What skis ?

[flexbert]

I am looking at getting new skis and trying to figure out what to get. I live in Nova Scotia and ski at Wentworth (for those who might know it). I am 40, 191cm (~6'4") and about 108kg (~235-240 ish), although I usually hover closer to 100 kg (low 220s). I started skiing at age 11, raced through my teen years until university, instructed through my last year of high school (Level 1 Instructor CSIA, now lapsed). Until last year, for the last 15 years or so, I only skied 2-3 times a year. I started to get back into skiing more often last year (about 15 days) when we got the kids into it. I hope to increase that number this year. I am currently skiing on a pair of 210cm Salomon S9000 SL1s. The majority of my skiing will be in the east, so lots of manmade, ice, groomed, etc.

At a Salomon demo last year, I demo'd the Crossmax 10s (I don't remember the length, but I think it was around 170cm) and the Scream Pilot 8 (I think that was it - I didn't like them enough to really remember the name). I thought the Crossmax's were great - good hold on ice, enough stiffness so that I had to work the ski (which I like) and generally a blast. Last weekend I demo'd the Head i Supershape World Cup (160cm) and the Salomon Equipe SC (165cm). The Equipe SCs were boring for me, although they had good grip on ice. The Head's had an awesome kick coming out of the turn, fantastic grip on ice and were generally a lot of fun.

I think I would prefer something closer to a GS type of ski but at the same time I like all types of turns - short, medium and long carving. I consider myself an advanced to expert skier and I am really only uncomfortable on the very steep runs (not too many of those here in NS...). Although I still enjoy moguls, as I have gotten older they tend to bother my knees, so I don't ski them very often. Given the relatively low number of days skiing I get, I cannot justify more than one pair of new skis. I will also probably buy a new 2004/05 ski over e-bay rather than forking out for current year skis.

I would love to demo some more skis, but living in NS limits what is available to demo. Some of the skis that I have looked at in my internet research include:

Rossignol 9S/9X World Cup or Oversize
Fischer RX9, RC4 (not sure which version)
Volkl Supersport 6 Star, P60 GC (I have seen the P60 Custom on e-bay, which is apparently the same ski with different graphics - can anyone confirm this?)
Salomon Crossmax V12 (I really liked the 10s and have heard that the V12 is a little 'more' ski, but I have also heard that they are almost impossible to find. I seem to have a leaning toward Salomon - perhaps going with what I know?)

Anyways, I know that there are lots of opinions out there, but based on the info about me/my skiing that I've given - what are the thoughts on skis that I should look more closely at?

Thanks in advance.

--flexbert

 

[Catul]

The majority of my skiing will be in the east, so lots of manmade, ice, groomed, etc.
.......
The Head's had an awesome kick coming out of the turn, fantastic grip on ice and were generally a lot of fun.
.......
I think I would prefer something closer to a GS type of ski but at the same time I like all types of turns - short, medium and long carving. I consider myself an advanced to expert skier and I am really only uncomfortable on the very steep runs

From what I've read and based on what you say above, you MUST demo the Volkl Allstar! At your size, I'd imagine the 175cm would be an appropriate length, though apparently the 168cm skis pretty "long" too. I'm surprised you were demoing the Head's in a 160cm, that would seem to be too short for a 235lb guy.

In any case, if you like incredible ice/hardpack grip and a lot of rebound and energy, the Allstar would seem to be perfect for you

 

[Sky]

Welcome...and good luck with the search and eventual purchase.

I demo-d the RX9 last year and loved it...but didn't think I wanted to work that hard on every run...and it didn't seem to want to function well whne not pushed hard.

I ended up with the Volkl Supersport Superspeed. Great grip, lots of power. 70mm waste, Motion binding....nice nice.

Lots of great skis out there. Have you cruised any of the older ski mag reviews? Not that any ONE ski in their reviews will stick out...since they ALL get medals...but at least you'd see what skis are in what category..and be able to check out the dimensions.

FWIW...One ski I heard about maybe two years ago was the K2 Escape.


http://cgi.ebay.com/K2-Escape-5500-...761232843QQcategoryZ21244QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Like the Volkl "Star" series (4 Star, 5 Star etc)...there were options, with the 5500 being the top dawg. Anyway, an independent reviewer ranked it the best ski of the year...one-quiver thing. Can't think of the guy's name but the website was "techtalkfor skiers" or something like that. They started charging membership to see their reviews...and now they appear to be gone.

