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Blizzard Black Pearl 88 vs Sheeva 9?

fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So I've posted a few times recently about skis I've demoed :smile: Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand) so it's currently our ski season. A ski shop here is currently having a couple of good specials which, when stacked, add up to some very good discounts on their 2020 Blizzard ski range (similar to end-of-season clearance prices!), running through for the next few days. I recently demoed two skis from their range and loved them both. I'm very tempted to buy one as I had a ball on these skis and the price is very good (I'd also get an additional discount on bindings) but weirdly, even though on the day I thought I knew which one was my favourite (BP88), I now can't decide which.

I'm an intermediate skier at best but I now live close to a ski field, have a season pass and expect to get in 20-30 days this season. 5'3 115-120lb, being able to turn nicely is important to me as I enjoy trying to do nice carvy turns down runs rather than straight lining it. My local field has variable snow conditions, commonly a mix of nicer groomed snow in the morning and ice and slush in the afternoons, so I want something that can deal well with slush and bumps as well as hold an edge on ice. I may be doing the very occasional trip to smaller ungroomed fields. I skied BP88 in 159cm and Sheeva 9 in 157cm.

I found both skis very fun, light and turny. They were both great on uneven terrain and easy to negotiate the occasional bump with. When diving down runs I found the BP88 to be slightly easier to grab an edge and turn on (rather than skid on), so it gave me a little more confidence. There wasn't a ton of ice on the day as it was snowing the entire day. Based on this I felt the BP88 was my favourite on the day. However I've read that the Sheeva 9 has a partial metal sheet in it which I'm guessing made it slightly harder for me to turn - but I wonder if this would also give it a better grip on ice as I continue to become a better skier and learn to ski it better. I don't know if the extra width makes a difference either.

Basically I want a ski that is fun and gives me confidence but also one that I can grow with - I'm not planning to become an expert skier any time soon but someone told me that I'd outgrow the BP88 and I don't know if that's right? :confused: I'm concerned that I didn't actually get to test either ski much on much hardpack/ice.

Would love to hear about your experiences with these skis, either owning or trying them out, or thoughts in general :smile:
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@fgor, the Sheeva 9 has a 92mm waist. The Black Pearl has an 88 waist.

If indeed you are a lower intermediate skier, skiing on hard groomed snow most of the time, wanting to improve your technique, that 92 mm waist on the Sheeva 9 will make improvement hard to accomplish. You'll need to do some massive upper body leaning to get that ski up on edge early in the turn, and getting a ski up on edge early in a turn is a big part of advancing your technique. The massive upper body leaning will not be good. That extra width makes a ton of difference, not in grip, but in necessary body English. Just sayin'.

The 88 will make tipping the skis difficult to do too (on hard snow groomers when there's no new snow), but tipping the 88 ski up on edge on hard pack won't be as difficult as with the 92. 80. Have you demonstrated any skis with a waist below 80? Those are better for learning technique on hard snow.

If however, you want to continue to start your turns by forcefully rotating the skis around while keeping them pretty flat, then either of these skis will be fine.

From what you've said about "turning the skis," I think (not sure, though) rotating somewhat flat skis with body action is your current approach to initiating turns on those groomers. If you like both of these skis, and find they both accommodate your current turning process, and want your new skis to work well with how you currently start your turns, and are happy with the way you are now skiing, then either ski will be fine. You could even pick the one with the most appealing graphics.
 
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fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The Sheeva 9 has a 92mm waist. The Black Pearl has an 88 waist.

If indeed you are a lower intermediate, skiing on hard snow most of the time, wanting to improve your technique, that 92 mm waist will make it hard to do. You'll need to do some massive upper body leaning in to get that ski up on edge early in the turn, and getting a ski up on edge early in a turn is a big part of advancing your technique. This will not be good. Just sayin'.

The 88 will make it hard to do too, but it won't be as hard as the 92.

If however, you want to continue to forcefully rotate the skis around while keeping them pretty flat in order to make a turn happen, then either of these skis will be fine.
From what you've said about "turning the skis," I think this is your current approach to initiating turns. So if you like the skis, and find they accommodate your current turning process, and want skis that do that, and are happy with the way you currently ski, then either ski will be fine.

Thank you! That makes sense. I definitely want to keep improving my technique and turn initiation (while also having fun), and while these skis made me feel really confident and stopped me from being scared of the slushy afternoon bumps (the trails are never smooth after half a day haha), I'm also mindful that I don't want to kneecap myself by getting a too-advanced ski. Now i'm wondering if jumping even to a ski with an 88 width waist is too much of a jump - I just really liked the way these skis made me feel. I got complimented on my turning shape by a stranger while on the BP88 but I know I still skid my turns a bit.

