Looking for ski advice

[riverc0il]

Originally Posted by hammer

My thinking is that I'd want to get an "advanced" all-mountain ski...something that can handle the variable conditions that we can get around here in NE but also has good enough edge hold to cruise down groomed hardpack. Some of the skis that may be contenders include Elan Magfire 10/12, Dynastar Legend 8000, Head Xenon 9.0...I'm sure that there are others.

There are better options than the 8000 if you want a good edge against hard pack, not that ski's forte. You may want to add the Volkl AC30 to that short list as well as Fischer's all mountain ski option, and something from the Head Monster series perhaps. There are a lot of choices, as always, demo day is the best way to find out what works best for you.

Originally Posted by hammer

Also, I tried out a NASTAR course this past weekend...think I have a new addiction . Would an all-mountain ski be OK for recreational racing or should I really get a pair of cheap-a$$ race skis for that purpose?

If you want to be serious in a race course, a recreational race ski is the only way to go. But you could easily enjoy the occasional non-serious fun NASTAR run using any ski that works well on hard pack. You would probably want to focus on the stiffer offerings in the all mountain mid-fat lineup. My recommendation would be to scour eBay for some cheap old race ski (I bet you could score a Volkl P40 or something like that with bindings for $100).

[campgottagopee]

Originally Posted by riverc0il

My recommendation would be to scour eBay for some cheap old race ski (I bet you could score a Volkl P40 or something like that with bindings for $100).

What a great ski that was/is!!!! Still use mine in the course, it's just that I don't get enough gate time anymore. Sure is fun when I do though.

[highpeaksdrifter]

Originally Posted by hammer

I've been starting to look at end-of-season sales and there are a few good deals out there, so I think I'm going to get another pair that will help this "temporarily-terminal intermediate" in getting to the next level in my skiing.

My thinking is that I'd want to get an "advanced" all-mountain ski...something that can handle the variable conditions that we can get around here in NE but also has good enough edge hold to cruise down groomed hardpack. Some of the skis that may be contenders include Elan Magfire 10/12, Dynastar Legend 8000, Head Xenon 9.0...I'm sure that there are others.

Also, I tried out a NASTAR course this past weekend...think I have a new addiction . Would an all-mountain ski be OK for recreational racing or should I really get a pair of cheap-a$$ race skis for that purpose?

I may have the opportunity to demo some skis but I'm not sure I'll be able to demo exactly what I'm looking for...any input would be appreciated.

Hmmm...temporarily-terminal intermediate who wants to race Nastar. I'm thinkin the following:

Nordica Speedmachine14.2 - This ski is discontinued this season, the mach 2 took it's place in the speed machine lineup. I'm thinkin as an int. you pobably spend most of your time on the front side so you need a carver first (which will also work in NASTAR) but not a curver that is so stiff you have to ski it hard and fast to get the most out of it. You need something that you can turn at slow to moderate speeds without putting too much work into each turn. These fit the bill. 116-70-102, wood core, carbon no metal, sandwich construction and the price will be right if you can find a pair.

Like I said it's a 06/07 ski, but I've seen them in a couple of shops and on ebay. You can get them for a song if you can find them go for it.

Diggin the Nordica love in this thread and I agree with others the Nitrous would work too.as would the Grandsport S14, Hot Rod Overdrive and of course the Mach 2.

[hammer]

Does anyone have any opinions on how the all-mountain "midfat" skis usually do in bumps and glades? Seems like they would be good to cut through crud but I could use all the help I can get on ungroomed trails...

[Greg]

Originally Posted by hammer

Does anyone have any opinions on how the all-mountain "midfat" skis usually do in bumps and glades? Seems like they would be good to cut through crud but I could use all the help I can get on ungroomed trails...

Legend 8000s turn very quickly and easily. Also, due to the lack of a lot of sidecut, as well as their "turnability", they are great in the bumps too. The only place they suck is hard pack, and that's only relative to a more groomer specific ski.

[hammer]

OK, so I demo'ed a pair of Fischer Cool Heats at Wachusett on Saturday...really like the ski in the LSGR to spring conditions and, despite what I read, I didn't find that they were too stiff for me. They were heavy skis, however, and I didn't have any chances to try them in tighter spaces...

Any suggestions on a ski that would feel as stable as the Cool Heats but be a little lighter and more nimble?

[ts01]

Originally Posted by hammer

Any suggestions on a ski that would feel as stable as the Cool Heats but be a little lighter and more nimble?

Fischer AMC 76. Not current in the Fischer line, I think was made for 2006 and 2007 years. Reputed to be a good one-ski-quiver midfat carver type ski dimensions - 120/76/106, r=16m; not the stiffest ski in the AMC lineup those years (that would be the AMC79). Compare to CoolHeat which is 117-76-103 (16m).

I have the predecessor to the AMC 76 - the BigStix 76 - great all mountain ski, similar construction to the AMC76 and very nimble despite longer turn radius (r=21) than the AMC76.

FWIW there's a guy selling a new pair of AMC 76 on the swap section of epicski.com. Don't know the seller but noticed the deal.

[hammer]

Originally Posted by ts01

Fischer AMC 76. Not current in the Fischer line, I think was made for 2006 and 2007 years. Reputed to be a good one-ski-quiver midfat carver type ski dimensions - 120/76/106, r=16m; not the stiffest ski in the AMC lineup those years (that would be the AMC79). Compare to CoolHeat which is 117-76-103 (16m).

I have the predecessor to the AMC 76 - the BigStix 76 - great all mountain ski, similar construction to the AMC76 and very nimble despite longer turn radius (r=21) than the AMC76.

FWIW there's a guy selling a new pair of AMC 76 on the swap section of epicski.com. Don't know the seller but noticed the deal.

Thanks...I saw the post on EpicSki on the AMC 76 skis but I think the length is 176 cm, which is just a little too long for me.

[bigbog]

hammer,
There's still plenty of nice pp up north....still plenty of time for demoing.
Find something that'll honestly reward your skiing..

[hammer]

Guess I had a hole burning in my pocket...picked up a pair of Elan Magfire 10s. Read a lot of decent stuff about them and the price was pretty good. Thought about the 12s but I wasn't sure I wanted over 80 mm underfoot.

Now to see if I can get out on them this weekend...