Blizzard Black Pearl 88's vs. Renoun Earhart 88's

[killajewel]

Ok SO! Moment of truth. Just wanted to share my review of the Earharts with you ladies since I started this thread. I ended up getting the 149s. I am 5'1", 125-130lbs, and I knew from the first run that I didn't love them. I felt like I had a real lack of control at higher speeds and had to stop numerous times on my way down to ease the burning in my quads from all the work it took to keep them steady. Granted the conditions have been sub par...lots of man made snow and ice this week, but as soon as I strapped on the Black Pearl (159s!) earlier today, it was like driving down a really bad road in a sports car with extra stiff suspension, straight into a luxury sedan. Same conditions, but boy was I flying with confidence! Like night and day. Much heavier of a ski, I just felt like they were doing all the work for me, which I quite enjoyed after the last few days of struggle. I suppose the Earhart 156s would have felt differently, but I just pulled the trigger on the Blizzards without a second thought. (Jascha at Renoun was super nice and got back to me within the same hour of my contacting her for a return label, so no complaints as far as their customer service goes!)
Can't wait to get back on my new BPs in the morning!

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Ok SO! Moment of truth. Just wanted to share my review of the Earharts with you ladies since I started this thread. I ended up getting the 149s. I am 5'1", 125-130lbs, and I knew from the first run that I didn't love them. I felt like I had a real lack of control at higher speeds and had to stop numerous times on my way down to ease the burning in my quads from all the work it took to keep them steady. Granted the conditions have been sub par...lots of man made snow and ice this week, but as soon as I strapped on the Black Pearl (159s!) earlier today, it was like driving down a really bad road in a sports car with extra stiff suspension, straight into a luxury sedan. Same conditions, but boy was I flying with confidence! Like night and day. Much heavier of a ski, I just felt like they were doing all the work for me, which I quite enjoyed after the last few days of struggle. I suppose the Earhart 156s would have felt differently, but I just pulled the trigger on the Blizzards without a second thought. (Jascha at Renoun was super nice and got back to me within the same hour of my contacting her for a return label, so no complaints as far as their customer service goes!)
Can't wait to get back on my new BPs in the morning!

Interesting! I am 5’1” and 125-130 and just got off Earhart 163s and are wondering if I should have gone to the 156. Jascha recommended that I go with the 163/ since my kenjas are 163 and my Santa Ana’s are 161. Skis less than 158 always have felt a bit too unstable or squirrelly to me. This had my gears turning.

I’m really happy to hear you found a ski you love! That is such a good feeling!

 

[killajewel]

Interesting! I am 5’1” and 125-130 and just got off Earhart 163s and are wondering if I should have gone to the 156. Jascha recommended that I go with the 163/ since my kenjas are 163 and my Santa Ana’s are 161. Skis less than 158 always have felt a bit too unstable or squirrelly to me. This had my gears turning.

I’m really happy to hear you found a ski you love! That is such a good feeling!

100%. And what a coincidence! I wish we had had this chat 3 months ago ;) Well if you do end up getting the 156s I’m really curious to know how they feel for you. I totally would have been down to test them out had I not had to wait another few weeks for them to get here. I consider myself as someone who is confident and in good shape, so wondering why she recommended the 149s as a good option? In any event, I’ve learned that the only way to know for sure is to try them out for yourself. This certainly won’t be the last pair I own

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

100%. And what a coincidence! I wish we had had this chat 3 months ago ;) Well if you do end up getting the 156s I’m really curious to know how they feel for you. I totally would have been down to test them out had I not had to wait another few weeks for them to get here. I consider myself as someone who is confident and in good shape, so wondering why she recommended the 149s as a good option? In any event, I’ve learned that the only way to know for sure is to try them out for yourself. This certainly won’t be the last pair I own

I’m seriously considering ordering the 156s and testing them against the 163s, then sending whichever one I don’t like back. I felt like a legend last night at my local mountain on the 163s, but it was too crowded to really open up and push the skis too much. I couldn’t quite pressure the tips as much as I am used to with my kenjas or Santa Ana’s, so I think I want to at least try the 156s. If I don’t, I’ll always be wondering if I got the right length for me. Lol! And that is NOT a question I want in the back of my mind with skis this $$$!

