Please help me choose an intermediate ski.

[mlt73]

Hello everyone,
First of all, I want to say that I stumbled upon this site a few weeks ago, and it's great that we have a forum to discuss our favorite winter activity! Glad to be a part of it!
I hope someone can help me decide on my next ski. I'm 5'1" and 120 lbs. I currently have Rossi Saphir skis that are 130s. I've been a very cautious skier until recently; the 130s were easy and manueverable, and were stable enough for my slow skiing.
Well, I just bought new boots that fit my wide foot perfectly (Atomic b70), and gave me much better ski control than the too-tight boots I used to wear. These last few ski trips have been eye-opening, as my skiing has improved dramatically with professionally fitted boots! I have also realized that my 130s are too short for speed. (In the past, I stuck to the shorter ski because I had a hard time skating in 140s without crossing the tips.)
I live in Indiana, so demos are not available; we only have hills. I believe I'm a level 6 skier and plan to improve with future lessons. I'm considering Atomic Hot Minx and K2 True Luv. Does anyone have any feedback about these skis or others that would help me progress to the next level without be too difficult to contol?
Also, since most women's skis start at 146, will it be a big difference from the shorter ski that I'm used to? Since I can't try before I buy, I really appreciate any help in deciding what to get. I'm hoping to find a deal online during the off-season so I'm ready to go this winter.
Thanks for your help!

 

[jaydog]

If you're improving that quickly, you want a ski that will give you room to grow. You'd outgrow a ski like the True Luv too quickly, especially if you consider yourself a 6 looking to improve. I'd recommend looking at the Fischer Vision line, maybe the Exhale or the Breeze. Divas with Fischers (myself included) can't say enough good things about them.

Jumping a size like that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I just went from a 158 to a 164 with no problem at all.

 

[mlt73]

Thanks for your help, Jaydog. I was considering those skis I mentioned because an article (written by a man) suggested those as good intermediate skis. It's good to have feedback from someone who actually uses the product they recommend. I'm looking into the Breeze and it seems like they're just what I need. Can't wait to try them out; if I don't get them before the snow melts this year, you know I'll be snapping them on in my living room just to imagine what they'll feel like next winter!

 

[Jilly]

I would look at the Hot Minx instead of the Cool. I haven't had a chance to try any of the Atomic except the Foxy Mama. But from the info I have from the shop I would go up a notch from the Cool. I'll second the Breeze to you!!

 

[toughgirl]

I'd go for the one luv's over the true luv's if you like K2... you'll out grow the true luv's too fast.

 

[mlt73]

Thanks for all your help, ladies. You know, deciding on the perfect ski is almost as bad as deciding on the perfect man! (Thankfully, I think I've got one of those decisions figured out.) Unfortunately, I never got to try many skis before I bought mine, so I don't really know what I like. I just used the rentals at the slopes, k2 and Rossi, and I assume that they were beginner skis.
I've been led to the Breeze several times, so I'm leaning in that direction. Are there any generalizations about the different manufacturers regarding things such as edge grip, ski weight, and ski flex? Or is that something that will be different with moving toward more advanced skis? What I mean is, are all skis for advanced intermediates going to be harder to flex, or will they all be heavier, or will they all require more precision to get on edge?

 

[nimbus]

Hello, mlt73! I'm another newbie here, so take that into consideration with my advice! We are very similar in size, and I find that my Volkl Attiva AC2's have helped me progress. (Help me here, Divas- the AC2's are now Luna's, right??) They are light skis, with an integrated binding--not wimpy, but I have no trouble flexing them. They ski through messy snow quite well- much better than my older skis. Last year I demo'd the AC3's, which I found too stiff for me. Not sure what kind of skier you are, of course- I try to be fairly aggressive within the limits of my middle-aged talents, but I don't feel like I outski this pair. They weren't so great in deep powder earlier this year (and neither was I :D ), but they do most conditions very well. They get on edge easily, but they won't punish you if you skid them a little.

 

[Kano]

Ladies here have been saying you'll outgrow the True Luvs pretty quickly, but I'm not so sure I agree with that! I thought I had, but I've been surprised by them this last month or so. They're taking me a whole lot of places I didn't think I could go with them, and doing a better job of it than I expected. On the other hand, they're definitely better on groomers than on anything else, so if you want to explore all that too, maybe something else -- I'm trying to make DH see that I need a second ski just because of that....

Kano

 

[TahoeJanine]

Hi, mlt73. I'm similar shape (5'2.5", 120-125 pounds, depending on my running season). I skied on the Atomic Hot Minx (145) all season until last week, and here's the deal: they are light and incredibly easy to turn. They are very narrow in the waist (66 millimeters under the foot), and it was absolutely no work to get them on edge. Their dramatic sidecut (fat at the top, narrow in the middle) make them ideal for short turns. They are also very lightweight.

