Demo Day at Sunapee Ladies Day, 3/12/19

[marzNC]

As those who follow the NH/ME 2018-19 thread know, a few Divas went to the Sunapee Ladies Day Extravanga on 3/12/19 that included demo skis organized by the Bob Skinner ski shop. Turned out to be one of the best demo days I've ever done. I had a chance to check out 6 models, with enough time on each to get a pretty good feel for whether or not they were fun for me on hard pack groomers. The weather cooperated with sunshine and good northeast conditions. The groomers were good all day. For those comfortable with normal icy conditions for ungroomed terrain in the northeast, I think it was a good all day as well.

There were plenty of options to choose from. The brands included Rossignol, Volkl, Head, Nordica, and Blizzard. A rep for Blizzard was around. Not sure about the other brands. It was possible to get advice for those women who were less familiar with demo'ing. There were several tents set up with people available to set up bindings, so never had to wait after choosing a pair of skis. While there weren't skis for petite skiers who wanted to try out lengths under 150, there were enough shorter lengths for me to have more choices than time. There were quite a few options around 170cm as far as I could tell. Not sure what was available much longer than that.

I stuck to demo'ing skis on blue groomers for the most part. Took most of the runs on the same blue run, which was pretty empty so it was easy to do short, medium, and wide turns.

The Ladies Day included over 100 women, perhaps 150+. Registration was $35 for the day, with the option of a $25 day ticket.

@diymom , @MissySki , @Abbi , and @newboots also were at Sunapee for the Ladies Day. I think we all had a good time demo'ing.

 

[marzNC]

Here are pics of five of the models I took out. Forgot to take a picture of the Volkl Kama. I'm not really in the market, so simply went for any skis that were about the right length that I haven't had a chance to check out in the last year or two.

Nordia Astral 78Ti, @158, 114-78-99, R 14m
Rossi NOVA 8ca @156, 126-74-110, R 12m
Head Kore @162, 134-99-120, R 17@180cm
Volkl Kama @161, 125/83/103, R 15.8@161
Volkl 90Eight W @163, 133-98-116. R 15.9m
Nordica Santa Ana 88 @158, 119-88-106, R 14m

 

[marzNC]

The skis that were great fun were the Head Kore 99 @162. Would love to check them out on soft snow, meaning somewhere out west. I'm hoping it will be available at the Alta Demo Day on April 6. Be interesting to compare with my favorite powder ski, which is the DPS Nina 99.

Having demo'd and enjoyed the Santa Ana 93 and 100 earlier in the season, I was very interested to check out the Santa Ana 88. Fun, fun, fun! I took out the 158 length. It was after lunch and I was starting to get tired. But with the Santa Ana 88, everything was easy. I think in comparison to the BP88 (2018) @145 that I used for a couple days at Taos, I like the Santa Ana 88 better because it was more lively.

I liked the Nordica Astral 78ti @158 well enough. My guess is that I would like the next shorter length better. In comparison, I like my Head Absolut Joy @148, also 78 underfoot, better than the Astral 78ti.

The Rossi NOVA 8ca @156 was also probably on the long side given that it's 74 underfoot. Definitely a strong carver for me. I tried to take them into some bumps, but the bumps were too frozen for me since my bump experience is on soft snow out west. I generally like Rossi skis so wasn't surprised that the NOVA were pretty fun.

Ah, forgot to mention that I'm a petite (5'0, 112 lbs), older skier who became a solid advanced skier in recent years after age 55.

 

[marzNC]

After lunch I took out a couple Volkl models. In general, I find Volkl skis too stiff. The Kama @161 was too long. I could turn it, which was no surprise because I liked demo'ing the old Yumi. My guess is that I might like the Kama at 154cm, which is the shortest length available.

As for the Volkl 90Eight W @163, it was okay but required a lot of concentration.

Volkl makes good skis. They are the perfect fit for many skiers, but not suited for my size and style of skiing.

 

[diymom]

@diymom , @MissySki , @Abbi , and @newboots also were at Sunapee for the Ladies Day. I think we all had a good time demo'ing.

@BlueSkies was there too. We didn't do too well for meeting up, did we? We'll have to work on that a bit for next year. Funny thing is I thought I saw @newboots (based solely on photos I've seen on the forum since we have never met) but thought "nah, she most likely would have posted in the thread if she were going."

