Seeking ski advice

[lerops]

Coming out of an ACL surgery last March, I am looking to take it easy this season to get my confidence back and improve my skiing fundamentals. I'd like to get through this season on these skis I am looking to buy, and feel safe all the way. But I am not looking for something that I would toss away after the season.

As way of background, before the injury I was an upper intermediate. I have started skiing a few years ago and I have been skiing every chance I got since then. At first I was skiing on mountain shop rentals. Over time I realized those are really bad and started renting from rental stores outside of the mountain. But I have not owned skis yet. I own boots though. Keith the Pro at Hunter hooked me up with Dalbello Proton 8s.

I want something that would hold in shaky conditions in the East. I mostly skied blues and some of the blacks before injury, but I am planning to spend this season on greens and some blues. Will mostly spend time on groomed runs, and will try to avoid bumps for the season. I would not mind looking at prior seasons (or even second hand, though not preferred) if there is a more suitable ski.

I am 5' 7'', 145 #. Last season, I was looking to buy a pair of skis I could grow on as I was developing fast. I almost went with Fischer RX 8s, but after season-ending injury, I did not get them. I came across these for my current search though: http://www.sierraskis.com/Fischer-Re...stem-17698.asp. The description sounds like what I am looking for.

Thoughts?

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

the red heat is a pretty good ski...I've heard some shop guys call it the best $699 ski (usual price for the new model) out there. Sierra is a reputable dealer out in sacremento...free shipping too if I recall. RX8 isn't a demanding ski...but it may be a little more than you want for "getting back on the horse" judging by your plan for the season. Its got more sidecut, stiffer, heavier, etc. Gotta go with what feels right for you.

 

[ts01]

FWIW when I came off ACL surgery I found a longer turning ski a little easier - spent most of the season on a midfat with 21m radius. Also had a 12m slalom ski but was not as comfortable on it for the first couple sessions.

Your doc will tell you to avoid bumps but IMHO it really depends how you ski them. I took a couple lessons and managed to really enjoy bumps for the first time ever after the ACL surgery - the trick was not trying to bash and carve my wave through them at high speed, but to develop better edge release, pivoting, posture, and pole plants to negotiate a slower and more rhythmic descent. Fun, not painful.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Nordica Nitrous - easy turner, has no metal layer in it's construction, but still holds a nice edge. Seems like a perfect fit for what you're describing.

http://www.nordica.com/site/ski.php?site=2&lang=1&id=30

 

[lerops]

ts01: Can you recommend a longer turning ski in what I am describing?

HPD: Is Nordica's classificaiton of expert not accurate for this ski? I don't want to get something that would give me trouble.

Would anybody recommend cool heat over red heat? It seems to have better bindings.

Thanks again!

 

[ts01]

First that comes to mind is Dynastar Legend 8000 or 4800. A lot of new old stock going at great prices these days on ebay and other online sources (check swap section on epicski.com and tgr).

 

[ts01]

maybe: http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=76718

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

ts01: Can you recommend a longer turning ski in what I am describing?

HPD: Is Nordica's classificaiton of expert not accurate for this ski? I don't want to get something that would give me trouble.

Would anybody recommend cool heat over red heat? It seems to have better bindings.

Thanks again!

An expert skier can be happy skiing the Nitrous; however, so can someone without real black skills. Because it doesn't have any metal in it, it turns very easy and I don't see you having a problem with it. It's also a ski you can grow with.

I had a pair last season for awhile, and liked it alot, I just perfer a stiffer ski most of the time.

 

[lerops]

Thanks for all the help guys. So, I am looking at Nitrous, Dynastar 8000s, Watea 78 and Red Heats right now. Will try to buy while I am out West so I can save on the rental fees there.

Lengthwise, I am guessing 165-170 should be fine for me, given that I am 5-7 and 145.

 

[lerops]

I have tested Apache Reckon and AC30. Tomorrow, I'll ski Nitrous. I will be getting 40% off last season's prices on what I go with. It seemed like online prices are pretty much around there, so I don't mind giving business to knowledgable people who help a lot.

Apache Reckon felt like it lacked energy. But that could also be me since that was my first day after injury and I was super cautious. AC30s were great on hard snow. They love to go fast and prefer long turns. My concern there is the need for short turns on the narrow East Coast trails. Whenever I wanted to do short turns, the skis seemed to want to do a long turn. This could be my lack of skill, though. They seemed to respond a little better to short turns towards the end of the day. AC30s are not forgiving, but I decided that it is not a bad thing. That will teach me not to ski sloppy.

I'll report back on what I end up with. The missus got the Volkl Lunas, by the way. She also liked Lotta Luvs, but thought they would not be that good for the East Coast. Any experience on this one?

 

[RISkier]

An expert skier can be happy skiing the Nitrous; however, so can someone without real black skills. Because it doesn't have any metal in it, it turns very easy and I don't see you having a problem with it. It's also a ski you can grow with.

I had a pair last season for awhile, and liked it alot, I just perfer a stiffer ski most of the time.

I have a pair. They're easy to ski. I'd describe them as playful and very forgiving. I'd say they are suitable for a wide range of skiers and a ski that will let you improve. Probably not stiff enough for a large skier who wants to really crank at high speed. I'm certainly not an expert skier. I haven't skied a lot of skis so I can't offer informed comparisons but I don't think you'd be going too far wrong with the Nitrous.