Pls Help! Choosing New Skis

[Worldgrl]

Ski Diva!

Great Site!

Here's hoping you can assist with my dilemma: I haven't skied in 10 seasons - have been living in London. Just moved back to the West - New Mexico - to discover the world of skis has completely changed - my K2 185's are obsolete! .I would be most grateful for any and all advice you might be able to share. Here are my deets:

Terrain Preference: 90/10 - would like to work my way up to 80/20 and learn deeper powder skiing Taos Mountain or Southern Colorado.

Female
Age: 45
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 170lbs (size 12)

Type of Skier: Strong Intermediate

Years skiing: 3 before I left for London. Completed women’s clinic on Santa Fe Mountain 6 wks to learn to ski- then a few privates w/ D. McCoy in Mammoth and Co. 35 days my 2nd year.

Aggressiveness: Very athletic, aggressive skier, in v. good physical / flexible shape. The last season I skied - I logged 65 days on the mountain. All weather skier. Have good form and am not afraid of a bit of speed. (Probably a bit more cautious now as it's been so v. long)
All blue runs / single diamond black runs/ had just started baby moguls , v. v. basic tree skiing and a tiny bit of off piste down the back side of Santa Fe Mountain but got in over my head in knee high powder and struggled bitterly down - much to learn in that dept.

I’m looking for skis that are slightly more robust than I need right now – so I may grow into them as I grow in skill level. I intend to start the new season with a few lessons just to get my ski legs back and learn about my new skis. I will also need boots and poles. I would love to pick up some 2006/2007 skis if poss. as the sale prices are so reasonable. It has been recommended to me to look at the following skis at 163.

Salomon Siam 10 Z10 bindings

Volkl Activa AC3 – Marker Bindings

Volkl Activa AC2

Have researched all three and am smitten with the Volkl’s but await your wisdom and suggestions before making final decisions. Am unsure of what the difference in waist width between the two Volkl's mean. Also - what size 156? 163?

Skipressworld loves the AC2's - and Alpine my ski shop loves the AC3's. I will be skiing in the NM/CO on groomers, 4-8 inch powder, basically all terrains and one day back in the knee high champagne. I am becoming overhwelmed with the choices available now.

Thank you in advance Ski Diva, for any and all pearls.
Keep up the amazing work!

Cheers!

Worldgrl
aka Bex

 

[Jilly]

I'm not up on the Volkl's, but that will come from those who do. Salomon is the one I know about. Siam 10 is their ladies all mountain ski. This years version is the called the Origin. As for the 2007 verison Siam 10 (I demo'd them for a shop in 2006) - I loved them as an all mountain carver. I found they didn't hold the ice we get in the east, but you might not need to worry about that. They really like long turns and at 160cm they were just stiff enough for me at 165lb. I called it a wide waisted floater. Edge transfer can be a little long too. (I'm used to narrow waist, so edge transfer is immediate) Hope that helps and I know the rest will way in on the Volkl's.

 

[pinto]

I ski Volkls, but have never used the AC series, so take with the proverbial grain of salt: you sound strong and aggressive, which are usually the adjectives used about Volkl skiers. No laid back skiers allowed, lol. So I think you're on the right track there. And I'd pick the AC3 ... you're probably already at or beyond the AC2 level.

And I wouldn't go less than 163. If I were you, I would try both the 163 and the next size up, 170 or whatever it is. The 163 is probably about right ... it just depends.

 

[ski now work later]

I am 5'7", 142 lbs., 45 years old, intermediate/advanced skier. I have the Volkl Attiva AC2s and AC3s. The AC3s are great to rip down groomers, for icy conditions, and for the East Coast. I didn't like them in Western conditions in Montana so I bought a pair of AC2s to take out West this season when I go, as they got rave reviews and should handle soft snow well.

I ski a 156 ski -- the 163s are a lot of ski under me, especially in a stiffer ski like the AC3s. If you buy the AC3, buy the 156. It's a great ski, just not sure it's right for New Mexico. The AC2s sound like a great ski to get you back into skiing and then you can get a second pair at the end of the season that are wider for powder (Dynastar has a great powder ski as does Solomon).

