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Bonus day at A-Basin, demo report

DebbieSue

Angel Diva
Escaped from a Denver conference for a ski day at Arapahoe Basin on Tuesday 5/3.
Travelled w boots, and rented demos.
Conditions were variable. There had been a couple of inches of snow on Monday on top of some freeze/thaw base, with excellent late season coverage . . .everything pretty much open. By Tues it was either somewhat windswept or groomed. Some aspects got soft/slushy, others stayed powdery over crust, or groomed. I'm 5'5", 140 lbs., age 62. Cautious advanced skier, skiing better than ever this year after Taos ski week. Was hoping to try Sheeva 9 or Stockli Nela but they had neither.

Rossi Stargazer 94, 162s- marker griffon. Took these out first, since I thought I wanted a more surf-y ski than what's in my one ski quiver, 20/21 159 BP88s. Sadly, these were like wearing paper plates instead of skis…ok, maybe Chinet. No edge grip. Tips and tails felt flappy and insubstantial. Back they went after one run. And that was on the warmup green cruiser with fab packed powder. This experience eliminated from consideration the Pandora 94s which I was curious about, but not curious enough to sacrifice edge grip. I guess I really am a New England skier.

Volkl Secret 96, 162 -Look bindings. Heavy skis, heavy bindings …but these held an edge, turned easily, hugged the hill. Confidence builder in unfamiliar terrain and highly variable snow. Ventured into Zuma Cornice and felt I could manage. Kept me forward in a good way. Is this because Look bindings have more positive delta/ramp angle? Would've continued on them, but why not check out something else!

Dynastar MPro 99W, 162 w Squires. Much lighter than the Secrets/Look. Left me a little hesitant at first (maybe starting out on Palivicini, sp? was asking too much?) Very easy to initiate turns, held an edge, and quick edge to edge despite being the widest I’ve ever been on. But…less secure than Secret 96, or my trusty BP88s 20/21for that matter. I did like them on Ramrod slush bumps late aft. By then they seemed easier to keep under me, but still not "better" than Secret 96 despite the lightness, which I expected would be an advantage in bumps.

Overall, Secret 96, 162 was the winner, but not enough of an improvement on my BP88s to warrant a purchase at this time. Would've liked a little powder to see if they float better than my B88s, but you can't have everything on a bonus May ski day!!!
 

SnowHot

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Escaped from a Denver conference for a ski day at Arapahoe Basin on Tuesday 5/3.
Travelled w boots, and rented demos.
Conditions were variable. There had been a couple of inches of snow on Monday on top of some freeze/thaw base, with excellent late season coverage . . .everything pretty much open. By Tues it was either somewhat windswept or groomed. Some aspects got soft/slushy, others stayed powdery over crust, or groomed. I'm 5'5", 140 lbs., age 62. Cautious advanced skier, skiing better than ever this year after Taos ski week. Was hoping to try Sheeva 9 or Stockli Nela but they had neither.

Rossi Stargazer 94, 162s- marker griffon. Took these out first, since I thought I wanted a more surf-y ski than what's in my one ski quiver, 20/21 159 BP88s. Sadly, these were like wearing paper plates instead of skis…ok, maybe Chinet. No edge grip. Tips and tails felt flappy and insubstantial. Back they went after one run. And that was on the warmup green cruiser with fab packed powder. This experience eliminated from consideration the Pandora 94s which I was curious about, but not curious enough to sacrifice edge grip. I guess I really am a New England skier.

Volkl Secret 96, 162 -Look bindings. Heavy skis, heavy bindings …but these held an edge, turned easily, hugged the hill. Confidence builder in unfamiliar terrain and highly variable snow. Ventured into Zuma Cornice and felt I could manage. Kept me forward in a good way. Is this because Look bindings have more positive delta/ramp angle? Would've continued on them, but why not check out something else!

Dynastar MPro 99W, 162 w Squires. Much lighter than the Secrets/Look. Left me a little hesitant at first (maybe starting out on Palivicini, sp? was asking too much?) Very easy to initiate turns, held an edge, and quick edge to edge despite being the widest I’ve ever been on. But…less secure than Secret 96, or my trusty BP88s 20/21for that matter. I did like them on Ramrod slush bumps late aft. By then they seemed easier to keep under me, but still not "better" than Secret 96 despite the lightness, which I expected would be an advantage in bumps.

Overall, Secret 96, 162 was the winner, but not enough of an improvement on my BP88s to warrant a purchase at this time. Would've liked a little powder to see if they float better than my B88s, but you can't have everything on a bonus May ski day!!!
Hey DebbieSue
It looks like you had a great time with the SkiTalk Crew.
I started that A-Basin gtg 16 years ago. This is only the second time I've missed being there. Glad you got in some turns with the gang. They are a fun bunch.
 

DebbieSue

Angel Diva
Hey DebbieSue
It looks like you had a great time with the SkiTalk Crew.
I started that A-Basin gtg 16 years ago. This is only the second time I've missed being there. Glad you got in some turns with the gang. They are a fun bunch.
It’s interesting to learn of the overlap in the two forums . . . there certainly is a lot of history to catch up on for a newbie. Although really none of it matters much, since skiing is truly about being in the moment and sharing that joy with others. The Beach scene is a fun feature of the A-Basin gathering. I hope we can ski together sometime.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sounds like a great day to top off a conference week--thanks for sharing! I haven't heard a bad thing yet about the Volkl Secret 96s. I was tempted by them, but felt like the width might be too much for me. I'm shorter, more so than ever these days--apparently I've shrunk. If we ever ski together, you can try out my new-to-me demo Stockli Nela 88's. Maybe Taos next year?
 
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DebbieSue

Angel Diva
Sounds like a great day to top off a conference week--thanks for sharing! I haven't heard a bad thing yet about the Volkl Secret 96s. I was tempted by them, but felt like the width might be too much for me. I'm shorter, more so than ever these days--apparently I've shrunk. If we ever ski together, you can try out my new-to-me demo Stockli Nela 88's. Maybe Taos next year?
Thanks for the offer. I have a conflict for the dates of DivaWest at Taos, so I’m planning a week out there earlier in the season. I hope we can ski together eventually, Nela swap or not!
I have longstanding terrible posture, rounded shoulders and lower “swayback” and was shrinking, lost nearly an inch. Started Pilates 1year ago, mat or reformer roughly 1x/week and have regained what I lost. My posture, and not incidentally my stacking on skis, is much improved. People ask if Ive lost weight…no such luck, but I guess I look different. I had been doing Zumba and yoga for 4 years or so for skiing fitness, but the Pilates has been a games changer. I’m really not into cults…but I’ve become a believer as far as Pilates.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I love Pilates too. I've been doing in regular cardio/strength work lately, but you've motivated me to swap it into the mix like you're doing, to halt the shrinking progression.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Speaking of posture, this might be helpful too.
 

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