Carving ski for me ????

[AJM]

Ok team, after it being recommended on my thread re body position I just might be in the market for a carving ski however I have absolutely ZERO knowledge of carving ski's and what I might be looking for.
I did demo a pair of Atomic Cloud 9's the other day and was very underwhelmed by them, the rep did say I probably wouldn't like them, he even went so far as to say they were a "Sunday Mums Ski" , his words not mine ! The L3 guy who I've been skiing with mentioned I might like a kids race ski at around 150cm. I skied today in spring conditions with another friend who busted out his old racing ski's and after a few tentative runs (lets face it they are terrifyng when your used to skiing a much wider ski) and after he got used to them again he was raving about them, he even took them down a heavily slush puppied mogul run and had a ball ( I too had a ball on my Sheevas just sayin). So here I am seeking your knowledge and advise once again Oh I'm 165cm (5'5"?) and around 56kg and an okayish skier, oh and I'm 58 so no spring chicken and have very little leg strength (I missed "leg day" ) x

 

[scandium]

The Cloud 9s were, in my opinion, super soft and just ugh. I think that year I was still on very old Rossi bandits from the early 2000s and had only been on rentals, so didn't know what I liked in a ski at that stage. I imagine you're going to want something stiffer but still with a short turn radius.

The Volkl Flair SC Efficiency (155cm) is the carver I own and personally enjoy in NZ conditions, they're like a lightened and less demanding version of a race ski supposedly, although I've never tried true racing skis for comparison. I have also wondered about getting one of the "easier" versions of the Racetigers but in a shorter length, mostly because the Racetiger SC E is on trademe in the 150cm length at the moment.

There are also some Augment skis on trademe in a 156cm length with demo bindings for $500, and @fgor has Augment carvers that she uses at Hutt.

 

[Mudgirl630]

Ok team, after it being recommended on my thread re body position I just might be in the market for a carving ski however I have absolutely ZERO knowledge of carving ski's and what I might be looking for.
I did demo a pair of Atomic Cloud 9's the other day and was very underwhelmed by them, the rep did say I probably wouldn't like them, he even went so far as to say they were a "Sunday Mums Ski" , his words not mine ! The L3 guy who I've been skiing with mentioned I might like a kids race ski at around 150cm. I skied today in spring conditions with another friend who busted out his old racing ski's and after a few tentative runs (lets face it they are terrifyng when your used to skiing a much wider ski) and after he got used to them again he was raving about them, he even took them down a heavily slush puppied mogul run and had a ball ( I too had a ball on my Sheevas just sayin). So here I am seeking your knowledge and advise once again Oh I'm 165cm (5'5"?) and around 56kg and an okayish skier, oh and I'm 58 so no spring chicken and have very little leg strength (I missed "leg day" ) x

What waist do you have in mind?
Can you make continuous short/slolam turns?
If not, you do not want to go to short radious skis. Do you like soft or stiff skis?

If you do not have any specific ideas, you need to go to a shop where you can demo all day long to get some comparisons and ideas. You can only say which one works for you needless to say.

 

[Jilly]

@Mudgirl630 asks some good questions. I would suggest to not go too narrow. You don't need race skis, although junior might be a thought.
I'm a Rossi girl, and the Hero MT might be something to look at. You'll hate the orange colour though. In the women's line they have Nova. Look for the highest # model. Dynastar is a cousin to Rossi and they have some similar carvers out there too.

Atomic - go higher like the Cloud 12.

 

[elemmac]

I did demo a pair of Atomic Cloud 9's the other day and was very underwhelmed by them, the rep did say I probably wouldn't like them, he even went so far as to say they were a "Sunday Mums Ski" , his words not mine !

I relate to this comment...In my house, my groomer skis are generally referred to as my "Dad skis" or my "weeny skis". They're Volkl RTM 84s....yes, I match about 50% of the dads on the mountain on any given day when I'm skiing them.

