Unexpectedly ended up with a personal demo day last week when I flew with boots and poles (adjustable to travel with them super short) but not skis. The on-mountain ski shop had a few demo skis, but not that much of a selection in an appropriate length. Here's the story . . .
I went to Jiminy Peak for a couple nights March 6-8 because I could get into ski in/out lodging at short notice before a major snowstorm in the Berkshires. Trip to Boston was planned months ago for a non-skiing long weekend to see my daughter in a dance performance. I had my boots, but didn't bother to lug skis because I knew Potter Brothers has a shop at Jiminy with demo skis. First priority was to find skis for fresh snow. But since I could change out easily, I checked out a few other skis as well from the 5-6 options available. I was willing to try any skis that were about the correct length.
The list:
* Atomic Vantage 85W, 157cm; 122.5/85/106.5 R 15 - good skis for the fresh snow
* Volkl Flair 78, 149cm; 126/78/106 @156cm R13.0 - not fun
* Atomic Cloud 12, 154cm; 110-70-95 @154cm R14.7 - more fun than expected
I'd been on the Vantage 85W and 90W before but had had mixed reactions. Had liked the 90W at Alta in spring conditions but found the 85W in early season conditions at Sunday River to be hard work. Turned out that I liked the 2018 85W quite a bit on the groomers with 2-3 inches of fresh snow mixed in. I used them in the 8+ inches of fresh snow in the late afternoon and evening on Wed. Storm total was 20+ inches, but most trails were groomed at some point during the storm. Skiing in deep snow on Thu morning that was never groomed took a bit of work, but I have enough experience that the skis were fine. Only a few trails were left ungroomed in any case.
They had the Volkl Flair 78 and Flair 81. Not sure what the differences are between them. Took the Flair 78 @149 instead of @156. Did a couple runs on groomers and didn't like it. Too much work. That's my usual reaction to Volkl skis. The only exception so far has been the Yumi.
Since the snowstorm hadn't started up yet, I changed to the Atomic Cloud 12 @154. They didn't have the 147cm. The
Cloud 12 is supposed to be good for former racers, which I am not. Only started carving properly and going at higher speeds in recent years. Didn't quite know what to expect from skis that are 70 underfoot. Only had time for a couple runs and stuck to blues. Bottom line was that even @154 making short turns was easy on narrower section and they were quite fun on wider sections. If I lived in the northeast, I would be interested to take some demo runs on the Cloud 12 @147.
They also had the Blizzard Black Pearl 78 in a good length. But since I've tried those before, they weren't of interest.
After getting back to Boston, I also did a little skiing at Tenney Mountain in NH. That day the only option were some skinny Volkl regular rentals for $20 from Plymouth Ski & Sport. I think they were 65-68 underfoot. I mostly stuck to the groomed snow so it was fine. Classic skis for old school windy trails with all natural snow. Good fun!
Knowing in advance which skis I like and which I don't like when I decide to rent makes it much easier to leave my own skis at home.