difference. A trip to REI further confused me. Anyone have any thoughts? Up here in the NE it's pretty firm and fast, and my skis always seemed to go where I wanted them with decent grip.

[echelon_john]

New skis are MUCH easier to ski well for the casual/occasional skier. I've skied my old skis, and would never go back.

You can also get a heck of a lot of ski (with bindings) for <$500, which you'll only need to ski ~10 times to make it a better value than renting.

[Richard]

Echelon John has it right. Modern skis from any major brand in the $400 to $500 range including bindings are more ski than the OP needs given his preferences. He should look around on line as they can be had cheap, especially if he finds last years graphics. Places like Skipro.com sell for a great price if you know what length you want.

[dana_e]

perfect east coast ski

[Daveyk]

+1 great edge grip on ice

Volkl skis

[MadRocketSci]

Volkl used to have vaunted status...i had Renntiger R's in the mid 90's....but they've since been sold to K2 and don't have a particular "lock" (NPI) on edge hold.

[moose8]

New skis definitely are way easier to ski than the old straight skis. It all boils down to fun - people seem to have more fun on them since they are less work to ski.

[merlinmurph]

About to head to VT in a few hours....

For NE skiing, you need a decent ice ski, no two ways about it. All those fluffy fat rockered boards you see look pretty but are pretty useless on NE hardpack.

Since you really don't know what you want, follow the suggestions above and try really hard to demo skis. Skis have very different personalities, and if you demo a few, you'll find that "Aha!" moment where one pair just feels good to you. Then buy them. When talking to the shop, be honest about your abilities, tell them what you like to ski, then take them out and try them in all sorts of conditions. Find some ice, groomed, steep, cruisers, etc. and just see how they feel.

Oh yeah, one more thing. New boards are infinitely better than old skinny skis. They are incredibly versatile. You can have a ski that turns easily on a steep fall line, and also be able to let 'em rip and cut wide GS turns. They're a ton of fun.

Pray for snow,
Murph

[sitzmark]

Skis are like wheel sets/framesets. There really aren't any skis in ski shops today that are bad. Shops don't survive that sell bad product.

Like wheelsets and framesets, manufacturers have a wide range of different product - none of it junk. In addition to length, width, and shape, materials will affect the way specific skis "feel" underfoot and how they interact with the snow ... or whatever that white stuff is here in NE. It sure isn't the same as what I grew up skiing in CO. :)

The advice to demo is the best you'll get. You just missed "demo days" at Sunday River ME. $10/day and ski everything the manufacturers reps bring to the mountain. They travel a circuit this time of year, so check each mountain to find a demo day that fits your calendar. If you can't make DD, shop demo is the next best - usually $35-$50 for the day and try as many as you like. Usually all demo costs are applicable to purchase.

To get the most out of contemporary equipment your technique will most likely need to change. Even though running lengths are generally shorter than years ago, the surface area (edges) on snow is comparable due to the shape of the ski. Skidding and heal pushing isn't particularly efficient. Engaging the shovel of the ski and "carving" through the turn is the way to get the most out of a shaped ski. In fact, if you tip it on its edge and rail it, you'll get a sense for how much of the turn the ski can do on its own. Skis with a pronounced "flare" at the tail are typically better hard surface skis. Keeping tip and tail engaged provides the hold you're looking for on hardback. It also makes skidding them around more difficult because you have to work a little harder to break the tail loose.

I ski SL race skis (atomic) almost exclusively for NE. Have a couple pairs of GS race and a 107mm waisted ski (Volkl Gotama) for "powder" conditions. Most of my friends are skiing 85-120 waisted skis for general use, but honestly, until the powder is over knee deep or heavy muck I'm perfectly content to ski SLs with a 65+/- underfoot width. Edge to edge they're quicker to respond on hardpack There are far more hard pack days than powder days in the East. So, for me personally I wouldn't go with an "all mountain" ski, but some are quite good on hardpac and you just need to explore which one gives you the combination of responsiveness that fits your typical ski day. The suggestion to lean to a "carving ski" is a good one, although that category is pretty much passé. A good shop will know what you're talking about if you ask for that however. Its a good starting point if you're not planning on jumping into glades or busting bumps runs. Mogul/bump conditions can be more challenging for a carving ski because of the tail grip. Stiff and cambered is "grippiest" on hardpack. Metal/matrix layers in the ski will make it more stiff, but that is all relative to your weight. Recent experience is that Stockli is the "new Volkl" when it comes to edge hold, but they are expensive.

Some suggestions to get you started, but the list is MUCH longer.
Race end (stiff and grip): Stockli Laser SL, Head iSL, Atomic Redster SL, (substitute the GS versions for longer turn radius)
Recreational SL/SC: Head iMagnum, Stockli Laser SX/SC, Elan Waveflex (various models)
...way too many to list. Really best to demo.

Have fun!

[verticaldoug]

I think Echelon John has given you the best advice- you need to demo skis. I always view my boots and skis as a combo. Stiff boot, soft ski, not much fun. Soft boots, stiff ski, not fun either. If your boots are from the 90's, you may want to update. Boots have not progressed as much as skis, but I think the new models are lighter with slightly less bulk.

My preferred ski is still the Volkl Bridge from a few years ago before the latest rocker model.

[bikeridah]

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys.

I should've clarified my boots are newer, Langes that I bought on closeout 2 years ago. Just need to get boots/bindings/poles at this point.

I will have to see what I can demo around here, but I'm not optimistic...

[martl]

Short story is I've been out of the ski scene for a very long time and need some reco's for new skis this year

The last pair I owned was in the early 90s! What do people prefer these days? Is parabolic still in? I know there are plenty of ski forums, but I'm not prepared to sift through tons of threads with conflicting advise.

I'm an intermediate/advanced skiier, prefer groomed terrain, usually single diamond trails, and not a mogul guy. Figure mostly icy conditions here in the lower NE.

Looking to spend few hundred tops, already have boots.

Appreciate any input.

You'll be amazed how well Carvers ride - i refused them for a decade, and only when i started using my (Carving) ski tour skis on the piste i regretted it instantly.

I second those who suggested try some out. Dunno about the US, here in the old europe most ski ressorts have a shop that offers rental skis. Go through a couple of them and see what you like. Some less expensive ones don't really like high speeds.
Once you found your pair, go and by last years model of it :)