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Need some advice on ski purchase!

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
I'm days away (:thumbsup:!!!) from buying a new pair of skis. I've skiied since I could walk and did a fair bit of racing. With that, I'm mostly a groomer skiier and haven't skiied on anything wider than 73 underfoot. I'm 173cm tall, and weigh about 145 pounds.

I've recently moved out West, and fallen back in love with skiing after a 10 year or so hiatus. I've decided a new pair of skis is worth it. Also decided that having the mixed snow conditions we have here, and wanting the ability to ski powder when I can, I'd like to get a ski that's in the 90 underfoot range to get more of an all-mountain experience. This is where the choice comes in....

After a bit of shopping, I have the following two options:

1) Demo'ed Volkl Secrets (163, 92 underfoot) with Marker Squire TCX demo bindings. The skis are in great condition (saw them), tech told me they have only been tuned once and haven't been skiied on more than 3 days. They're selling for 600 CAD with the bindings, which seems like a good deal (as the skis alone retail for 850), but I've never bought demo skis before!
2) Faction Progidy 1.0X (last year's; 164, 90 underfoot) with whatever binding I want to buy. Flat skis alone would be $380, bindings probably about 150-200 in the ones I was looking at.

What do you ladies think would be the best option for me? Are demo bindings as bad as people say? Is that a crazy price for a demo ski? I'm not a crazy aggressive skiier. I still plan on skiing groomers, but just want a more versatile ski and something I will have a ton of fun with.
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
No answers, just a question. Have you demoed the Faction?
As far as demo bindings go, I like them. They have gotten better, lighter over the past few years. And when the time comes, it makes re-sale easier. Or just sharing with friends.
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
I haven't demo-ed either of them :( I know I probably should, but won't be able to until after Jan and I'd like to buy skis prior to that!

Good point on the demo bindings, thanks!

edit: @diymom , sorry, forgot to reply directly!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I'm days away (:thumbsup:!!!) from buying a new pair of skis. I've skiied since I could walk and did a fair bit of racing. With that, I'm mostly a groomer skiier and haven't skiied on anything wider than 73 underfoot. I'm 173cm tall, and weigh about 145 pounds.

I've recently moved out West, and fallen back in love with skiing after a 10 year or so hiatus. I've decided a new pair of skis is worth it. Also decided that having the mixed snow conditions we have here, and wanting the ability to ski powder when I can, I'd like to get a ski that's in the 90 underfoot range to get more of an all-mountain experience. This is where the choice comes in....
Welcome! I presume your new home mountain is somewhere in Alberta?

What do you ladies think would be the best option for me? Are demo bindings as bad as people say? Is that a crazy price for a demo ski? I'm not a crazy aggressive skiier. I still plan on skiing groomers, but just want a more versatile ski and something I will have a ton of fun with.
Can't help with choosing between the two options. Haven't been on either and no in your size category. But demo bindings are fine, especially for the first pair of good skis in a while. That's what I had for the first two pairs of skis I bought as I started skiing more regularly after skiing very little as a working adult. Definitely made it easier to find those skis new homes when I was ready to move on after 2-3 years. Demo bindings ski fine. Just makes the skis a little heavier for the parking lot carry.
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
Welcome! I presume your new home mountain is somewhere in Alberta?


Can't help with choosing between the two options. Haven't been on either and no in your size category. But demo bindings are fine, especially for the first pair of good skis in a while. That's what I had for the first two pairs of skis I bought as I started skiing more regularly after skiing very little as a working adult. Definitely made it easier to find those skis new homes when I was ready to move on after 2-3 years. Demo bindings ski fine. Just makes the skis a little heavier for the parking lot carry.

Being in Calgary, I'd say my new home mountains are in AB and interior BC. Such great skiing, so close, it's hard to pick one!

Thanks for the binding info. I think I'm leaning towards the Volkls, I've always skiied on those so I think it may be a better fit (maybe not for my wallet, though!). Would you say there's anything to look out for when buying demos? I'm going to go in tomorrow to take a look at them again!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Thanks for the binding info. I think I'm leaning towards the Volkls, I've always skiied on those so I think it may be a better fit (maybe not for my wallet, though!). Would you say there's anything to look out for when buying demos? I'm going to go in tomorrow to take a look at them again!
Just the standard idea of looking at the bases. Not usually much of a worry buying demo skis from a good shop.