There are two directions to go when a getting a ski designed for hardpack...all-mountain frontside or performance carving ski (for the sake of this post, I'll group race skis in with the latter). An all-mountain frontside ski will give you a good carving ski for hardpack, but if you want to take it off-piste a bit, it's not going to excel like your Sheeva's, but it'll do okay. Or you can go for a performance carver, that (IMO) is not fun off-piste...but can make skiing groomers a lot of fun.

Most skis that fit the all-mountain frontside category are underwhelming, but get the job done. Skis in the performance carver category tend to wow me more on groomers and hardpack, but are a bit too much of a one-trick-pony...in the same, but completely opposite way I think about powder skis...fun, but only in the right conditions. There are people that enjoy carving skis in powder, just as there are people who enjoy powder skis on groomers.

This would be the first distinction to make, are you looking for something that solely groomer-oriented, or something that will ski groomers well but still be versatile? IMO, both can help improve technique (which sound like that's the goal?). If you're unsure which way to go...I think Mudgirl is spot on, get on some demos and see if anything clicks. When demoing...go a bit shorter than your Sheevas. Depending on the ski...anywhere between 4-10cm shorter. With less rocker and stiffer platform, the skis will ski a lot longer than something like the Sheeva 9.

 

[nopoleskier]

Since you like the 'blizzard' feel you may like the Phoenix 14R. (there's a 13 too not as agressive) I demo'd the 14R and it was a lot of fun, definitely a true carver. I have race back ground so like to be on edge. Atomic makes some higher end skis than the Cloud 9- I had the cloud 11's now called 12's they are racy BUT if you're not 'on them/balanced they can be a bronco and not a fun ride.

Blizzard also had an Alight series that I thought were fun.. IF $$ is no object- you can't find a better carver than the Stockli CX (or MX) Stocklis are amazing solid skis, there's a ladies model too- it was too short on demo day for me to take out. If you can get on them- you will ski like a hero- they are that good IMO

My Liberty 76'w's are awesome carvers- they are small company probably not going to find in your homeland though.. I hope you get to demo and give us your report. What 1 lady loves, another will hate, demoing on the same day, same conditions is ideal! Hope you find the perfect match for you!

 

[Pequenita]

Actually, I think a jr SL ski is not a bad idea, in large part because of their price, and they will teach you to be balanced. There’s also valuable learning to be had when your ski waist is that much skinnier than your boot. I spend a not insignificant amount of time in Tahoe on my SL skis.

 

[AJM]

@Mudgirl630 asks some good questions. I would suggest to not go too narrow. You don't need race skis, although junior might be a thought.
I'm a Rossi girl, and the Hero MT might be something to look at. You'll hate the orange colour though. In the women's line they have Nova. Look for the highest # model. Dynastar is a cousin to Rossi and they have some similar carvers out there too.

Atomic - go higher like the Cloud 12.

 

[AJM]

Thanks for all your advise, Im off to my local ski shop tomorrow so I'll pump them for info.
In the meantime this is what I had to tackle yesterday at Mt Dobson on my Sheevas

 

[scandium]

Oof. So different to July. Here's hoping you did not slide4life !!

 

[AJM]

Dynastar is a cousin to Rossi and they have some similar carvers out there too.

I'll look into Dynastar as the NZ importer is a local and loves us to be on his ski's.

 

[AJM]

This would be the first distinction to make, are you looking for something that solely groomer-oriented, or something that will ski groomers well but still be versatile?

I'm looking for something that will be reasonably versatile esp once the early morning cord has transformed into a more 3D situation.

 

[AJM]

Since you like the 'blizzard' feel you may like the Phoenix 14R. (there's a 13 too not as agressive) I demo'd the 14R and it was a lot of fun, definitely a true carver. I have race back ground so like to be on edge. Atomic makes some higher end skis than the Cloud 9- I had the cloud 11's now called 12's they are racy BUT if you're not 'on them/balanced they can be a bronco and not a fun ride.

