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Aura vs Yumi vs Kenja

NWSkiGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hello!

I have skied the Volkl Auras for the past two years as my only ski in the PNW. They are the newer 100 waist version. I find them to be great in ice, crud and powder. However, they are like driving bus, as they are made with two sheets of metal and have no camber (all rocker). So I find them hard to carve. They also aren't great in the bumps because they are wide and can unwieldy.

I have been skiing on new Yumis for five days now, and they carve fabulously and are great on the groomers. They actually hold up well on ice too and are also great in the bumps. When I go super fast I get a little worried, but they do seem to hold up. I don't like them in powder, but I can always use my Auras for powder days. The problem is we usually go off piste and encounter some deep crud and unexpected powder areas, and for that reason I don't see them as being my go to all mountain ski. I demoed them, but not in all conditions. :-( I think if the Yumis were a little wider and heavier they would be the perfect ski for me.

I am now considering the
Kenjas, but I demoed them once and I found they had a mind of their own. They forced me to turn when I wanted to go straight. Although my expert skier friend said that is a good thing as they will teach me good technique. But it didn't seem to be a good thing in moguls, when you need to be very flexible?

What are everyone's thoughts on the Kenjas? I am 5'4" and 125 pounds, and I ski pretty fast and I have been told I am fearless. However, I haven't been skiing that long so I only do double blacks on powder days when I feel very confident. Otherwise it's blues and single blacks. I take a few lessons each year, so I am working at getting better. I want a ski that does it all - agile in bumps, cuts through crud, stable on ice, carves on groomers, stable at speed, can get through unexpected powder. Since I am in the PNW I think a 90 waist is where I want to be.

I am also open to other brands, but I demoed a lot of others that I didn't like (Atomic, Head, Nordica).

I liked the Rossignol Temptation 88s, but I found them to be similar to the Kenjas (great on groomers, but forced me to carve even when I didn't want to). Although, again, my friend thinks that's good thing!

Thanks for any thoughts you may have! :-)
 

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It's possible the tune was bad on the Kenjas you demoed, as they tend to be pretty well loved by aggressive women with a love of speed. It sure sounds like the right ski for you given the information you provided. You may also want to give the Nordica Santa Ana 93 a short if you haven't and/or the Blizzard Samba. Another option might be the Liberty Variant or Armada Victa.
 

NWSkiGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks so much, Volkl girl! I should try those at demo day at my mountain.

At 5'4" and 125 pounds what length would you say I should get? I have the Aura 156, which comes to my eyebrows, but I have the Yumi 154 that comes to the tip of my nose. Or do I need to go to a store to view where they call first? I'm thinking of buying them on eBay. It seems like the 163 would be too long.
 

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