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Help with next ski choice please ladies!

Terri GB

Diva in Training
Hi all, this is my first post. I am 33, from the uk and so glad I found your forum! after researching and scouring the internet at all the options, I am now considerably more confused and overwhelmed!!
I usually ski in Europe and I am in need of some help choosing my next pair of skis..
I have Skiid the same pair of k2 freeluv's 78 156 since 2009 and have had a hoot on them, however on my recent holiday I found myself getting frustrated with the lack of edge grip and skidding over ice patches at speed. I would say I am an intermediate level moving over to advanced, skiing mostly groomed but also enjoying mogul runs and playing around off the sides in deeper snow and crud so I am looking for another all mountain ski. I am 5.5 and weigh 9st...I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what that is in lb's! I trust the k2 range because it's what I'm used to, but also heard about the blizzard black pearl..does anyone have opinions about k2 luv sick or k2 alluvit's?
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi! Welcome to the forum!! I'm sure the divas will help!

I LOVE the Black Pearls!! They are an awesome ski on hard pack and powder. I'm in Taos right now. @marzNC just demo'd some K2's I'll hope she chimes in.. she traded them for the BP's. K2's are stiffer.

I hope you can demo, it's amazing how far the technology in skis has come!!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Welcome! As mentioned, I just demo'd the Alluvit at Taos. The only terrain open is groomers with a few baby bumps because of very low snow conditions. As I expected from previous experience demo'ing K2 skis, they are fine but not too exciting. Turned out that the 159cm was on the long side for me even though my old BPs and my other all-mountain skis are that length. But they have more tip rocker. I'm an older, petite skier at 152cm, about 51kg. My carvers that are 78 underfoot are 148cm.

In comparison, the BP88 @152cm was far more fun. Handled speed on the groomers well. Also fun in the small bumps that are starting to grow from the few inches of new snow in the last few days. I would guess that @Terri GB would need the 159cm for the BP88. Since I have the old BP (2011), there is no question that the 2018 version would be better on hard snow and/or icy conditions.
 

Terri GB

Diva in Training
Great, thank you so much for your feed back. I wish I had demo'd the black pearl 88 whilst I was away, but foolishly did not want to interfere and possibly sacrifice a day's skiing in what was perfect blue sky conditions if I didn't like my rental choice. I guess it's like having to replace a comfy pair of slippers!
I think I am skiing more aggressively now, do you think I need a harder ski? I honestly get so lost with all the jargon and have actually no idea what type of ski suits my style... Did somebody in another post say that they found the black pearl too soft? I'm not sure if I would feel the difference though? I'm sorry to sound so clueless, but I really am!
 

Cygnet

Certified Ski Diva
Welcome to theSkiDiva! I'm also in the UK. Do you live anywhere near an indoor ski slope? You can usually demo skis there from Ellis Brigham or Snow and Rock.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I'm an aggressive skier, but weight more than you. My daily driver for icy groomed runs is 68mm under foot. It's a tuned down race ski. Last Saturday I was demo'ing some skis for a replacement to those. They're getting wore out. I found a lot of the skis too stiff for my taste.

I demo'd the previous version of the BP and hated them. So Saturday I decided to give them another try. It was too solid snow surface for them. We just get too much ice in Quebec. I think I'm just too used to a precision tool and the BP's weren't giving it to me.

What brands do you have available to you?

Oh, I know what you mean about getting a demo pair and hating them. Did that last year in Whistler. Nothing like being stuck at the top of the mountain and realizing that this ski just isn't doing it for me.
 

GoingDownhillWeeeee!

Certified Ski Diva
Welcome! I think I have those exact same skis, but shorter, and what I eventually realized was that in addition to needing a longer ski (they only came up to my chin) I also needed a stiffer ski, but I'm shorter and a little heavier so YMMV. I do find that skis stiffer than my old K2s hold onto harder surfaces better and are generally more stable at speed. Unfortunately stiffness is totally relative and difficult to quantify so that might not be a lot of help, and as mentioned above a ski can be too stiff for some.

