Replace current skis or add to quiver?

[Bullygirl]

Hey, all! Just found this site and hoping you can impart some of your wisdom on me.

About me: early 40s, 5’9, 160lbs. Live on the ice coast, erm, I mean east coast. I would consider myself a strong intermediate skier. I can confidently ski all of the trails at our local mountain, including the double black diamond. However, as the local mountain isn’t huge, I would guess my black diamonds are more like a big mountain’s blue squares. Skied for 10-12 years as a teen/college age then took 20 years off. Picked skiing up again last year. Skied 26 times so far this year. I’m pretty athletic and like to ski fairly aggressive. I am only skiing on piste and I avoid the terrain parks. I don’t enjoy mogul skiing.

My dilemma: Taking 20 years off means I knew nothing about buying current skis and put 100% faith in local shop. Bought a pair of Dynastar Intense 4X4 Pro 82s last year at 164cm, at their recommendation. I will say, I LOVE how these skis carve. They are also great on ice. However, a bunch of times throughout the year, due to when the snow flew, the trails I was hitting were beat up and absolutely full of crud. I felt like these skis just got eaten up and I was exhausted after 3 runs. I went to multiple shops to inquire about options and all said 82 was on the narrow side and recommended I go wider. The recommendations ranged from 88 underfoot to 102, all in the 170 range. Note, the guy who recommended the 102s was clear they may be too wide for daily use and I may want to add to the quiver, not replace my current skis. With COVID, no one is doing demo days locally and in talking with the shops, sounds like that is likely not going to change for next year.

I don’t mind having two pairs of skis, but I question if my current Dynastars are too short for me. Additionally, I would prefer not to spend $500-800 dollars on a set of skis that get used 4 times a year. I would prefer to buy something and use it a bunch, and maybe break out the Dynastars on the icier days. With that, what would you do? Would you keep the Dynastars as a back-up and shop for new primary skis? If yes, what width would you recommend? Or, should I keep the Dynastars as my primary ski and buy a fatter ski for the crud days? Would love any advice about my current skis and what would be the best width to look for in a new ski. If it matters, I don’t plan on using these out west at all. If we travel, it would likely be east coast only. Thanks!

 

[Tvan]

Welcome to the forum! You're in the right place for advice!
The first thing you should know is that we are HUGE enablers and the answer to your question will always be "add to the quiver." And the second thing is that divas will always tell you: "marry your boots first, date your skis."

Now that that is settled, I'm not the best one to offer ski advice, but I'm sure some others will chime in. Paging @marzNC , @lisamamot , who else can assist?

 

[Iwannaski]

I guess my first question would be… how much do you think you can get for the Dynastars? If you like them in some conditions, and you can’t get a lot for them used, then I would QUIVER UP!!! (But @Tvan already warned you…)

 

[Bullygirl]

I guess my first question would be… how much do you think you can get for the Dynastars? If you like them in some conditions, and you can’t get a lot for them used, then I would QUIVER UP!!! (But @Tvan already warned you…)

Any suggestions on what width to add to my quiver? Assuming I keep the 82s…

 

[marzNC]

About me: early 40s, 5’9, 160lbs. Live on the ice coast, erm, I mean east coast. I would consider myself a strong intermediate skier. I can confidently ski all of the trails at our local mountain, including the double black diamond. However, as the local mountain isn’t huge, I would guess my black diamonds are more like a big mountain’s blue squares. Skied for 10-12 years as a teen/college age then took 20 years off. Picked skiing up again last year. Skied 26 times so far this year. I’m pretty athletic and like to ski fairly aggressive. I am only skiing on piste and I avoid the terrain parks. I don’t enjoy mogul skiing.

Any suggestions on what width to add to my quiver? Assuming I keep the 82s…

Welcome! You're not in my size or age range, so not going to suggest any particular models. However, I see no reason that the 82 width couldn't be good for most ski days in the northeast. Spring skiing and crud can be quite a different story than mid-season snow conditions. I just spent a couple days skiing at my home mountain in northern VA in very warm weather. I was using my old Black Pearls (2012) that are 88 underfoot. One morning one of the ski patrol I know there noted that it would be a day for "wide" skis. Meaning as opposed to the mid-70s skis that I normally use in the east.

