Question: Head Cool One

[indapoknhoes]

snowball,
I also happen to be an instructor and we seem share the problem of well "shortness." I skied the cool ones last year so I'm not sure how much different this years model is but I know for sure, that last year, they were a major step up from my previous ski. They gave me better oppurtunities to get on edge especially on what seems like the icy conditions you often ski. In comparison to the Breeze, they're ten times better. And don't listen to people who say "narrower undercut" isnt important. It's your ski and what you think is important is important. I have no bias towards head and their products. I know no dealers, or get discounts. I've skied head my whole life other then a pair of rossignols, and other gear that I've demoed and tried out, and head is by far the best make out there.
Be smart!

 

[snowball16]

I've been to Nestors twice in the last few weeks and talked to them about the Cool One, Dynastar Exclusive Active, and a few pairs of Salomons. They said the Cool One would be better over the Dynastars and think is a great ski. I haven't talked to then about Fischers and probably won't get a chance to until their sale in a few weeks when I am planning on buying. I've read countless reviews online about a number of different skis. It's getting frustrating trying to decide. The whole length thing is proving to be an issue too since I've found a number of great skis that just don't come in a length I would be comfortable skiing.

 

[indapoknhoes]

Nestor's! That place is a wonderworld :D. But I do like the salomon women's line. I will say though, I would not even consider the breeze. From many psia's I've spoke with and ski dealers, they suggest that if your buying a foreign ski, its important to have a foregin, boot, and binding.... The head cool one is still superior over most skis of that ability level in terms of carving and stability.

 

[SnowHot]

Nestor's! That place is a wonderworld :D. But I do like the salomon women's line. I will say though, I would not even consider the breeze. From many psia's I've spoke with and ski dealers, they suggest that if your buying a foreign ski, its important to have a foregin, boot, and binding.... The head cool one is still superior over most skis of that ability level in terms of carving and stability.

Wow, I'm fairly knowledgeable about ski gear and I've never heard that.
I'm guessing that someone is pulling your leg.

While I agree that the Head Cool One is a good ski, there are several in that category that are equally as good. The key is personal feel and ski style.
I can't say enough,
Demo
Demo
Demo!

 

[snowball16]

I know demo-ing is important but i'm not gonna get a chance to demo before I buy unfortunately. that only makes my decision even harder.

 

[SnowHot]

If I were picking among those you have on your list I'd take the Cool One, hands down!

IMHO it will hold up nicely for the conditions you've described and you'll get a lot of use out of it.

The Salomon line is quite damp and doesn't tend to be very playful.
I'm not sure about the Exclusive Active.


Where are you in Pennsylvania?
If you're in the Philly area, you may check out Wicks Ski Shop. Lola Diva's husband works there and is extremely knowledgeable.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[ski diva]

I will say though, I would not even consider the breeze. From many psia's I've spoke with and ski dealers, they suggest that if your buying a foreign ski, its important to have a foregin, boot, and binding....

This is a new one on me, too. I go along with SnowHot -- someone is pulling your leg. Or else they're sadly misinformed.

I've never skied either skis, though I've owned both Fischers and Heads, and love them both. I'd like to stick up a bit for Fischers, though -- I wouldn't say that Heads are ten-times better. Fischers are known as a great East Coast ski because of their terrific edge hold. I have the Fishcer Vision 73's. And though they're a few years old, I've found them excellent for conditions here in Vermont.

Seriously, I don't think you'll go wrong with either ski. Maybe you should just take the one you get a better deal on.

 

[Jilly]

I'd have to agree with SnowHot and Ski Diva. I've never heard of this statement. And from my experience ski instructors aren't the best for knowledge of equipment, and I've been an instructor for over 25 years.

I know many people that ski on different boots manufacturers and ski manufacturers. Infact next season I'll still be on my Rossi boots, but Atomic skis. As for bindings, most manufacturers would prefer you use their binding and will offer an extra years warranty to do that.