Right now I'm skiing on Head Great Joys and even though they have a 98 waist they do very well on hardpack, and while I wouldn't say I can carve on ice with them I still feel like I have control and it could be more an issue of skill than an issue with the ski. They also do well in powder, crud, and pretty much any condition I've used them in. If you have a chance to demo them I'd recommend adding them to the list.
 

Terri GB

Diva in Training
Welcome to theSkiDiva! I'm also in the UK. Do you live anywhere near an indoor ski slope? You can usually demo skis there from Ellis Brigham or Snow and Rock.
Hi yes, we are about 1 hour 30 minutes from Milton Keynes and the same from Hemel Hempstead. I will definately try the black pearl 88 and some of the k2's there if I can. I just wasn't sure that they would have that type of ski there to hire, it would be great if they do though. I find the indoor hills a bit gentle, so I'm hoping I will be able to still get a feel for the skis there.
 

Terri GB

Diva in Training
I'm an aggressive skier, but weight more than you. My daily driver for icy groomed runs is 68mm under foot. It's a tuned down race ski. Last Saturday I was demo'ing some skis for a replacement to those. They're getting wore out. I found a lot of the skis too stiff for my taste.

I demo'd the previous version of the BP and hated them. So Saturday I decided to give them another try. It was too solid snow surface for them. We just get too much ice in Quebec. I think I'm just too used to a precision tool and the BP's weren't giving it to me.

What brands do you have available to you?

Oh, I know what you mean about getting a demo pair and hating them. Did that last year in Whistler. Nothing like being stuck at the top of the mountain and realizing that this ski just isn't doing it for me.
Hi Jilly, I am looking to buy, so wouldn't rule anything out but I feel impelled to stick to what I know as is the fear of the Unknown. It would be a shame though to miss out on a better ski just because I didn't feel safe to try something new and different. Because I live in a very flat part of Britain it's hard to demo. I may give the indoor slopes a call to see what they have...
 

Terri GB

Diva in Training
Welcome! I think I have those exact same skis, but shorter, and what I eventually realized was that in addition to needing a longer ski (they only came up to my chin) I also needed a stiffer ski, but I'm shorter and a little heavier so YMMV. I do find that skis stiffer than my old K2s hold onto harder surfaces better and are generally more stable at speed. Unfortunately stiffness is totally relative and difficult to quantify so that might not be a lot of help, and as mentioned above a ski can be too stiff for some.

Right now I'm skiing on Head Great Joys and even though they have a 98 waist they do very well on hardpack, and while I wouldn't say I can carve on ice with them I still feel like I have control and it could be more an issue of skill than an issue with the ski. They also do well in powder, crud, and pretty much any condition I've used them in. If you have a chance to demo them I'd recommend adding them to the list.
Thanks, I had also read on a few reviews that great joys were a good choice.. It kind of got a little hazy though because the more I read reviews, the more options I found and then everything got very blurry!!!! It's good to know that the same names are coming up again and again though. I will be sure to add them to my list to try!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Hi yes, we are about 1 hour 30 minutes from Milton Keynes and the same from Hemel Hempstead. I will definately try the black pearl 88 and some of the k2's there if I can. I just wasn't sure that they would have that type of ski there to hire, it would be great if they do though. I find the indoor hills a bit gentle, so I'm hoping I will be able to still get a feel for the skis there.
I've demo'd skis at small hills that are a few hours from Washington DC, which is not exactly ski country. The runs open usually take about 3 minutes to finish. While it's certainly easier to get a feel for skis on longer runs, I can usually tell after a couple runs whether a particular model and length is fun or not.

For any model, you will find people who like it and people who don't. There are a lot of variables involved besides the obvious height and weight. That's why the general recommendation is to demo a few models. Note that based on what you learn, could well end up buying skis that you don't demo. That's what I did a while back. The free demo day I went to didn't have many choices in an appropriate length. But I learned enough to decide on buying a K2 model. It was fine for a few years. By then I was able to demo and buy an all-mountain ski that suited me better.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Welcome! So happy to have another enthusiastic voice here. :party:
 

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