The other ski that I liked a lot was 82 underfoot which I suppose might be more optimal but frankly it's nearly twice the price and as its made by a small local manufacturer, it never goes on special! :frown:
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
@fgor : since you own a pair of narrow skis, going with the BP88 for a good deal is perfectly reasonable. I bought more than one pair of skis as I improved, all at really good prices during the off-season. Managed to sell all of them when I didn't want to keep them any more. Eventually I bought a pricey pair of skis for big mountain skiing after a pretty thorough demo experience. But didn't even consider that sort of investment until I knew I'd be skiing on them 25+ days consistently. Still have a narrower pair for my local hill.

While it's probably not as good in icy conditions as the 82mm skis you liked, the BP88 is pretty versatile. The fact that you keep mentioning "bumps" makes me think that "low intermediate" may not be the best description of your ability level.

Did you find this thread? @contesstant has skied the BP88 and the Sheeva 9. However, she's in Utah so "icy conditions" based on a rain/freeze cycle is pretty rare.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...-mountain-ski-bp-sheeva-secret-qst-lux.23870/
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
I haven't tried them but there's a Black Pearl 78 here in the states. And I think that they're adding an 84, too.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I haven't tried them but there's a Black Pearl 78 here in the states. And I think that they're adding an 84, too.
Good point about the BP78. I've demo'd the BP78 but don't like it nearly as much as I like the BP88. Didn't like the Cheyenne that was the earlier model with at the same width underfoot.

Looks like the new model is the BP82. I'll be keeping an eye out for it at any demo day I get to next winter.

https://www.skiessentials.com/2020-blizzard-black-pearl-82-women-s-skis.html

". . . The 2020 Blizzard Black Pearl 82 Skis are an awesome choice for intermediate skiers who are looking for fantastic lightweight performance."

Features:

Waist width: 82 mm
Turn Radius: 14 meters at 159 cm length
Rocker/Camber/Rocker Profile
Carbon Flipcore W.S.D. Technology
Ability level: Intermediate Skiers
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi and Welcome.. take a run for me!! It's so hot in Northern NY I long to ski.
I've demo'd both the BP 88 and the Sheeva 9. Blizzard skis are all nice. I like light, turny skis. I love to make lots of turns.

The BP88 Is a really nice ski, yes it will stick to ice, it's good to go up to 8inches of powder and really good in the piles as you found. They are really fun to ski and have a lot of forgiveness and a 'big sweetspot' so you can keep getting better! I don't think you'll out grow them. Skis that are fun to ski, stay fun to ski! The Sheeva9 is a bit stiffer, I think it likes to be 'driven' more. Seems more aggressive than the BP88's. Both skis are awesome for plowing thru piles and stable. I don't like Tip chatter, and Blizzard skis don't have that.

Since you felt so good on the BP"s88's- I would go with them!

Don't worry about being 88 underfoot. New ski technology is great- if it works for you who cares what the ski magazines say! Choose the ski that makes you smile, gives you confidence. Totally disagree with Choosing a ski on how pretty the top sheet is.. that can be a disappointment. It's great you are able to demo.. What one person loves another may hate.

Last winter I skied my Renoun Z-90's ALL Winter! ice, slush, powder. I live in the East coast so usually Icy or we get snow and the piles have ice in the troughs. My old knees did not hurt from laying the 90cm over making railroad tracks, big turns, tight turns, lots of turns. I love to turn. Sure laying over a 71cm under foot ski is quicker than the 88cm+ BUT usually smaller waist skis can have less forgiveness and you may need to pay more attention and be"on' them to make them carve.

I'd rather be skiing for fun. BP88's will reward good technique and will be forgiving if you get behind on a turn or tossed in the back seat learning bumps.. Please take a couple runs for me!
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@fgor, you are passionate about skiing. You are relatively new to skiing. You are assertive in your skiing, maybe even aggressive. You are not afraid of bumps, or piles of snow on ice. You want to improve your skills. You are happy to do the research to buy gear that will help you along in your skills-building. And you ski mostly on hard snow.
All of this is what will make for a great future for you as a skier.

The demoing you've most recently done with these two skis sounds like it was done on freshly fallen snow, not the usual hard pack. Demoing on the usual conditions is important.

