Blizzard black pearl and volkl secret

[woobata]

I was at mammoth over the weekend and had a quick afternoon demo. I was only able to get on 2 skis, limited by the fact that during my demo I also was skiing with 2 kids. I’m just learning to ski, doing stem turns. I’m 5’4; 135 lbs and expect to ski inbounds.
I took each of the skis on blue runs. It snowed 7 inches the day before, soft but not deep, and I was on groomers. I expect to ski mostlyat mammoth or in park city.

black pearl 88, 153
Secret 92; 156

I didn’t love the black pearl, felt like it was harder to turn. But on the forums everyone talks about how easy they are to turn.wheras I felt like the secret was easier to turn, and felt a lot more stable. Is the unstable feeling of the BP what people refer to as pop? Or were the BP too short for me? I also think it’s also because I don’t know how to really turn.
However on the Secret I did cross my skis a couple times, is that just me not use to skis?
My husband is a skier, and I wish he was with me to watch my form but someone has to watch the 4 year old.
i thought that I would not be able to handle any metal in the ski before I demoed, but now feel like the BP were too soft? I’m a snowboarder, and I think the secret may have felt more natural for the edge to really stick like on my board?
I’m worried that the secret may be too big of a ski for me to really control since I’m not that advanced, but I did like them.
I am also thinking of the Santa Ana’s. Would love to hear your thoughts on the skis I tried. Or any recommendations!

 

[mustski]

Hi there. If you are purchasing the skis then I think the 156 is a good length. I am am close to your stats, ski a lot of Volkls, and like a ski in the 270 range. Crossing the skis is likely a technique issue that you will get over as you improve. The Secrets are intended for a more advanced skier which might give you a bit of a problem to start with. Volkls tens to let you know when your firm is off. The BPs are known for being more forgiving but the 153 was probably too short for you and hence the feeling of stability. Don’t rush your purchase though. If you didn’t love either of them, keep looking.

 

[marzNC]

I was at mammoth over the weekend and had a quick afternoon demo. I was only able to get on 2 skis, limited by the fact that during my demo I also was skiing with 2 kids. I’m just learning to ski, doing stem turns. I’m 5’4; 135 lbs and expect to ski inbounds.
I took each of the skis on blue runs. It snowed 7 inches the day before, soft but not deep, and I was on groomers. I expect to ski mostlyat mammoth or in park city.

black pearl 88, 153
Secret 92; 156

Hmm, not quite sure what you mean by "stem turns." That's old terminology that isn't used by beginners or intermediates much these days. Mostly because the design of skis changed to have more shape, which made "parallel" turns much easier. I know because I learned on straight skis but wasn't good enough for parallel turns but could do them without effort the first time I demo'd "shaped skis" about 20 years ago.

In any case, here's a data point for ski length. I'm 5'0", 111 lbs. When I was an intermediate (about 10 years ago) the skis I owned were mid-150s. I bought the original Black Pearl @159cm but those are quite a different design than the current BP88. As a solid advanced skier now, my all-mountain skis that are appropriate for skiing out west are 159cm. In short, mid-150s is on the short side for you when there is both tip and tail rocker.

The first skis I bought when I started skiing with my daughter (ages 5-6) were quite short, about 20cm shorter than what I bought a few years later. They were former rental skis and only cost $100 (from eBay) so were mainly just to avoid the effort of getting rental skis. I've always had my own ski boots when skiing after college.

 

[woobata]

Hmm, not quite sure what you mean by "stem turns." That's old terminology that isn't used by beginners or intermediates much these days. Mostly because the design of skis changed to have more shape, which made "parallel" turns much easier. I know because I learned on straight skis but wasn't good enough for parallel turns but could do them without effort the first time I demo'd "shaped skis" about 20 years ago.

In any case, here's a data point for ski length. I'm 5'0", 111 lbs. When I was an intermediate (about 10 years ago) the skis I owned were mid-150s. I bought the original Black Pearl @159cm but those are quite a different design than the current BP88. As a solid advanced skier now, my all-mountain skis that are appropriate for skiing out west are 159cm. In short, mid-150s is on the short side for you when there is both tip and tail rocker.

The first skis I bought when I started skiing with my daughter (ages 5-6) were quite short, about 20cm shorter than what I bought a few years later. They were former rental skis and only cost $100 (from eBay) so were mainly just to avoid the effort of getting rental skis. I've always had my own ski boots when skiing after college.

lol well its my husband, who i am not suprised using old terminology. i mean i can only turn 1 ski at a time. like this guy

thanks for the tips on the length, i'll demo something longer and see how that goes. i think we may head up again next weekend!

and yes, i did buy boots that fit

 

[santacruz skier]

I still refer to "stemming" as not even sure what else to call it... even our Taos instructor said she sometimes stems if she gets in a tight situation!