Good luck and welcome to the site!

 

[pinto]

Well, I guess that's why they say demo! But I would be wary of skiing shorter than 163 in western conditions if I were the OP ... It will make fore and aft balance tough in any sort of snow beyond packed.

The women's AC3 review from Peter Keelty says it is similar to the men's, reviewed as follows: Our testers' favorite AC is an archetypal 76mm "all mountain ski." "This ski is awesome anywhere on the mountain," raved one skier. Another put it this way" "Everything Völkl has done to this ski has made it better—one of my favorites for the trade fair!" No bumps.

The AC2 was similar, it looked like, for lower speeds. So I guess it depends on how fast you are going to go.

Of course then there's THIS year's model, called the Fuego: "A confidence builder for improving skiers, with plenty of top end to satisfy experts. Quick, stable, light, forgiving and superb edge hold. Extremely versatile, solid choice for female-specific 1-ski-quiver." It is 121-73-105, comes in 154 and 161 lengths. Says it is responsive at slow speeds AND stable at high speeds (which is actually kind of rare), 50% + groomer okay, bumps okay, ice okay. Suitable for levels 7, 8, and 9.

FWIW!

 

[SnowHot]

I agree with Pinto on the length of the AC3, and also think the AC3 is a good choice.
I am not familiar with the Solomon line so can't help you there, but now I'm going to start to confuse you:

Consider Nordicas and also Elans
Nordica demo list: Olympia Victory, Olympia Conqueror
Elan Demo list: Wave Magic, Mag spice

FWIW, I love the Nordica Olympia line.

The elan line for women is amazing and offers a lot to take you to the next level, but I haven't had a chance to ski on a ton of those yet. YET!
Have fun demoing!

 

[ski now work later]

Well, I think that ski length is also a matter of personal preference. You might be better served on a longer ski at your weight, but then again, a number of ski instructors encourage a shorter carving ski with a shorter turning radius at first in order to learn to carve the shaped skis effectively. That said, I do agree that the softer, more ungroomed snow out west needs some power to slice and length might give you that edge. For me, I appreciate the maneuverability of a shorter ski with a shorter turning radius no matter what the terrrain, I like a softer ski in softer snow, despite the risk of chatter at higher speeds, and I like to try the bumps out West (they're big and soft!) and the AC3s are super hard to ski bumps with (see Pinto's quote above from realskiers.com).

For this season, you might consider getting yourself fit by a bootfitter for some great boots, and demo skis until you get a sense of the stiffness and length you want. Either way, however, the Attiva AC2 and AC3, in either length, are gonna be great skis no matter where you use them.

 

[RachelV]

I'm about 5'7", 135 and I demo'ed the AC3 this past season (I forget which length). It's stiff for somone of my weight - a great hardpack ski that carves like crazy if you ski it well. I didn't have the opportunity to try it on softer snow, but I feel like this would not be a good ski in those conditions - I think it's stiff enough that it would just dive right under. Just my 2 cents.

 

[first lift last call]

I'm about your height and around 155lbs and ski volkl s5 titaniums in 161 and the auras in 170. Haven't skied the AC series, but if they are anything like other volkl skis, they'll be wicked. I wouldn't be afraid of the 163s, I think you will outgrow shorter skis pretty fast, particularly if you are used to long old school skis. (Up til a coupla years ago I was still skiing some Rossi e-xs courses in a 183 and it was odd as you like switching to short shaped skis). Having said that, as has been said so many times before, you won't know til you try them.

As Snowhot said, the nordica olympias are great too. I tried the victories last year and really liked them as an all round ski (its just that I didn't actually want an all round ski at the time so didn't buy them). You might also try something a bit different like a park ski. I have some missdemeanors that I ski everywhere. They are great in the powder and love a groomer or two. Only poss weak area is bite on ice, but hopefully you won't have too much of that, and anyway that can be improved by just keeping them really sharp. Get demoing is all I can say.

I would also echo heartily the comments here and elsewhere about finding a good boot fitter. It doesn't matter a jot what skis you have if your boots don't fit properly. Enjoy your shopping... and your shiny new skis and boots!