Since you'll be going from 73 underfoot to around 90, taking a lesson might be useful. Depending on what your natural stance is, having an instructor take a look and tweak your technique should shorten the adjustment period. Especially since you are interested in exploring soft snow beyond groomers.
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
Just the standard idea of looking at the bases. Not usually much of a worry buying demo skis from a good shop.

Since you'll be going from 73 underfoot to around 90, taking a lesson might be useful. Depending on what your natural stance is, having an instructor take a look and tweak your technique should shorten the adjustment period. Especially since you are interested in exploring soft snow beyond groomers.

And the pricing seems fair to you? Quick stalking shows you're in the states, but I imagine ski costs are relatively similar!

Good tip! Is it that noticeable of a jump? I'm hoping that it'll be a pretty easy transition, especially when staying on groomers at first, but a lesson would definitely be worthwhile as well. I'll look into it. Thanks again :smile:
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
And the pricing seems fair to you? Quick stalking shows you're in the states, but I imagine ski costs are relatively similar!
@diymom has a much better sense of the cost of used skis than I do. In general, my sense is that skis from last season and in the US$500-600 range are a decent price.

Going more than 5mm wider will be noticeable. Not necessarily difficult, but definitely a bit different. The turn radius between 73mm skis and ~90mm skis are usually pretty different. Could be 12m compared to 16m.

If you can get on the slopes before Christmas, sometimes an intermediate group lesson can sometimes turn into a solo lesson.

Perhaps @Jilly will stop by. She's not only in Canada, she's an instructor with experience skiing in the east and west.
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
@diymom has a much better sense of the cost of used skis than I do. In general, my sense is that skis from last season and in the US$500-600 range are a decent price.

Going more than 5mm wider will be noticeable. Not necessarily difficult, but definitely a bit different. The turn radius between 73mm skis and ~90mm skis are usually pretty different. Could be 12m compared to 16m.

If you can get on the slopes before Christmas, sometimes an intermediate group lesson can sometimes turn into a solo lesson.

Perhaps @Jilly will stop by. She's not only in Canada, she's an instructor with experience skiing in the east and west.

Thank you for the helpful advice. I already feel welcome here!
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi! welcome, I have atomic cloud 11's they are 71 under foot and Renoun Z-90's, 90 under foot, yes it feels weird to swap the skis out. The 90's are like skiing a buick such a big platform under my feet they still make small short turns and have been my 1 ski quiver in all conditions. My Atomics are like an indy race car, twitchy, fast turning but not any room for error, I still take them out on groomer zoomer days. I haven't had knee pain that many complain about on fatter skis.

I agree w/staying w/ a ski company who's skis you love. But if you can try Atomics you may like their skis- the Vantage skis are very nice. Blizzard makes some nice skis too. SO many skis, I hope you have fun demoing and find the perfect pair!
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
@skiingalberta94 - I think the Völkl Secret would be great ski to get you back into the sport. I don't know much about the Faction ski you’re looking at, so can’t really comment on that one. However, at your size, and with your background, I would not hesitate to go longer. I would even recommend you going with a longer ski. For the type of skis you’re looking at, somewhere between 168-175 would probably be better. I think you’ll find yourself wanting a more stable platform relatively quickly. A longer ski will give you that. If you can find the 170 Secret for a good deal, I’d jump on it.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Hello and welcome to our world!! My daily driver here in the east is a tuned down race ski. 68mm under foot. Rossi Hero ST Carbon's. But for out west its the Atomic Vantage 95C.

Watch ya doin Friday the 22nd. I'm looking for a ski buddy for Sunshine or Louise that day. I'll be heading out from Calgary where I'm spending the week teaching our industry school. I'll be renting something as I'm not lugging out skis for a weekend of skiing.

