Hello everyone! I'm looking to get back into skiing after a 12 year hiatus. I was an intermediate to sometimes advanced skier when I stopped. I ski mostly Western New York as I live in Ohio, but would like something that can hold its own in Colorado or Utah.
Welcome! Where have you skied in Ohio? One of my primary Over 60 ski buddies lives in Cleveland. He spent the last couple seasons demo'ing on trips out west in order to find a new pair of all-mountain skis. Having recently semi-retired (long planned), he started skiing a lot more last season. He's an old family friend of my husband. His wife and my husband are non-skiers. He'll be part of a group of Divas and friends heading to Taos in early February for a Taos Ski Week.
Would love to hear any and all opinions from those with experience or knowledge of these skis. Also, what's a good length for someone 5'3". Does it still hold that the shorter the ski, the slower you will go?
What length skis do you remember? The length that meant skis were over your head? For context I have a pair 170cm straight skis in a closest that were bought in the early 1980s, but my current all-mountain skis are 159cm and considered a bit long. I've become a solid advanced skier in recent years with the help of lots of mileage and regular lessons at my home hill (Massanutten in northern VA) or destination resorts out west (Alta, JH, Taos). I'm petite, 5'0", 110 lbs, and just over 65. I was an adventurous intermediate when I started my daughter on skis about 15 years ago.
When it comes to ski length, it's not that shorter skis go slower, it's that if you ski fast on shorter skis then they may feel unstable. The skis I use at my home hill are 10cm shorter than the all-mountain skis I take out west. They are also 10mm narrower.
I need a ski that's good on hard-packed and crud, which is mostly what we have here. Not much in the way of powder. A good carving, all mountain ski. I'd like to do moguls eventually. I like a heavier ski, I think. Some ski suggestions have been Salomon QST Lux 92. Also can someone tell me what the 88 and 92 mean? Is this the width of the ski? Rossignol Black Ops women's dreamer and Black Pearl have been suggested. Also, Volkl Kenja 88, Dynastar M-Pro 84. Blizzard Sheena 9. Nordica Astral 84. Any K2 skiis? Mindbenders?
You guessed correctly that 88 and 92 are the width of the skis. That's measured in mm. Note that some brands have a "line" of skis with the same name but different width. For instance, there was the BP78, BP88, BP98. The difference in design is more than just the width. Materials and shape are also a bit different. Narrower skis are more appropriate for hard snow, groomers, and/or bumps. Wider skis are more fun in powder over 6 inches.
My all-mountain skis that I used in the southeast and out west 10 years ago were 75mm underfoot. As my technique improved, I moved to the original Blizzard Black Pearl (2011), 88mm @159cm. My current skis are also mid-80s underfoot. While I don't ski them in the east, I could.
I haven't demo'd mid-80 skis for a few years. The brands I happen to like include Rossignol, Nordica, Blizzard, and K2. For me, Volkl skis are usually too much work. I demo'd the QST Lux 92 out west last season, but only did a short run on a groomer. It wasn't that fun for me.
Have you skied any skis that were made after 2015?