 

[volklgirl]

For this season, you might consider getting yourself fit by a bootfitter for some great boots, and demo skis until you get a sense of the stiffness and length you want. Either way, however, the Attiva AC2 and AC3, in either length, are gonna be great skis no matter where you use them.

Yes, yes, and YES!!!

 

[pinto]

Sierra Jim has the AC2s in a 163 for $299 ... this is so cheap, that even if you "outgrow" them in a couple of years, who cares!

Check out the review:

Shape Category = Moderate
Skier Category = Advanced
Speed Range = Moderate +
Sidecut = 116-72-103

Jim Says: The Attiva AC-2 spans the widest range of abilities of any of the Attiva series. This model is not too much for an Intermediate yet is plenty of ski for any advanced skier and some experts. While the waist width is moderate, the AC-2 has enough stability to handle a little powder or crud. This ski offers grip enough for all but the hardest snow and highest speeds. This is a great bang for the buck ski. I tested a 163 as did my testers. We all felt that the 156 would be the best fit for an intermediate. With the longer size being better for an ez expert or bigger skier. A longer size also stretches the off trail capabilities of this model.

https://shop.sierrasnowboard.com/browse.cfm/4,1470.htm

 

[GirlFromPA]

Hi, ladies! I haven't been in so very long. Sorry about that but talking about skiing when I can't gets me a little depressed. Anyway...

This topic is for me as I demoed all of those skies and more last year.

I demoed the Volkl AC3, AC2, and S5 the last day I skied last year. I loved the AC3s. I'm going to buy them this year, last years model actually. The day I demoed them it was getting warm and the snow was glorified slush and sludge. I would consider it much closer to a nice dusting powder than hard pack. I therefore hated the S5. They were way too skinny for that kind of condition. They got me down the hill but it took way more work than I wanted or thought that I should put into the whole process. OK the AC2s weren't too bad but they were below my ability. A little more flexible. If I had to I'd buy them though. I could live with it.

As for the Salomons I demoed the Rush N7 and the Origins. I liked both to be honest. I did demo them on different days than the Volkls and the conditions were completely different. That day it was really cold, hard packed/ice snow and it hadn't snowed for about a week. So that shows a big difference in conditions. I found that both held on the ice OK but I've had better (they held better than K2s did for me) and if I had to I would buy either. To be honest I didn't really think that the N7s were necessarily below my ability despite their "ranking." Of course the Origins were stiffer. Both have skinnier middles than the AC3. And if you have to trek Volkls are much heavier than Salmons. Just a thought.

 

[abc]

I predict: whatever you buy this year, you're going to buy another one next year!

And I'm dead serious. If you weren't living next to the mountain, I'd suggest you wait till you demo a few to narrow down what you actually like. But with prices right now, you might do just as well buying something at 1/2 price and sell it when you do find the right one by end of next season. You'll still come out ahead.

Your chance of stumbling onto the right ski by reading reviews is about well, 1 in 10 at best! So don't sweat it. Just get one! Don't bother buying something to "grow into". Get something that resembles what you "think" you might like RIGHT NOW. But get them CHEAP!

But the key is, you need to take some lessons. The whole concept of "carving" and letting the shape skis doing the work is all 21 century. You need to catch up. I'M SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE. 06/07 was my first season since 99. And I was a upper intermediate/advance skier when I quit. THE NEW SKIS SKI DIFFERENTLY! It doesn't take that many lessons. But it WILL save you worlds of frustration.

I don't have a ladies ski to recommend because my skis are targeted for east coast icy conditions. And I like narrow skis from the habits of the 90's. For New Mexico, you need something wider than what I have. One ski I rented on powder days and liked is not even a ladies ski. It's the Salomon X-Wing Tornado. You might like that. Or the X-Wing Blast might also do, whichever you can find for cheap, I'd say. You're alsmot as big as some guys and what you said about yourself being strong and athletic, no reason to overlook unisex ski.

Length-wise, go 160+. You came from older skis that are 180cm long, you'll find the sub-160 ski kind of like kiddie toys. And that doesn't really promote carving too well.

Boots, your old one should work if they still fits fine.