Help buying Freestyle/Twin tip skis!!

[matea98]

Hey guys,

Ok so I've been fascinated with the whole concept of freestyle skiing and I really want to give it a try. Actually, I am going to register for this weeklong freestyle ski camp in Saas-Fee this summer! I don't have a lot of experience with freestyle, though I do consider myself an advanced-intermediate skier. I currently ski on Volkl Fuego's 161cm (which i LOVE) and have a pair of Lange Freeride 110 W boots. Anyways, considering that most shops/online stores have sales now, I was hoping someone would give me a bit of advice on these skis that I've narrowed down:

Armada Pipe Cleaner (men's)
Armada AR6
LINE celebrity (women's)
Salomon Mynx (women's)
Roxy Wista Pro
K2 Missdemeanor

I prefer 160-168cm skis!
HELP!!!!!

 

[oragejuice]

I can't help you much on the skis, althought personally I would get the Lines, or the AR6... Just because I have a few friends who love them. Owned the Mynx, too soft, hated it.

But, I was wondering... How do you like those boots??

 

[Jilly]

I'd rule out the Mynx too. Lalonde's and Oberson's got anything left?? I'm heading into Lachance's this weekend at Tremblant, to see if they are still open. They usually close the first week of April. I'll see what they have left. Where do you usually ski?

 

[matea98]

Oragejuice:
the boots are amazing! I got them heat molded, a customized foot bed inserted, and some padding around my heel area to keep it firm so they feel amazing! They are quite a stiff boot if you like that performance feel, and I think these are the stiffest boots on the market (flex 110), surpassing the women's race boots. Yet, they are not as narrow as a performance boot (98mm vs 95). I'm completely in love with them considering I went through 4 pairs of ski boots this season: Tecnica Diablo magnesium (men's), Atomic B80W, Atomic H80W.
So if you're looking for a boot with amazing response, stiff flex, great comfort, definitely try them. I must also add, they are for women with a slightly more narrow foot.
Hope this helps!

By the way, do you freestyle at all? Any tips?

Jilly:
I haven't checked Oberson/LaLonde yet. Lachance has the best selection and I'm planning on going to Tremblant either tomorrow or Saturday. I guess the best is usually to call them and see if they are open.
This season, I've skiied at Tremblant quite a few times, many times at Jay Peak, Sugarbush, Stowe, Whiteface, Killington, and soon the alps!
Any recommendations for freestyle/freeride skis then??
Thanks!

 

[Jilly]

We'll have to meet up at Tremblant. I'm a season pass holder. Caribou Cup this Saturday. After last weekend, get out early that all I'll say.

 

[matea98]

Sure. I've decided to for sure go tomorrow and try some freestyle on my own, unless they have some instructors, and then continue teaching myself on saturday or sunday, pending weather of course. When are you planning on being there this weekend? Maybe you can show me some freesytle tips?

 

[oragejuice]

So if you're looking for a boot with amazing response, stiff flex, great comfort, definitely try them. I must also add, they are for women with a slightly more narrow foot.
Hope this helps!

By the way, do you freestyle at all? Any tips?

I do, a little, slowly working my way up. I can handle most small kickers, and I looooove hips. I'm working on getting up my confidence to get more air, and I used to do boxes all the time, but getting airborne is sooo muuuuch more fun than boxes/rails, IMHO. So I've been sticking with the kickers. I don't have twin-tips, right now, so no landing switch yet, but as soon as I get the money (this summer...) I'll be investing in something that I can work more with. I'm actually really glad to see something about freestyle on this forum.

What kind of tips were you looking for? I know a bit about park riding, even though I'm not quite a park rat yet...

As for the boots... I've got a pair of Lange Exclusive 90s, but I feel like I want to try something else, just to see what is out there. Stiff is good, and freeride is good, so I was looking at those boots the other day, nice to know someone who has them. Langes fit my feet pretty well, I don't even want to think of buying any other brand...

 

[volklgirl]

Armada Pipe Cleaner (men's)
Armada AR6
LINE celebrity (women's)
Salomon Mynx (women's)
Roxy Wista Pro
K2 Missdemeanor

I prefer 160-168cm skis!
HELP!!!!!

No Karma/Kaya/Wall/Pearl on the list? I adore my Karmas and they cheerfully put up with my attempts at stupidity.

 

[Native Vail Gal]

I think the Missdemeanors are COOL looking.....but....I am one who looks for how a ski looks! :ROTF:

 

[matea98]

volklgirl:
I've heard of the Karmas and the good reviews, however I literally cannot find one store that sells them..they are either out of stock for the size I want, or just completely unavailable. Any alternative? I, too, am a huge Volkl fan, but Volkl's don't really have the reputation for park skis as some other manufacturers.

 

[volklgirl]

The Karma (119-87-111)you'd have to get used or new-old-stock. They didn't make it for 08. Its replacement is the Wall which is perfectly symmetrical (115-87-115). The Ledge is slightly narrower (111-81-104) while the Pearl is the women's Ledge and the Kaya is the 2007 women's version.