As an instructor, I'll tell you something about moving up the skill ladder which may help you make that ski purchase. How you start a turn determines the turn pretty much. Imagine a spectrum for how one can start a turn, with two opposing ends.

On one end is "throwing the skis around," a phrase you've used. This is the rotation end of the spectrum; the skier can use feet, legs, hips, or whole body to rotate the skis around on the surface of the snow. Some of these are better than others. Some are dysfunctional. Most beginners are taught to utilize rotation in their first lessons, and if they proceed to more challenging terrain without further instruction they tend to pick up all kinds of dysfunctional rotation strategies. Subsequent lessons try to harness those bad habits into good rotation movements. Skiing bumps well utilizes that good kind of rotation well.

On the other end of the spectrum is tipping the skis without any rotation, and letting them turn on their own because they are tipped and bent. It's very hard to learn to tip without any rotation for a skier who has been rotating those skis, throwing them around, for a long time. The rotating habit becomes embedded, intuitive, and it happens on auto-pilot. Instructors disagree on when to introduce pure tipping (without rotation) to students. But at some point, for an ambitious skier, which I sense you are, tipping the skis to see what they will do without helping them along with rotation should be a goal. When the skis are tipped and not rotated, they will turn the skier. Learning to manipulate the turn shape involves managing tipped edge angles from low to high, and involves being able to get those angles early in the turn. This is a great challenge to embrace. Look up "Railroad tracks" to see an introductory drill for tipping without rotation. When tipping alone, there will be great speed. So learning on low pitch terrain is advised. Safety from the speed acquired becomes an issue. Uncrowded trails are required. Hard snow, ice even, is the perfect surface for honing this skill, and you ski in New Zealand where conditions are often icy.

The middle of that spectrum is where most ski turns are made - a mix of tipping and rotating. The higher the skier's versatility in blending the two, the higher the skill level of the skier, the more terrain and the more varied conditions that skier can ski with total speed and line control. A good skier needs to master both ends of the spectrum, and master the middle as well. I sense you want to become a good skier.

Learning to tip the skis without any rotation is easier to learn on narrow waisted skis. That's why I've been suggesting for you to get sub-80 waisted skis. Many skiers put off learning this skill, and have a great time skiing all kinds of terrain and conditions anyway. This is important. You can be this kind of skier and have a ton of fun.

But if at some point in their skiing lives these skiers choose to up their game for some reason, and seek instruction, and get an instructor who thinks it's time to learn the tipping alone so they can start really "working" the middle of that spectrum, it's really hard to pick it up because of embedded rotation habits. I'm talking deep into the future here. You are at the start of your skiing. What you do now impacts what happens later.

If you get that Black Pearl 88, you'll love it. It will be your friend, and take you all over the mountain. On soft snow days it will be a very good friend. In bumps it will be a friend. But learning to tip it without "throwing it around" on hard snow will be difficult. Seasoned experts can do it no problem. Learners??? Maybe, but I'm predicting not.

I may be alone in thinking this is an issue for lower intermediates who want to increase their skills. I'm coming on strong with my advice because I don't see anyone else saying what I'm saying. With this very long post I've explained my position so you'll understand where I'm coming from and can make your choice wisely.

Those who think 88 is fine for you may want to offer their reasons for not going narrower. Upthread @nopoleskier indicated that narrow skis are unforgiving. I'll counter with reminding us all here that beginner rental skis are narrow, and they are forgiving. Manufacturers make narrow skis with all kinds of flex built into them.
 
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VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@fgor I cannot advise you on which skis to buy, and I have a lot of respect for both @nopoleskier and @liquidfeet 's advice. I wanted to add my perspective to the conversation.

I have the 88mm BPs and a pair of 80mm skis. I'm a good skier, confident with most black runs, less so in bumps, trees. @nopoleskier and I have skied together, and she can speak to my ability level.

My boyfriend is an expert skier-- @nopoleskier can attest to that too. For him, carving is the ultimate expression of skill on skis. With that in mind, he's noted that I have trouble getting the 88mm BPs up on edge, and that I do a better job with my 80mm skis.

So I'm conflicted. I've loved my BPs, they're so much fun. I enjoy them on hard pack groomers. I'm fine with them in icy-ish conditions so long as I'm careful, and they're much more fun in soft conditions and deeper chopped up snow. But I do see the sense of my BF's words, so I continue to work on my turns and edging on the 80mm skis. Yes, it would definitely be easier to do this on narrower skis--76mm, or even less.