Investing a little money in lessons and time for practice is worth considering. The technique you learned and used 20 years ago isn't the most effective for the current design and materials of skis. I've had an interesting time observing my primary ski buddy's technique evolve after he started taking lessons regularly about seven years ago. He was an expert skier during high school in the 1970s. Now that he's pushing 70, he's learned how to ski with less muscle and it clearly makes a difference in how much he enjoys challenging terrain. I was never more than an intermediate during the two seasons I skied as a teen long ago. Lessons have meant that I'm enjoying a much wider variety of terrain during trips out west, and I also feel more confident skiing less than ideal conditions in the northeast.

I recently spent a morning at Montage in eastern PA. Skiing the groomed blacks with slick conditions took a lot more concentration than skiing soft bumps anywhere out west.

 

[Bullygirl]

Welcome! You're not in my size or age range, so not going to suggest any particular models. However, I see no reason that the 82 width couldn't be good for most ski days in the northeast. Spring skiing and crud can be quite a different story than mid-season snow conditions. I just spent a couple days skiing at my home mountain in northern VA in very warm weather. I was using my old Black Pearls (2012) that are 88 underfoot. One morning one of the ski patrol I know there noted that it would be a day for "wide" skis. Meaning as opposed to the mid-70s skis that I normally use in the east.

Investing a little money in lessons and time for practice is worth considering. The technique you learned and used 20 years ago isn't the most effective for the current design and materials of skis. I've had an interesting time observing my primary ski buddy's technique evolve after he started taking lessons regularly about seven years ago. He was an expert skier during high school in the 1970s. Now that he's pushing 70, he's learned how to ski with less muscle and it clearly makes a difference in how much he enjoys challenging terrain. I was never more than an intermediate during the two seasons I skied as a teen long ago. Lessons have meant that I'm enjoying a much wider variety of terrain during trips out west, and I also feel more confident skiing less than ideal conditions in the northeast.

I recently spent a morning at Montage in eastern PA. Skiing the groomed blacks with slick conditions took a lot more concentration than skiing soft bumps anywhere out west.

I don’t disagree on the 82s being good for a lot of days. Truthfully, even if I buy a second pair, I’ll likely keep the Dynastars because I do like them for carving and ice. I’m not sure if it was an anolomy or because of COVID (more people skiing), but we had a lot of crud days, which just weren’t fun on the 82s. As for lessons, solid suggestion. I took a couple over this season and definitely plan on taking more next season. I’m a huge believer in taking lessons and I love constantly improving.

One question…I’m not sure how “different” an 82 vs. 88 would feel. You said you went from a mid-70’s to an 88, so I’m assuming at least a difference of 10mm. How big of a change in technique, feel, etc is it?

 

[Jilly]

I have 2 skis in my quiver. A 68mm tuned down race ski, which is my daily driver in the east And an 88 for trips out west or a snow day here in the east.

I think a lesson in crud conditions would be best right now. A lot of people think that wider skis are going to help them, when they really need technique.

I skied 20 cm of new snow on my race skis one morning, as we were supposed to be racing that day. No race - but technique got me through the snow and bumps. We skied powder on 50mm straight skis for years. A 125mm shovel was enough to get through the snow.

 

[marzNC]

I don’t disagree on the 82s being good for a lot of days. Truthfully, even if I buy a second pair, I’ll likely keep the Dynastars because I do like them for carving and ice. I’m not sure if it was an anolomy or because of COVID (more people skiing), but we had a lot of crud days, which just weren’t fun on the 82s. As for lessons, solid suggestion. I took a couple over this season and definitely plan on taking more next season. I’m a huge believer in taking lessons and I love constantly improving.

