Skis you don't or didn't like

[jimme]

What skis have you owned that you thought were terrible and why?

For me all the skis I owned as a kid. From my first "bear trap" pair up to some old Head 360's. I didn't know how to sharpen skis and the edges became so dull they seemed more like wood than metal. The Head's were decent skis, but they were 210cm and at 164cm tall and I always had a difficult time steering them.

Jimme :wink:

 

[RossiSkier]

TYROLIA MOGUL SPECIAL EDITION

A friend who was a ski instuctor sold me a pair of Tyrolia Mogul Special Edition 195's. It was in the 90's and never skiied on a bump ski before. Moguls aren't something I thrive on as I am a large person. They were too soft in the middle (as they were supposed to be) I guess. Hated them. They're rusting to this day down in my cellar.

 

[thetrailboss]

I got a promo from Sugarbush the last year I was a passholder--50 percent off a new pair of "select" Dynastar skis including the SkiCross9 and the Concept models.

In 2003 I demoed the Dynastar SkiCross 9's (the NASCAR skis) and they were as heavy as concrete. I was soaked in sweat after a couple of powder runs. :x

As for the Dynastar Concepts, they were too soft and could not hold edge for me. :roll:

 

[Greg]

In 2003 I demoed the Dynastar SkiCross 9's (the NASCAR skis) and they were as heavy as concrete. I was soaked in sweat after a couple of powder runs. :x

Not sure what year they were, but I demoed this a few weeks ago and thought they performed very well on groomed hardback. They were kind of "dead" though; pretty lifeless, but very stable on the groomers.

 

[thetrailboss]

In 2003 I demoed the Dynastar SkiCross 9's (the NASCAR skis) and they were as heavy as concrete. I was soaked in sweat after a couple of powder runs. :x

Not sure what year they were, but I demoed this a few weeks ago and thought they performed very well on groomed hardback. They were kind of "dead" though; pretty lifeless, but very stable on the groomers.

Pretty much like the skis I demoed...meant for fast, hard packed snow (emphasis on FAST). Couldn't do much else.

 

[JimG.]

I got a promo from Sugarbush the last year I was a passholder--50 percent off a new pair of "select" Dynastar skis including the SkiCross9 and the Concept models.

In 2003 I demoed the Dynastar SkiCross 9's (the NASCAR skis) and they were as heavy as concrete. I was soaked in sweat after a couple of powder runs. :x

As for the Dynastar Concepts, they were too soft and could not hold edge for me. :roll:

Just goes to show you that with skis today, what works for one person doesn't for another. Like Trailboss, I disliked the SkiCross 9 for the same reason-heavy as concrete.

However, I loved the Concept 178's so much I bought another pair this year off of Ebay to replace my 2 year old pair. This ski just works for me and my preferences on snow which are glades, bumps, and POW.

I'm not small either (6'2", 190lbs) and the Concept's carve great for me, even on boilerplate. They are not good for long radius, very high speed downhill type turns, but I'm not a racer so I don't care about that.

The moral of this story? DEMO, DEMO, DEMO!

 

[thetrailboss]

I got a promo from Sugarbush the last year I was a passholder--50 percent off a new pair of "select" Dynastar skis including the SkiCross9 and the Concept models.

In 2003 I demoed the Dynastar SkiCross 9's (the NASCAR skis) and they were as heavy as concrete. I was soaked in sweat after a couple of powder runs. :x

As for the Dynastar Concepts, they were too soft and could not hold edge for me. :roll:

Just goes to show you that with skis today, what works for one person doesn't for another. Like Trailboss, I disliked the SkiCross 9 for the same reason-heavy as concrete.

However, I loved the Concept 178's so much I bought another pair this year off of Ebay to replace my 2 year old pair. This ski just works for me and my preferences on snow which are glades, bumps, and POW.

I'm not small either (6'2", 190lbs) and the Concept's carve great for me, even on boilerplate. They are not good for long radius, very high speed downhill type turns, but I'm not a racer so I don't care about that.

