As I type this I feel like I am sitting in the world's most wonderful ski shop, a ski spa, if you will, attended by a few dozen of the most knowledgeable and athletic women, who are all just amazingly interested in getting my feet into the right boots and onto the right skis. Huge appreciation out to you all for taking the time to answer all of our newbie questions, and in such detail!
So here I am...been skiing since forever, had great lessons at Smuggler's Notch and Stowe from 10-15 or so; no lessons since then and not a huge amount of ski time, either. Actually I think my best skiing lessons were the times in jr high and high school when I skied with my best friend and her family, all of whom were spectacular expert-level skiers. To this day I rarely see such graceful skiers going through bumps and crud and glades - they did everything well. I'd watch closely and try to imitate what they did and was somewhat successful...think I have an idea of what I'm supposed to do to ski with some kind of technique... But how I look, what kind of form I actually do have some 25 years later and on shaped skis, I just don't know!
I've skied only 3-5 days a year since then, and only once out west in (and I'm not sure I can pronounce this word right, since as a true easterner I really never experience it on the ski slopes) POWDER but it was a week after I discovered I was pregnant with my first daughter and I suffered from horrible morning sickness the whole week we were there. At Aspen, no less!! Waah!
I even went for 10 years (AGH!) without skiing at all while my husband and I were in grad school too far away from snow and too broke for lift tickets. I got back out there 2 kids later, 5-6 years ago and for me it was like no time had passed at all. Had the little blip with the broken hip (another post has those icky details) in August 2006 but aside from leaving me with a shorter leg and a super ugly scar, some I'm mostly recovered from that.
In 2002 I bought a pair of Dynastar Speed 63 SX (94/ 63/ 106) in 160 cm. I am 158.75 cm but was at that denial stage where I just couldn't bear to go with a ski whose tip was below my head! I've liked these skis but boy, they are fast, a fair bit of work to turn if not at speed (and even a fair bit of work to turn at speed, I know now after my experiences this weekend), and, boy, they are narrow under foot. I'm not sure I even would have had a problem with the narrowness except that I'd read all these posts about how the western (and lots of eastern) Divas love their wider-waisted skis. I became convinced that it would be easy to achieve more versatility in a ski...so long as I could come up with the time and $ to demo and research and learn...
So off I went this weekend, all by myself (leaving daughters and husb. behind!), to Burke Mountain in the frigid but spectacular Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. If anyone else skis there I'd be pretty surprised. It's only 2 hours farther north to get to Jay Peak (they get loads of snow) - or 2+ hours west to get to the skiing mecca that is the Stowe/Smuggler's Notch/Wildcat area. But Burke is a sweet little mountain, 2000' drop, rarely any crowds, no hotshot attitudes, plus great trails and views. I've been skiing there for more than 30 years!
I took my new Salomon Rush 8 boots and my old Dynastars, since they had recently been waxed and sharpened, and off I went. Stopped at the first shop off the highway and left with a pair of Rossi Zenith Z5W in 154 (or was it 152?), 98/68/112. The conditions were fantastic (though close to 0F for half the day) so I skied as many runs as I could. It's been so long that I've been able to make complete and consecutive runs - with little daughters and our very infrequent ski trips we rarely get to the top of the mountain let alone top to bottom without stopping umpteen times. Boo hoo...
Before I get to the nitty gritty of my demo'ing observations I should throw out the caveat that "maybe I'm just not the skier I'd like to think I am!" - though I ski hard and fast and fitness is good enough to ski a whole long run with tight, linked turns (yes the legs burn but they recover quickly), I don't think I am an "expert" re technique or ability to ski anywhere on the mtn or in any condition. I must be a solid 7 bordering on 8?). So my comments must be taken with that grain of salt...and maybe I am picking skis that are too high or too low a level of performance for me. Or too soft or too stiff? I'm confused about whether stiffer is necessarily better, anyway. Still lots to learn, especially if I want to do this right and come away with a ski that will be versatile and last me a few years.