Here's the downside. I described myself as an intermediate skier who liked to carve turns at moderate speed when I bought them, and they steered me to the Hot Minx. The problem was that the skis just didn't hold up on ice well; they chattered a lot. And, because I started skiing a lot better to these skis, I started skiing a lot faster, and to my chagrin, they were not fun at speed. Again, I got a lot of chatter. There was no "dampness"; I could feel every little chunk of ice underfoot.

Their shortness and lightness also reduced their braking power, so fast hockey stops weren't so fast and easy on the Hot Minx. I found myself making a lot more turns to slow down than I had to do on my previous skis.

Finally, they were absolutely miserable in powder. I just sunk and sunk and sunk and cursed.

So, if you are just getting comfortable with intermediate skiing, and you ski at a medium pace, and you're staying on groomed slopes that never get dumps of powder, then I do recommend the Hot Minx. I mean, I had fun in them. And I do have trouble turning heavy skis (Nordica Olympia Victory, Rossignol Attraxion).

TahoeJanine

 

[Caly]

hi there - the short post would be - me too... the long would be...

I'm 5'1 1/2" and about 123 lbs, skied for some years as a kid, then stopped for 20+ years (what was I thinking?!) and have slowly ramped back up over the past 6-7 years until this year I bought a bunch of gear including boots and spent 15 days at the mountain (a lot for me, but hoping for more next year).

This season, I progressed from cautious but comfortable on blues and slightly freaked on easy blacks to perfectly comfortable on all blues and easy blacks and happily testing my limits on steeper, bumpier terrain - would love to be able to join my more advanced people off the groomers. There are still days when the drive up and the altitude has tired me out and I want to do more relaxing runs, but in general I'm looking to up my skills and challenge myself. I'm decidedly intermediate, probably advanced intermediate.

Sorry I'm having a hard time articulating my ski style - I think I'm currently more of a carver, but aspire to off-piste also. I need something I can grow into as I feel I made lots of progress this year and plan to continue the trend next year.

All I've figured out is that I want a length equiv to a salomon 150-155 and want to be able to go faster.
(I skied Rossi unisex rentals (roc xx) in 148 (so fun, like ice skates, but no good at speed) and 158 (a bit long for me, especially on an icy day) and salomon scramblers 150 and 155 (the other kirkwood rentals - also ok for turns and ok for speed).

I was just given a birthday gift certificate. As I never did get a chance to demo anything besides salomon siam 10 153 - the only women specific skis I tried and right then decided I had to have women's skis, but didn't get a chance to try those again later in the season - I'm going to make my purchase at REI, who takes returns for any reason at all and is conveniently located near home, so my choices are limited to what they're offering online (they have more online than in store and do free delivery to the store).


so my choices are:
K2 T9 TRUE LUV (146 or 153)
DYNASTAR EXCLUSIVE LEGEND (152) - also need binding recos for these
DYNASTAR EXCLUSIVE FLUID (148, 153)
VOLKL ATTIVA AIRE (148 or 154)
Volkl Attiva Luna (149, 156)
Salomon Topaz (153)
(also available but technically out of price range:
K2 T:Nine Lotta Luv Skis (153)
K2 T:Nine Burnin' Luv Skis (146, 153)


last bit I should mention is that as I'm in california, it's mostly about powder and corduroy, some hard pack, rare crud.

I hope someone here can make sense of this - let me know if I should clarify.

much thanks!

 

[Jilly]

Topaz, is this year (08) version of the Siam 10. 150-153 would be a good lenght for your height and ability.

 

[TahoeJanine]

Caly,
We sound like the same type of skier. I bought some Roxy JoyRiders this year (apparently the same ski as the Rossignol Attraxion V) in 154 and had fun except in heavy powder and heavy crud.

Then, after reading all the positive reviews of K2 Lotta Luvs on this site, I found a 2007 pair in 153 for $450 and bought them without demoing them. I have skied on them about 5 times and love them too. They are a Lotta ski for me, so I know I can grow into them. Then are all mountain skis and can handle off piste stuff as well as transitions between powder, ice, and slush. They are damper than most carver skis, so when I skied over really crunchy stuff, they felt very secure and stable and held their edges very well. (Actually, I held their edges very well with my quads....) I was very confident on ice and hardpack with them--no chatter, no slipping.

I had the most fun on them in powder. In fact, after a snowstorm, I went to Alpine Meadow and skied on ungroomed runs in the morning with my JoyRiders (carvers), and I wasn't having all that much fun. Then I switched to the Lotta Luvs, which I had only skied on once before, and I had a blast.

