newbie skis?

snowmonster said:

Cool. I work in one of the schools in BU. Too bad you're not one of my students. I'm sympathetic to skiers. =)

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LOL thats good to know, maybe i should transfer, i go nights at northeastern for a second degree.
After next week tho finals are up and im game!

Wow
I swung by the boot guy today. OMG i have never felt better. Tryed a bunch of stuff and talked alot. I learned about the flex and most of all, the arche supports. I wear them in my dress shoes and it enver corssed my mind to use them in ski boots. WOW what a difference. I could feel it immediatley.No more crushed toes. I was wearing size 27.5 yesterday and today after a proper sizeing im actually a 26.5. What a difference. So i wound up likeing very much the Technica vento 80, its an 80% flex boot and felt great. The salomon was just to narrow for me. very pricey tho. $400. I guess thats not to bad but for me its alot. Any thoughts on those particular boot! Thanks for the advice!

automagp68 said:

Wow
I swung by the boot guy today. OMG i have never felt better. Tryed a bunch of stuff and talked alot. I learned about the flex and most of all, the arche supports. I wear them in my dress shoes and it enver corssed my mind to use them in ski boots. WOW what a difference. I could feel it immediatley.No more crushed toes. I was wearing size 27.5 yesterday and today after a proper sizeing im actually a 26.5. What a difference. So i wound up likeing very much the Technica vento 80, its an 80% flex boot and felt great. The salomon was just to narrow for me. very pricey tho. $400. I guess thats not to bad but for me its alot. Any thoughts on those particular boot! Thanks for the advice!

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Ventos are a good boot and will last you a long time.

As for the skis, any ski can "hockey stop" and any ski can be used to carve, even rentals. Do not worry about that when choosing. I do not know how much a demo would really help you out. You are still getting back into the sport, and most likely not be able to notice too much of a difference between different skis.

Hawkshot99 said:

Ventos are a good boot and will last you a long time.

As for the skis, any ski can "hockey stop" and any ski can be used to carve, even rentals. Do not worry about that when choosing. I do not know how much a demo would really help you out. You are still getting back into the sport, and most likely not be able to notice too much of a difference between different skis.

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Not that it means much with my etreamly limited expereince but i think afer talking all day to different people, i think it was more that the length was so incorrect for me 150 im 57 170lbs that it was difficult, possibly overflexing maybe as someone stated.

I also after some research have kind of fell in love with the AC20 from the reviews i have read. Not to much but will give me room to grow and somewaht forgiving i have heard. I might try to demo those this friday at wachusette.

automagp68 said:

I also after some research have kind of fell in love with the AC20 from the reviews i have read. Not to much but will give me room to grow and somewaht forgiving i have heard. I might try to demo those this friday at wachusette.

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ac20 does look like a good ski. you thinking about the 163?

Yea i was looking at the 163 tonight at my local shop with the technica vento 80 boot, i think i would be very happy with that combo. Gave me this slight itch to call in sick to work tomorow! lol

automagp68 said:

I also after some research have kind of fell in love with the AC20 from the reviews i have read. Not to much but will give me room to grow and somewaht forgiving i have heard. I might try to demo those this friday at wachusette.

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Awesome ski for what you are looking for. I prefer the AC30, but I also weigh 250#. I work in a on mountain shop that has a nice demo fleet. 90% of the people I have handed the AC20 to loved it. The rest didn't say they didn't like it, just were looking for something different. They bite into hard snow great, and ski very nicely on softer snow as well. The AC series is one of my favorite. (I need to try out the AC50's:lol

I am slightly concerned tho.

I was looking at some of those charts. now im wondering if the 163 is to short?

Should i do the 167 according the weight chart?

