Do skinny skis make you smile??

[ski diva]

Over the last couple seasons, skis have been getting fatter and fatter. Waist sizes have been going up, and people seem to love 'em. But are you one of those whose heart still beats faster for skinny skis? (And by skinny, I'm talking less than a 70mm waist.) If so, tell us what you have and why you love 'em.

 

[altagirl]

Only if I'm XC skiing!

Actually I do have a pair of Atomic SX-9's at home. They're pretty fun to play around on if snow conditions are too bad for anything else. But... they only come out of the garage maybe one or two days a season, if that.

 

[volklgirl]

Given the lack of vertical and the hardpack (read ice) we usual have here, having skinny skis is almost a necessity. We had 2 days last year where we actually had glare ice.....anyone on anything other than a dedicated SL race ski struggled then went home. Those of us on the little ice-biters had an awesome time on the empty hill! Plus, they can actually make more than 10 turns from top to bottom.

I love my midfat (Karma) and my fat (Aura) skis, but really, they're just a bonus.

 

[Jilly]

I hear you VG. I still like my Z5's for the east. They are 74mm under foot, but that's 2" difference from the tip width. I'm waiting to try my Conquer's and then what ski to use to teach with. The Z5's were the ones for the last 3 years and I noticed last spring that they were getting "floppy". The stiffness isn't the same as it was 150 ski days ago!! And everyone on my instructors course were on tuned down race models! So I'm waiting to see what comes out this year that I haven't tried yet.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

ha, at first I thought we were talking about the REAL "skinny's" from yesteryear! (which I don't miss)(and still have 2 pairs in garage!) As to the waist width, I've got 2 that are now considered skinny by 08 standards: 68 and 71. The 68's are now pretty much "spares" but the 71's are my hard pack go-to's, for sure.

Glare ice happens more in the east than I care to discuss (although, on a hot summer day, sounds pretty nice!)

 

[perma-grin]

double ditto to what volklgirl said! Some days here ( lower MI)you just can't beat having on a pair of waspy waisted skis down here in the home of blue ice and hills created from landfills!

 

[abc]

Given I ski bumps often... YES! Sub-70 skis brings more smile to my face more often than fatties (in my case, only 80mm!).

 

[Solincia]

Well, considering I only have a couple of days on my new skis, I have to say that I wonder it would have been "like riding a bike" if I had been on the last skis I had used... 1996, skinny as can be.

This coming season will be a development year for me, as I'll truly be putting in some time to get used to these skis.

 

[jaydog]

I'd like a pair of carvers for groomer days. I've got a pair of V76s which I love dearly, but on hardpack and groomers, my roomie with her Burning Luvs smokes me every time. I'll have to see how my budget goes this winter...

ETA: The Speed Magics I demoed last year made me smile and then some.

 

[vanhoskier]

I really love my Hart F17's, and they are the skinniest (alpine, anyway) ski I've ever had....I think the waist is 63. Light, nice carving, poppy. Don't FEEL that skinny. Can't wait to use them this year!

I'm also in love with my Atomic skate skis (nordic). Light and FAST. When I wax them up, and click into the bindings, my heart starts to race!:D

 

[LilaBear]

I have the Hart Attacks with a 66 waist. I am looking forward to bumping in them.

They make me smile before I've even been on them, they have really cool stars and stripes graphics - I'm not American, but this is my host country and I'm very happy to be here. Plus, I will be able to overuse the pun about how I see stars every time I wipe out!!:p

 

[CMCM]

Well, for the last 2 years I skied on Nordicas with a 68mm waist. VERY maneuverable, but sometimes a bit lacking in stability. At the end of last season I got some Salomons which were WIDE for me...74mm, also longer than I'd been on....at first I loved them, but I'll confess that after a bunch of ski days on them in varying conditions I found myself thinking maybe I still wanted to be on narrow 68mm-ish waist type skis in certain conditions. I virtually never got too much in the back seat on my shorter/narrower skis, but suddenly with the Salomons I was in back way too much, don't know why. And now I'm thinking that maybe I'll find myself a new pair of narrow skis to go with the wider Salomons and switch off with them depending on conditions. The Salomons are great in softer snow with a bit of a powder layer...FABULOUS in those conditions, in fact. But when it's more solid, bumpier etc. I like the maneuverability and quickness of something narrower. See, you can't make do with just "one" ski. (built in excuse to buy more skis!!).