MtnBikerChk
Diva in Training
Just to recap:
I'm replacing my beloved 2015 BP88s (166) which owe me nothing.
me: 50yo 5'2", been skiing the East Coast for 40 years with annual trips out west for the last 15 or so (Mostly CO, but Tahoe & Utah too).
My happy place: the trees at Keystone, CO. My home place: mount snow, VT - which has been so abysmal the last few years that I'm skiing less and less. In the absence of trees and bumps I'm a short radius turner down the groomers.
TODAY: demo mountain Ski Sundown, New Hartford, CT. Not the best place to demo the terrain I like but we take what we can get.
Weather: at the start 8:45am it was low 30s and every thing was FIRM!! By the time I left at 11:30 things were SOFT - Temps are climbing into the 50s today.
The skis all 2024-2025 (in order)
1. Nordica Santa Ana 88 in 167 - I liked them but they didn't really do anything for me. They held the steep FIRM morning trail great. When I brought them back he said "here, try the 92s. They have a little more wood in them and people are finding that THESE have the pop you're looking for."
2. Nordica Santa Ana 92 in 167 - he was right. One run down and these had POP. They were quick edge to edge and felt stable through the crud.
3.Nordica Unleashed 90 17something - didn't love it - felt very heavy. Could be the length.
4. Volkl Secret 88 in 163 (I think) - the rep told me these were the same as the Kenjas. They were ok. Felt kinda light. They didn't wow me.
5. Volkl Blaze 86 166 - LOVED these. Super stable and quick side to side. I actually may look for these on sale since he said there aren't major differences between 24 and 25
6.Solomon Stance 88 168 - these felt so light I felt like I was overpowering them. I was pushing each of these skis pretty hard to see how well they held an edge - and it held but I was uncomfortable with the weight. The rep said they are designed to be light on purpose. Sounds like Solomon makes a great touring ski - that's my next project after this ;)
7. Elan Ripstick 96 164 - meh. Too wide. And it's silly but I kept crossing the tails. The tails weren't any wider than any others I tried?!
8. Elan Ripstick 88 164 - I liked these much better than the 96s but they were LOUD! Seriously, I don't hear very well and these were off the charts (both the Ripsticks)
Last 2 runs I circled back to the Santa Ana 92s.
Then I ordered them.
They should be here this week and I'll be taking them to Big Sky in April
Thanks for reading!
I'm replacing my beloved 2015 BP88s (166) which owe me nothing.
me: 50yo 5'2", been skiing the East Coast for 40 years with annual trips out west for the last 15 or so (Mostly CO, but Tahoe & Utah too).
My happy place: the trees at Keystone, CO. My home place: mount snow, VT - which has been so abysmal the last few years that I'm skiing less and less. In the absence of trees and bumps I'm a short radius turner down the groomers.
TODAY: demo mountain Ski Sundown, New Hartford, CT. Not the best place to demo the terrain I like but we take what we can get.
Weather: at the start 8:45am it was low 30s and every thing was FIRM!! By the time I left at 11:30 things were SOFT - Temps are climbing into the 50s today.
The skis all 2024-2025 (in order)
1. Nordica Santa Ana 88 in 167 - I liked them but they didn't really do anything for me. They held the steep FIRM morning trail great. When I brought them back he said "here, try the 92s. They have a little more wood in them and people are finding that THESE have the pop you're looking for."
2. Nordica Santa Ana 92 in 167 - he was right. One run down and these had POP. They were quick edge to edge and felt stable through the crud.
3.Nordica Unleashed 90 17something - didn't love it - felt very heavy. Could be the length.
4. Volkl Secret 88 in 163 (I think) - the rep told me these were the same as the Kenjas. They were ok. Felt kinda light. They didn't wow me.
5. Volkl Blaze 86 166 - LOVED these. Super stable and quick side to side. I actually may look for these on sale since he said there aren't major differences between 24 and 25
6.Solomon Stance 88 168 - these felt so light I felt like I was overpowering them. I was pushing each of these skis pretty hard to see how well they held an edge - and it held but I was uncomfortable with the weight. The rep said they are designed to be light on purpose. Sounds like Solomon makes a great touring ski - that's my next project after this ;)
7. Elan Ripstick 96 164 - meh. Too wide. And it's silly but I kept crossing the tails. The tails weren't any wider than any others I tried?!
8. Elan Ripstick 88 164 - I liked these much better than the 96s but they were LOUD! Seriously, I don't hear very well and these were off the charts (both the Ripsticks)
Last 2 runs I circled back to the Santa Ana 92s.
Then I ordered them.
They should be here this week and I'll be taking them to Big Sky in April Thanks for reading!