And as for foreign skis, most skis are made in Europe or China. They are only a very few North American manufacturers and they are "boutique" skis.

 

[indapoknhoes]

I have to disagree about fischers being popular in the east. I see very few people skiing them other then the few first timers with frozen jeans and eagles jackets that find a cheap pair of old skis and could care less what they are... Anyway, Head is a much better quality brand then Fischer, and I'm sure the Cool One shows that.... and btw, whats with the trees on the breeze

 

[snowball16]

I decided that I am going to go with the Heads. My final picks were the Head Cool One, Fischer Breeze, and Salomon Opal. I think any of those three skis would have been fine but both the Breeze and Opal were a little bit longer that what I am looking for.

 

[ski diva]

I have to disagree about fischers being popular in the east. I see very few people skiing them other then the few first timers with frozen jeans and eagles jackets that find a cheap pair of old skis and could care less what they are... Anyway, Head is a much better quality brand then Fischer, and I'm sure the Cool One shows that.... and btw, whats with the trees on the breeze

Actually, around here, I'd say you don't see a lot of Heads or Fischers, as compared to some of the other brands. That doesn't mean that they're not good skis -- there are lots of other reasons for that: distribution, marketing, etc. Locally, it's because the same ski shop handles both, and a lot of people don't like to deal with them.

I won't get into an argument with you about quaiity -- they're both very good skis, and as I said, I love them both. But Fischer skis are definitely not as you characterize them. Many of the racers around here use Fischers, and I wouldn't call them beginners. I tried out the '10 Fischers, too -- the Koa line, which is replacing the Vision series -- and I'd say they're excellent.

 

[Robyn]

I wouldn't necessarily compare quality based just upon what you've seen being used. Each mountain and and region have favorite skis and skis that you rarely see but that doesn't make those that aren't seen poor quality, maybe just not the right or favorite ski of the area. For example, I ski in Colorado where I see a lot of K2, Volkl, Head and Rossi. I don't see much Atomic or Fischer. But that doesn't make them bad skis.

 

[Jilly]

I'd have to agree with Ski Diva, it depends on marketing. And that's why I asked the question as to why the guy was pushing the Heads. At Tremblant you see alot of Atomic and Salomon as they have stores in the resort village. Then its Rossi, Fisher and Volkl as the best store in Quebec (D. Lachance in old Tremblant)carries those brands. You don't see many K2's, Heads or Elans.

Top end skis from any brand are good. It's a personal choice as to how that ski responds to your skiing and technique.

After all this, I hope you like them when you get a chance to ski them.

 

[Jenn]

Thanks Snowball 16 for generating such an informative discussion! I've learned a lot about the effects of underfoot width and ski stiffness - not just from this thread, but because I was inspired to do a search on some Vokls.

I rented some last season and Loooooved them (made me realize that the other skis I've been using are total crap). I told the guy at the shop I was pretty aggressive and liked slalom skis, but this was my first time at Whistler, and my first year of serious skiing in 20+ years. He put me on some wonderful Vokl Attivas - hard work on the early morning crud, but fabulous later in the day. I avoided the double diamonds, but everything else was fun! I wanted to buy it, but no deal : I'm thinking this would be a soft ski?

Has anyone tried the new Koa skis? Being (I bet) the most easterly skier here, the discussion about the Fischer Breezes has my curiousity piqued!

 

[SnowHot]

I wouldn't necessarily compare quality based just upon what you've seen being used. Each mountain and and region have favorite skis and skis that you rarely see but that doesn't make those that aren't seen poor quality, maybe just not the right or favorite ski of the area. For example, I ski in Colorado where I see a lot of K2, Volkl, Head and Rossi. I don't see much Atomic or Fischer. But that doesn't make them bad skis.

This is quite true. In fact some manufacturers are more visible due to regional distribution and others (like Dynastar) are more visible because they've flooded the market with Screamin' Deals!

Thanks Snowball 16 for generating such an informative discussion! I've learned a lot about the effects of underfoot width and ski stiffness - not just from this thread, but because I was inspired to do a search on some Vokls.