The moral of this story? DEMO, DEMO, DEMO!

Yep, Demo, demo demo! I was going to mention that what works for one does not work for all...thanks JimG.

I have a feeling that the dull pair that I was demoing had something to do with the problem as well.

I opted for the Head Monster IM 75 and it fits the bill quite well...able to handle ice and fast stuff, yet works well in the bumps and softer snow. Great ski.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

What skis have you owned that you thought were terrible and why?

For me all the skis I owned as a kid. From my first "bear trap" pair up to some old Head 360's. I didn't know how to sharpen skis and the edges became so dull they seemed more like wood than metal. The Head's were decent skis, but they were 210cm and at 164cm tall and I always had a difficult time steering them.

Jimme :wink:

Head 360's man that takes me way back. I had those and the Head Competitions before those. They were work to turn. Did you have the "long thongs" for safty straps too?

 

[teachski]

Worst skis: A pair of old wooden beartrap binding skis that had been handed down from my brother to my sister to my cousin and then to me. They didn't start out red, after I skied them a while and scratched the edges up I revealed the blue, red and green layer below my red layer. By time they got to me the tip had been broken and glued with wood glue at least once. The edges were smooth and probably had NO effect at all.

Runner up the Blizzard TCL's I had a few years back...after 6 times out they were like 195cm noodles.

 

[riverc0il]

Just goes to show you that with skis today, what works for one person doesn't for another.

yup! case in point:

I opted for the Head Monster IM 75 and it fits the bill quite well...able to handle ice and fast stuff, yet works well in the bumps and softer snow. Great ski.

i didn't like this ski at all when i demoed it earlier this year. it did everything "just okay" while i was piloting it, nothing really stood out. i just felt blah on them.

i think the 204cm k2 GS racing ski i had in high school was the worst thing i ever skied. i didn't know how bad that ski was until i finally got some new ones and BAM i became a decent skier almost over night (okay, college race training helped too ). i don't remember the model name.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I can't say that I've ever owned a pair of skis that I've hated. (Yes. Even the "Laminated Hardwood" skis with painted bases and beartrap bindings that I got for Xmas, '68, only because I was so primed to go skiing...yes...all bones and joints still in tact!

I will say, however, that I do have a pair of skis that I have a most intense "Love/Hate" relationship with, which is, GASP! Atomic Metron M11's

Billed as a "do everything" all mountain ski, by their size chart, they're OK on hardpack, as long as I'm doing the fastdance down the boilerplate, otherwise, it's ugly.

In fluff, sluff, crud etc, "Yeah, baby! Yeah!"

 

[thetrailboss]

Just goes to show you that with skis today, what works for one person doesn't for another.

yup! case in point:

I opted for the Head Monster IM 75 and it fits the bill quite well...able to handle ice and fast stuff, yet works well in the bumps and softer snow. Great ski.

i didn't like this ski at all when i demoed it earlier this year. it did everything "just okay" while i was piloting it, nothing really stood out. i just felt blah on them.

I saw that they were getting the same reviews in this season's SKI and SKIING magazines, in the longer lengths, so I opted to drop from 177 to 170cm and the ski is lively and snappier. A nice ride.

Heading out on the slopes this weekend? I'll be at Loon.

 

[tree_skier]

Rossi 4s, after 10 days they were the biggest noodle I ever skied on and suffered for the rest of the season with them

 

[beswift]

Skiis

The first Head metal skiis were too stiff. The same goes for the Harts. I hated skiing when I started with the bear trap. However, I have never met a ski that I haven't liked. The trouble anyone has with skiing usual lies with other factors. One of them would be using a ski which isn't matched to the skier's ability. They used to push long skiis on everyone back in the sixties. Length of a ski was always considered a measure of one's skill. This would be the reason you may not have liked the ski. The first pair I bought with my own money was a Grenoble. (Any one heard of it?) I loved it. My ski pals bought them, too. We used to ride the chair at Wachusetts and sing Grenoble like we were yodeling. All the rich kids we knew who skied had Heads and Harts. These boards carried great prestige, but they were always complaining about them. Most skiers in the Northeast prefer Slalom skiis to GS. They make the GS skiis tortionally stiffer than SL skiis. Also the shovel tends to be stiffer. It's just easier to make quick turns with a Slolom Ski. GS skiing takes some training which the average skier doesn't have. I won an Olin GS ski once. It wasn't all that exciting for me so I haven't gone to GS skiis since.

