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My First Demo Day!

HikenSki

Angel Diva
I played hooky from work today to hit up the demo day not far from my house at Whitetail Resort in PA. We were expecting warmer than normal temps - mid 50s with clouds. Upon arrival the clouds departed, the temp rose from upper 30s straight into the 50s. I was looking to basically try all the brands in their upper 80s/low 90s width in the softer, bumpier snow we were expecting for the day, conditions I struggle with on my too soft and short Thrilluvit 85s. I should have expected ,based on reviews by other folks, that women skis in the upper 160s/low 170s would not be available for my 5'10" height. I was ok trying mens versions so long as construction was similar and they had my size. Of course, most of the mens came in upper 170s/low 180s. URGH! High on my list to try were the Rossi 88, BP88, Sheeva 9, QST 93, and Santa Ana 93. The only one on my list that even came close to my desired lengths was the Rossi 88Ti in mens 173.

Up first was the Aira 84 in a 165. I knew it was going to be too short and it was. Thought it uninspiring. Would be interested in trying the 172 if I was looking for a mid-80s ski.

Then came the Rossi 88Ti - Tried the womens in a 166 and liked it but thought it short, so went to the mens in a 173 and really liked! It cut through the bumps, layed over nicely, and cruised along. It was akin to a Cadillac for me. Comfy and predictable, not exactly fun per se but it was light and the skiing was easy. Went back to try it again as last ski of the day and still felt the same. Could see myself buying these and being content.

No Elan skis in my lengths except for the Ripstick 96 in a 174. Widest ski I have ever been on to date. I had a surprising bit of fun running over the bumps. Turning and getting on edge was easy. Was pretty lightweight too, kinda surfy. Just wider than I am looking for.

2020 Dynastar Legend 88 in a 173. Skied pretty similarly to the Rossi 88 but just didn't wow me. Got the job done but felt lighter and skittish when I pushed it.

Atomic Vantage 90T in 169. Just Meh. It was on the stiffer side and cut through the bumps. I had no problems driving it, but it just lacked that fun factor.

2020 Head Core W93 in 171 - Wow, wow, wow! Just loved this ski. Second run had me yelling out "Wahoo!" as I popped out of the turns, surfed over the bumps, smeared and drove them. They inspired me to really push it and have some fun. Wish I could have played on these all day to see what they can do.

It was a fun yet tiring day of trying out new skis, finding what I like/don't like. Just wish there had been more options for me in the skis I was looking to try. Would be great to try out the Rossi 88 and Core W in colder temps to see how they do. I don't need hard snow carvers, just ones that can handle mixed snow/bumps/spring crud with ease.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Rossi and Dynastar are sister companies. So they are sharing technologies Not surprised if you're weren't wow'd by Rossi, the Dynastar's didn't fit.

I skied my Atomic 95C's today. A little softer than the 90's. Can't wait to try the Head Core series.
 

lisamamot

Angel Diva
@HikenSki , the Head Kore 93 is a whole lot of fun. Glad you liked it! I I also did not care for the new Atomic Vantage 90 - not sure what they did to it but I used to love it - I demoed it in the 170 recently and found it super stiff and not my speed at all.

I feel you on the tall girl demo issues. I am surprised Nordica didn't bring the Santa Anas in the 177 - they usually do a good job of bringing the longer skis.
 

HikenSki

Angel Diva
I feel you on the tall girl demo issues. I am surprised Nordica didn't bring the Santa Anas in the 177 - they usually do a good job of bringing the longer skis.
Most of the venders had 2020 versions to demo and a few mentioned they only had available what they got from the manufacturer so far. This was the case with the Blizzard and Nordica reps. Interestingly, Blizzard and Nordica share the same factory. Salomon had few QST models to demo as well. I was hesitant to jump up to 177 in the mens models when I have been skiing on 163 and 169.
 

lisamamot

Angel Diva
@HikenSki - I get you on the 177. With the metal in the Santa Ana now I am not sure I would go up to the 177 either but I would be willing to try; I own the pre-metal Santa Ana 100 177 (I am 5’9/140ish). If you get a chance try the Blizzard Rustler 9 172 (if the Sheeva 9 172 is not available) - I am not sure what type of ski you like but I am crushing on my Sheeva 9s.
 

HikenSki

Angel Diva
Would really like to try the Sheeva 9s and the SA 93s, but no one around here has the Sheeva or SAs to demo in my desired size. Seems most shops around here have upper 70s/low 80s for day rentals or only have short womens/long mens to demo. Urgh. I am unable get away to a further resort to try another demo day. Don't want to plunk down some serious money on skis that I don't know if will work for me (ie. the Kanjos I just gifted to my husband) and when I am only getting in maybe 15 days a year here in the Mid-Atlantic. I am contemplating just getting my current Thrilluvits in the next size up for cheap, or jumping up to the Alluvit 88 in the 170 for a similar but beefier feel.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Would really like to try the Sheeva 9s and the SA 93s, but no one around here has the Sheeva or SAs to demo in my desired size. Seems most shops around here have upper 70s/low 80s for day rentals or only have short womens/long mens to demo. Urgh. I am unable get away to a further resort to try another demo day. Don't want to plunk down some serious money on skis that I don't know if will work for me (ie. the Kanjos I just gifted to my husband) and when I am only getting in maybe 15 days a year here in the Mid-Atlantic. I am contemplating just getting my current Thrilluvits in the next size up for cheap, or jumping up to the Alluvit 88 in the 170 for a similar but beefier feel.
I don't know if this helps or not, but REI has a FANTASTIC return policy. You can even return drilled skis if you don't like them for up to a year from the purchase date. So if you really want to try a ski in a longer length but don't want to lose money, that is an option.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
**note: I'm not suggesting treating REI like a demo tent and just trying a bunch of their skis and returning them. More like...."I liked this ski in the shorter length, and am pretty confident I would LOVE it in the longer length, but if that isn't the case I need an out."
 

HikenSki

Angel Diva
I don't know if this helps or not, but REI has a FANTASTIC return policy. You can even return drilled skis if you don't like them for up to a year from the purchase date. So if you really want to try a ski in a longer length but don't want to lose money, that is an option.
We are REI members. Our local shop Sun and Ski has a similar return policy- if you don't like a ski you can use the cost towards another one. No refund though, but they understand a ski they match you up with might not jive.
 

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