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Need a nudge in my purchase

lalkire62

Diva in Training
I am purchasing ski as I’ve spent too much on rentals. I used to have my own but they are ages old. I skied every weekend for 20 years then took a 20 year break. Now I’m in my 3 season with 16 ski days a season. I have a epic pass and ski mostly Colorado
Im torn to which ski I should purchase.
im 60 years old 5.4” 145 lbs. I’m not bad to that fearless person I use to be but confident to try
I was leaning toward blizzard black pearl 88 or Nordica wild belle or Elan rip stick
Help me stop this excessive amount of time I’ve been spending reading & researching.
I’m back on slopes in 16 days.
thank you to all
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Welcome! My hiatus was about 30 years before I had a daughter who was old enough to start on skis. Turns out I'd married a man who is a non-skier for assorted reasons. I'm over 65 and having a blast skiing with friends these days.

Are you willing to invest a day doing a "personal demo day"? If you rent on the mountain, can usually take out 3-4 different skis and perhaps narrow down the best candidates fairly quickly. Can also check what length feels better.

Might be a bit early, but sometimes can buy a pair of demo skis you like for a discount. I did that for my last pair of all-mountain skis. I paid a little extra to have new regular bindings mounted instead of keeping the demo bindings. Demo bindings are heavier in weight. Do make it easier to sell skis later though.
 

Analisa

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Definitely time for skis!

All 3 skis are crowd-pleasers that a lot of people like, but there are a few differences.

-The Wild Belle line is a piste ski with enough versatility to get the job done elsewhere on the mountain. The BP88 and Ripstick 88 are more “true all mountain” skis that sacrifice a bit of groomer performance for float in powder or ease of tight turns in bumps and trees. The Santa Ana 84 or 88 would be more direct competitors to the BP & Ripstick.

-The BP88 has 2 sheets of metal in it, so it’s gonna be more stable at speed or in cruddy conditions when things get skied out or groomers get roughed up. Most skis with a lot of metal are really demanding, but Blizzard worked some kind of magic where the BP88 seems accessible to low intermediates while also making the top end of the ski quite high for aggressive / expert skiers. The weight can be more fatiguing though.

-The Ripstick is also a true all mountain ski, but it uses carbon instead of metal in the laminates. That makes the skis lighter and more maneuverable. But the lighter weight doesn’t do as much to dampen out vibrations in inconsistent snow.

If you’re really split between the last 2 options, the Santa Ana line and K2 Mindbender 89Ti use a partial sheet of metal, so you get a compromise between stability and weight.
 

lalkire62

Diva in Training
Definitely time for skis!

All 3 skis are crowd-pleasers that a lot of people like, but there are a few differences.

-The Wild Belle line is a piste ski with enough versatility to get the job done elsewhere on the mountain. The BP88 and Ripstick 88 are more “true all mountain” skis that sacrifice a bit of groomer performance for float in powder or ease of tight turns in bumps and trees. The Santa Ana 84 or 88 would be more direct competitors to the BP & Ripstick.

-The BP88 has 2 sheets of metal in it, so it’s gonna be more stable at speed or in cruddy conditions when things get skied out or groomers get roughed up. Most skis with a lot of metal are really demanding, but Blizzard worked some kind of magic where the BP88 seems accessible to low intermediates while also making the top end of the ski quite high for aggressive / expert skiers. The weight can be more fatiguing though.

-The Ripstick is also a true all mountain ski, but it uses carbon instead of metal in the laminates. That makes the skis lighter and more maneuverable. But the lighter weight doesn’t do as much to dampen out vibrations in inconsistent snow.

If you’re really split between the last 2 options, the Santa Ana line and K2 Mindbender 89Ti use a partial sheet of metal, so you get a compromise between stability and weight.
Thank you. For stability less fatigue I’m hearing k2 or nordica Santa Ana.
not sure if you were a fan of the wild belle.
as for BP. They are still a contender
Help push me. Im usually very confident in my decision. I’ve researched too much & too long to make a confident choice
 

lalkire62

Diva in Training
Welcome! My hiatus was about 30 years before I had a daughter who was old enough to start on skis. Turns out I'd married a man who is a non-skier for assorted reasons. I'm over 65 and having a blast skiing with friends these days.

Are you willing to invest a day doing a "personal demo day"? If you rent on the mountain, can usually take out 3-4 different skis and perhaps narrow down the best candidates fairly quickly. Can also check what length feels better.

Might be a bit early, but sometimes can buy a pair of demo skis you like for a discount. I did that for my last pair of all-mountain skis. I paid a little extra to have new regular bindings mounted instead of keeping the demo bindings. Demo bindings are heavier in weight. Do make it easier to sell skis later though.
I have been doing Demos but I have had the lumen quest 92. Wasn’t great I was very fatigued early in day.
for what I have spent in rentals lately I could own 2 complete sets.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I have been doing Demos but I have had the lumen quest 92. Wasn’t great I was very fatigued early in day.
for what I have spent in rentals lately I could own 2 complete sets.
Renting demo skis for a full day of skiing is different from spending a day doing nothing but trying out potential models. During a personal demo day, what I do is take out several different skis for at most two runs each. Then I switch to another pair. When I go back to the shop, I may already have an idea of the next pair I want to try, or I'll discuss my reaction to the skis I'm returning and get suggestions for what to try next. Spent a day at Big Sky doing a personal demo day before I bought the original Black Pearl from a Ski Diva during the summer. I took out the BP first thing, tried a bunch of other skis, and then took the BP out again last and skied it on more types of terrain.

It's the same idea as a free demo day where there are multiple tents set up by reps.

A few destination resorts have a demo center on the mountain, but usually only have skis from one brand. Jackson Hole has a demo center near the base of the Casper lift and the cost is $10 (was there a few years ago).

I like to demo even when I'm not really shopping for new skis. Then I know what to rent if that's needed, or when to jump on a deal during the off-season. Didn't use to have more than one pair of skis until I started reading TheSkiDiva more. :smile:

Alta Demo Day, April 2019
Alta Demo Day 2019  - 1.jpg
 

Jgolson

Diva in Training
I demo'd black pearls 6 years ago and fell in love. I purchased BP 88s the next season and I haven't regretted the purchase. I loved them so much my 86 year old mother demos them when she skis. They perform well in all conditions and terrains. I have never felt extreme fatigue and if I do it is because I have skied to much that day.
 

ballen

Certified Ski Diva
I demoed BP 88s in Colorado a couple years ago and had a blast with them. I ultimately decided to get the BP 82s because I mostly ski Midwest and we don’t get much powder. Been super happy with them.
 

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