Best wishes on your decision--let us know what it is--living closer to the mountain will be great for your skill development!
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
Reading @liquidfeet ’s reasoning brought some of my experiences in focus. I have the Head Absolut Joy which is 78mm underfoot and the BP88 which is 88mm. I am a low intermediate who is working on controlling speed on steeper terrain. @liquidfeet ’s explanation makes me realize I’ve actually been working on turn shapes - less rotation, more tipping. The reason I bought the BP88s is they allow me to ski the way I ski on soft, cruddy terrain, where I didn’t feel as stable and solid on the 78mm AJs. But that’s because my skills are lacking. I was trying to throw around/rotate the AJs on piles and that just didn’t work. I have much more confidence on the BP88s and that allows me to go where I didn’t feel comfortable before. But I don’t know if that means my skills are necessarily getting better. I don’t find the BP88s difficult to tip but the AJs are definitely easier.

I’m not sure I added much to your consideration. Just some perspective from a skier with more passion than skill.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Just a reminder. @fgor posted this some time back:

About me - 5'3/160cm, 115-120lb intermediate or low intermediate skier. I ski in New Zealand - often icy conditions, apparently comparable to US East Coast. Current skis - Salomon Origins Crystal 151cm.

 

fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This has been a really great discussion to read! I'm definitely seeing a lot of my experiences mirrored in the replies here. I agree these skis really increase your confidence in bumps, slush, chopped up snow, crud etc. On these skis i was able to just bounce right over bumps that i wasn't quick enough to go around, without losing balance, it feels like cheating at skiing :p

I was able to get a lesson a couple of ski-days ago, which was really useful because I ski mostly alone and it's hard to get videos of my skiing to check how I'm looking. My instructor watched my skiing, said "good, BUT" and then immediately broke down my turning and we worked on turn shapes, turn phases etc the entire time! I tried to apply that to my demoing skiing as well but it comes pretty unstuck in snow piles etc :smile: that was what definitely made me prefer the BP88 over the sheeva though so I'm absolutely throwing the idea of the sheeva away - when I tried to initiate a turn by using my body weight and leaning into the front of my outside ski (probably explaining it badly here) i found the BP88 easier to do so. I did actually feel that keeping an edge on the snow the entire time rather than doing very skidded turns gave me the feeling of more control on the occasional scraped icy patch, so I can see why it's important!

@liquidfeet your post makes a lot of sense and has a lot of good advice! I looked up the railroad tracks drill - looks like a good one - uncrowded slopes are VERY hard to come by here (in particular the single green run is always terribly crowded and for some reason slushy, i have a wide blue run i like where the bottom flattens out a bit though) but I'm sure I can find some areas to practice it.

I wrote this post this morning but didn't finish it - skied today and had another chance to ski the BP88. Pretty icy, we had a bunch of snow followed by a ton of rain which froze it all solid, so the groomed trails were hard and sort of turned into a lot of ice balls after a bit which was weird to ski through. Good test though! I found it to handle in ice no worse than my 72mm underfoot skis. I got a couple of videos which definitely still have a lot of skidding but maybe I'm slooooowly improving :confused: I forgot about trying the railroad tracks and i didn't get videos from later in the day - i also tried doing some drills I've seen here/my instructor had mentioned, holding the inside ski slightly off the snow (really shows me that i have too much weight on the inside ski in the turn...) and holding the poles horizontally in front of me while turning. That one felt very odd at first but I felt like I was getting some great turns doing that by the end of the day, with my legs/skis tipped and my upper body still looking ahead! Of course I'm sure if I saw a video of my "great turns" it wouldn't look anything like that... :bounce:



Also, I'm intrigued we never got the BP82 in NZ this winter. We're definitely running 2020 stock/demos and I'd vaguely heard of the BP82 but it doesn't exist here :confused:
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
@fgor - The fact that you’ve tried both of these skis, and enjoyed them both, makes me believe you could go with either one. I think a lot can be said by how a ski makes you feel when you ski it. In my opinion, this is more important than what you “should” be on.

With that being said, you’ve taken to the internet and asked strangers for their opinions, so here’s mine...I would lean towards buying the Black Pearl.

First reason I lean this way is because you said on the day you demoed, it would be considered your favorite. If it was your favorite on that day, what changed your mind? Do you like the graphics better on the Sheeva (no matter how much people don't want to have looks affect their decision, there’s no way to ignore it)? Did you read reviews that might have made you think differently? Do you think you didn't give the Sheeva a fair shot?