I rented some last season and Loooooved them (made me realize that the other skis I've been using are total crap). I told the guy at the shop I was pretty aggressive and liked slalom skis, but this was my first time at Whistler, and my first year of serious skiing in 20+ years. He put me on some wonderful Vokl Attivas - hard work on the early morning crud, but fabulous later in the day. I avoided the double diamonds, but everything else was fun! I wanted to buy it, but no deal : I'm thinking this would be a soft ski?

Has anyone tried the new Koa skis? Being (I bet) the most easterly skier here, the discussion about the Fischer Breezes has my curiousity piqued!

The Volkl Attiva is a Line of skis.
There are many skis in the Attiva line, like Aura, Aurora, Luna, Tierra....
Do you know which one you skied?

 

[vanhoskier]

Wow, this has turned into some discussion!

I would never say that one brand of ski is better than another....all the major ones out there make great skis. It all depends on what the skier prefers.

I don't stick to one brand of skis; I purchase the model that has the qualities I want in a ski. For example, I own and ski:
Line Celebrity
Volkl Aura
Fischer Progressor 8+
Head Monster iM 78
Salomon 1080 (well, these adorn my ski rack for nostalgia's sake, since they're now too short for me...but they're an excellent ski).

I've also owned K2's and Harts. They were all great skis, just with different personalities. No one was "better" than the other, although some were better carvers, better in powder, etc., because of their design and construction.

My Lines are made in China but are well-made and perform very nicely.....a very, very fun ski that I've recommended to others on this forum who were looking for an all-mountain twin.

And my Volkls are amazing big mountain, fast, deep snow zoomers that so many of us here love. It's one of my favorite skis.

But, even though I love my Volkls, and my Lines, I chose the Fischer as my carving ski, because it had qualities that I wanted. And I love it too.

My Head iM 78's are amazing.

In saying this, I'm reminded of a quote from the book "The Shack:" When I think about each one of my children, I realize I love that one the most."

Some Divas do like to stick to one manufacturer, because they fall in love with one pair, and buy another from that same manufacturer. That's great. A skier can have enjoyment in doing that, and it's good for the company. I applaud brand loyalty....I'm a Subaru and Patagonia devotee; I'm just not a devotee of one brand of skis.

So, the moral of my post is that there is no "best" ski manufacturer. There are of course, some skis that perform better in certain conditions than others. But much of it comes down to personal preference, (lively or damp, etc.) or cost, or, barring that, a pretty topsheet design.

 

[Jenn]

Hi Snowhot, I looked around the Volkl ATTIVA sites (no I didn't know they were a line of ski) and think the skis I used and loved were Oceanas.

 

[SnowHot]

Jenn, you may be in luck!

A friend of this site who works at a ski shop asked theSkiDiva to post some deals in the gear swap area which you can access after 25 post.
I was impressed with the deals he asked her to put up!
Several Attivas are included!!
Get those next 6 posts in so you can get in on the deals!!!

 

[snowball16]

Anyway, Head is a much better quality brand then Fischer, and I'm sure the Cool One shows that....


I have to say I feel indapoknhoes is being very ignorant here. I agree with most of the rest of you on that there is no superior manufacturer. This will only be the second pair of skis I've purchased but I plan on buying a lot of different skis in the future so I can have more of a variety to choose from for each condition. I would love to eventually get a pair of Volkls and Fischers. If I wasn't looking for a ski in the low 140s there are a lot of Volkls I would be interested in. That being said, I have a lot of years of skiing ahead of me and a lot of pairs of skis to try.

 

[volklgirl]

[ I would love to eventually get a pair of Volkls and Fischers. If I wasn't looking for a ski in the low 140s there are a lot of Volkls I would be interested in. That being said, I have a lot of years of skiing ahead of me and a lot of pairs of skis to try.

Keep in mind that Volkl skis tend to run shorter than most. I keep finding myself going up in length since they all ski waaay shorter than you'd otherwise expect.