jaydog
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here's my first attempt at a review, and my first demo where I actually knew what to pay attention to in ski performance! Knowledge I wouldn't have had without this wonderful forum. One thing to bear in mind as you read this review: I am still rather new to skiing, (this is my 3rd winter) and I don't have a whole lot to compare this ski with. So here goes:
Ski: Nordica Olympia Victory, Dimensions: 154 cm, 116-74-104, turn radius 12.6
Skier: 5' 5", 130lbs, advanced and looking to improve.
Category: all-mountain expert
Ski Area: Crystal Mountain (the one in WA, not MI)
Conditions: packed powder, occasional ice, moguls.
Turns: very easy to initiate, very good rebound as well- short: 5 medium: 5 long: 5
Stability: 5: I was able to ski faster than I ever had before- my Exclusive Legends tossed me around at high speeds.
Forgiveness: 4: I once caught an edge, threw one leg up in the air for balance, skidded, and still managed not to fall.
Crud: 5: Dug in and plowed right through.
Grip: 4: Hung on in all but solid ice.
Powder: N/R, no powder to be found that day on anything less than a double-black. But with the 74mm waist it should be doable.
Steeps: 4: would chatter a bit on ice, but I found that it would stop if I corrected my technique.
Tested length: just about perfect, maybe a tad on the short side- it's hard to tell if the chattering on icy steeps was the ski or sloppy technique. But the Olympia line runs small, and the 162 would probably be a bit long for me. I demoed the 162 last year, while still an intermediate skier, and it was definitely too much ski for me. I also prefer shorter skis, since I love making quick short-radius turns.
Sidecut: perfect. Handled all radius turns with nary a wobble. Even with the shorter length, it could carve some super-G turns at speeds I didn't want to ski- yet.
Flex: perfect. Never had a problem flexing it, yet it never felt wimpy either.
Overall impression: I loved it. I'm looking to upgrade skis (after outgrowing my EL's far too quickly) and this one was on my short list to demo. I want an all-mountain expert ski that I can grow into, not too burly, and can handle any condition from ice to moguls to powder. Had to rock the groomers, and be able to at least survive deep powder. This one certainly fit the bill. I tore down the steeps like I've never been able to do before. Even moguls were easier; I actually managed to link a few turns. The shorter length probably helped there. (As did the advice I've been reading from all you wonderful divas!!) There was no powder to test, but the 162 I demoed last year handled the powder well. To sum up, I can say that I ended the day a better skier than I started out, and what more can you ask?
Ski: Nordica Olympia Victory, Dimensions: 154 cm, 116-74-104, turn radius 12.6
Skier: 5' 5", 130lbs, advanced and looking to improve.
Category: all-mountain expert
Ski Area: Crystal Mountain (the one in WA, not MI)
Conditions: packed powder, occasional ice, moguls.
Turns: very easy to initiate, very good rebound as well- short: 5 medium: 5 long: 5
Stability: 5: I was able to ski faster than I ever had before- my Exclusive Legends tossed me around at high speeds.
Forgiveness: 4: I once caught an edge, threw one leg up in the air for balance, skidded, and still managed not to fall.
Crud: 5: Dug in and plowed right through.
Grip: 4: Hung on in all but solid ice.
Powder: N/R, no powder to be found that day on anything less than a double-black. But with the 74mm waist it should be doable.
Steeps: 4: would chatter a bit on ice, but I found that it would stop if I corrected my technique.
Tested length: just about perfect, maybe a tad on the short side- it's hard to tell if the chattering on icy steeps was the ski or sloppy technique. But the Olympia line runs small, and the 162 would probably be a bit long for me. I demoed the 162 last year, while still an intermediate skier, and it was definitely too much ski for me. I also prefer shorter skis, since I love making quick short-radius turns.
Sidecut: perfect. Handled all radius turns with nary a wobble. Even with the shorter length, it could carve some super-G turns at speeds I didn't want to ski- yet.
Flex: perfect. Never had a problem flexing it, yet it never felt wimpy either.
Overall impression: I loved it. I'm looking to upgrade skis (after outgrowing my EL's far too quickly) and this one was on my short list to demo. I want an all-mountain expert ski that I can grow into, not too burly, and can handle any condition from ice to moguls to powder. Had to rock the groomers, and be able to at least survive deep powder. This one certainly fit the bill. I tore down the steeps like I've never been able to do before. Even moguls were easier; I actually managed to link a few turns. The shorter length probably helped there. (As did the advice I've been reading from all you wonderful divas!!) There was no powder to test, but the 162 I demoed last year handled the powder well. To sum up, I can say that I ended the day a better skier than I started out, and what more can you ask?
