Mrs Hutchins
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I can agree with this completely. I think a lot of my chatter problem was that the skis were a tad short. They just weren't right for me at high speeds.
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I can agree with this completely. I think a lot of my chatter problem was that the skis were a tad short. They just weren't right for me at high speeds.
Liquid Yellow
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm replying in here, rather than starting a new thread as I got to try the Yumis for a day from a ski hire shop. Length was 161, and they were the pink ones, probably the 2012/2013 version.
They were not the ski for me!
This is sort of what I found. I liked how light they were, as they were fun for doing little jumps on and they didn't wear my legs out. They turned easily enough and carved quite nicely but there was nothing inspiring about them.
What I really hated was their performance on hard snow/boilerplate. Absolutely USELESS. They had no edge grip at all, which was really quite scary on a steep, icy red.
This is not a ski for you east coast skiers, it very much prefers the soft stuff. It's a soft ski, and it doesn't like to be driven too hard or fast.
As I side note, I tried 4 skis in total. After the Yumi's they gave me a pair of men's Head Superhape Titan skis. They weighed an absolute ton and I hated them. Then they gave me a pair of crappy Elan beginner's skis which were so squirrely, they were uncontrollable and I couldn't wait to take them back. Finally I ended up on a pair of 74 waist Salomon women's carvers of some sort and they were fine. I can't wait to get my Black Pearls on! I didn't take them because there was so little snow, I didn't want to ruin them (good decision as it turned out, there were lots of stones).
They were not the ski for me!
This is sort of what I found. I liked how light they were, as they were fun for doing little jumps on and they didn't wear my legs out. They turned easily enough and carved quite nicely but there was nothing inspiring about them.
What I really hated was their performance on hard snow/boilerplate. Absolutely USELESS. They had no edge grip at all, which was really quite scary on a steep, icy red.
This is not a ski for you east coast skiers, it very much prefers the soft stuff. It's a soft ski, and it doesn't like to be driven too hard or fast.
As I side note, I tried 4 skis in total. After the Yumi's they gave me a pair of men's Head Superhape Titan skis. They weighed an absolute ton and I hated them. Then they gave me a pair of crappy Elan beginner's skis which were so squirrely, they were uncontrollable and I couldn't wait to take them back. Finally I ended up on a pair of 74 waist Salomon women's carvers of some sort and they were fine. I can't wait to get my Black Pearls on! I didn't take them because there was so little snow, I didn't want to ruin them (good decision as it turned out, there were lots of stones).
lisamamot
Angel Diva
I own the Yumi in a too short 161; At 5'9" 135-140 pounds, I absolutely should have been on the 168, despite several shop guys telling me otherwise. That said, I find them lively, turny, responsive, and a ton of fun; like all Volkls I think they bite the ice very well. They are a lightweight, soft flex ski, so you will feel boiler plate and frozen crud....you need a much stiffer ski to shield you from that. I recently demoed the Kenja and loved it as a tough, do anything ski - think 3 day event horse - the Yumi is a more delicate stadium jumper. I appreciate both skis, but they are entirely different creatures.
Once I learned (post purchase and use) that they would not be my speed, frozen hardpack ski, I save them for softer days; they also inspire me to venture into bumps and trees. I intend to share them with my teen daughter to help her out of her groomer comfort zone as well. They did not turn out to be a single east coast ski for me.
Once I learned (post purchase and use) that they would not be my speed, frozen hardpack ski, I save them for softer days; they also inspire me to venture into bumps and trees. I intend to share them with my teen daughter to help her out of her groomer comfort zone as well. They did not turn out to be a single east coast ski for me.
Liquid Yellow
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've found a pic of them, they were the ones 2nd from right. Anyone know what they are? I think they're old-ish, maybe 2011.
maggie198
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've found a pic of them, they were the ones 2nd from right. Anyone know what they are? I think they're old-ish, maybe 2011.
Liquid Yellow
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ahh thanks Maggie. Yeah, they were fine for the rest of the week, they coped pretty well with pistes which were sheet ice on one day!