Second reason is what these two different skis are designed to do. Blizzard makes three different women's specific lines with varying widths, and construction within each line. They make the Alight, Black Pearl and Sheeva.

- The Alight is a frontside, hard-pack oriented ski. This is the ski that will help improve your carving and frontside experience. However, it may hinder your experience in afternoon slush, learning to ski moguls, and getting into ungroomed terrain. Personally, I think this would also lower the fun factor on those rare powder days.
- The Black Pearl is designed to be a go-to, do-it-all ski. It's a freeride ski, with a frontside bias. It's slightly rockered at the tip and tail, and has camber underfoot. This profile gives you the float you want in soft conditions, and the grip you desire on hardpack.
- Then there's the Sheeva, which is designed to be a do-it-all freeride ski, with a soft snow bias. The Sheeva also has a rocker-camber-rocker profile, but the rocker is more aggressive than what you find on the Black Pearl...which is most likely why you found the Black Pearl easier to get on edge (along with the Black Pearl being a bit narrower).

Based on what the skis are designed to do, and the conditions you describe you ski on, I think the Black Pearl would suit your needs well. I don't think you'll outgrow the ski either, it's a ski that beginners to experts all enjoy (especially lighter weight experts). There's a reason it's been the best selling ski (men's or women's) for so many years (not sure how many)...it suits a lot of needs, and skis well in so many conditions.
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
Those who think 88 is fine for you may want to offer their reasons for not going narrower.

My reason for not recommending a narrower ski is because I see something in the 88-ish width to be a solid all-around ski. Personally I find something much narrower will limit your joy in skiing ungroomed or uneven terrain, and something much wider can definitely inhibit your ability to carve a clean turn. With that being said, I think there's a lot more to a ski than it's width. The shape, and construction of the ski play into a ski's performance just as much...and this is where I think the Black Pearl excels in finding a good balance to allow the most versatility.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
- The Black Pearl is designed to be a go-to, do-it-all ski. It's a freeride ski, with a frontside bias. It's slightly rockered at the tip and tail, and has camber underfoot. This profile gives you the float you want in soft conditions, and the grip you desire on hardpack.
When Blizzard made design changes to the original Black Pearl (88mm) to create the BP88, the performance on hard snow conditions improved a lot. I bought the original Black Pearl a while back. After skiing it in the northeast a few times, I said I wouldn't recommend it for the typical hardpack conditions in that region. I saw a lot of women with the BP88 in the northeast last winter, ranging from solid intermediates who were cruising groomers to advanced/expert skiers to liked to carve down steep groomers or play off-piste. Had good fun on the BP88 at Taos when I got free demos as part of the Ladies Ski Week a couple seasons ago.

Only reason I didn't buy the BP88 to replace the old pair was that I fell in love with other skis at a free demo day. What I bought was twice the price but designed to last a long time, but I'm planning to ski more at big mountains in the next decade so it was worth the investment.
 

alison wong

Angel Diva
1st of all, I applaud your patience and motivation. When I was looking for skis, I tried about 4 pairs and l lost patience. After one day of demoing, I got tired and just needed someone to tell me what skis to buy. Also, I consider myself not the most adaptable person, skis that most people liked, I found them either hard to turn or too stiff for my liking.

you’ve taken to the internet and asked strangers for their opinions
When I was looking for skis, I posted here for advice and I took it but with a caveat:
1) 2 people that made the same recommendation, both have skied with me and they are experienced enough to know, skis "x" should work for you, with this width and length. I took their advice, purchase the skis out of faith, never demoed it. Took it to Whistler/Blackcomb 1st trip and worked well. Now it is my 3rd year on this skis and have no plan to change in the near future.

My point is, getting advice from someone who is experienced, knowledgeable about skis and have skied with you is important.

I'm coming on strong with my advice because I don't see anyone else saying what I'm saying.

Agreed w/ @liquidfeet 100%.
I demo'd BP 88 2 years (?) ago at Alta, really it was out of curiosity because I've heard so much good things about the skis. Conclusion: did not like it at all. Perhaps I was still an adv. beginner/low intermediate that time. I found the skis hard to maneuver, more like: the skis skied me and not me skied the skis. It required so much effort to tame that damn thing!

I am biased toward wide skis, as I found it hard to turn, hard to tip / tilt (?), caused so much strains on my knees...

As I am taking more lessons, I see what @liquidfeet is saying about "rotation" vs "tipping". If on wide skis, I had to rotate my upper body (shoulder) and hip to make the turn happen. Narrower skis, I am more disciplined in my upper body, easier to tip/tilt skis and turns happen much easier.

