Cambridge Kate
Certified Ski Diva
Hi all, I recently demoed the Nordica Olympia Victory skis in 154 and 163 at Killington. Conditions were thin snow cover (why wreck my newly tuned ski bases when I could demo?) but soft and soon bumped up. I had read up on various women's skis that would work on and off piste, wanted something with a waist at least 71 cm. These Nordicas were at the top of my short list along with the Dynastar Exclusive Legend and the Fischer Vision 73.
I'm 5'6", 120 lbs., 54 yrs. old. Currently I'm on Dynastar Intuitiv 71's at 167 cm length. They've been a real fine ski but the older I get the less ski I want to move around on the slope all day long. And I thought a shorter ski might make the glades more fun. I told the guy at the demo counter that I thought the 163's would be right for me. He said, well, maybe, but they only come in 3 sizes now (last year was 5 sizes) and that's the longest one so why not try the 154's first? So I took them through the bumps and tried out short turns and long cruising highspeed turns.
These skis were big fun! Very zippy, lively, and absolutely solid at speed. They popped up out of turns and held steady if I wanted to GS down the cruisers. I started to think I could actually handle bumps, kinda sorta. They only required the whispered suggestion to initiate a turn. Very forgiving too, although I think they really came to life with a strong ski style. I played on them for 4 hours and didn't want to go back and demo anything else.
Finally at the end of the day I took them back and asked to try the longer skis. Two runs convinced me that small is beautiful. I never thought I'd be interested in a ski that short, but these are made to perform at that length. Nordica did a great job.
I looked around for a deal on a pair but found nothing below $750, anywhere. Then managed to locate one pair of last year's model (only difference is the graphics, and I think they did well to make changes) for $680 at the local ski shop. Not much of a bargain. But this week the shop had a post-Christmas 20% off sale. Eureka! The skis I wanted, new for $550!
I haven't tried them in off-trail conditions (that would be skiing in dirt right now in the East), but I think they will do fine in crud and powder. I can't wait to find out....
CK
I'm 5'6", 120 lbs., 54 yrs. old. Currently I'm on Dynastar Intuitiv 71's at 167 cm length. They've been a real fine ski but the older I get the less ski I want to move around on the slope all day long. And I thought a shorter ski might make the glades more fun. I told the guy at the demo counter that I thought the 163's would be right for me. He said, well, maybe, but they only come in 3 sizes now (last year was 5 sizes) and that's the longest one so why not try the 154's first? So I took them through the bumps and tried out short turns and long cruising highspeed turns.
These skis were big fun! Very zippy, lively, and absolutely solid at speed. They popped up out of turns and held steady if I wanted to GS down the cruisers. I started to think I could actually handle bumps, kinda sorta. They only required the whispered suggestion to initiate a turn. Very forgiving too, although I think they really came to life with a strong ski style. I played on them for 4 hours and didn't want to go back and demo anything else.
Finally at the end of the day I took them back and asked to try the longer skis. Two runs convinced me that small is beautiful. I never thought I'd be interested in a ski that short, but these are made to perform at that length. Nordica did a great job.
I looked around for a deal on a pair but found nothing below $750, anywhere. Then managed to locate one pair of last year's model (only difference is the graphics, and I think they did well to make changes) for $680 at the local ski shop. Not much of a bargain. But this week the shop had a post-Christmas 20% off sale. Eureka! The skis I wanted, new for $550!
I haven't tried them in off-trail conditions (that would be skiing in dirt right now in the East), but I think they will do fine in crud and powder. I can't wait to find out....
CK