Let us know what yoou end up with. Definitely something less than 210. E Gad!

 

[riverc0il]

if you want a ski that can do bumps, i would not recommend the supersports. up until you mentioned bumps, i was thinking "this guy needs a volkl supersport" but not if you want bumps. if you do go the route of the superstar, DON"T GET the six star if you want a ski to use in the bumps. five star will do much better. are you dead set only only one ski? the p60 would be a great compromise. i have the p50 motion which i have used for cruising and bumps and some off piste. not great in powder, but what an edge and what a pop! so the p60 gs ski would be a solid option. you could also look at the unlimited series, but if you prefer groomers and bumps and not looking to ski anything else, i wouldn't recommend it. the elan m666 should be added to your demo list.

 

[flexbert]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd probably be willing to give up the bumps for the performance that the Volkl Allstar/6 Star is reported to give (and from rivercOil's comments). I'll see what I can demo and go from there.

After yesterday, I know that I need to get something that will hold on ice - it was cold here (-17C/~1F in the morning, rising to about -7C/~19F in the afternoon) and there was lots of ice. I couldn't hold an edge all day.

--flexbert

 

[flexbert]

I am going to demo the Head iXRC 1400 Chip Super RailFlex II this weekend (now that's a mouthful !!) Here is a link to the Head website http://www.head.com/ski/products.php?region=us&tag=skicross&id=225. I'll let you know my thoughts on it.

The same shop has a Salomon Crossmax V12 for demo but it is not available this weekend - I will try and demo it later and post my thoughts on it too.

--flexbert

 

[mattchuck2]

Fischer RX8

Volkl Racetiger

 

[flexbert]

Head iXRC 1400

Well, I finally got out to demo the Head iXRC 1400 Chip SuperRailflex II in a 170cm on Sunday. First let me get the weather review out of the way - it was +8C (~46F) Friday and raining, followed by -10C (~14F) Saturday and -17C (~1F) Sunday morning. We were going to go out Saturday but high winds Friday night knocked out power at the ski hill and they didn't get power back until about 1:30 Saturday afternoon. Oh yeah, the winds didn't let up until Sunday night sometime - with the wind chill it was -29C (~ -20F) Sunday morning !! Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I found the skis to be stable at moderate to high speeds (no black diamonds open this weekend) and they held a good edge on ice (lots of ice, see weather above). The skis were easy to turn in short, medium and GS type turns and were quick edge to edge. They skis seemed to wander a bit while running straight at lower speeds, but nothing that wasn't manageable. No bumps to try them in.

Overall, I would classify them as a good on-piste ski, but they were not what I am looking for. I want something that feels like it is pushing back at me and the 1400 just didn't give me that feeling. The Head iSupershape gave me more of that feeling (see original post in this thread).

This weekend I will be demoing the Salomon Crossmax V12 (170cm). According to the shop that I am getting them from, they are going to be similar to the Volkl Allstar, which is what I am leaning towards, even though I am not going to be able to demo them.

Catul - I like the sound of the Allstars from what I have read and I wish that I could demo them locally. I might live on the edge and buy em anyways - it wouldn't be the first time I had spent some $$ without really knowing exactly what I was getting into ... it doesn't always turn out bad, does it?

Sky521 - From your post, I gather that the Fischer RX9s were a fair bit of work - that might be something that I would be interested in. I'll look into them.

rivercoil - I'd be willing (and my knees would thank me) to sacrifice the bumps for something like the Allstar.

More to follow...

--flexbert

 

[Catul]

Re: Head iXRC 1400

I like the sound of the Allstars from what I have read and I wish that I could demo them locally. I might live on the edge and buy em anyways - it wouldn't be the first time I had spent some $$ without really knowing exactly what I was getting into ... it doesn't always turn out bad, does it?

You will probably find some good deals on 168cm Allstars from last year (2005-2006 model), and I don't think there have been any changes to it for this year. If you really don't like them, you could probably unload them on eBay for not a whole lot less? Worth a shot, huh?