Blizzard also had an Alight series that I thought were fun.. IF $$ is no object- you can't find a better carver than the Stockli CX (or MX) Stocklis are amazing solid skis, there's a ladies model too- it was too short on demo day for me to take out. If you can get on them- you will ski like a hero- they are that good IMO

My Liberty 76'w's are awesome carvers- they are small company probably not going to find in your homeland though.. I hope you get to demo and give us your report. What 1 lady loves, another will hate, demoing on the same day, same conditions is ideal! Hope you find the perfect match for you!

Me thinks I would love the Stocklis but sadly I dont think they are available over here I'm going to have look into Dynastar and see what I find.

 

[AJM]

Actually, I think a jr SL ski is not a bad idea

I was eyeing up all the kids race ski's today at the bottom of the lift !

 

[AJM]

Oof. So different to July. Here's hoping you did not slide4life !!

It was pretty grim !! I got taken out by the chairlift and smashed my shoulder into the metal arm rest on the side so I called it quits and sat in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. Shoulders ok today thank goodness.

 

[fgor]

Thanks for all your advise, Im off to my local ski shop tomorrow so I'll pump them for info.
In the meantime this is what I had to tackle yesterday at Mt Dobson on my Sheevas View attachment 19109

It was like that at Hutt on the weekend too - veeeeeeeeery icy once the groom was skied off, offpiste was all closed as it was just sheets of ice, we left after lunchtime on both days because it was just tiring, we also saw loads of patrollers dragging injured people down on the rescue sleds, and passed an ambulance on the access road (both days!) - didn't want to press our luck...! I don't know what it was, we have a lot of hardpack days of course, but it was just particularly icy on that weekend once the groomed surface was gone.

 

[AJM]

It was like that at Hutt on the weekend too - veeeeeeeeery icy once the groom was skied off, offpiste was all closed as it was just sheets of ice, we left after lunchtime on both days because it was just tiring, we also saw loads of patrollers dragging injured people down on the rescue sleds, and passed an ambulance on the access road (both days!) - didn't want to press our luck...! I don't know what it was, we have a lot of hardpack days of course, but it was just particularly icy on that weekend once the groomed surface was gone.

I think Hutt and Dobo are both Sth facing so they're probably both in the same boat. Porters has been great as they have both Nth and Sth facing slopes so we just ski the Nth ones as they're the lovely spring slushy ones and leave the gruesome locked up Sth ones. In saying that there will be fantastic corn skiing when they do finally release

 

[Jilly]

Dynastar Intense, probably the 12.

 

[elemmac]

I'm looking for something that will be reasonably versatile esp once the early morning cord has transformed into a more 3D situation.

Okay, so something versatile but front-side oriented, with more spunk than the Cloud 9.

Being bluntly honest, this is the most boring type of ski. Buuuut...it's also one of the best types of skis to help progress, and a necessary ski to have in a quiver. I spent years avoiding this type of ski because whenever I demoed nothing screamed "buy me". No ski in this category wow'ed me and left me thinking about days later. Then I came across a good deal on the RTMs, so bought them undemoed...I ski them a lot. And they've helped me progress A LOT. So, overall...regardless of how boring they are, they were worth every penny.

There are a lot of skis in this category...but a few suggestions: The Elan Wildcat Black comes to mind as one of my favorites from a demo day two years ago. This is one of the few skis I've really ENJOYED being on in this category. It was damp and stable, but exhibited a liveliness that isn't always found in ski like this. The Rossignol Exp 82 Ti was another that I found super versatile, but really carved groomers nicely. Liberty Evolve 84W...I've only skied the 90, but I would anticipate the 84 being just as much fun.

 

[SnowHot]

Since you like the 'blizzard' feel you may like the Phoenix 14R. (there's a 13 too not as agressive)

Someone who likes the Sheeva many not necessarily take to the Phoenix, especially the 14R.
The skis have such a different feel.
Based on some of this conversation, I think the 13R may be better but also, the Black Pearl 82 shouldn't be dismissed.

*note: I read the whole thread but I may have missed something, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

@elemmac and I skied several of these skis together at Waterville Valley. All REALLY good skis.