Hi, am new to Ski Diva want help on past beginner ski purchase!

[SkiNana]

I use Black Pearls as my every day ski and find it does fine on groomers and hard pack which, while we have plenty of snow, is what we seem to be skiing on at the moment. They are also great off piste. I believe the 166 length is 88 at the waist (2012model). We almost never see ice here however. So don't take them off your list! Welcome to Ski Diva!

 

[segacs]

We almost never see ice here however.

Well that's certainly not the case for Ontario or Quebec skiing. We see lots of ice here, of all sorts.

I did demo the Black Pearls on icy stuff last season, and I found they did surprisingly decently, though they weren't really any kind of comparison to my frontside daily drivers. Very lightweight and playful but lacking that solidity that would allow me to trust them on the hard stuff. Still, they're not a bad ski overall for someone who spends a lot of time in ungroomed stuff and wants a more versatile option. YMMV.

 

[snow cat]

Awesome will look at Viva 8.1, And Blizzard 7.6 except that I am realizing that although I've skied a long time you guys are (I am sure) well beyond me in ability so some of these skis may be too hard for me.
Hope I can demo again soon.

I am sure you can handle these two skis. I'm intermediate and was a bit afraid that Blizzard 7.6 was too much of a ski for me when I bought them (since it was rated intermediate-advanced), but I had no problem what so ever with my skis, except for first few runs of the first day of getting used to the new skis (but that may have been because of the snow conditions that day and it was my first ski day of the season so my legs were probably were not in the best of shape).

 

[Jilly]

Shop on the hill has a demo fleet of Head and Elan that Tee Jay could access. So Diva's which ones....I'm not up on either of these brands at the moment.

 

[segacs]

Shop on the hill has a demo fleet of Head and Elan that Tee Jay could access. So Diva's which ones....I'm not up on either of these brands at the moment.

I've heard good things about the Head Mya series.

 

[Dtrick924]

For Head try to demo the MYA 5 or 7 for skiing groomers and the MYA 6 for more all mountain conditions.

 

[Soujan]

I've demoed the Black Pearls last year and I own the 7.6. I don't use my 7.6 now cause I bought them in a length too short for me. I only used them about 7 times. The few times I took them out I they had really good edge grip and did a decent job of busting up afternoon crud. They are not as stiff as some of the other skis on your list so I don't think you should worry about them being too much ski for you.

I really like the Black Pearls. They were fun skis. I was confident taking them at speed and had great pop. However, I found them unstable at lower speeds. They really want to be on edge all of the time. I wouldn't recommend the Black Pearls if they are going to be your only ski, especially if there are times you like to cruise and take it easy. I now have the Nordica Infinite as my daily driver and Goode Nirvana if there is some fluffy stuff around.

 

[Gloria]

I just had the opportunity to demo a bunch of different skis. The all mountain ski that blew me away was the Elan Delight. I found this ski to hold an edge on ice at any radius turn going fast, charged through crud, and was perfect in bumps. I loved the combination of the wave flex with the torsional rigidity and it turned so effortlessly my legs didn't feel like they were doing any work at all. I was incredibly surprised, I didn't expect to like this ski when I put it on but ended up loving it. I also liked the Inspire and the insomnia as well, the delight just totally surprised me.
https://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/elan-delight-qt-2014

 

[segacs]

I just had the opportunity to demo a bunch of different skis. The all mountain ski that blew me away was the Elan Delight. I found this ski to hold an edge on ice at any radius turn going fast, charged through crud, and was perfect in bumps. I loved the combination of the wave flex with the torsional rigidity and it turned so effortlessly my legs didn't feel like they were doing any work at all. I was incredibly surprised, I didn't expect to like this ski when I put it on but ended up loving it. I also liked the Inspire and the insomnia as well, the delight just totally surprised me.
https://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/elan-delight-qt-2014

I have heard almost nothing, ever, about that ski. But it sounds great. Maybe post a review in the reviews thread, for the benefit of other readers?

 

[Gloria]

I have heard almost nothing, ever, about that ski. But it sounds great. Maybe post a review in the reviews thread, for the benefit of other readers?

I had never heard either, in fact I don't think I have ever been on an Elan ski and I have to say I was really impressed, they had a great feeling underfoot. My personal fave was the insomnia but the delight seems to be a more perfect fit for seeker in this case.

