Need New Gear for wife and daughter

[Sky]

Daughter has outgrown her junior Atomic's. Mother has grown tired of her K2 Freedom's.

Looking for easy skis for the both of them. Neither is aggresive or speedy. They both want total control and stability.

Lots of good skis out there in the intermediate range. Thinking more along something that (at low speeds) helps them improve their skiing.

The more they ski...the more I ski. *smirk*

 

[Brettski]

I got my wife these skiis, with the special binding that are made for their rails (marker, to boot), and she absolutley loves them.

http://www.untracked.com/highlight-174934.html

Got them for $170.00 from ebay last year

Gotta see if I can dig up the seller

She was on 195 Kastle straight sticks.....she said her knees always hurt her...

She's having more fun now than ever and confidence level shot through the roof.

EDIT: They are very lightweight and extremely responsive.
I got her 170 in length

 

[thetrailboss]

Think I'm going to move this to gear....

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Some good choices for da ladies here. http://www.nordica.com/ski/scheda.php?s=7&target=204

 

[Starter Jackets Rule!]

sky knowing what the weight of each skier is the only way to help you make a decesion on the right gear to get.
ther are quite a few skis out on the market.
some will help thier skiing improve due to the flex of the ski.
you do not want to put the two of them on a ski that flexes too much and wash out/chatter on them.
or a ski that won't flex will frustrate them because they might be too light 4 that ski....have fun skiing mt dozer!

 

[Sky]

re: chatter...thanks SJR, god points. I think Mrs Sky would be upset if I posted her weight. *smirk*

As far as chatter goes, I'd love to see either one of them develop the confidence to generate the speed to induce chatter at this point.

Right now I'm just trying to keep them on snow. Mrs SKy did realy wel on her skis when we bought them new. SHe took lessons and was confident at moderate speed (albeit a bit stiff). The next year she lost her confidence, didn't want the lesson, bag-o-excuses.

I worked on my daughter who seemed to be enjoying her 1st year. It worked out so well I bought her skis at the end of the season.....red kid's Atomic's. She loved/loves them. But she's about 6" taller and probably 25 lb heavier...but not much speedier. SHe's very comfy with her slow speed and gentle slopes. THat's "all good" except it keeps us @ Wachusett.

We have family @ K-Mart, and a place in NH. No point on spending $ on the lift tix because the two girls haven't got the confidence to push their envelope.

ALTHOUGH, if I can get keep them on snow, I might consider a trip to Wildcat. I tried that green trail off the summit (Polecat?) just to see if they could handle it. As long as the snow is carveable...they got the skills to cope. If it works out....how could they NOT be inspired by that view!

I'd be happy to keep them on shorter softer skis with plenty of waist and a relatively short turning radius. I'm thinking if they ever generated enough speed to obtain chatter, I'd be happy to upgrade the skis. No regrets.

 

[teachski]

Try local ski swaps. There are some that have Brand New, Year Old or couple year old geer for really cheap prices. There is usually a great selection of used geer too. (be a little leary of WAWA's swap, the prices tend to run higher than other swaps)

The best way for your wife might be to let her demo the skis before you buy.

 

[Starter Jackets Rule!]

Try local ski swaps. There are some that have Brand New, Year Old or couple year old geer for really cheap prices. There is usually a great selection of used geer too. (be a little leary of WAWA's swap, the prices tend to run higher than other swaps)

The best way for your wife might be to let her demo the skis before you buy.

There you go nice advice Teach.
Rule of thumb for Jr. skiers is once they reach 120-125 lbs then its time to make the jump in to the ranks of adult skis.
If the skier is and sees them self becoming a "Go 4 it" skier by the end of the season then a jr race ski will do the trick(also if thier weight is in the 90-120 range a jr race ski is the way 2 go).
Head makes some great jr skis along with volkl and atomic...imo most of the french jr skis are low end skis with a paint job to make it look like moms or dads skis.
Let me add this if you are at a swap and see used race skis pay attention to the edeges!
a lot of used race skis are "Played" and edeges are filed down to the side walls.
if you run across a pair like that pass it on, also some if not all used jr race skis will dedicate thier edeges to "Race" and "Train" the train edeges will be thinner do to over fileing. so again look at both edeges.
4 your wife Head makes the lightning skis they can be skied by a wide range of skiers and are quite stable and can help build confidentce.
after all getting over fear is the name of the game when it comes to skiing(PSIA geeks take note)!
for some reason psia fails to address fear when it comes to lessons, and i should know!
Later and have fun skiing Wa-Wa....i use to live in Ashburnham and also have a "Camp" on whymans pond. and race there.
Paul Elliott

 

[Brettski]

Did you ever get any further on this?

 

[hammer]

ALTHOUGH, if I can get keep them on snow, I might consider a trip to Wildcat. I tried that green trail off the summit (Polecat?) just to see if they could handle it. As long as the snow is carveable...they got the skills to cope. If it works out....how could they NOT be inspired by that view!

Is Wildcat doable for a day trip from Mass? Also, aside from length (which I'm assuming is a lot longer), how does the green trail from the summit compare to trails at Wachusett? Finally, is there enough suitable terrain for intermediates?

Going back on topic, I'd also appreciate any advice...my spouse and daughter are "experienced novices" and I'm now wondering myself what the best skis (and boots) will be for each of them.

 

[thetrailboss]

Going back on topic, I'd also appreciate any advice...my spouse and daughter are "experienced novices" and I'm now wondering myself what the best skis (and boots) will be for each of them.

Look into intermediate carvers or skis that are designed to turn easily and thrust high beginners/low intermediates into a position where they have better control/more response...as for specific models, Ms. Trailboss skis an Atomic C6 which is designed for this purpose. She just happened to win them at a Ski and Ride New England Event! :beer:

 

[awf170]

Is Wildcat doable for a day trip from Mass?

2:45 from boston, you decide. Personally i think it is worth it

Also, aside from length (which I'm assuming is a lot longer), how does the green trail from the summit compare to trails at Wachusett?

Never been to Wawa but wildcat does have stiff ratings on there trails, polecat is like a blue at most mountains, the top 1/3 is probably the hardest(ussualy because of windblow/hardpack conditions) so you could just take the triple(tomcat) and do the bottom 2/3's first. To make it even easier take tomcat from the triple.

Finally, is there enough suitable terrain for intermediates?

I think so. Polecat is an excellent trail for pretty much any skill level. Catapult is pretty nice with usually the best coverage on the mountain but has the biggest crowds. Lynx is an awsome trail but is pretty steep for an int. trail. The lower triple(bobcat) has some nice wide int. cruisers. Cougar and alley cat are also nice choices that dont see as much crowds. Also stay away from lynx connection, panther, catnery, and midway because they are often moguled.

Anyway I hope this helped

 

[hammer]

Thanks -- lots of good info and advice.