When it comes to skis, will I just know?

[captain_hug99]

I read through a bunch of threads about skis and have also started demo-ing. I'm an intermediate skier, I like greens and have tried a few blues, but I'm cautious. 5'3" and heavy (200+).

I've been gradually getting better skis when I rent, but tried Black Pearl 82s, they were OK but not life changing. I just tried the Atomic Vantage, I liked it better than the Black Pearls.

My daughter is also demo-ing with me and she's had the same "meh" feeling where they were skis, nothing amazing. She's a confident blue skier, 5'4" 130.

So, will I just know when I hit the right ski? We both have our own boots and knew when we tried those that they were the ones.

 

[Jenny]

When I first started demoing I was honestly amazed that I could tell the difference between one pair of skis and another, even if I didn’t know what exactly it was that made them different. Heck, even now I can’t always tell you why I like one better than another.

The skis that have chosen me are the ones that make me feel more confidence and like I’m a better skier when I’m on them. They have made me go on terrain that I never would have considered before, and be happy about it. There's always been something that let me know. So, yeah, I think you'll know. And you’ll have fun looking for them, too!

 

[nopoleskier]

I'd say YES- you'll get on a pair and will feel great. I love to demo skis because of all the variety. Some I'll skate away from the demo tent and know they are not my kind of ski. I'll take 1 run and send them back.

I think It's really good to demo different skis on the same day/snow conditions- especially try for your area's typical snow day. Here in the East we rarely get 6"+ of Powder so it's hard to demo a 100+ fat ski here and trying them on hard packed isn't a good test (imo)

And when you find one that makes you smile and have a great time- buy it!

 

[Jilly]

The ones that make you smile, are the one. I think too that you would not like the Black Pearl. You might want to look at the men's stuff too.

 

[marzNC]

So, will I just know when I hit the right ski? We both have our own boots and knew when we tried those that they were the ones.

Good for you for making the effort to demo skis before making a purchase. I don't think of the BP82 as a good fit for advanced beginners and intermediates mostly on green/blue trails. What region do you plan to ski in the most?

I was a confident intermediate skier when I went to my first free demo day (over 50, skied a little as a teen but then took a long hiatus). I took out any skis that seemed about the right length from a tent that didn't have a line. It was pretty clear which skis were fun and which were too much work. At the time I was more interested in narrowing down which brand made more sense. Being petite, it was hard to find skis short enough. But even on skis one size too long, I could learn something.

For my first "personal demo day" where I pay to rent demo skis at a destination resort for a day, I have a few models in mind. I was a low advanced skier by then so skiing off-piste more but still spending 50-60% of the time on groomers. I took out the most likely candidate first. I liked it. Then I checked out a few other possibilities based on talking with the ski shop staff. I did 1-2 runs each time on the same trail. If skis were too hard to turn, I didn't bother with a second run. In the afternoon, I took out the best skis for a longer test to confirm that they were fun on different types of terrain.

If you can, checking out the same model at a different length can be useful. Can be either shorter or longer than what seems to be optimal.

 

[newboots]

Those who have commented are much more experienced, but I found the same thing. When I got my new skis (BP82s) all I could say about them was that skiing is more fun!

 

[MissySki]

The ones that make you smile and you don’t want to get off of them.. those are the ones. If they're just meh or you hate a pair, onto the next! Most of my skis were love at first turn, but I’m pretty particular and can tell quite quickly if a ski is for me or not.

 

[scandium]

I spent 3 years demoing before I bought skis, and interestingly what I bought was NOT what I'd skied on demo days. I think I have only felt "in love" with a couple of pairs ever , both Nordicas (2017 Astral 78 and the 2021 SA93) and I think the former just because they were SO much better suited to the afternoon slush than my rentals. What the demo days did was teach me what I wanted in a ski, and so that meant when I went off and looked at skis and reviews and what I could afford, I ended up happy with what I purchased.

 

[fgor]

I'd say yes - I've demoed as many skis as i could get my hands on (and still plenty more to go) and the skis I've ended up buying are the ones which just made skiing even more fun, maybe made me want to try new runs, etc. Though there's plenty of skis I had a good time on that i didn't buy of course!

It's interesting how everyone has different feelings about skis eh? I wasn't a fan of the vantage skis i tried, very meh to me. But some people love them! That's why demoing is so useful

 

[marzNC]

I spent 3 years demoing before I bought skis, and interestingly what I bought was NOT what I'd skied on demo days.

My first ski purchase of new skis after 2005 was also not a model that I actually demo'd. The demo tents at the free demo day at Sugar in NC didn't actually have any skis that were short enough. However, I found a brand that seemed a pretty good fit. I was pretty flexible about what I checked out for a couple short runs (3 min tops). I focused my reading on the brand I liked best. Found a good deal on a model at the higher end between beginner and expert. Compared to renting, it was worth the investment for a couple years. I was only skiing in the southeast, mostly with my daughter and her friends as she went from beginner to intermediate (age 6-8).