I demoed in the morning, and stuck with my own skis in the afternoon. I started with the Black Pearl 82 at 166, since it is new. Then the BP 88, also 166. I had demoed it a couple years back, and wanted to give it a second chance. I was going to give it one more chance and try the 159, which is pretty much the length I usually ski, but it was out. Next up was the Sheeva 9, since a few divas have been praising it lately. By then I decided it was time to move on to another tent. So I moved over to Nordica. I started with the Astral 78 ti. That one got only one run, instead of the two I had been doing with the other skis. All in all, I was happy that I was getting to try a bunch of skis, but hadn't found anything I liked better than what I already own. Then I saw the Santa Ana 88. I figured one last ski, then head in for lunch. Shouldn't have done that. At that point I decided to leave well enough alone and not do any more demos. Good news is I still had lots of fun after lunch on my own skis.

So, for the other divas that were there-- what did you try?

 

[BlueSkies]

I demoed all morning and early afternoon. Kinda looking for skis suitable for the woods and bumps on hard snow days, but basically tried anything that was available in a 155-165 when I wanted to change out (frequently as it was fun trying the different skis). For reference I am a 5'2", 165lbs older advanced skier.

Rossi Experience 88Ti: OK, but I'll keep my Kenjas
Rossi NOVA 8ca: didn't like, felt too soft
Blizzard Black Pearl 88: OK, but would have liked it better in softer snow
Blizzard Sheeva 10: wanted to try the 9 but it/they were out in my length, functioned well but the 102 width hurt my knees on the hard pack
Head Absolut Joy: liked this one
Head Super Joy (I think, should have taken pics like @marzNC): liked this one too
Nordica Astral 78ti: probably the ski I least enjoyed of those I tried
Nordica Santa Ana 88: Nice ski, would consider it if looking for a general cruiser
Volkl Kenja: Just to compare to what I have, I think I like my 2016s a bit better, maybe
Volkl Yumi: liked this one
Volkl Flair 79(?): Also liked this one
Volkl Secret 92: I think this was my favorite of all, at least in the conditions we had

Only ski I really would have liked to try and didn't was the Head Kore as every time I checked the only ones not out were 170s.

 

[newboots]

I am new to the demo tent! I did try the Absolut Joys in 153. They were fun! (I ski on Blizzard Quattros 153, FYI.). I thought I was having some trouble with the left ski, which tends to happen when I get tired no matter what I’m skiing on. I leaned hard to put it on edge, and it was fine.

Later I put it back on the rack and picked up my skis, and I noticed how sharp they felt. I wonder if the demo skis were a bit dull? I tend to assume it’s me (the Absolut Joys are a bit above my pay grade), but maybe it wasn’t!

Abbi and I were tired so we didn’t try any more skis. I’m glad I tried a new ski! Surprised myself when I figured out how to make it work.

As an aside, the workshop at Suicide Six, with a great, intuitive instructor, grew my skiing by leaps and bounds. Yay!

 

[diymom]

I thought I was having some trouble with the left ski, which tends to happen when I get tired no matter what I’m skiing on. I

 

[diymom]

I’ve noticed the same issue this year. I call it my “lazy left”. Not sure if it is new this year, or if other years I was just blissfully unaware. More likely the latter.

 

[Abbi]

I’ve noticed the same issue this year. I call it my “lazy left”. Not sure if it is new this year, or if other years I was just blissfully unaware. More likely the latter.

My lazy side is right which is interesting since I'm right handed. But the right foot is pretty well bent out of shape with bunion and other issues. The bootfitter helped a lot by setting a 'gas pedal' point that helped me push down vs sideways.

 

[marzNC]

I’ve noticed the same issue this year. I call it my “lazy left”. Not sure if it is new this year, or if other years I was just blissfully unaware. More likely the latter.

Being aware of the differences between the two sides is the first step to learning how to make adjustments for the lazy side.

My left turn is the weak side, always has been. I'm very right-side dominant. The instructors I've been working with in the last 5-6 years didn't start to focus on the weak side until after I had other fundamentals more ingrained and was a pretty solid advanced skier in assorted snow conditions. I did a private lesson at my little home hill (Massanutten) in Jan with the resident Examiner just to work on the left turn. It was a follow up to something he was trying to have me do during a semi-private lesson with a friend last season. Have enough experience now to feel what he was talking about in terms of foot and hip movement. Last spring after a semi-private lesson with a couple friends, my Alta instructor suggested a drill for me to help the left leg/foot do better. I think it will take another season or two for the proper movement to become ingrained enough to hold even on ungroomed terrain. But at least now I can practice on groomers and tell whether I'm turning left the old way or the better way.

 

[SusannaHar]

Oh I'm so excited that I found this forum. I was there at Ladies Day! It was my first demo, and also my first day on skis in 20 years. Ha ha! GO BIG! Anyway it was a total blast. I tried a bunch of skis, and really fell in love with one pair. I was trying to find something to buy since I am not into paying for rentals anymore.