SkadiSkiGrrl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OK. The great reviews of the YUMI are good too hear! In a panic to buy a present for my partner I jumped into a ski shop on Beacon Hill and splurged on a GORGEOUS Dale of Norway sweater with antler toggles and all the trappings of a classic Norwegian sweater. He, of course, hated it. I tried to return it and found out that the store on issues merchandise credit--EVER!! So, poor me. I was stuck with a $600 credit...
with which I bought a pair of these skis, 154s as well, on sale, with the bindings!
That banana on skis really captures how I feel right now. I have been wanting to buy a new pair, and save money on all the performance rentals I am blowing my money on. I really loved the Salomon Origins Lava partial rockered all-mountain skis, and wanted those, ideally, but the store only carries Kastle, Völkl, and Blizzard. I also like the K2 Love Potions but they are made in China and I am just not going to do it. The Black Pearls were sold out (I kinda wanted those) and the Kastle only came in traditional camber, so, the Yumis won the day. They have all I want in a ski (I hope they are ok on New England ice) and come with great reviews. I look forward to trying them out for myself. (FYI, the store will give me store credit if they don't work out, minus the cost of a performance ski package or $40.)
with which I bought a pair of these skis, 154s as well, on sale, with the bindings!
That banana on skis really captures how I feel right now. I have been wanting to buy a new pair, and save money on all the performance rentals I am blowing my money on. I really loved the Salomon Origins Lava partial rockered all-mountain skis, and wanted those, ideally, but the store only carries Kastle, Völkl, and Blizzard. I also like the K2 Love Potions but they are made in China and I am just not going to do it. The Black Pearls were sold out (I kinda wanted those) and the Kastle only came in traditional camber, so, the Yumis won the day. They have all I want in a ski (I hope they are ok on New England ice) and come with great reviews. I look forward to trying them out for myself. (FYI, the store will give me store credit if they don't work out, minus the cost of a performance ski package or $40.)Pinky Smash
Certified Ski Diva
I want to try skiing. Thanks for the information.
lisamamot
Angel Diva
OK. The great reviews of the YUMI are good too hear! In a panic to buy a present for my partner I jumped into a ski shop on Beacon Hill and splurged on a GORGEOUS Dale of Norway sweater with antler toggles and all the trappings of a classic Norwegian sweater. He, of course, hated it. I tried to return it and found out that the store on issues merchandise credit--EVER!! So, poor me. I was stuck with a $600 credit...
with which I bought a pair of these skis, 154s as well, on sale, with the bindings!
I own the Yumi and it is a ton of fun, just wish I had gotten the length right. I purchased the 161 and should have gotten the 168. One of those intro to ski length lessons - several shop guys told me no way did I want the 168, and that the 161 would be perfect. Alas, at 5'9" <140# I clearly am better suited to the 168.
BeSki
Certified Ski Diva
I demoed the Yumi in 160 and didn't love it enough to buy it. Now I know why.....
When I picked up my new BPs in 173, the shop guy (shorter than me, maybe my age, but probably heavier) kinda rolled his eyes and said That's A LOT of ski! I told him that I had already skied the Bushwacker in 173. He still thought I wouldn't be able to ski it. So I just told him that the price was right and let it go at that....ha ha! I hope I can ski'em!
So therein lies part of the problem. I think women are steered towards shorter skis than men and lower performance skis than men. Like many of you, I have probably demoed more skis and owned more skis than many sales people. Like many of you, I pore over ski magazines, read obsessively online and wait anxiously each season for any new advances/changes, so I often know more about the ski that I am looking to buy than the guy selling it. Viva SkiDiva!
SkadiSkiGrrl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am 5'4" and find the rocker in this ski enables you to go a lot longer. Is there anyway you can point out to them that their advice was wrong and that you want to exchange them for the 168s? I would try. You never know.
SkadiSkiGrrl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Unconventional, I know. A ski diva always finds a way.