 

[Pequenita]

However on the Secret I did cross my skis a couple times, is that just me not use to skis?

I think you’re crossing your skis because you’re stemming your turns and don’t have a parallel turn in your toolkit yet. My guess is that a longer ski will exacerbate the tip crossing.
If you’re staying on groomers and at your current ability level, a narrower ski might be better than either the BP 88 or Secret.

 

[Bluestsky]

Lots of smaller divas love Volkl Yumi. 84 width, good on groomers and off piste. See how you like them.

 

[kmb5662]

If you can't do full parallel turns yet I wouldn't recommend a Secret for you. They're more of an advanced ski and I think it would inhibit your learning/skill development. At 92mm wide it's going to be harder to get it on edge and with the stiffness and precision of the ski is going to be less forgiving with mistakes. I think you'd progress much faster with a more flexible ski. The Secret has metal in it whereas the BP does not, which makes it more stable at higher speeds which is probably why you had that feeling. I'm surprised you didn't prefer the BP, however it's not the ski for everyone. I would try to demo some additional skis if you didn't like the BP. The Santa Anas are also a fairly demanding ski and I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for a beginner either. Here's a great video comparing a lot of different women's skis in the ~90mm range:

(for 2020)

and

(for 2019, this one includes the Secret).


Here's a review of just the Secret if interested:

As mentioned above you might like a Volkl Yumi?

 

[newboots]

I used a season rental my first season, which was helpful because I didn't have the faintest idea what to buy and really, the faintest idea of how to ski! The next ski was the Blizzard Quattro (or one could look at the Alight), and I used it for 2 years before needing something else. (I'm 5'4", 144 lbs)

I chose the Blizzard Black Pearl 82 in a 159 (or is it 158?). There is tip and tail rocker (where the ski turns up) so they "ski shorter." That is, there is less than 159 cm on the snow. I ski in the East, so I prefer this narrower ski to the much more common Black Pearl 88. I love this ski, but I wouldn't complain if there were more stability!

Your first season might be over already! What a shame.

 

[bsskier]

I demo’d the 2020-2021 Black Pearl 88 in 159 on 2/28 at Big Sky. The slightly heavier skis were absolutely incredible. I demo’d 7 skis, took them all on the same two run: a steeper blue and a black bump. The BP was really fun and I enjoyed it more than the current version. Blizzard did a fantastic job with these!

 

[bsskier]

And, I forgot to add that I’m a Volkl fan and rode the new Blaze 94. It was my sleeper cell ski. Didn’t expect it, came away very impressed.

 

[former-boarder]

I'm at the end of my 3rd season and have been on the Blizzard Alight 8.0 (length 150, I'm 5'2") for a couple of years. It's a nice, stable ski and has been great for learning (a ski instructor friend helped me pick them out.) I will definitely need a bigger ski in the future, as these are not good in deep, new snow (I'm now pushing my boundaries), but they've been really good for learning the fundamentals.

 

[LauraVa]

If you liked the Secret, then I would definitely demo the Yumi. These would be a bit more intermediate friendly while still handling more variable snow really well.

 

[BlueSkies]

f you liked the Secret, then I would definitely demo the Yumi. These would be a bit more intermediate friendly while still handling more variable snow really well.

I demoed the Secret, Yumi, and BP. I liked both the Secret and the Yumi better than the BP. I thought the Yumi felt more similar to the secret than the BP.

 

[santacruz skier]

Here's a great video comparing a lot of different women's skis in the ~90mm range: (for 2020)

and (for 2019, this one includes the Secret).


Here's a review of just the Secret if interested:

Thanks for posting the video. I'm in the market for a narrower ski - looking at Nordica SA 93 and Sheeva 9 in particular. I previously saw the ski essentials chairlift chat descriptions but never saw the video.

 

[Patronainthe801]

The Secret's are going to be stiffer and harder to get on edge. I wouldn't say those two are so much apple to apple comparison. The Volkl Yumi, or Head Joy's might be a closer equivalent to the BP's, and more forgiving than the Secrets.

 

[volklgirl]

I definitely wouldn't suggest the Secret for your current level of skiing. It may feel more stable in cut-up conditions, but it's pretty demanding nature will hold you back from progressing and may cause you to develop some really nasty defensive habits. They really like to be driven from the front at a high rate of speed, and they're really not forgiving of lapses in balance.

I agree with others on trying the Yumi, Heads, or SAs, instead.

 

[lisamamot]

In Volkl, the Yumi rather than the Secret; agree with previous feedback that the Secret is a lot of ski at this stage, and won’t help your progression. I wouldn’t recommend a lot of rocker in your first ski, so although the Santa Ana line is wonderful it may be a future option rather than right now. In the Nordica line, the Astral 84ti would be a better fit.