I am on east coast, icy hard pack condition, When I bought my skis, I had an option of 80, 84 and 88 mm waist. I opted for 80 mm for 2 reasons: 1) I'd be using this mostly in the east coast condition; 2) need a skis that I can turn easily.

With all that said, I think I am the odd one out...... I am the minority that prefers narrower skis and not a fan of BP.
 

fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@fgor
First reason I lean this way is because you said on the day you demoed, it would be considered your favorite. If it was your favorite on that day, what changed your mind? Do you like the graphics better on the Sheeva (no matter how much people don't want to have looks affect their decision, there’s no way to ignore it)? Did you read reviews that might have made you think differently? Do you think you didn't give the Sheeva a fair shot?

I started to second guess myself because someone told me that I should *absolutely* go with the Sheeva and that it would be better for everything, partially because it has a sheet of metal in it which would also help it with carving on ice etc. After reading all the responses here and also chatting to a couple of people in a ski shop I've decided that while that person's opinion was valid, it's also probably not the right one for me. I had some fears that I'd outgrow a ski such as the Black Pearl but it doesn't seem like this would be the case. I did like the fluorescent base on the Sheeva and indeed saw someone on that ski yesterday - it's slightly eye catching the way the colour glows on the snow - but not enough to sway, just about every ski I've tried this year has been pretty good looking ;)

1st of all, I applaud your patience and motivation. When I was looking for skis, I tried about 4 pairs and l lost patience. After one day of demoing, I got tired and just needed someone to tell me what skis to buy. Also, I consider myself not the most adaptable person, skis that most people liked, I found them either hard to turn or too stiff for my liking.

Oh I have to say, after demoing 10 skis I was starting to feel a bit burned out and overwhelmed too! I was meant to demo even more this weekend (Salomon) but the weather put an end to that by dumping a foot of snow then raining all over it, which was enough to close every nearby skifield due to avalanche risk. (Good for the snowbase though!)

I actually ran into the Salomon demo rep in a ski shop, which is how I found out Salomon would be there this past weekend, and interestingly he told me he thought 98mm was the perfect Canterbury (where I live) ski width :o I told him actually I wanted to be able to turn on ice too and he amended his thinking to "well maybe low 90s or high 80s" hahahaha.
 

fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Also thank you so much to everyone for your input - it was really interesting and I think a lot more relevant to me than some of the "advice" I've got from other people who have been hell-bent on convincing me that I enjoyed skis that I really didn't, or wanted a super stiff ski (no!!) or a super wide ski (also no!!!). Given that I was given the opportunity to get these skis at a discount equivalent to end-of-season clearance pricing (by stacking some discounts, one of which was Blizzard specific...), I've decided to pick up the BP88, which gives me a ski quiver of 2 :smile:

new bp88 2020.jpeg

It looks HUGE but that's just the photo! It's actually slightly shorter than me.

ski quiver.jpeg

My reasoning:

- Although our conditions are pretty icy, half the time it's also pretty slushy/bumpy/uneven terrain. I felt I had a lot more energy in my legs at the end of the day after navigating terrain I normally don't like on the BP88 - it was just so much easier to navigate this terrain and so much less stress on my legs/knees at my limited ability level. So, just fun :smile:

- Although I can amuse myself endlessly on groomed tracks at my local mountain which I have a season pass for (1.5hr away), I live within 2 hours of a further 6 ski fields, which I'm told are majority ungroomed terrain. I've been told numerous times I should check out these other fields and I think this would be a great ski for ungroomed terrain too based on my experiences with it!

- This would bring my quiver size to 2 - my existing ski is a 72mm underfoot full camber beginner-intermediate ski which I imagine will still be perfectly adequate for practicing tipping onto my edges without rotation, etc. I like these older skis on flat groomed terrain but struggle on variable terrain.

- I got this ski at a bit of a steal, and am able to afford to also upgrade my 72mm ski to something more modern and narrow underfoot at some point if I wanted to (and found another deal!!). One of my other favourite skis I tried that was great fun on wide flat groomed trails was the Head Total Joy, which is 85mm underfoot so also pretty wide - and it wasn't quite as maneuverable as the BP88 - but I know there are people here on the narrower Head skis, the Absolut Joy and the Super Joy (I haven't had the chance to try either of these), so I wonder if I might consider something like that if I want to upgrade my older ski to another narrow one at some point :smile:
 

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