SkadiSkiGrrl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Tell him, "Yes, a lot of ski, for a lot of woman. Gotta problem with that?" So, what didn't you love about the Yumi? Just curious.
lisamamot
Angel Diva
The Yumi has an early rise tip rocker and it doesn't have tail rocker, just a slightly flared semi twin; that said, any way you cut it, it is too short for me. In terms of a refund, I had three different shops tell me the same thing, and I wasn't informed enough at the time to say otherwise. Lesson learned. Right now my daughter is using them as a transitional length ski for her, so we're satisfied with the use we are getting out of them. They will likely be parted with next season and make someone else very happy
A very pink face for my very pink Yumi.
BeSki
Certified Ski Diva
[NOTE="SkadiSkiGrrl, post: 282875, member: 4455"]Tell him, "Yes, a lot of ski, for a lot of woman. Gotta problem with that?" So, what didn't you love about the Yumi? Just curious.[/QUOTE]
In my head, I just said like that ski T-shirt: YOU PROBABLY WISH YOUR GIRLFRIEND SKIED LIKE ME.
Ha ha! But maybe not.....wait till I try them!
In my head, I just said like that ski T-shirt: YOU PROBABLY WISH YOUR GIRLFRIEND SKIED LIKE ME.
Ha ha! But maybe not.....wait till I try them!
BeSki
Certified Ski Diva
[QUOTEi"SkadiSkiGrrl, post: 282875, member: 4455"]Tell him, "Yes, a lot of ski, for a lot of woman. Gotta problem with that?" So, what didn't you love about the Yumi? Just curious.[/QUOTE]
I demoed the Yumi, the Atomic Pure, and the Viva last year on an icy day at Sugarloaf. At the time, I owned Kenjas, Bushwackers and Fischer RX8s. For this demo, the benchmark was the Kenjas.
When I demo, I have a set routine of runs close to a high-speed quad for maximum runs in minimal time. The first run is a long, easy trail. If there are no issues, I move over to a slightly more difficult trail with a nice little pitch near the end followed by a long runout. If the demo skis are not an improvement in some way over my current skis, on to the next pair....
The Yumi were fun on the easiest trail. Sadly, I chose to bail onto a cutoff to the terrain park rather than ski them on the little pitch on the second run. They felt noodley. They did not have nearly the edge hold that the Kenjas had and I did not trust them to get me through the icy stuff yet to come. Disappointing, as I had such high expectations based on magazine rankings.....
The Pures lasted just one run....Meh.... The Vivas lasted three. None of them were an improvement for me on the Kenjas as far as stability, edge hold and fun factor.
For what its worth, the Wild Belle is the only ski that I have ever demoed that I went straight to the tough (for me) stuff, without an intermediary step. It was that confidence-inspiring! The WBs replaced the Kenjas and the RX8s. For me, the WB had as good edge hold as the Kenjas, was more stable, more nimble, more forgiving and more fun! It became my new benchmark ski.
I demoed the Yumi, the Atomic Pure, and the Viva last year on an icy day at Sugarloaf. At the time, I owned Kenjas, Bushwackers and Fischer RX8s. For this demo, the benchmark was the Kenjas.
When I demo, I have a set routine of runs close to a high-speed quad for maximum runs in minimal time. The first run is a long, easy trail. If there are no issues, I move over to a slightly more difficult trail with a nice little pitch near the end followed by a long runout. If the demo skis are not an improvement in some way over my current skis, on to the next pair....
The Yumi were fun on the easiest trail. Sadly, I chose to bail onto a cutoff to the terrain park rather than ski them on the little pitch on the second run. They felt noodley. They did not have nearly the edge hold that the Kenjas had and I did not trust them to get me through the icy stuff yet to come. Disappointing, as I had such high expectations based on magazine rankings.....
The Pures lasted just one run....Meh.... The Vivas lasted three. None of them were an improvement for me on the Kenjas as far as stability, edge hold and fun factor.
For what its worth, the Wild Belle is the only ski that I have ever demoed that I went straight to the tough (for me) stuff, without an intermediary step. It was that confidence-inspiring! The WBs replaced the Kenjas and the RX8s. For me, the WB had as good edge hold as the Kenjas, was more stable, more nimble, more forgiving and more fun! It became my new benchmark ski.