Like ive said ive 57 bout kinda stalking 165 170lbs

I dunno, i guess will see when i demo them on friday!
Any other comments or suggestions are great!
Thanks again

automagp68 said:

Yea i was looking at the 163 tonight at my local shop with the technica vento 80 boot, i think i would be very happy with that combo. Gave me this slight itch to call in sick to work tomorow! lol

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That actually sounds like a really good combo to me. I had a Vento 8 for a while. Nice boot. Easy to get in and out of. Didn't fit my foot well though, but if it feels good to you go for it. Pretty soft boot which will be good to help you progress. It should last you several seasons. I think the AC20 is an appropriate ski. Not bomber, but there's enough there for you to grow into. That too should also last you a few seasons.

As far as length, I think I would go with the 163. You could probably get away with the 170, but it's still a Volkl and inherently a somewhat demanding ski. In two or three seasons you'll probably want to upgrade to a higher end ski anyway and you can go a bit longer then. But if you have the chance to demo both lengths, do it.

Good luck. I think you've pinpointed a good setup that will let you progress, but stuff you won't get bored of too quickly.

Greg said:

That actually sounds like a really good combo to me. I had a Vento 8 for a while. Nice boot. Easy to get in and out of. Didn't fit my foot well though, but if it feels good to you go for it. Pretty soft boot which will be good to help you progress. It should last you several seasons. I think the AC20 is an appropriate ski. Not bomber, but there's enough there for you to grow into. That too should also last you a few seasons.

As far as length, I think I would go with the 163. You could probably get away with the 170, but it's still a Volkl and inherently a somewhat demanding ski. In two or three seasons you'll probably want to upgrade to a higher end ski anyway and you can go a bit longer then. But if you have the chance to demo both lengths, do it.

Good luck. I think you've pinpointed a good setup that will let you progress, but stuff you won't get bored of too quickly.

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Awsome, thanks for the comments. Im pretty excited mysefl. What did you mean when you said the vento was some what soft. Isnt an 80% flex boot relativley stiff? I tryed on a cheaper model in the salomon line up and it was only 60% and could tell right away, I also tryed a 90% salomon that was nice and stiff but didnt fit my foot well. I really liked the technica alot, leave it to me to pick out a $400 boot. Why couldnt i like a $250 Boot! lol That is def my style to always like the more expensive one! Typical me! so all in all im gonna wind up blowing roughly a $grand on this. Thats ok hopefully it will last me a while. I even got my dad all fired up about going again, and he hasnt been in 10 years as well, but previously skied for like 20 years. Should be fun! Cant want to hit the slopes. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Considering that plug boots get rated up to 150 or higher, an 80 flex boot is somewhat on the softer side (flex ratings vary from manufacturer to manufacturer). However, considering your purposes, you're good with that boot. Besides, I believe that some plastics used in softer boots gradually stiffen over time because of their exposure to the sun. If you get 3 or 4 seasons out of these boots (which I think you will), it would be worth it.

I've got the AC 3 ('06 model) and I'm still in love on my third season.

snowmonster said:

Considering that plug boots get rated up to 150 or higher, an 80 flex boot is somewhat on the softer side (flex ratings vary from manufacturer to manufacturer). However, considering your purposes, you're good with that boot. Besides, I believe that some plastics used in softer boots gradually stiffen over time because of their exposure to the sun. If you get 3 or 4 seasons out of these boots (which I think you will), it would be worth it.

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Makes alot of sense, i didnt know they went up to 150, i thought it was only 100
I found out after i made the post, thanks for the info though.
Cant wait to get out and try them!

automagp68 said:

What did you mean when you said the vento was some what soft. Isnt an 80% flex boot relativley stiff? I tryed on a cheaper model in the salomon line up and it was only 60% and could tell right away, I also tryed a 90% salomon that was nice and stiff but didnt fit my foot well.

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automagp68 said:

Makes alot of sense, i didnt know they went up to 150, i thought it was only 100
I found out after i made the post, thanks for the info though.
Cant wait to get out and try them!

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As you've now discovered, flex ratings on boots are not expressed as percentages (%). They are absolute numbers & as snowmonster pointed out, the relative stiffness based on the flex numbers vary from manufacturer to mfger.