The Karma got lots of rave reviews for its stoutness on landings and its stunning ability to go switch.

 

[Gloria]

Depends on what you want to do. Whether you want to focus on aerials, moguls, park or all of the above. As well as if you want the ski to perform all-mountain ( which most of them perform pretty dang good ) or if this is just going to be a park ski. Personally I would put alot of thought into the skis designed for and by freeskiers like the Armadas, Lines etc. Of the mainstream ski co's I would consider Salomon ( which you didn't like ), Rossi, or Dynastar also has their stuff together on the freeride stuff.

 

[matea98]

Oragejuice:


What are some good tricks to start off with? I'm trying my hand at freestyling tomorrow so I'm actually quite excited! I agree, getting air and landing jumps is a huuuge confidence booster! Now it's just about the confidence. I've never skied backwards...any tips?

 

[oragejuice]

I would give some serious thought to the Volkl Pearl if I were you. I'm sure you could find them somewhere in the States, and have them shipped.... In fact, REI has them for $179.... I might be buying a pair myself.... Uh oh...

I'm not sure if you've been in the park before, or gone off any jumps, so I'll start with the basics.

Bend your freakin' knees. It hurts like a $@%#& :yell: if you don't, and you are likely to fly out of your bindings, due to the amount of impact on your ski system. When you approach the lip, bend your knees slightly, and try to pop off the jump, rather than just propelling forward. What you do in the air is up to you, a lot of people prefer to bend their knees more, in a type of tuck, to keep themselves more stable, until they start doing tricks. If you are completely stretched out in the air, landing is going to hurt, and you are less in control of your body movement, which impacts where you land and if you are on your feet, or not... When you hit the ground, absorb the shock with your knees. Keep 'em bent and loose!

By the way, a little bit of wisdom from my experiences... Falling doesn't hurt nearly as much as you think it will. Snow is awesome that way. Landing with straight-legs and a stiff body position hurts way more than landing half right, falling on your side and spinning a bit. Landing flat abruptly stops all your momentum, and ugh, man, I hate that feeling.... BLAGH! I need to work on believing this. I don't fall much, and its freakin' hilarious when I do, but I usually don't try things when I think there's a chance that I will, I need to work on this.

Try just building your confidence with getting as much air as you feel comfortable doing. Start small, and work your way up as you feel better about it. You are going to need to be ok with the speed that gets you past to landing of the jump, because landing on the flat right underneath HUURRRTS. So, again, start small!

Once you feel comfortable enough in the air that you want to add something to it, try a grabbing one ski in the air, on the same side, or do a mute grab, by grabbing the opposite ski. My brothers found grabs to be beneficial to their technique, because you are concentrating on a certain position in the air, and you don't flail as much, like I mentioned above.

Skiing switch is ridiculous. I have no idea how I learned to do it, and I don't even know where to start. Don't worry about doing 180's, landing switch, or any of that. For now, see if you can watch someone skiing backwards, to better understand the technique (ski school instructors are where I picked it up from...). Start by doing a snowplow backwards, on a nice green run where you are comfortable. You'll have to play with it some before it clicks, but again, don't worry about the freestyle aspect until you can confidently ski greens and some less steep blues backwards. It's like driving a car backwards, everything is the opposite. You'll get the hang of it. This might help... https://www.niftytricks.com/ski/freestyle/switch.html

Let me know how it goes! I'm super excited for you! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!! I'm jealous, I have class all day tomorrow.

 

[veggielasagna]

Hey,

Well, I have recommended the K2 Public Enemy to many people. I have skied them exclusively for the last 2 months of this season. For you, I would say probably the 164. I think the Missdemeanors would be way too soft according to what I have read about them. The only negative I have really heard about the PE in regards to freestyle is they can be a bit heavy for longer spins (720's) and such. I paired mine w/ Salomon Z12 bindings and they are pretty darn light IMO. Great all mountain ski, pretty decent carving if you don't end up spending the whole day in the park. It can double as a "powder" ski as well. Obviously not super deep stuff, but it does well when the snow flies.

-veggielasagna

 

[Jilly]

Ask for a park instructor at Tremblant. Both parks are still open with all features. I'm just a regular instructor for skiing. I prefer to keep both feet on the snow (unless its bumps) I know there was a program running through the winter for group lessons every weeekend.

 

[ski now work later]

I am also a strong intermediate skier who has an interest in the park. I was limited to what I could do in the park this past season for medical reasons, but plan to get back to it next season.

I owned the Kayas (now Pearl) in 05/06 and didn't like them at all, and I am a huge Volkl fan who skis the AC2s and the Auras. The are a lousy all mountain ski, at least that's what I experienced, and I'm not interested in owning a ski that I can only ski in the park.

I own the Solomon Mynx and had them center mounted. They are wonderful skis and do fine all mountain (except on sheer ice) but yes, they are soft. However, I found the flexibility helpful given my skier skill level and they turn beautifully and have nice pop. Ultimately I will outgrow these skis but I think they're a good learning park ski for an intermediate skier. If you are well above 150 lbs. though, you might want to go with a wood core ski.

