Relationship between speed and the ski of choice

[artistinsuburbia]

@litterbug, the bases on the Yumi and Belle to Belle look quite similar to me, but I haven't really compared ski bases before to see the differentials.

@artistinsuburbia , OK, so the Luna is the 5 ounce bird and I am the one pound coconut?! Cute, cute. All joking aside, I believe from a weight perspective I am appropriately sized on both the Luna and the Yumi, and am on the lower end of the scale for the Belle to Belle.

I was initially surprised by the jump in speed from the Luna to the Yumi (only 3 cm in length) and both relatively soft skis, although there is a big width difference. The Belle to Belle speed jump makes sense; 12 cm longer than the Luna, a great deal stiffer, and then throw in the extra width, and you have a winner.

Thanks all!

hahaha! I never thought of it that way! Ooops! stupid movie quotes, always getting me in trouble!

 

[badger]

BTW I have the Belle to Belle and found them to be terrific for me. I'm a lightweight for sure, but never even thought of these as stiff! At 78 waist they are super easy to ski, very versatile for me. I once had the Kenjas and they seemed more stiff by comparison; however at my weight and the added width of 88, maybe this is why I only liked them on groomed (speedy) runs. The Belle to Belle has speed too, so I'm quite pleased!

 

[lisamamot]

@badger. I think I read every piece of printed review on the Belle to Belle before I bought them! I have never thought of myself as a lightweight, but all the ski shop guys do...hey, I'll take it if that's the label they want to give me. I'm 5'8 1/2" and currently 135 pounds (my average is 140 taking into account seasonal swings!)

The Belle to Belle does not have metal, but they do have a stiffer wood core [skinet "these skis all feature light and stiff "i-core" wood cores"]. The 2013 Skicanadamag review put the Belle to Belle as being able to support 7/10 in terms of skier weight. I have never skied the Kenja, but have heard it is quite a stiff ski; was surprised it was rated lower in terms of skier weight in that same review. I figured the stiffer the ski, the higher this rating would rise, but perhaps that rating means something else entirely? Things that make you go hmmmmm.

Recommendations Legend:

A Skier ABILITY (Intermediate (1) to Expert (10))

C Snow CONDITIONS (Soft (1) to Firm (10))

S Skier STYLE (Finesse (1) to Power (10))

W Skier WEIGHT (Lighter (1) to Heavier (10))

2013 Nordica Belle to Belle
A - 7.1
C - 5.8
S - 6.7
W - 7.0

2013 Volkl Kenja
A - 6.5
C - 5.0
S - 5.8
W - 5.8

Based on these numbers one would be led to believe the Belle to Belle is more aggressive than the Kenja, but I have always been led to believe the opposite.

I don't find the Belle to Belle super stiff, just much stiffer than the Yumi and Luna, which are softer flexing skis. I have only skied my Belle to Belles a couple times as I got them at the end of this season, but I loved them. Cannot wait to really put them through their paces next season

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

Things that make you go hmmmmm.

That is different from the impressions I have... But, most of these reviews are subjective and experiential; i.e., when someone says "these skis are stiffer", they are saying "when I tried it it felt stiffer to me in the snow condition today and with the boots I was wearing and for my physical shape and condition" rather than "we put it into a machine that measures such things". If you look at Skinet reviews, for instance, they come out with very different ratings every year for skis that have not changed at all. YouTube reviews by skis.com often have the same person trying different years of the same skis and saying very different things. I suppose the solution is (as you did) to consume as many reviews as possible and average them out, or (as often suggested) to demo them; but even demoing is unreliable if the conditions are different. When I demoed the Kenjas, for instance, it was the most challenging snow day I've ever had, which really colored my impression, although I could also feel their strong points.

Maybe someone can come out with an "objective" way of measuring ski stiffness, dampness/playfulness, float, and such? Paging engineering Divas?

 

[Skibuilder]

It's not a question of where he grips it, it's simply a matter of weight ratios, a five ounce bird cannot carry a one pound coconut...

It could be carried by an African swallow.

Maybe someone can come out with an "objective" way of measuring ski stiffness, dampness/playfulness, float, and such? Paging engineering Divas?

There are some independently developed methods of testing some parameters such as stiffness already. We have measured a bunch of skis for various properties, as design research. The problem I see is getting companies to all accept the same test method to publish comparable numbers.

 

[artistinsuburbia]

It could be carried by an African swallow.

An African swallow maybe...but certainly not a European swallow.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

The problem I see is getting companies to all accept the same test method to publish comparable numbers.

I think it's "just" a matter of having one ski magazine or blogger or someone, or even a manufacturer, commit to conducting and publishing such tests for all makes and models, in addition to or instead of on-slope demos. Cameras, for instance, have DXO. Cars have Car and Driver. Once the measurements prove to be useful and/or popular, the manufacturers may be willing to submit "reviewer copies" to test. Objective measures of stiffness and such may, of course, prove to be not so meaningful on the slopes, but it's better than each skier walking into the store and bending them one by one.

Regardless, we'll need a lot of African swallows, laden or unladen with coconuts, to bend the skis with consistent force. If we have enough of them, of course, European swallows might suffice. As long as they are blue... no, yellow!

 

[lisamamot]

Love the Monty Python . Perhaps a Norwegian Blue Parrot could help, as long as it isn't stunned, pinning for the fjords, or nailed to the perch!

Thanks for all the feedback; scientific, personal experience, and comic relief alike.

 

[volklgirl]

I can't imagine there's a whole lot of other places where women are quoting Monty Python? What an interesting group we are!

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

I can't imagine there's a whole lot of other places where women are quoting Monty Python? What an interesting group we are!

Well, I feel right at home!