Back to the Z5: I skied them all day Saturday 2/16 and liked them for their differences from my Dynastars - but they didn't wow me. If I hadn't read these reviews about the Firefox and Fuego I might not have been looking for the "pop" and "zing" and "ohmygawd I can't stop smiling!!" I'd been reading from others about those skis. Thus, my expectations were set possibly unreasonably high(?). I felt the tail sliding out, I was skidding through turns where even my Dynastars would have done better, and just had a lower sense of enjoyment overall on a day where conditions were so great I should have been grinning ear-to-ear, I felt. I brought them back to that shop, which had all the skis I wanted to try wrapped up and for sale but not for demo - so went on to the next shop.
The next shop was smaller (with very limited selection) but the guys there had more time to spend with me. I talked about wanting a more versatile ski, yada yada, so chose a 152 cm Atomic Sweet Mama (pink stripes = 2007?). This was way wider in the waist (97/76/111, 16.5 m @ 152 cm) and I could really feel that I was on a wider ski. I do like being able do make turns of different sizes and this ski definitely liked the longer turns. I wasn't skidding out the way I was on the Z5s (does this mean the tail was stiffer on the Atomics?Bigger turns are fine by me, though the mountain by then was getting a bit skied off and I thought the ski lacked the edge control I liked so much in my own skis and the Z5, and (from what I've read) in narrower skis, in general. Again, I was not wowed - so just spent time observing how it skied, how I skied, whether we were meant to be - I wasn't sure I was ready for a second date. Did 3-4 long runs then them back to the shop at lunch.
The shop's Metron B5 (recommended for me by the guy I'd been working with) in my size were out so I eagerly took the 2008(?) 152 cm very pretty Atomic Hot Minx (94/66/117, 12.5 m @ 152 cm). The guy looked at me like I was a little goofy (I had, after all, been telling him I wanted to move to a wider ski for greater versatility), but I just had a feeling I would like these. And boy, did I. My time was running short - it was now Sunday afternoon and the dark clouds were quickly rolling in for the rain (yes, rain! Welcome to New England!) expected for late Sunday and all day Monday. The wind picked up and started blowing literally up the mountain, blowing clouds of snow into our faces and putting up some decent resistance to skiing downhill fast! But I loved these skis. Finally, I understand what it's like to be on a ski the right length for me (who knows, at 5'2.5", 125 maybe I could go shorter or longer??) but these felt right. They turned in a snap, held edge (even though trails were very bare and even icy in spots at this point), and definitely put a smile on my face. I'd read that in several Divas' description of the Firefox and Fuego but now was experiencing it for myself. I wasn't sure these were The Ski for me but they were definitely on the path...and certainly the most enjoyable ski I've ever skied.
I skied out the day on the Hot Minxes but stopped a little early because the light was so flat and with the short turn radius I seemed to be skiing faster and turning more than either Saturday or Sunday to this point, with legs that should have felt tired but were just liking these skis too much to care. I didn't want to risk accident or injury, especially because I was skiing by myself (lots of others around but not the same as having a buddy on the mountain with you). I haven't had a ski fall in a long time other than my biking accident but that one was enough to knock a little prudence into this budding Diva's head...
I was so bummed to lose Monday to the big rainstorm that came through but had skied so hard (and my core had gotten so cold) over those 2 days that I woke up Monday with a naughty sore throat and big-time fatigue. I decided to cut my losses and head for home.
So now - I could buy the Hot Minx and be happy with them. But what if...what if there's an even better ski for me? what of my idea for greater versatility...does a wider waist necessarily mean loss of quick and popping turns and great edge grip? I don't think so, from what I've read, so I guess I'll have to get back out there. I have a feeling something about the wide width of the shovel/nose/tip of the Hot Minx was working for me, though I don't quite understand the physics of that (quicker turn initiation?). Won a free ticket to Stratton so will look to demo there very soon, when snow conditions allow - and when I can escape family responsibilities again!