Vanhoskier has the Line Celebrities and loves them (plus they are way cool looking) and they have great reviews.

 

[Gloria]

Oragejuice:


What are some good tricks to start off with? I'm trying my hand at freestyling tomorrow so I'm actually quite excited! I agree, getting air and landing jumps is a huuuge confidence booster! Now it's just about the confidence. I've never skied backwards...any tips?

The first thing you want to work on is the 4-point landing. Both skis and poles touch down at the same time when you land, keeping the chest up and pelvis forward. Once you get this dialed in then work on easy tricks like spreads, daffys, twisters etc. Then you can move onto 360's. When you go to freestyle camp this summer they will more than likely teach you some dryland excersises that will teach you the body, space relationships you need before conquering more advanced tricks and inverts. The correct landing is half the battle, once you get it you will be able to move through the tricks, but without you will be hardpressed to stick them and risk injury. Good luck!

 

[Gloria]

Bend your freakin' knees. It hurts like a $@%#& :yell: if you don't, and you are likely to fly out of your bindings, due to the amount of impact on your ski system. When you approach the lip, bend your knees slightly, and try to pop off the jump, rather than just propelling forward. What you do in the air is up to you, a lot of people prefer to bend their knees more, in a type of tuck, to keep themselves more stable, until they start doing tricks. If you are completely stretched out in the air, landing is going to hurt, and you are less in control of your body movement, which impacts where you land and if you are on your feet, or not... When you hit the ground, absorb the shock with your knees. Keep 'em bent and loose!

.

It sounds like you may be over or under jumping the landing hill itself. You really want your body extended from the time you take off the lip through the landing. What happens when you land bent over is your chest drops forward and your rear end shoots back onto the tails of your skis. This puts you at risk for knee injury, back injury as well as simply hitting your knee on your chin or end of your pole. When you land extended your knees can still bend to absorb as you hit, but your body is stacked uniformly allowing you the ability to re-extend or the second part of absorbtion. What happens when you land bent over is you have to drop so far down to take on the first phase, that you are no longer stacked to re-extend and you end up compressing aas opposed to absorbing. Does that make sense? Perhaps photos or videos would demonstrate better?

 

[vanhoskier]

Hey guys,

Ok so I've been fascinated with the whole concept of freestyle skiing and I really want to give it a try. Actually, I am going to register for this weeklong freestyle ski camp in Saas-Fee this summer! I don't have a lot of experience with freestyle, though I do consider myself an advanced-intermediate skier. I currently ski on Volkl Fuego's 161cm (which i LOVE) and have a pair of Lange Freeride 110 W boots. Anyways, considering that most shops/online stores have sales now, I was hoping someone would give me a bit of advice on these skis that I've narrowed down:

Armada Pipe Cleaner (men's)
Armada AR6
LINE celebrity (women's)
Salomon Mynx (women's)
Roxy Wista Pro
K2 Missdemeanor

I prefer 160-168cm skis!
HELP!!!!!

OK, I'm a "twin tip gal" and have skied a bunch of different twin tips, except for Volkls (plan to try those next year). If you want a twin tip that will perform all over the mountain, as well as in the park, I think your best bet will be the Line Celebrity or the K2 Missdemeanor. I have the Lines and I LOVE them. They are an outstanding all-mountain ski; really will do everything, AND they are fun in the park. I do jumps in the park, not rails and rarely boxes. The Lines love to catch air and are very stable on landings, so are a good learning tool for that. They are also very well made. I haven't personally skied the Missdemeanors but have heard good things about those as well, although I'd expect they'd be a bit softer than the Lines, so they won't hold as good an edge on hardpack (important to an Eastern skier like me).

The Armada Pipe Cleaner is a great park only ski but probably will not fit the bill as an all-mountain tool. The AR6 will, though, but you will most likely have to ski it shorter than the Lines since they are stiffer. The Salomon Mynx is a nice ski, very easy to turn, but soft. They hold an edge fairly well but they don't react well to death cookies and big bumps. They would be good as a park ski, though, since they are very light and manueverable. They are very easy to ski switch on, as are my Lines.

I don't know anything about the Roxy's.

So, my overall advice is to go for the Lines, you won't be disappointed, and I have not found any weaknesses in them. They have great edge hold, nice pop, great stability, and great maneuverability.

About skiing switch:

Bend both knees slightly, with poles behind you. Slide your right foot back a bit and lean to your right. This will start your turn to skier's left. It helps if you look over your right shoulder and point with your right ski pole. To turn skier's right, slide your left foot back, look over your left shoulder and point to where you want to go with your left pole. Keep your hands behind you at all times; after all, when skiing forward, your hands are always IN FRONT of you. Remember, when skiing switch, everything is reversed from skiing forward. You also have to LEAN BACK a bit...that's the hardest part and the most crucial. (Since you have to lean forward when skiing forward).

Good luck and let us know what you decide!