tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So I had a chance to do a bit of demoing yesterday while here at Alta. I tried the Volkl Yumi in a 147 and the Black Pearl in the 145.
My stats: 5'1", 105 lbs., low advanced skier
Volkl Yumi
Pros: I really like this ski much better than my current Volkl Yumis without the titanal band. They charge through chopped up stuff much better and feel more solid at speed than my current skis. Excellent energy on the groomers. A little concerned about getting on too stiff of a ski again, but I felt like I could carve them as I do my current skis on a groomer so I'm assuming I'm bending them OK?
Cons: Only real con is they're not nearly as turny as the Black Pearls, but certainly not difficult to turn.
Blizzard Black Pearl 88
Pros: These things are so turny in the bumps. Made me feel like a bumps rock star. Probably a mix of the very short length and the rocker. Very nice bouncy, floaty feel to them. I didn't hate these skis at all like I did the last time I tried them in a 152 a few years back.
Cons: SO slow on traverses, probably because of the length and their softness and width (more effort to get up on edge); I had trouble generating any real sort of speed on flatter traverses, which I can do on the Yumis and my Kastles. Did not care for how they felt on the groomers. There was just really no drive or pop to them.
I'm taking out the Black Pearls in a 152 this morning. I've previously demoed this length and hated it b/c I felt like I couldn't pressure the tips well enough. Going to try again now that I have boots that I can flex better to see if it makes any difference.
My stats: 5'1", 105 lbs., low advanced skier
Volkl Yumi
Pros: I really like this ski much better than my current Volkl Yumis without the titanal band. They charge through chopped up stuff much better and feel more solid at speed than my current skis. Excellent energy on the groomers. A little concerned about getting on too stiff of a ski again, but I felt like I could carve them as I do my current skis on a groomer so I'm assuming I'm bending them OK?
Cons: Only real con is they're not nearly as turny as the Black Pearls, but certainly not difficult to turn.
Blizzard Black Pearl 88
Pros: These things are so turny in the bumps. Made me feel like a bumps rock star. Probably a mix of the very short length and the rocker. Very nice bouncy, floaty feel to them. I didn't hate these skis at all like I did the last time I tried them in a 152 a few years back.
Cons: SO slow on traverses, probably because of the length and their softness and width (more effort to get up on edge); I had trouble generating any real sort of speed on flatter traverses, which I can do on the Yumis and my Kastles. Did not care for how they felt on the groomers. There was just really no drive or pop to them.
I'm taking out the Black Pearls in a 152 this morning. I've previously demoed this length and hated it b/c I felt like I couldn't pressure the tips well enough. Going to try again now that I have boots that I can flex better to see if it makes any difference.