On the original request, I know nothing about either of these skis. But wider is better out there.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Jilly, I'm curious. Thread drift here: what do you teach and who do you teach it to in that "industry school?" I don't know what industry school means.
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
@skiingalberta94 - I think the Völkl Secret would be great ski to get you back into the sport. I don't know much about the Faction ski you’re looking at, so can’t really comment on that one. However, at your size, and with your background, I would not hesitate to go longer. I would even recommend you going with a longer ski. For the type of skis you’re looking at, somewhere between 168-175 would probably be better. I think you’ll find yourself wanting a more stable platform relatively quickly. A longer ski will give you that. If you can find the 170 Secret for a good deal, I’d jump on it.


I was wondering about the length. I am not an aggressive skiier, however, so I didn't think 170s would be necessary for me (don't think they have any in that length at my local ski ship either). The skis I currently have are 163 Volkls (but 73 underfoot), so I thought that length would be fine.....looking online it does seem like most people suggest longer :/
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Too bad you won’t have a chance to demo first, there are so many nice skis to try in that waist width.
I agree that you might want to go longer. I’m only 162cm, intermediate, and my skis range from 160 to 163.

Price wise the deal on the Secret sounds good. That would be about $450 US, and the lowest I’m seeing online (other sizes) is $450-500 but for flat skis. If they have only been out a few times, it sounds like a fair price.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
@Jilly, I'm curious. Thread drift here: what do you teach and who do you teach it to in that "industry school?" I don't know what industry school means.

Not ski related. My real work. This particular course is called FDAI. Fire and egress door assembly inspector. Normally I get something like: introduction to specification writing. All are with the Doors and Hardware Institute.

Back to skis....My Atomics are 171 I think. I'm only 5'4. My Hero's are 161 because of the rocker tip. My new Nordica's are back to 154, no piste rocker on those babies. So for our American friends..5'8 is her height. @skiingalberta94 would your local shop let you demo anything?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I was wondering about the length. I am not an aggressive skiier, however, so I didn't think 170s would be necessary for me (don't think they have any in that length at my local ski ship either). The skis I currently have are 163 Volkls (but 73 underfoot), so I thought that length would be fine.....looking online it does seem like most people suggest longer :/
How much do you know about tip and tail rocker? Wider skis usually have a lot more than skis under 75 underfoot. The "effective length" is the length of the edges that are actually on the snow surface.

Once I got to the point of having a 2-ski quiver, the difference in length between my narrow skis and all-mountain skis was about 10cm. For skis that I rent for deep powder, they can be another 5cm longer.

You'll find comments in various past threads from taller women that they end up liking unisex or men's skis better because they can't find women's models in an appropriate length. In some cases, the men's model is identical in design and materials but comes in different lengths and has a different top sheet graphic.
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
How much do you know about tip and tail rocker? Wider skis usually have a lot more than skis under 75 underfoot. The "effective length" is the length of the edges that are actually on the snow surface.

Once I got to the point of having a 2-ski quiver, the difference in length between my narrow skis and all-mountain skis was about 10cm. For skis that I rent for deep powder, they can be another 5cm longer.

You'll find comments in various past threads from taller women that they end up liking unisex or men's skis better because they can't find women's models in an appropriate length. In some cases, the men's model is identical in design and materials but comes in different lengths and has a different top sheet graphic.

Not much. They're old skis (https://www.skimag.com/gear/volkl-attiva-ac2-2006). I really do not plan on using these skis in TOO much powder, mostly mixed snow conditions on groomed trails :smile:
 

skiingalberta94

Diva in Training
Hello and welcome to our world!! My daily driver here in the east is a tuned down race ski. 68mm under foot. Rossi Hero ST Carbon's. But for out west its the Atomic Vantage 95C.

Watch ya doin Friday the 22nd. I'm looking for a ski buddy for Sunshine or Louise that day. I'll be heading out from Calgary where I'm spending the week teaching our industry school. I'll be renting something as I'm not lugging out skis for a weekend of skiing.

On the original request, I know nothing about either of these skis. But wider is better out there.

I'm back out east on the 22nd for about a week unfortunately! Do let me know of future trips!
 

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