Help Needed: Advice on First Pair of Skis

[etherealsunflower]

Hi all! I'm new to Ski Diva and I'm currently seeking advice on buying my first pair of skis. I was looking to buy from Powder 7 since they have their end of the season sale today.

About Me:
- 22 year old petite female skier (5'1" 108 lbs)
- I've been skiing for 10 years but only go once or twice a year since I don't live near mountains. I am from the East Coast and only ski here (NY) and consider myself a beginner-intermediate.
- Ski style - Non-aggressive and easy-going. I usually stick to greens since I'm confident on them and working on blues. I also only stick to groomers.
- An additional thing I'd like to note is that the biggest thing is that I'm trying to improve my confidence. I used to love skiing as a kid, but I had a very bad fall the previous season that left me anxious of skiing. It's honestly the speed and going out of control that makes me anxious.
- I usually ski on 140 cm rentals and I own my own boots.

The options I'm considering for my first ski are Blizzard Black Pearl 84 145 cm, Rossignol Experience W 78 CA 146 cm and Head Absolut Joy 145 cm. I've been eyeing the BPs for a while now since everyone talks about how amazing they are, but I'm worried they'll be too much ski for me and too long. I'm looking for a lightweight ski that will help me build my confidence but can carry through as I progress. I won't be able to demo as of now since the season is over. Could anyone offer their advice and insight on these two and what would be a great investment for me? Also, any pole recommendations would be helpful. Thank you so much!

 

[Jilly]

I'm wondering if you're looking at skis that are a tad bit short. With many of the all mountain skis, there is some rocker to them. So the "effect edge" (the amount of edge on the snow) is less than a traditional cambered ski. But that's why we suggest demo!

Rossi is the only ski on your list that I have some experience on. And I like how narrow it is for our east coast conditions. Rossi changed the Experience line about 2 seasons ago. So I hope they are on a really good deal.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

It is tough to find comprehensive ski reviews for women at your level, @etherealsunflower. Most gear toward upper intermediate to upper advanced. That said, I would just do as much research as you possibly can. A narrower ski (sub-80 width) with a softer flex is going to be easier to manage if you are focusing on improving technique and confidence. You won't want TOO soft a flex, however, since you are an eastern skier. You need a ski w/enough chops to handle our eastern ice. You may want to check this out as a starting place: https://www.she-shredz.com/post/gea...-season-confidence-starts-with-the-right-gear

Also, don't worry that you will miss out on sales. Most sites like Powder 7 (that I've purchased from several times - great shop) will have bargains through much of the summer. Plus, the type of ski you probably are looking for will not be at the expensive end of the spectrum even if purchased new for 2027.

 

[etherealsunflower]

I'm wondering if you're looking at skis that are a tad bit short. With many of the all mountain skis, there is some rocker to them. So the "effect edge" (the amount of edge on the snow) is less than a traditional cambered ski. But that's why we suggest demo!

Rossi is the only ski on your list that I have some experience on. And I like how narrow it is for our east coast conditions. Rossi changed the Experience line about 2 seasons ago. So I hope they are on a really good deal.

Hey Jilly! I'm more comfortable with skis >150 cm since I've tried longer ones and had a hard time managing them speed-wise and with initiating turns. I'll note that down about the Rossi, thank you!

 

[Jilly]

Long skis are more stable. But....Like @BlizzardBabe mentions stay under 80mm really for our conditions here in the east. You might even want to look at front side carver instead of all mountain. There are lots of options there. I ponder some options for you.

 

[Knitjenious]

Two skis that jump to my mind: Elan Wildcat 76C and Volkl Blaze 82. I have demoed then both. The Blaze is just adorable and fun and easy turning. The Wildcat is also very friendly and confidence building -- my older teen, whose skiing level sounds similar to you, was on the male equivalent Wingman 76C this year (they are 5'5", 145 pounds, on the 160 cm length) and really found it to be a good fit. I know neither of those were the ones you asked about! Lol. But wanted to add a few options to the mix.

 

[marzNC]

Hi all! I'm new to Ski Diva and I'm currently seeking advice on buying my first pair of skis. I was looking to buy from Powder 7 since they have their end of the season sale today.

About Me:
- 22 year old petite female skier (5'1" 108 lbs)
- I've been skiing for 10 years but only go once or twice a year since I don't live near mountains. I am from the East Coast and only ski here (NY) and consider myself a beginner-intermediate.
- Ski style - Non-aggressive and easy-going. I usually stick to greens since I'm confident on them and working on blues. I also only stick to groomers.
- An additional thing I'd like to note is that the biggest thing is that I'm trying to improve my confidence. I used to love skiing as a kid, but I had a very bad fall the previous season that left me anxious of skiing. It's honestly the speed and going out of control that makes me anxious.
- I usually ski on 140 cm rentals and I own my own boots.

Welcome! How far from NYC do you go to ski? I grew up in Manhattan but moved to North Carolina in high school long ago.

I'm your size but several decades older. I didn't start skiing regularly until my daughter started at our home mountain in northern Virginia just over twenty years ago. The first pair of skis I bought new were 74mm underfoot and about 145cm long. I knew they were on the short side, but was mostly going to be skiing with a kid still learning for a few years at a hill that only has groomers. Even the two black trails were easier than many blues at bigger resorts. I knew enough from skiing for a couple seasons as a young teen to be an adventurous intermediate. Helped to know survival skills such as side slipping and how to do a hockey stop without any thought.

After I started skiing more, including one trip a season out west, I took the opportunity to demo skis. Ended up buying skis that were 75 underfoot and 154cm during summer sales. They were a Rossignol model. Later on I got the Head Absolut Joy in 2015, which were 78mm, 148cm. By then I knew that for short slopes in the southeast, shorter skis were easier to turn. For skiing at big mountains out west, I had skis that were slightly wider and 10cm longer.

How did you go about buying the boots?

Do you know about the Triple Play Snow Pass? For $199, get 3 days with lift ticket, gear rental, and lesson at assorted ski areas. Quite a few are within driving distance of Big SNOW in NJ and NYC. Lessons really do help because there are movements for skiing that are somewhat counter-intuitive. Especially when it comes to what to do in order to avoid going faster than feels comfortable.

 

[mzhang]

By any chance I have an old pair of Head Joy 153 cm skis that I had from my beginners stage that I was looking to give away for free if anyone is willing to pay for shipping (or pick them up I live in NYC). They are a little old but still in good condition. I bought them in 2018 I think I skiied maybe 50 days on them. I enjoyed them when I was a beginner, they were light and quick to turn. But they felt too short for me (I'm 5'4'') after I became solid intermediate and I switched to black pearl later. They were just in my closet for the past 6 years. You'd probably want to bring them to a shop and give them a good tune before you ski them.

Let me know if you are interested and we can arrange shipping or pickup.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

I had those skis back in the day. Loved them! My only issue was the white top-sheet. I lost them more than once under the snow .