equipment questions

[erika]

Greetings.
I live in Michigan, am 52, about 5'3", fluctuating weight between 112-120 lbs. I haven't been on skis for close to 25 years but have been itching to get back out there again and this is the year! I will not procrastinate anymore! 25 years ago, I was an intermediate (or better) skiier who wasn't huge on moguls, but didn't worry too much on steeper slopes. Very little experience in powder in excess of 6-8" but hope to get some eventually. I hear that it will be like riding a bike...it will all come back to me once I'm out there and I hope that's true.
Have been doing research on what type of skis would be best for me. Demo-ing would be great except mostly what's being demoed here are Volkls and while I'm not opposed to doing that at all, I'd be interested in info about other skiis as well. Research on web is confussing, conflicting. In addition to the Volkls (any particular model?) I'm also curious about the Dynastars, Head, Atomics, K2, Rossi's and Solomans-what would be good skis for me to consider? Which ones should I not bother with?

My 18 year old daughter is also just getting into snowboarding-she's about my height/weight and wants everything Burton (that name/status teenage girl thang). I know there are other names out there for her to try and I don't want to have to pay just for the Burton name if there's a better board out there for her to learn on and grow with. Any ideas in this vein would also be much appreciated!

You site has been consistently referred to/recommended for women looking for good info for women skiiers/boarders wanting trustworthy appraisals on equipment. Thanks in advance-Erika

 

[ski diva]

Hi, Erika! Welcome to the site! Great to hear that you're getting back into skiing!

Each of the manufacturers you mentioned make terrific skis. The trick is finding the one that works best for you. It's true that demoing is really the best way to find out, so why not try the Volkls? I have the Tierras, which are great for everything from ice to crud to several inches of powder. Some people love the Lunas, too.

You might want to browse through our Ski Reviews section, which have tons of reviews from forum members who have tried lots of different skis. That might help you narrow your selection. Our Ski Gear section can be a valuable resource, too.

Some personal favorites of mine (other than my Tierras) include:

Blizzard Magnum Viva 7.6
Fisher Koa 84
Atomic Cloud 9
Nordica Conquer
Nordica Victory
Head Wild One
Head Perfect One
Kastle MX78
Dynastar Exclusive Legend (though I'm dying to try the Eden)

You might try to Salomon Opal, too, or the Elan Black Magic. Those might work well for you, too.

How's your boot situation? If you've been looking through our forum, then you know we always recommend starting with a pair of boots fitted by an experienced, knowledgeable boot fitter. That's even more important than skis. Take a look in the Gearipedia section for some great articles on boots.

Have fun!

 

[Jilly]

Welcome to our world!! Michigan has lots of Ski Diva's.

I'll throw out the Rossi attraxion VI or 6 and Rossi Echo for you to add to your list. It's going to be a long one!

Have fun. And check out those boots first!

 

[PowDiva85]

as far as your daughters needs are concerned Burton does make some of the best, most progressive women's boards out there. The burton feather or lux are great boards to grow with and are less expensive than their top boards. I learned on the feather and absolutely loved it! K2 also makes excellent womens boards and are generally about 25-50$ less than the comparable burton, I would suggest looking at the moment or luna from them. The thing about snowboards is that it is hard to "see" the technology. Whereas, with skis you can tell one that has old technology (ie. less shaped) with the naked eye, the qualities that make a board good are not obvious. One thing to look for is a board that has sidewall construction not cap, cap construction is cheaper and does not give as good energy transmission. Other good snowboard brands to consider with varying price points are ride and saloman.

 

[missyd]

Welcome to the forum.
I suggest the K2 Burning Luv for ski ... easy to ski and turns very easy.
For beginners Snowboard any Brand may be OK. But I suggest to buy an used snowboard. Just in case you daugther don't like snowboarding after a few sessions .....

 

[erika]

boards and skis

She seems pretty committed to it thus far (as committed as 18 year olds get!) and despite coming home achey and telling me how she has muscles she didn't know she had.
Does anyone know about M3 boards?

And back to skis...how about Elan Black Magic?
Erika

 

[ski diva]

I've skied the Black Magic and think it's a good intermediate ski. It's a beautiful-looking ski -- a dark top sheet embedded with sparkly bits of color. It's been a while so I can't comment on the particulars, but I do recall that I was favorably impressed.

 

[toughgirl]

I'm 5'2 and about 140lbs at the moment :P .. I love the K2 one luv's

 

[volklgirl]

If you can, take a weekend and head to Nub's Nob and Boyne Highlands! Both have pretty extensive demo fleets and you can demo for the entire day for around $45. Nub's then offers a coupon to apply the demo fee to skis purchased at participating shops, and Boyne will apply your fee to any skis purchased at their shop. The shop at Schuss also has really nice demos, but I think they're mostly Volkl.

It doesn't look like they've updated it lately, but here's Nubs' demo link....I'd just give them a call to see what they have. Here's the link to the Highlands, as well.

 

[erika]

My boots are salomon ellipse. older (04?) but don't bother my high arches/high instep like others I've tried/owned.

 

[Jilly]

OK, your boots aren't too old. We just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to use some old rear entry model from the 90's! Have to talk to my buddy about the ellipse, don't remember that particular model, but I think that its doing the best for you. So on to skis!!

Take VG's suggestion, also sign up for a lesson. These shaped skis ski way different than those old straight things!