By the time I bought the next pair of skis, I'd learned a lot about how to demo thanks to online ski forums. The next deal I found was for all-mountain skis that I'd demo'd at Diva West.

 

[HikenSki]

I did my first demo a few years ago and like posters above, some felt blah, some were more fun. I think it's about finding the match for you, both in ski construction and length. The one that makes you smile, makes skiing easier and makes you feel confident. I demoed my current ski (Head Kore 93w) in spring potatoes and was smiling all the way down the mountain and have been ever since. They are so much fun in powder and I find myself skiing way faster than I used to. My hard snow ski (Liberty V82w) I bought without demoing based on reviews. It was risky but they have demo bindings so if I didn't like them they would be easy to sell. So far I really like than but with the half day I got on them this season, I haven't had a chance to really push them.

 

[Bookworm]

I love demoing skis, although I haven't done too many, and I've not bought a one that I've demoed. I started out on BP88s, which were perfect until they weren't. I decided I needed a heavier, "stiffer" ski and bought Kastle FX95HPs which I absolutely LOVE. They've given me so much more confidence because they plow through anything. They're also longer (165) than my BPs (159). The only thing about them is that they show me every single mistake I make in my technique - especially in the bumps. At first I hated it, then I decided that it forces me to focus on exactly what I know I'm doing wrong (late release of uphill ski). I still hear @marzNC yelling: "WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING?" and I've stopped staring at my boots!

 

[Iwannaski]

I still hear @marzNC yelling: "WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING?" and I've stopped staring at my boots!

LOLOL. Now I’m scared to ski with any of you Divas.

 

[marzNC]

LOLOL. Now I’m scared to ski with any of you Divas.

I only yell at Divas after I've shared lodging with them.

The first couple seasons I was taking lessons at Massanutten, the instructor who did the senior clinic had a different focus to yell at me about when I was having a solo lesson. I can still hear him saying "UP" when I notice I'm not quite in the right position on steeper terrain.

 

[Bookworm]

Don't worry, we are fun!

 

[Sandrinjo]

I am not an expert but from my personal experience- yes! I always had 4 pairs of skis as i was never completely satisfied with any, and i would switch them depending on conditions. I alway felt i needed a dumper ski and was thinking about Nordica santa Ana for a while but every time i would go to a ski shop to ask about those they would talk me out of it saying there are hard to ski, have a lot of metal, bla blah they were marketing them as experts only skis ( i can ski everything but i do not consider myself expert skier). At the begging of this season i found i good deal on last years model and just kinda went in and said all confident i want those skis without giving them any details or chance to talk me out of it. Enough to say: i sold all of my other skis. Whatever the conditions were, every time i took out any of my other skis out i wished i was on santa anas. For me, they are super easy to ski and they do what i want them to!

I do wish i kept my Armada Victas as they were better in super icy conditions but that is about it

 

[SallyCat]

...I alway felt i needed a dumper ski and was thinking about Nordica santa Ana for a while but every time i would go to a ski shop to ask about those they would talk me out of it saying there are hard to ski, have a lot of metal, bla blah they were marketing them as experts only skis ( i can ski everything but i do not consider myself expert skier). At the begging of this season i found i good deal on last years model and just kinda went in and said all confident i want those skis without giving them any details or chance to talk me out of it. Enough to say: i sold all of my other skis. Whatever the conditions were, every time i took out any of my other skis out i wished i was on santa anas. For me, they are super easy to ski and they do what i want them to!

I do wish i kept my Armada Victas as they were better in super icy conditions but that is about it

My rule of thumb is to never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER take advice about skis from guys who work in ski shops. They seem to be (in my experience) either well-meaning seasonal employees who don't ski and know a few of the marketing words they're supposed to say about a ski, or they're guys who used to ski and think they know everything because they read all of the brand literature.

I once had a shop guy recommend a ski to me that I'd previously owned; it was absolutely the wrong ski for what I was looking for (I wanted something soft and wide for spring snow; he was pushing a stiff Volkl groomer-ripper). When I told him that, he doubled down and kept insisting that that was the ski I wanted.

 

[contesstant]

The ONE will let you know pretty quickly. That being said, try to demo in conditions that are the norm for where you ski. If you demo on a hero snow day, most of the skis will feel pretty darn good. Another factor is that some demo skis are not maintained very well. This is something that is not easy to tell to an untrained eye. Take a peak at the bases and edges to see if they are full of scratches and the edges are dull or really dinged up. Some lengthwise scratches aren't a big deal, but if they are gouged up six ways to Sunday, then that's a pretty good sign that they haven't been maintained very well.