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Is it time to upgrade?

arbusch

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Totally on the fence on what to do. I haven't bought a new pair of skis in about 6-7 years. I currently ski on Atomic Century 166cm and Milleniums 169cm.

I still really enjoy both. The Century gets too chattery for me on hard groomers but handles mix days and spring conditions really well. I end up skiing on the Milleniums the most. They are so much fun in deep snow and powder conditions. I do really have to drive them in chop up snow. They don't look too beat up but definitely the top sheet is chipped and rubbing off on the edges and no major divets in the bases. Some days I still really love them and some days I wonder if they are starting to get soft and not as poppy as they once was.

I mostly ski in the backcounty on both pair of skis. Yet I also use them at our little local ski hill (600 vertical feet with a t-bar) when the conditions are unsafe in the backcountry. I do ski pretty aggressive and fast and love to ski steep lines when its safe. I am 5'5'', 120lbs so a fairly light petite skier. I really love a playful ski that easy to initiate turns on.

I live in rural NE Oregon and demoing skis is out of the question since no reps make it to our frontier, remote, beautiful mountain community.

My questions is when do you know it is time to upgrade or replace?

Super curious since everything is going on sale and have been looking at the Atomic Vantage 95 and Line Pandora 110 as upgrades. Open to suggestions of other skis to look at.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I love my 95C's. They are my out west skis or if we should get a powder day here in the East.

Are you tele or fixed bindings?
 

mountainwest

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It depends - how many days per season have you skied each pair of skis?

You saying “Some days I still really love them and some days I wonder if they are starting to get soft and not as poppy as they once was.” sounds like it’s getting to be time.

I knew it was time to upgrade when I attended a free demo day and found sone skis that worked way better for me than what I already had (which were the Nordica Santa Ana’s - check them out if you haven’t already.)
 

arbusch

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Probably 80% on the millennium and 20% on century per season. Probably ski about 60-70 days a season.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My questions is when do you know it is time to upgrade or replace?
There is a "rule of thumb" I used (until I didn't work anymore) of 100 days. Once I wasn't getting an income, it was when I felt that the ski wasn't performing. Since I track how many days I use skis, along with my vertical for the day, etc. I know that that time came for the last two pairs of skis as follows:

K2 Outlaws: 184 days
K2 Recons: 205 days

Current skis, still used:

Nordica Hell and Back: 158 days. (I've never been nuts about these skis, but since I use them less, I haven't gotten my head to replacing them yet, either.)
K2 AMP Rictors 82 xTi: 209 days. (I still love these skis and they are still usable, but I'm starting to question how much more they've got in them. They'll make it to season end, but that's another 20 days. So I've ordered a replacement pair which I'll probably trade off between the two for a while.)

What I usually notice is a reduction in torsional rigidity, they don't hold as well on hardpack. Or they are "dead" feeling.
 

arbusch

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes so close but so far away. I feel far away from most places in the NW - even though I live in the NW and especially in the winter when the highways close a lot and our little community is pretty much shut off from the rest of the area.
 

arbusch

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So many skis out I wish I could try - now looking at the Blizzard Sheeva 10 and Line Pandora 104.
 

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