Help a Diva pick out a front-side carver?!

[Patronainthe801]

Up until a few weeks ago, I had a fantastic pair of Volkl Deacon 74's in 173 cm. For reference I am 5'8" and 165 and mostly ski in Utah. Then I let my husband try them out after he decided he wasn't so into his RTM's after an icy weekend in Big Sky. Now he loves them and doesn't want to give them back. I made the mistake (I think) of picking up a pair of Volkl Racetiger SL 170's...and I think they're a bit too much for me despite preferring a normally longer ski. I would consider myself an advanced but not an expert skier. I went with the Racetigers because I have plenty of wider options that are fine for powder, but I find myself preferring to just stick to front side groomers. The Deacons handle ice like a champ, and while they initially took a little bit to get used to, they don't seem nearly as difficult as the Racetigers. I think my ski level is not as prepared for the Racetigers, especially at 170, as I originally thought. They do a great job carving, but if I'm not going Mach 10, they're a struggle. Once on edge and flying, they're great. They seem to be much quicker than the Deacons as well, but a little too fast. I think I'll save them for my son to use next season.

I enjoy making beautiful, precise turns, more than I love speed, but I'm not afraid of speed either. I'm not opposed to a men's option and don't necessarily care about the graphics on the top sheet. Any recommendations?

 

[santacruz skier]

paging @Olesya Chornoguz for some recommendations

 

[tinymoose]

I don't really have any suggestions, but I suspect they're a lot of ski for you. Our friend, who is an ex-racer and expert skier has those skis and if they're enough for him, I can imagine they're a pretty demanding ski and pretty burly.

 

[SallyCat]

There's a 4m difference in the turning radius of those two skis; that alone is a huge difference, especially given that most people go for much shorter lengths in an SL ski. Why not sell the Racetigers AND the RTMs and get another set of Deacons?

 

[Patronainthe801]

There's a 4m difference in the turning radius of those two skis; that alone is a huge difference, especially given that most people go for much shorter lengths in an SL ski. Why not sell the Racetigers AND the RTMs and get another set of Deacons?

I'm still considering another pair of Deacon's...but thought it might be fun to try something different than Volkl's. That's all I've ever used except for some Kastle's I just passed along to one of my boys. I love the feel of the Racetigers when on edge...but to squirrely (if that's a word) when they're not. My husband wants to keep the RTM's (86 or 88 ww) for softer/powder days.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Oh my I haven't kept up with the narrow under 80 mm frontside carver skis and have recently decided to reduce my quiver to an all mountain 85 mm wide ski (Kastle FX85) and 104 mm wide powder ski (Nordica Enforcer 104 Free). I am 6'1" and 175 pounds so somewhat similar in size to @Patronainthe801 . I haven't skied Racetigers but heard it is a lot of a ski, very stiff, just like @tinymoose already mentioned. The hard snow skis that were on my radar this year were Liberty V76 (more budget friendly and supposedly great ski) and Stockli Laser AX (great ski but too much $$). @nopoleskier skis on Liberty V76 and loves them. If you really like Volkl I heard good things about Volkl Flair, not sure how similar it is to Deacon though. You may want to PM @SnowHot if you have questions about Volkl Flair, nost sure how frequently she stops by the forum.

 

[ilovepugs]

try the Blizzard Firebird HCs. My husband was all about picking the Deacons up until the reviews came pouring in for the Firebirds. He love, love, loves them and finds that they carve beautifully and well without feeling like he’s going too quickly. He’s had a ton of fun on them.

 

[SarahXC]

I also have a friend who loves the blizzard firebirds. Not sure which model—I know it is not the full on fis one though.

 

[contesstant]

Salomon SForce Fever or S Force Bold (men’s version.)