But honestly the 163s were a dream other than that. They were nice and stable! I put some power down on them when I could and was surprised that it could take it. If the 156s are less stable, I’ll probably stick with the 163s. I’ll report back if I test them out!

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

100%. And what a coincidence! I wish we had had this chat 3 months ago ;) Well if you do end up getting the 156s I’m really curious to know how they feel for you. I totally would have been down to test them out had I not had to wait another few weeks for them to get here. I consider myself as someone who is confident and in good shape, so wondering why she recommended the 149s as a good option? In any event, I’ve learned that the only way to know for sure is to try them out for yourself. This certainly won’t be the last pair I own

Also; 149 does seem really short, I’m not sure why she recommended that. She recommended 163s for me based on what I already ski. I shot her another email like “you sure about that?” And she said that the length of the ski is really only going to change the turn radius, and the stability won’t change much between lengths. Maybe that is a Renoun trait, but I always found that the length of a ski makes a difference to me with how stable it feels. I feel unstable on skis that are too short unless I am just going for slow cruises.

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

I did it. I ordered the 156s. Will report back in a few weeks once I get a chance to get on them.

 

[ski diva]

I have the 156's. I'm 5'1" and 113 lbs, an advanced East Coast skier, and I love them. I reviewed them here, if you'd like to take a look. @killajewel, I think 149 seems pretty short for you. You might have had a different experience skiing them longer, but I'm glad you found a ski you like.

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

I have the 156's. I'm 5'1" and 113 lbs, an advanced East Coast skier, and I love them. I reviewed them here, if you'd like to take a look. @killajewel, I think 149 seems pretty short for you. You might have had a different experience skiing them longer, but I'm glad you found a ski you like.

Your review was a big part of why I decided to go for the Earharts! It was really informative! I went with 163s initially cause I’m heavier, and used to longer skis so Jascha suggested I stay long. I’m really excited to see what the 156s feel like. Now, Just got go spend the next week with my face pressed to my window waiting for the UPS truck....

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

I did my first run with the Earhart 156's over the weekend.

Initial impressions: They were sweet in the bumps and on smooth sections, and I thought I was in love. Then I hit some cruddy snow at high speed at the bottom of Minuteman, and they felt squirrelly and I had to slow down. I'm not used to that squirrelly feeling, and it threw me off mentally. The turn radius on them is SUPER short, and while I appreciated the quickness in the bumps, I didn't feel as stable when I wanted to go a bit larger than their natural tendencies.

I switched out to the 163's, and the difference in stability at speed and in bad snow was noticeable to me. I immediately felt more confident and could do those big ole C turns (as much as one can at my small home mountain) with no hesitation. Had to work a little harder in the bumps, but those carved out, trenched, icy bumps are my weak point. I think a more skilled skier would have been great. I tend to do well for 3-6 bumps, then I lose my cool and skid or stop.

I am wondering if I am just used to skis that are too long for me though, and so a shorter ski just feels weird because I'm not skiing it right. I'm 5'1" and 125lbs, so technically I should be in the 150's, not the 160s, but I've always liked the performance of longer skis better. I'm also used to burly, stiff skis like the Kenjas (163) and Santa Anas (161). I hated the black pearls (159s) because they felt unstable to me. It could be that I'm not a good enough skier to be on a shorter, softer ski because I rely on the stability of the longer lengths too much. Gotta get me some lessons and figure that out.

Conditions were CRAP while I was there. People were wiping out left and right. I'm going to take them for another spin at some point. I'll report back once I get more time on them. However, my initial thoughts are that if the Earhart is too short for you, it DOES feel squirrelly as heck, but the next size up lives up to the hype.