Thanks for reading my long description of my first time demo'ing. And thanks for urging us all to demo...demo...demo. You are so right!
So here I am...been skiing since forever, had great lessons at Smuggler's Notch and Stowe from 10-15 or so; no lessons since then and not a huge amount of ski time, either. Actually I think my best skiing lessons were the times in jr high and high school when I skied with my best friend and her family, all of whom were spectacular expert-level skiers. To this day I rarely see such graceful skiers going through bumps and crud and glades - they did everything well. I'd watch closely and try to imitate what they did and was somewhat successful...think I have an idea of what I'm supposed to do to ski with some kind of technique... But how I look, what kind of form I actually do have some 25 years later and on shaped skis, I just don't know!
I've skied only 3-5 days a year since then, and only once out west in (and I'm not sure I can pronounce this word right, since as a true easterner I really never experience it on the ski slopes) POWDER but it was a week after I discovered I was pregnant with my first daughter and I suffered from horrible morning sickness the whole week we were there. At Aspen, no less!! Waah!
I even went for 10 years (AGH!) without skiing at all while my husband and I were in grad school too far away from snow and too broke for lift tickets. I got back out there 2 kids later, 5-6 years ago and for me it was like no time had passed at all. Had the little blip with the broken hip (another post has those icky details) in August 2006 but aside from leaving me with a shorter leg and a super ugly scar, some I'm mostly recovered from that.
In 2002 I bought a pair of Dynastar Speed 63 SX (94/ 63/ 106) in 160 cm. I am 158.75 cm but was at that denial stage where I just couldn't bear to go with a ski whose tip was below my head! I've liked these skis but boy, they are fast, a fair bit of work to turn if not at speed (and even a fair bit of work to turn at speed, I know now after my experiences this weekend), and, boy, they are narrow under foot. I'm not sure I even would have had a problem with the narrowness except that I'd read all these posts about how the western (and lots of eastern) Divas love their wider-waisted skis. I became convinced that it would be easy to achieve more versatility in a ski...so long as I could come up with the time and $ to demo and research and learn...
So off I went this weekend, all by myself (leaving daughters and husb. behind!), to Burke Mountain in the frigid but spectacular Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. If anyone else skis there I'd be pretty surprised. It's only 2 hours farther north to get to Jay Peak (they get loads of snow) - or 2+ hours west to get to the skiing mecca that is the Stowe/Smuggler's Notch/Wildcat area. But Burke is a sweet little mountain, 2000' drop, rarely any crowds, no hotshot attitudes, plus great trails and views. I've been skiing there for more than 30 years!
I took my new Salomon Rush 8 boots and my old Dynastars, since they had recently been waxed and sharpened, and off I went. Stopped at the first shop off the highway and left with a pair of Rossi Zenith Z5W in 154 (or was it 152?), 98/68/112. The conditions were fantastic (though close to 0F for half the day) so I skied as many runs as I could. It's been so long that I've been able to make complete and consecutive runs - with little daughters and our very infrequent ski trips we rarely get to the top of the mountain let alone top to bottom without stopping umpteen times. Boo hoo...
Before I get to the nitty gritty of my demo'ing observations I should throw out the caveat that "maybe I'm just not the skier I'd like to think I am!" - though I ski hard and fast and fitness is good enough to ski a whole long run with tight, linked turns (yes the legs burn but they recover quickly), I don't think I am an "expert" re technique or ability to ski anywhere on the mtn or in any condition. I must be a solid 7 bordering on 8?). So my comments must be taken with that grain of salt...and maybe I am picking skis that are too high or too low a level of performance for me. Or too soft or too stiff? I'm confused about whether stiffer is necessarily better, anyway. Still lots to learn, especially if I want to do this right and come away with a ski that will be versatile and last me a few years.