 

[Rushski]

Personally ski on the Crossmax 10 and love them. They seem to be extremely durable. At your size, you should probably go for the 175s.

Also, as others have said the RX9 is a ski you have to work on every turn. Maybe the RX8 would be better...

 

[NYDrew]

Flex, just to give you an alternate opinon, I hated the allstar. Even ignoring the fact that I ski bumps, I felt they were a boring ski. It had one turn: Wide and one Speed:Fast.

What do you do on those lazy days when you like to play with terrain features, or make monster turns that get your skiis uphill of your body.

If you like fast and fast only, then you might like them. I like versatility, I like to play on the mountain sometimes.

 

[flexbert]

Salomon Crossmax V12

Well, I got out on the Crossmax V12s (170cm) yesterday and am heading out again this afternoon. Conditions were about -2C (~29F), mostly groomed man made snow with lots of ice. It started snowing in the afternoon and we had about 2-3cm (~1") by the time we left - according to the hill's website they got about 5cm (~2") total.

First impressions - I enjoyed them. I was skiing mostly with my 6 year old yesterday and it is her first year skiing, so there was not a lot of opportunity to really check them out - today should give me a better impression. The Crossmax's had good edge hold on hardpack and ice, allowed me to do all types of turns - short fall line turns, cruising medium turns and fast GS turns. I think of all the skis I have demo'd this year I liked these skis best, but I would want them in a longer ski for me (I think 177cm is the next step). I'll update after today's skiing.

NYD - Of course, you had to throw a wrench into my leaning towards the Allstars !! What to do, what to do?? Eventually I'm going to have stop thinking/talking about it and actually buy something....

--flexbert

 

[flexbert]

V12s - Day 2

Second day on the V12s ...

Item and Brand Name: Salomon Crossmax V12, S912 Ti bindings, 170cm, 114/68/101, r = 15.5

Date of Demo: 24-25 Feb 05

Retail Outlet: Aerobics First, Halifax, NS

Purchase Price (optional): Listed at $Cdn 1280, incl bindings

MSRP: ? - I have heard $Cdn 1300

Description of item and your experiences: Awesome ski. I like the graphics (see link to Salomon website below), with the piston/connecting rod going across the skis. I was able to ski for a couple of hours on my own. Conditions were similar to the previous day - mostly man made with lots of hard-pack and ice joining the few patches of good snow. A little dusting of snow overnight, but that was gone by the time we got out to ski around noon. Turn initiation was great, edge hold on ice was awesome. I was able to work the ski but I wasn't worn out at the end of the day - the skis flet light underfoot and did not feel heavy on the chairlift. I let them run at speed for a couple of runs (eyes watering, even with goggles on) and the tips looked like they were bouncing around a lot but I didn't feel it at all - they felt very stable. Being the size I am (~235 lbs @ 6'4"), I think I would go to the next length in these skis, which is a 178cm with slightly changed dimensions of 114/69/102, r = 17.5. No moguls and no powder (not sure if there have been any powder days here in NS this year ....) to run them through, so I cannot comment on that.

Overall Rating (1-5 with 1 being "horrible" and 5 being "outstanding"): 5

Would you recommend the item? Absolutely.

Internet link to manufacturer and/or photo and description from company: http://www.salomonski.com/caus/products/products.asp?id=784663

I have heard a rumour that Salomon did not market this ski in the US - anyone confirm that? If you go to the US Salomon website, it does not list the Crossmax V12 at all, so there may be some truth to that rumour. According to the staff at Aerobics first, Salomon has dropped the Crossmax line for 2007 (they were at a dealer demo week at Tremblant a few weeks ago) - too bad IMO, as these were an awesome ski.

--flexbert

 

[flexbert]

Gotta get new skis !!!

The last 4 times skiing, I have been out on demos (Head iSupershape, Head iXRC 1400 and Salomon Crossmax V12 * 2 days). Today I had to go back to my own skis (8 year old Salomon S9000 S1s, 210cm). If that didn't convince me that I need to get onto some new skis, then nothing will !! The decision is coming soon.....

--flexbert

 

[Starter Jackets Rule!]

I am going to demo the Head iXRC 1400 Chip Super RailFlex II this weekend (now that's a mouthful !!) Here is a link to the Head website http://www.head.com/ski/products.php?region=us&tag=skicross&id=225. I'll let you know my thoughts on it.