Although they're considered expert, they're flexible and forgiving enough for me. They are fairly easy to turn, although not as easy to turn as the JoyRiders. The only time they felt awkward was when I was attempting to turn at slow speeds in slush. They just didn't want to turn or snowplow on a crowded trail. They prefer higher speeds.

I haven't tried the Salomons. Your REI has a lot of choices! The REIs in the Sacramento area have nothing left.

Good luck!

 

[Caly]

thanks for your replies.

REI's online selection has been pared down and I'm feeling pressure to order before the ones I want are no longer available, as my size is gone from a few of my previous options already. besides what if it snows once more?

so maybe I can get one more round of opinions now that it's down to:

K2 true luv 153, dynastar exclusive legend 152 or volkl luna 149

my specific concerns:
integrated or not bindings?
the weight of the true luvs and the possibility of outgrowing them quickly, and are the volkls too short for me?
[in barefeet to my nose measures 148 cm, adding 5 cm/2" for boots makes it 153, depending on how the ski's measured - volkl's website says I should use the 149, but their sizing chart on rei.com puts me on the 156]

volkls and dyn legends are neck and neck. the dynastars, based on the lightest weight of these and some rave reviews by women on here, and the volkls based on skipressworld.com reviews, but there's the size question. the k2s have also gotten great reviews in various places and they're the best looking ones of the 3 (obviously that's at the very bottom of the considerations) but I don't want to have to buy new skis again in a year.

any help greatly appreciated!

 

[cmc2222]

Hi Caly,
I have the Volkl Lunas and they are great. I love them and they have helped me progress very fast. I think Volkls ski short but volklgirl may be able to tell you for sure, thus I would think the 156s may be better for you if you were comfortable with the Roxy 154s.
Also, I demoed K2 one luvs but felt that they were a bit soft compared to the volkls.

 

[mtnbikegirl]

The only time they felt awkward was when I was attempting to turn at slow speeds in slush. They just didn't want to turn or snowplow on a crowded trail. They prefer higher speeds.

I had the same experience with the Lotta's I was trying to snowplow with the kids and boy was that tough. Slow speeds in slush was also tough. These babies definately was to run.

 

[IntheClouds]

There are a lot of good skis out there. I kept thinking I'd outgrown my 153 true luvs this year. But, as I get better I get more out of them. Last week their were just fine on an off piste side of the mountain at Alpine. (my 1st double black !! Whoo hoo ! couldn't help throwing that in) Loved the Volkl AC3's in a 156. Soft can be good & stiffer skis like to go faster. Without any help. So it could really depend on what your skiing style is. If you were to get a K2 , at your hgth/wght you could go 149 or 153. I don't think the Volkl's ski short compared to my K2's which I've heard ski long. Volkls mayl have a bit better edge grip than the K2's. I'm 5'7, and I do like some brands such as Elan, in 160. Otherwise so far I've like the mid 150 range best. I would really like to have a K2 One luv though. Good luck shopping ! You can also try Evo Gear, Backcountry, & SierraSnowboard.com

 

[IntheClouds]

Topaz, is this year (08) version of the Siam 10. 150-153 would be a good lenght for your height and ability.

Jilly, I liked that ski both as a Siam & this years Topaz. Easy to turn & the Topaz this year seems more stable than the Siam.

 

[Ski Spirit]

I just bought my second set of skis - K2 One Luvs--very happy with them. My first set of skis were Volkl S-2's--very good on groomers, not so great in powder. The One Luvs are more versatile and very forgiving. I also tried the K2 Burnin Luv and the Lotta Luv. The Burnin Luv was the fastest of them and I liked the Lotta Luv but the One Luv seemed like the best fit for me. Have to say I like the versatility and softer feel of the K2s.
I am an intermediate of some type and 5'4" about 140 lbs.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I have the Dynastar Exclusive Legend 158 and like them very much. They are definitely NOT too much ski for an intermediate. They also "ski short," which means they feel like a shorter ski than they actually are. (I'd have been better served by a 165, in retrospect...:( ). The best binding for this (VERY LIGHT) ski is Look (now owned and badged by Dynastar as "Exclusive") Look Nova. Very good binding. The ski does not have a riser plate - after quite a few years of skiing "up off" the ski, this took some getting used to. It performs as hoped and expected. Will be a long time before you outgrow these. I haven't not found its max speed yet, but they do seem to perform best at medium speeds.

Really hard to make recommendations - as mentioned before. But IMO, Dynastar skis are a great value and often are found at better prices than some of the other brands. They are much bigger in Europe than they are here, except for some notable unisex models.

 

[vanhoskier]

Haven't skied the Dynastar EL's, but from seeing them for the first time this year, and comparing them to the others on your list, they appear to be the most versatile for different snow conditions. You don't want a narrow-waisted ski if you will be in powder from time to time.