Cheap Ass Race Skis?

[wa-loaf]

Anyone know a good online source for finding close-out race skis?

I spotted some 06 Salomon GS race skis on skis.com today for $69.00 and tried to order them. They disappeared while I was ording them. They are back, but for $199, so I think the price was a mistake and they caught it while I was ordering.

Anyway I'm now on a mission to find a pair of GS skis for $100 or less. Almost any brand will do from within the last 5 years. Preferably new.

[kbroderick]

If you're willing to consider used, wait another month. FIS rules change again next year, and the minimum legal radius goes from > 21m to > 27m, so most racers are going to be replacing their skis and there won't be much of a secondary market within the race community.

[deadheadskier]

Originally Posted by kbroderick

If you're willing to consider used, wait another month. FIS rules change again next year, and the minimum legal radius goes from > 21m to > 27m, so most racers are going to be replacing their skis and there won't be much of a secondary market within the race community.

Am I reading that correctly? The minimum turn radius next season for a GS board will be 27m???


I really don't see what the point is. This isn't stock car racing. As far as I'm concerned, set the course and whoever gets down fastest wins, even if it's on a pair of ice skates.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Originally Posted by deadheadskier

Am I reading that correctly? The minimum turn radius next season for a GS board will be 27m???


I really don't see what the point is. This isn't stock car racing. As far as I'm concerned, set the course and whoever gets down fastest wins, even if it's on a pair of ice skates.

It's very unfair..a 5 foot tall college racer has to use the same minumum length of a 6 foot tall college racer..

[deadheadskier]

Originally Posted by GrilledSteezeSandwich

It's very unfair..a 5 foot tall college racer has to use the same minumum length of a 6 foot tall college racer..

I don't even know where the 'unfairness' lies


I'm completely clueless about 'new school' skiing these days. Turn radius what???? I'm used to GS skis, SL skis, Bump skis, Powder skis...etc.


.....I've completely lost track of the game....but I still have fun, which is all that matters to me.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Here's a good link about the new FIS regulations concerning race skis.

http://forums.epicski.com/archive/in...p?t-41355.html

[drjeff]

Originally Posted by deadheadskier

I don't even know where the 'unfairness' lies


I'm completely clueless about 'new school' skiing these days. Turn radius what???? I'm used to GS skis, SL skis, Bump skis, Powder skis...etc.


.....I've completely lost track of the game....but I still have fun, which is all that matters to me.

It's pretty simple, the longer the radius of the ski, the more force you'll need to exert on it to really crank a turn. Now take that big 'ol 6' 200lb racer vs. that 5' 150lb racer when you really need to crank a turn and if the abilities are similar, who's going to be able to get more edge pressure and have the advantage??

By comparison, the Atomic B5 Metrons that I'm one have a 13.2m turn radius and I can use them to carve some serious "trenches" on GS turns, and then just let them do what they want to and make some real nice slalom turns with them too at that radius.

If you asked most high level racers what they'd want for a turn radius on their skis, you'd probably see them looking for a GS ski in the 12 to 18 meter turn radius range and a slalom ski in the 6 to 10 meter radius range. That 27 meter GS ski radius is probably something that the world cup racers would want on their downhill skis, not their GS skis.

[wa-loaf]

Originally Posted by kbroderick

If you're willing to consider used, wait another month. FIS rules change again next year, and the minimum legal radius goes from > 21m to > 27m, so most racers are going to be replacing their skis and there won't be much of a secondary market within the race community.

Thanks, that's good to know. Kinda odd to increase the radius like that. Do you know the reason?

[deadheadskier]

Originally Posted by drjeff

It's pretty simple, the longer the radius of the ski, the more force you'll need to exert on it to really crank a turn. Now take that big 'ol 6' 200lb racer vs. that 5' 150lb racer when you really need to crank a turn and if the abilities are similar, who's going to be able to get more edge pressure and have the advantage??

By comparison, the Atomic B5 Metrons that I'm one have a 13.2m turn radius and I can use them to carve some serious "trenches" on GS turns, and then just let them do what they want to and make some real nice slalom turns with them too at that radius.

If you asked most high level racers what they'd want for a turn radius on their skis, you'd probably see them looking for a GS ski in the 12 to 18 meter turn radius range and a slalom ski in the 6 to 10 meter radius range. That 27 meter GS ski radius is probably something that the world cup racers would want on their downhill skis, not their GS skis.

That all said, it still seems somewhat silly to me. Perhaps 'back in the day' they had similar restrictions. I raced for a season in High School in the early 90's and it was simple, you had your GS ski and your SL ski, size was entirely up to you.

I guess the whole 'radius' thing is somewhat new to me, even though it's probably been around for ten years or more.

[wa-loaf]

Originally Posted by deadheadskier

That all said, it still seems somewhat silly to me. Perhaps 'back in the day' they had similar restrictions. I raced for a season in High School in the early 90's and it was simple, you had your GS ski and your SL ski, size was entirely up to you.

I guess the whole 'radius' thing is somewhat new to me, even though it's probably been around for ten years or more.

They are not regulating the length of the ski only the turn radius. A 27m radius is probably the same or smaller than you were using back in the day on straight skis.