Back to the Z5: I skied them all day Saturday 2/16 and liked them for their differences from my Dynastars - but they didn't wow me. If I hadn't read these reviews about the Firefox and Fuego I might not have been looking for the "pop" and "zing" and "ohmygawd I can't stop smiling!!" I'd been reading from others about those skis. Thus, my expectations were set possibly unreasonably high(?). I felt the tail sliding out, I was skidding through turns where even my Dynastars would have done better, and just had a lower sense of enjoyment overall on a day where conditions were so great I should have been grinning ear-to-ear, I felt. I brought them back to that shop, which had all the skis I wanted to try wrapped up and for sale but not for demo - so went on to the next shop.
The next shop was smaller (with very limited selection) but the guys there had more time to spend with me. I talked about wanting a more versatile ski, yada yada, so chose a 152 cm Atomic Sweet Mama (pink stripes = 2007?). This was way wider in the waist (97/76/111, 16.5 m @ 152 cm) and I could really feel that I was on a wider ski. I do like being able do make turns of different sizes and this ski definitely liked the longer turns. I wasn't skidding out the way I was on the Z5s (does this mean the tail was stiffer on the Atomics?Bigger turns are fine by me, though the mountain by then was getting a bit skied off and I thought the ski lacked the edge control I liked so much in my own skis and the Z5, and (from what I've read) in narrower skis, in general. Again, I was not wowed - so just spent time observing how it skied, how I skied, whether we were meant to be - I wasn't sure I was ready for a second date. Did 3-4 long runs then them back to the shop at lunch.
The shop's Metron B5 (recommended for me by the guy I'd been working with) in my size were out so I eagerly took the 2008(?) 152 cm very pretty Atomic Hot Minx (94/66/117, 12.5 m @ 152 cm). The guy looked at me like I was a little goofy (I had, after all, been telling him I wanted to move to a wider ski for greater versatility), but I just had a feeling I would like these. And boy, did I. My time was running short - it was now Sunday afternoon and the dark clouds were quickly rolling in for the rain (yes, rain! Welcome to New England!) expected for late Sunday and all day Monday. The wind picked up and started blowing literally up the mountain, blowing clouds of snow into our faces and putting up some decent resistance to skiing downhill fast! But I loved these skis. Finally, I understand what it's like to be on a ski the right length for me (who knows, at 5'2.5", 125 maybe I could go shorter or longer??) but these felt right. They turned in a snap, held edge (even though trails were very bare and even icy in spots at this point), and definitely put a smile on my face. I'd read that in several Divas' description of the Firefox and Fuego but now was experiencing it for myself. I wasn't sure these were The Ski for me but they were definitely on the path...and certainly the most enjoyable ski I've ever skied.
I skied out the day on the Hot Minxes but stopped a little early because the light was so flat and with the short turn radius I seemed to be skiing faster and turning more than either Saturday or Sunday to this point, with legs that should have felt tired but were just liking these skis too much to care. I didn't want to risk accident or injury, especially because I was skiing by myself (lots of others around but not the same as having a buddy on the mountain with you). I haven't had a ski fall in a long time other than my biking accident but that one was enough to knock a little prudence into this budding Diva's head...
I was so bummed to lose Monday to the big rainstorm that came through but had skied so hard (and my core had gotten so cold) over those 2 days that I woke up Monday with a naughty sore throat and big-time fatigue. I decided to cut my losses and head for home.
So now - I could buy the Hot Minx and be happy with them. But what if...what if there's an even better ski for me? what of my idea for greater versatility...does a wider waist necessarily mean loss of quick and popping turns and great edge grip? I don't think so, from what I've read, so I guess I'll have to get back out there. I have a feeling something about the wide width of the shovel/nose/tip of the Hot Minx was working for me, though I don't quite understand the physics of that (quicker turn initiation?). Won a free ticket to Stratton so will look to demo there very soon, when snow conditions allow - and when I can escape family responsibilities again!
Thanks for reading my long description of my first time demo'ing. And thanks for urging us all to demo...demo...demo. You are so right!
) - I got a little wordy there.
).