 

[SAB]

The only skis that I didn't particularly care for were a pair of K2 X5's. I don't think they are a bad ski, but I bought them used and I don't think I knew what I was getting. The skis didn't work well for the type of skiing I do. Were great in the glades, but were too stiff for my tele set up on the cruising trails, and were too wide to hold an edge on ice in the gates.

As for demo - demo - demo. About 10 years ago I was shopping around for skis and at a demo day, the Volkl rep wouldn't let me take out a pair of skis because the skis had already been out a few times, the edges weren't 'perfect', and I would get a 'good ride'. So how am I supposed to make a decision if I can't get on the ski? At the time, the Volkl's were one of the skis at the top of my list, but they lost a potential sale that day. It didn't help that the rep wasn't very nice about it either.

SAB

 

[thetrailboss]

The only skis that I didn't particularly care for were a pair of K2 X5's. I don't think they are a bad ski, but I bought them used and I don't think I knew what I was getting. The skis didn't work well for the type of skiing I do. Were great in the glades, but were too stiff for my tele set up on the cruising trails, and were too wide to hold an edge on ice in the gates.

As for demo - demo - demo. About 10 years ago I was shopping around for skis and at a demo day, the Volkl rep wouldn't let me take out a pair of skis because the skis had already been out a few times, the edges weren't 'perfect', and I would get a 'good ride'. So how am I supposed to make a decision if I can't get on the ski? At the time, the Volkl's were one of the skis at the top of my list, but they lost a potential sale that day. It didn't help that the rep wasn't very nice about it either.

SAB

Their loss your gain! :wink: My sister likes her Volkls.

 

[beswift]

K2

I've done a lot of skiing on K-2 product. Back in 68 I bought a pair and skied it in college. When I first went to Utah in the early 80's, I had another pair. Finally, I took a 5500 to Europe. Since then I have skied other brands. I found that other brands were lighter and quicker. The 5500 was an all terrain ski. I'm a little sceptical about a ski sold that way.

It didn't help that the rep wasn't very nice about it either.

I knew a number of reps back in the 80's and early 90's. The Volkl rep who lived in the Mad River Valley was older than the rest. He was a bit of a snob as well. They do act a bit strangely about their skiis. However, I wouldn't cut the nose off to spite the face. I bought two skiis last season without demo, one a Volkl. I have demo'ld at least a hundred skiis. I found that they are all different, but that I could adjust to any one of them. Racers will ski for anyone that will sponsor them. I go for close-outs, freebies, and liquidations.

 

[bunkyreed]

The Ski

My wife had a pair of "The Ski" - the white ski with the blocks design on them and I had Hart Freestyle. We used them until the 90's. Don't see them around anymore, but they were great!

 

[Rushski]

Had a pair ok late 90s Kastle Rage 200cm. Were supposed to be their premier mogul ski. Pretty much just felt dead with no snap. Guess that is one of the differences between a wood core and these not having them.

Still have these, practically unused, any takers?

 

[WICKEDBUMPER]

I got hold of what at the time was "next years NEW" Rossi 4sm mogul ski before they were released to the public. Snapped one of 'em in 2. sent it back to the company. Rossi said it was a design flaw and sent back a new pair for free the next season. those snapped too. Done with Rossi.
Next ski was Dynastar superior assults... fastest freaking ski I've ever been on. Mogul skis able to go as fast as those skis wanted to go should be outlawed. there was no turning. they went straight down the zipper full bore and if you did turn, you picked up speed. they are on my brothers wall in his basement. retired after 1 season.