carving skis

[gmcunni]

i watch in awe the people going down a steep slope, in control and leaving a perfect set of carved tracks in their wake. i can fake it sometimes but my fat skis certainly don't help.

if i were to pick up a used pair of skis to try to be more better at carving what might i look for ? gs race, slalom or something else? not going to race just want to get some short radius carving action going.

what's a short radius turn? 13M?

 

[Pa. Patroller]

Slalom race would be the way to go / high end slalom side cut would work
65ish under foot - I would definitely stay 70 or less under foot
13m or less if you really want to hang it out there
Don't be afraid to go shorter (a little) also
The shorter the bigger the sidecut typically


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[deadheadskier]

I haven't skied them, but something like a Dynastar Contact 4x4 would be a good tool for what you're looking to do.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dynastar-Co...ry-Red-S-/400645482341?_trksid=p2054897.l4276

 

[SIKSKIER]

Depends.If you want high speed carving then go with a GS race ski.Thats my everyday Cannon ski for fast hard snow conditions.

 

[Twism86]

Newb question.... The bigger the turning radius the better for carving right? Mine are 14.5.

 

[Pa. Patroller]

This is a review of my everyday trench diggers
http://starthaus.com/wordpress/2012...-ski-review-world-cup-for-the-everyday-skier/


^^Bigger the radius the longer (straighter) the turn is.
The smaller radius the "tighter" the turn. More "G" force, deeper trenches. For instance if you want enough "G" force to lean into the turn far enough to drag a hand on the snow you will most likely need a 13M or smaller turn radius.

 

[WoodCore]

Pick up a beer league slalom ski with a radius less than 13m. Shorter is better so no longer than 165cm length.

 

[dlague]

Newb question.... The bigger the turning radius the better for carving right? Mine are 14.5.

Bigger the number the stiffer the ski and it does not carve tight turns. Think of the radius of a circle - the higher the number the bigger the circle meaning is does not turn as quickly. 14.5 is OK! A lot depends on how someone drives the ski. I see a lot of skid/slide turners out there and they are not driving the ski!

 

[Hawkshot99]

Bigger the number the stiffer the ski and it does not carve tight turns. Think of the radius of a circle - the higher the number the bigger the circle meaning is does not turn as quickly.

you can carve nice turns on any size radius. The radius only changes what size of turns a ski will easliy carve.
The stiffer the ski is the better it will stay locked into turns without chattering. I prefer a beer league GS ski simply because I dont like tons of turns that a SL ski is happiest doing. But you can lay down some nasty trenfhes on a SL as well.

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[gmcunni]

you can carve nice turns on any size radius. The radius only changes what size of turns a ski will easliy carve.
The stiffer the ski is the better it will stay locked into turns without chattering. I prefer a beer league GS ski simply because I dont like tons of turns that a SL ski is happiest doing. But you can lay down some nasty trenfhes on a SL as well.

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does less "force" on a SL ski allow for a longer radius turn?

 

[gmcunni]

Pick up a beer league slalom ski with a radius less than 13m.

could you mention a few brand/models so i can google them to get comparables?

 

[WoodCore]

http://blizzardsportusa.com/Products/Race/8A302600001.html

http://www.volkl.com/skis/all-mountain/racetiger/racetiger-sl-speedwall.html

http://www.fischersports.com/us/Alpine/C-LINE/Products/3486-RC4-Worldcup-SC-C-LINE

http://www.rossignol.com/US/US/radi...ing_RACBN01_product_alpine-men-skis-race.html



Here's a couple.......

 

[Pa. Patroller]

Rossi, Head, Blizzard, Vokle, and Fischer all make very good carving, race ski's. Or just google your favorite manufacturer with " slalom" attached and see what you find.
^^ Pressure or force is not what determines the skis turn radius.
How far you roll the ski over to engage the sidecut will vary the turn size.
Anyone wanting to dig trenches will need to be balanced and forward on their ski's. Active pressure on the inside edge of the ski will certainly help as well. You can work on building that into your skiing by thinking about it by pushing your big toe hard to the base of the boot.
However any of this with the proper ankle and hip flex is useless.
Google some ski racer images and see how they actually get the skis that far on edge. This is not something that you will be able to buy the skis and they "do it for you". You will need lots of practice till it "clicks"

 

[Pa. Patroller]

HAHA^^ beat me to it.

 

[Hawkshot99]

does less "force" on a SL ski allow for a longer radius turn?

I regularly play on a 165cm Atomic beer league Sl ski. Yes they can carve big radius turns like my GS ski, but they are not nearly as stable at it. They come out of one carve and imediatly want to throw themselves hard into the next turn. Very "twitchy" vs my normal GS ski.

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[gmcunni]

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thank you both.