Jilly,
I talked to the Elan rep after receiving Ski Skiing's Buyers Guide---he said that Elan does not spend enough advertising dollars to those magazines and that affects how many skis they can submit. I was truly surprised that neither magazine has ever mentioned the Wave technology----even though it won all kinds of awards in Europe. They did review the Free Spice, which is the women's powder ski, but not the Wave Spice---even though they reviewed so many Rossi and Solomon skis. I have skied Solomon's women's line and I am not impressed, so, I was surprised to see so many of them in the lineup.
But, I also agree that the Boot reviews suck big time. And, why don't they talk about the way the boot fits? I have a low volume foot and can not even think about wearing a Tecnica--so, for boots, I think fit is more important than anything else and they barely mention what type of foot would fit in the limited amount of boots they reviewed.
The new Brown boot for Dalbello---which I still can't spell--although it is pronouned Charisma----is for a lower volume foot than the Lotus or the Storm. It has a higher back---the same back at the Krypton pro---which makes it a little stiffer as well.
The boot toe box is the same as the Storm, but there are two tongues, like the Krypton Pro. One is the same as the men's boot, which also makes a stiffer boot. It also has the ID liner.
Last year I really struggled with my ID liner---but, as I spoke with the rep, I realized the problem. My boot fitter had a 24 liner and told me that it would work fine in my 25 boot---but, of course, it did not!!! The rep told me that I would have been better off with a bigger liner since the liner would have shrunk to fit the boot after the heating process, but a smaller liner could not possibly fit the boot even after the heating process. I felt like my liner slipped around inside the boot.
Usually I really enjoy the Buyer's Guides, but this year they seemed flat. For instance, I like to know what the tester's favorite skis are since I could find someone of my size and skill level and then see what she/he liked the best--but, that part is gone forever it seems. Also, I thought the boots were treated as an afterthought and really so few boots were discussed that it was uninteresting.
I guess the reality is that there are a ton of great skis on the market right now. And, espeically some wonderful women's skis. It is easier to try some, listen to some recommendations, like on this site and then to make your choice based on your own skill level, your size and weight and your preferred type of skiing.
I agree with Jilly, if you are a new skier it does not matter how great the Lotta Luv is----you have got to ski a ski that will bend for you and that will meet your needs. If you ski on groomed all the time, why would you want a wide ski? Etc, etc. That is one reason why I like this site so much---when I go onto Epic it seems like it is dominated by mine is bigger than yours type of thinking. Here, people really listen to one another and try to make suggestions that match the skier.
For me, as an instructor, I try to ski as many women's skis as possible; and this time of year, I go around to the stores and see what is on sale--and then try to talk to women about a ski that will meet their budget, their style of skiing and their type skiing (on piste, off piste or both) needs. Although I am biased to Elans because I have skied them for so long, I also try to talk about other skis as well. It is impossible to ignore the great skis that K2 produces for women, for instance.
Gee, it is nice to be talking about gear again---my addiction has been quiet over the summer, but I can feel my heart going pitter patter with happiness right now!!!