Head Absolut Joy: first one I tried after my rentals and woah that was different! But I didn't love them. Felt a like I couldn't get an edge. I wanted to try the Super Joy but didn't get to it.
Rossi Experience 88Ti: For whatever reason these felt too long and too stiff
Blizzard Black Pearl 88: I was expecting to love it but figured out pretty quickly that I like a narrower ski, especially with the conditions that day. These felt too floaty.
Blizzard Black Pearl 82: Much better than the 88s for me. I almost was sold on these until I tried the Volkl 79s.
Nordica Astral 78ti: I'm with BlueSkies on this one, not my favorite. Felt unforgiving somehow.
Volkl Kenja: I liked these ok. Liked the Flairs much better.
Volkl Flair 79: This is what I loved. I tried them a few times and smiled the whole way down the mountain. Fun. Edgy and great with turns. Not sure what it will do on powdery days, but it felt like a true "carver" as they say. I felt confident and free! (So I actually ended up shopping for these and almost ordered a demo pair for around $450 when a great sale popped up...if anyone is interested...for $375 new with bindings and free shipping (!) at Freeze Pro Shop in the UK. Came via FedEx in about 3 days. Now for boots....)

 

[marzNC]

Oh I'm so excited that I found this forum. I was there at Ladies Day! It was my first demo, and also my first day on skis in 20 years. Ha ha! GO BIG! Anyway it was a total blast. I tried a bunch of skis, and really fell in love with one pair. I was trying to find something to buy since I am not into paying for rentals anymore.

Welcome! Glad you had a good time and found this thread.

Where did you learn to ski? My total hiatus from skiing lasted about 10 years. Started up again in NC, where I moved to from NYC in high school. But didn't ever demo until about a dozen years ago. By then it was more obvious that my daughter and I would be skiing more regularly while my non-skiing husband stayed home taking care of the pets.

Volkl Flair 79: This is what I loved. I tried them a few times and smiled the whole way down the mountain. Fun. Edgy and great with turns. Not sure what it will do on powdery days, but it felt like a true "carver" as they say. I felt confident and free! (So I actually ended up shopping for these and almost ordered a demo pair for around $450 when a great sale popped up...if anyone is interested...for $375 new with bindings and free shipping (!) at Freeze Pro Shop in the UK. Came via FedEx in about 3 days. Now for boots....)

Great deal! My first all-mountain skis were 75 underfoot. I was a confident intermediate then. Skiing in up to about 6 inches of fresh powder out west was fine.

Need a recommendation for a boot fitter? Are you closer to Boston or a city in NH?

 

[SusannaHar]

Welcome! Glad you had a good time and found this thread.

Where did you learn to ski?

Need a recommendation for a boot fitter? Are you closer to Boston or a city in NH?

I grew up in Texas, so we had to travel to ski for sure. We went to Brekenridge when I was a kid. I remember being freezing cold! Then we moved to Chicago and I skied once in a blue moon in Wisconsin. In college in RI I skied the east coast a bit. Wachusett and Killington sticker tickets from 2000 are still connected to my old ski jacket (by those metal things!). So that was 19 years ago!

I’m on the North Shore of Boston and would love a recommendation! I popped into the Stop Stop in Wenham the other day and they were very nice, but don’t have any trained bootfitters on staff, just years of experience. Which for me, might be ok. I have no idea if my feet are weird, but I do know that I had to stop skiing after a few hours with those awful rental boots.

 

[diymom]

Welcome, and Hi from the South Shore. And congrats on your new skis! Nice to see the Boston area diva contingent growing.

 

[marzNC]

I’m on the North Shore of Boston and would love a recommendation! I popped into the Stop Stop in Wenham the other day and they were very nice, but don’t have any trained bootfitters on staff, just years of experience. Which for me, might be ok. I have no idea if my feet are weird, but I do know that I had to stop skiing after a few hours with those awful rental boots.

I suggest you start a Getting To Know You thread and put Boston in the thread title. There are several Divas in the area who can recommend a boot fitter.

I grew up in Texas, so we had to travel to ski for sure. We went to Brekenridge when I was a kid. I remember being freezing cold! Then we moved to Chicago and I skied once in a blue moon in Wisconsin. In college in RI I skied the east coast a bit. Wachusett and Killington sticker tickets from 2000 are still connected to my old ski jacket (by those metal things!). So that was 19 years ago!

I've had a good time at Wachusett when I've had another reason to be in the Boston area during ski season. I imagine the high speed lifts weren't there 19 years ago. The ski shop there is quite good from what I can tell.