The same shop has a Salomon Crossmax V12 for demo but it is not available this weekend - I will try and demo it later and post my thoughts on it too.

--flexbert

I had last years 1200 ixrc-sw
it skied great with a 17m tr.
the only prob with the ski was the top sheet chiped off big time....i sent them back to head and exchanged the 4 a pair of thier sl wc in a 166 cm.
with todays sl skis you can rip short turns and also feel steady as a rock in longer raidous turns.
they also hold thier own in the bumps.

as for the salaomon skis they ski realy easy but at speed they tend to lack in stability.
so if you are into speed i would pass on just about any salomon ski, besideds thier race skis, jmo.

 

[flexbert]

Finally a decision ... Volkl Allstar

Well, after much hemming and hawing (just ask my better half - something to the effect of "just buy them and stop talking about it - I don't care what it costs!!") I have finally made a purchase. I decided to get the Volkl Allstar in a 175cm. I bought them through Sportsliquidatotor (http://www.sportsliquidator.com/) and they should arrive tomorrow (Friday). Sportsliquidator is the online part of a B&M store with 5 retail outlets in British Columbia - they list a lot of items on e-bay as well. So far it has been a positive experience - I hope to be able to get out on the skis this weekend. More to follow ....

--flexbert

 

[flexbert]

Can't wait !!

Well, the Allstar's arrived Monday, so I didn't get out on them last week. Tomorrow.

The skis and bindings were well packaged for shipping and arrived within the time that Sportsliquidator advertises - ships within 48 hours, 2 business days delivery once picked up. I ordered them on a Tuesday evening, they were picked up from the store Thursday afternoon and arrived Monday. I had the bindings mounted and I'm ready to go - so far the weather has held enough that the hill is still open. I'll post my thoughts on them after the weekend.

--flexbert

 

[flexbert]

Allstar - My first impressions

Saturday was the first day out on my new Allstars. It was mostly sunny, with a morning temperature of about zero C, rising to about 5C by the afternoon. The ski hill (Ski Wentworth http://www.skiwentworth.ca/ )is planning to close this coming weekend (2 April), so we are approaching the end of skiing in NS this year. Overall, conditions were pretty good, although there were some bare spots and rocks to be found on some runs - only one minor gouge by the end of the day.

As a reminder, I am a 41 yo male, level 7/8, ~106kg (~230ish lbs), 191 cm (6'4"), ski in the East. I bought the 05/06 Volkl Allstar in a 175cm, with the IPT Racing bindings, without PCOS (as I understand it, this can be added later).

Overall - AWESOME . I loved the ski. It took me about one run to get my body position right - I needed a more neutral position as I found myself too far forward. Once I got that settled, I was able enjoy the skis to the fullest. In the morning it was groomed with a crust of hardpack/ice since it went below freezing overnight. The Allstars kept a great edge hold and made me feel very confident, especially when compared to my previous skis (see comments above in this thread). As the day went on and the temperature increased, the snow softened and the spring crud developed. I found in the heavier crud that I had to put my weight back a little bit (not a lot, but it was noticeable to me) compared to the morning groomed skiing. If I didn't, the tips seemed to dig in and start to turn/turn more when I didn't want them to.

With a 15.9m radius at 175cm, I still found the Allstars great for short turns. It was simply a matter of being a little more aggressive initiating the turns (i.e. tipping the ski over a little further - not really more work) and they would do exactly as I wanted. Cruising was great - very stable at speeds (not SG/DH speeds, but pretty aggressive) and they were able to churn through the heavy crud at speed with no problem. Carving (at least I think I was carving ....) was also great - tip them over and away they go.

Bottom line :beer:. Too bad it's nearing the seaon end - I might get out once more this season. At least I will have good things to look forward to for next year .

--flexbert

 

[Catul]

Bottom line :beer:. Too bad it's nearing the seaon end - I might get out once more this season. At least I will have good things to look forward to for next year .

Awesome, glad you loved them! I concur about the "problem" of buying new equipment at the end of the season; I got out twice on my new Volkl S5 and will now be putting them away - nice to have these to look forward to starting next season with!