marzNC
Angel Diva
Recently realized I never posted my notes from the demo days in early Jan at Whitetail and Massanutten. Terrain was pretty limited given that snowmaking didn't start for the season until Jan. 3 or so. Whitetail is in southern PA. The Whitetail Demo Day on Jan. 8 had about 15 brand tents. Essentially had a choice of two blue/black groomers that take 3-4 min to finish with spring skiing conditions with softened man-made snow and temps in the mid-30s. At Massanutten in northern VA, there was only one tent by a local ski shop. They brought a few popular skis from a few popular brands. Massanutten is my home mountain and this was the fourth time demo'ing there.
About the tester: petite skier over 55, 5’0”, 120 lbs, living in the southeast, solid advanced skier but was an intermediate 7-8 years ago when first went to a demo day, not interested in speed but willing to go fast when the slopes aren’t crowded, interested in finding skis for maximizing turns on short SE/Mid-A groomers. Current narrow skis are Head Absolut Joy, 149cm, with Blizzard Black Pearls, 159cm for mountains with more than 100 acres. I do not know how to review skis in terms of describing how a ski acts. After doing a couple demo days every season for several years, I do know fairly quickly which skis are fun for me and which require more work to achieve the same turns. My notes are probably going to be of most value to other petite skiers.
* Whitetail
** Massanutten
SKIS I LIKED
* Nordica Wild Belle 153, 124-88-108
* Dynastar Glory 84, 156, 123-84-106, R12.0
* Dynastar Elite 11, 153, 121-72-105
* Stöckli Laser SC 156, 122-72-103, R12.3
* Kicker Filibuster 155, 122-73-101, R13; binding moved forward 1cm for second run
** K2 BeLUVed 149, 119-78-108
SKIS THAT REQUIRED WORK
* Blizzard Viva X7ti 153, 121-77-103, R11.5
** Blizzard Viva X7ti 146, 121-77-103, R11.5
* Volkl Chiara 155, 97-77-123, R15.7
** Volkl Kenja 156, 127-90-110
** Volkl Yumi 154, 125-83-103
VOLKL
In general, I haven’t liked any Volkl that much. In recent years, I can handle Volkl skis but find that it takes more work to bend them enough to make carved turns. Even the Chiara was only okay, as opposed to fun. There is no question that once a Volkl is on edge, it will hold well.
BLIZZARD VIVA X7ti
This ski has metal in it. I figured it would be hard for me to bend. I was right. Even the shorter 146cm at Mnut was not particularly fun.
NORDICA WILD BELLE
Took it out first. Easy to turn, not overly exciting.
DYNASTAR GLORY 84
Liked it. Makes me curious about the Glory line in general.
DYNASTAR ELITE 11
Haven’t skied that many skis this narrow, 72 underfoot. Liked it better than I expected. Probably because I’ve learned to carve a lot better since a year ago.
K2 BeLUVed
Similar dimensions as my Head Absolut Joy. The BeLUVed may be a bit better then the Absolut Joy when the snow has been pushed around into little piles.
Stöckli Laser SC
Only ski I asked about price. Retails for about $1000. I liked them a lot! Felt a lot shorter than 156cm. When I had a lesson with my Massanutten coach a few days later, I realized that these are the skis he uses.
About the tester: petite skier over 55, 5’0”, 120 lbs, living in the southeast, solid advanced skier but was an intermediate 7-8 years ago when first went to a demo day, not interested in speed but willing to go fast when the slopes aren’t crowded, interested in finding skis for maximizing turns on short SE/Mid-A groomers. Current narrow skis are Head Absolut Joy, 149cm, with Blizzard Black Pearls, 159cm for mountains with more than 100 acres. I do not know how to review skis in terms of describing how a ski acts. After doing a couple demo days every season for several years, I do know fairly quickly which skis are fun for me and which require more work to achieve the same turns. My notes are probably going to be of most value to other petite skiers.
* Whitetail
** Massanutten
SKIS I LIKED
* Nordica Wild Belle 153, 124-88-108
* Dynastar Glory 84, 156, 123-84-106, R12.0
* Dynastar Elite 11, 153, 121-72-105
* Stöckli Laser SC 156, 122-72-103, R12.3
* Kicker Filibuster 155, 122-73-101, R13; binding moved forward 1cm for second run
** K2 BeLUVed 149, 119-78-108
SKIS THAT REQUIRED WORK
* Blizzard Viva X7ti 153, 121-77-103, R11.5
** Blizzard Viva X7ti 146, 121-77-103, R11.5
* Volkl Chiara 155, 97-77-123, R15.7
** Volkl Kenja 156, 127-90-110
** Volkl Yumi 154, 125-83-103
VOLKL
In general, I haven’t liked any Volkl that much. In recent years, I can handle Volkl skis but find that it takes more work to bend them enough to make carved turns. Even the Chiara was only okay, as opposed to fun. There is no question that once a Volkl is on edge, it will hold well.
BLIZZARD VIVA X7ti
This ski has metal in it. I figured it would be hard for me to bend. I was right. Even the shorter 146cm at Mnut was not particularly fun.
NORDICA WILD BELLE
Took it out first. Easy to turn, not overly exciting.
DYNASTAR GLORY 84
Liked it. Makes me curious about the Glory line in general.
DYNASTAR ELITE 11
Haven’t skied that many skis this narrow, 72 underfoot. Liked it better than I expected. Probably because I’ve learned to carve a lot better since a year ago.
K2 BeLUVed
Similar dimensions as my Head Absolut Joy. The BeLUVed may be a bit better then the Absolut Joy when the snow has been pushed around into little piles.
Stöckli Laser SC
Only ski I asked about price. Retails for about $1000. I liked them a lot! Felt a lot shorter than 156cm. When I had a lesson with my Massanutten coach a few days later, I realized that these are the skis he uses.