Since it appears a shop near her has the full line of demos here is some more info. I could try to write reviews but I am not sure how good I am at that and following the scorecard thing.


Links to my other 2 favorites as well:
https://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/elan-amphibio-inspire-fusion-2013
https://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/elan-insomnia-fusion-2014
Thes Insomnia and Inspire were both great skis too but I think the Delight is more geared towards the OP. It's geared for intermediate to advanced but as an experienced skier I didn't feel like there was not enough ski there for me so it would be a great ski to jump on at your level and advance on it would serve you for several years to come based on my experience. The insomnia is much faster than the inspire but both were fun and would be worth testing. The tail on the inspire was a little finicky and hooky at first until I got used to the ski but then I really enjoyed the ski. I would categorize it as a surefooted confidence building ski. I felt pretty invincible on this one. The skis with amphibio ski shorter and without ski much much longer. I also skied the interra which didn't blow me away but was in the short amphibio category for me so I might have like it better longer as well as the Zest. The zest is one of their least expensive models and although I didn't ski more than a run on it, I didn't feel like I was on a low end ski or that I was overly skilled for the ski either. I didn't get to rip this one on a groomer with any steepness but I did ski it fairly fast on a mellow groomer and a black bump run and would say it's worth a test run too. I skied one other model coming out next season but can't remember it and it wasn't as much of a standout as the big 3 I mentioned were.

 

[TeeJay]

Hey wow thanks! I didn't realize I still had more suggestions coming. The more I hear the more I am thinking a wider all mountain ski like the Black Pearl just doesn't make a whole lot of sense for where I ski and the kind of skier I am and I know I won't be able to demo them BUT i will try and demo something similar if I see something.
I also haven't heard much about Elan but they sound like they are worth looking into.
I definitely need a ski that doesn't need the speed as I am still skiing with a 10 year old sometimes who is still learning.

 

[TeeJay]

For Head try to demo the MYA 5 or 7 for skiing groomers and the MYA 6 for more all mountain conditions.

Thanks!

 

[TeeJay]

Shop on the hill has a demo fleet of Head and Elan that Tee Jay could access. So Diva's which ones....I'm not up on either of these brands at the moment.

Are you talking Brimacombe? if so thanks so much for asking this question. I did see a lot of Elan skis at the demo tent that I had never heard of.

 

[TeeJay]

I use Black Pearls as my every day ski and find it does fine on groomers and hard pack which, while we have plenty of snow, is what we seem to be skiing on at the moment. They are also great off piste. I believe the 166 length is 88 at the waist (2012model). We almost never see ice here however. So don't take them off your list! Welcome to Ski Diva!

Thanks!

 

[Jilly]

Keep an eye on their website. Also the shop beside the main lodge has demo's but you pay. I think they apply that payment to new if you buy.

Also Devil's Elbow might have some too.

 

[TeeJay]

Keep an eye on their website. Also the shop beside the main lodge has demo's but you pay. I think they apply that payment to new if you buy.

Also Devil's Elbow might have some too.

Thats where I demo'd the Salomon Bamboo if you are talking the Brimacombe lodge. They don't charge, have mostly Head and Elan skis.

 

[Jilly]

I'm not sure what they have at Devil's Elbow. It's not that far away either.

 

[TeeJay]

Yah I just bought a pair of skis online (didn't demo them)! They are Rossignol Attraction 3S.
Here's my thinking:
1/People seem to like the Attraction series here (Jilly!) and this ski got great reviews elsewhere as well.
2/I don't own skis and I can't stand the idea of renting one more time its money out the window and the skis stink!
3/If I get a chance to demo and fall in love with another pair, I'll sell these Rossi's, they were only $300 with bindings!
4/I'm going to Tremblant next weekend!

And by the way my final list was (in general order):
Nordica Wild Bell (perhaps Belle to Belle)
Atomic Affinity Storm
Blizzard Vivas 7.6 or 8.1
Rossi Unique/Attraction
Atomic Cloud
MYA 5 or 7
Volkl Kenja
Dynastar Elite
Elan Delight

You guys rock, thanks for all your help.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Enjoy and I hope you love them!

 

[segacs]

Congrats on the new skis!