An 80 flex sounds about right for your level although I'm not an expert on the relative stiffness of Tecnica's flex ratings. I do know that Tecnica tends to be a stiffer boot so an 80 Tecnica is probably stiffer than a Nordica 80 or Salomon 80. Seems like you've chosen a good boot for your ability. Now the key is how do they feel & fit on your foot?

Ok time for an update. I still have not purchased boots or ski's. We went to Waterville valley today and I rented 160 this time. It was a slightly more humbling experience shall we say. Met up close and personal "with the snow" a few more times then I would have liked. Needless to say my rear hurts. It was a big difference obviously adding 10 inches to your ski. The conditions were kind of ruff, very hard pack, and the green runs at Waterville I would seriously consider calling blue. Anyway, about half way through the day, I switched down to a 154, which is a 4 inches more than last week, just to help myself out. The boots they gave me were terrible, absolutely killed my feet. All in all it was a tuff day but had some fun. Somewhat of a confidence killer, however, I finally was able to link a few more turns and ski parallel. It may not have been elegant looking but I was picking up the concept fairly easy. I seem to be able to link to the left very well, because I am right foot dominant and my right turns using my left foot on the outside seemed very weak. Going to hit wachusette again Friday and go for round three. If all goes well, I take myself to the ski store and get me some skis!! Any pointers let me know. Thanks again

FWIW, ski length is measured in centimeters; ski width in millimeters. So, the difference between a 160 and 150 length ski is 10 cms or approximately 4 inches.

Sounds like you're making progress on the learning curve. Good. Keep it up. I'll reiterate my earlier suggestion that you should start out with getting the right ski boots. The skis can wait, particularly if you're still working your way up to a longer ski. While your skill level will only get better with practice, the size of your feet won't so it's a good idea to start with a boot.

I don't want to muddy the waters, but you may be a good candidate for a bootfitter someday. The whole "I turn better to this side than the other" observation may mean that one leg is longer than the other (at least that's what my bootfitter told me). But, first thing's first, get a good boot.

...adding $.01..

automagp68....Welcome to the world of rental boots !...really fun eh'...:roll: Waterville Valley, along with some others, can indeed get pretty firm, if not icy... Harder snow isn't as forgiving as softer stuff...one really has to keep over that outside ski's edge!
The Salomon is average in forefoot/toebox width...Dalbellos have a wider forefoot/toebox section than a Salomon...and Technica makes a boot that's also wider..(forgot name!!..argghh!..used to be blue & white), just for interest...you should just at least Try on a 25.5 and 26.x Dalbello or Technica(higher volume boot(blue & white)) that are in the level #8 ForwardFlexing range.
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**YOU PROBABLY KNOW THE FOLLOWING:
A boot will stiffen up a little once outside...so don't worry if someone says #8s are too soft flexing.. As one gets a little better..one becomes a little more athletic in one's snow dancing...and will often feel the comfort when you drop down a shell size!
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**YOU PROBABLY KNOW THE FOLLOWING:..YET EASIER SAID THAN FELT
(26.0 and 26.5)--> is the same shell, just a thicker stock felt footbed in the liner, that one takes out anyways to put in your personal footbed. A liner will give(pack out) some...over time anyways, so be wary of a boot that feels "Really Cushy Comfortable" in the shop...it'll become spacious and your feet'll be feeling the hard shell after a few days out there....
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*It's a LOT easier for a bootfitter to expand the boot(liner and/or shell) and grind off pressure-points...

rambling...I know..:-o

bigbog said:

...Technica(higher volume boot(blue & white)) that are in the level #8 ForwardFlexing range. ...

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The boot he speaks of is the "Mega" series from Tecnica. Also the Vento series comes in a HVL option for larger feet.

..yes..

thank you Hawk..

Thanks for the info.

Im pretty set on the vento 80. Just trying to find some extra $$$ to go get a pair.
My other problem is that not all mountains do demo's so if i dont get my ski's also at some point soon my boots will be useless because i would be forced to rent anyway, unless like wachusette has a demo program i can fool with. Will see what firday brings hopefully it will be cold enough so they can make some snow!
I cant believe it was 60 in boston today!