One question…I’m not sure how “different” an 82 vs. 88 would feel. You said you went from a mid-70’s to an 88, so I’m assuming at least a difference of 10mm. How big of a change in technique, feel, etc is it?

Glad you are interested in lessons. They really do pay off in the long run.

It's not just about ski width. The shape (side cut), camber and tip/tail rocker (amount of ski base actually on the snow), and materials makes a difference too. Two pairs of skis that are identical in terms of width and length can feel very different when compared on exactly the same trail on the same day.

When I went from skis that were 127-75-108 to the BPs in 2012, I'd spent a day during a trip to Big Sky doing a "personal demo day." I took out the BPs first thing in the morning. Tried a few other skis on the same long groomer. In the afternoon, I took the BPs out to some ungroomed terrain elsewhere on the mountain. So by the time I found a deal during the summer, I knew exactly what I wanted. I kept using the narrower skis in the east, and only took the BPs when I flew out west.

My current all-mountain skis are 85 underfoot. Very different from the BPs, which have a lot of tip and tail rocker because the 85mm skis have only a little tip rocker and a flat tail. I bought those skis after doing a demo rental for two days at Taos. I don't really like shopping so by the time I buy a pair of skis, I intend to keep them for a while.

 

[marzNC]

Have you checked out the Gearipedia yet? Here's a great post that introduces key factors for ski design.

Ski Construction Cheat Sheet

This is by our very own Ski Diva, @Analisa. To pose questions or make comments relating to this post, go here. Heyo! @newbieM asked in one of the "help me pick" threads about wanting to learn more about how ski construction influences ski performance. I wrote a construction cheat sheet for...

www.theskidiva.com

 

[edelweissmaedl]

I'm close in age to you, but shorter and lighter. My first skis were 78mm in width and I also struggle/struggled with getting pushed around on the them. I now own two pairs of skis and the new ones are 88mm wide. I took a lesson right after getting the 88's which helped to widen my stance etc for them.

I generally just like my 88's more these days, but do believe lessons have helped my technique and that most of the reason I was getting pushed around on my 78's was me, not the skis. I think I want to eventually get a new pair's of mid-70's skis that I like more (I bought my 78's without demoing and just don't love them anymore now that I have had a chance to try more options out there).

Having just spent two weeks skiing in Austria where it's so rare to see anything but narrow carving skis I reaffirm that it's mostly technique (as @Susan L reminded us on a reason thread, it's the Indian, not the arrow). Several folks in the group I was with liked looking for ~8" powder off-piste and they were all on skinnier skis than I was and killing better than I was

 

[teppaz]

A lot of people think that wider skis are going to help them, when they really need technique.

I skied 20 cm of new snow on my race skis one morning, as we were supposed to be racing that day. No race - but technique got me through the snow and bumps. We skied powder on 50mm straight skis for years. A 125mm shovel was enough to get through the snow.

Fully agree! I just came back from a Colorado road trip where I brought a pair of 86s. They got me through a day when we started with 8" of fresh snow at Winter Park and I got three good runs in an untracked bowl in the morning. Yes, those runs would have been easier on my 99s but I managed and had great fun. And the skis were awesome in the trees and bumps.

 

[SarahXC]

There can be a big personality difference between skis with very close or even the same waist width. The comments about the Santa Ana 93 v Sheeva 9 come to my mind right off. So an 88 with a different design than the current 82s could be a lot different or not very different depending on the materials used and length and amount of camber/rocker and side cuts and all those other elements I don’t even know about and the way it all comes together to make the ski perform. I have added a ski here or there and now have have skis at 84mm, 94 mm and 112mm. DH has 88-95-106. I enjoy researching gear and searching for “deals”. I skied the (new) 112 in some soft spring pushed around conditions the other day. Would the 84 have been ok? Absolutely! It has proved to be great in those conditions and that was one of reasons I bought it. The 112 was also great. It was soft enough conditions my knees were happy and it was fun to play around on them. I guess I’m just saying there probably isn’t one universal answer (well maybe besides better technique which takes time and lessons and the right conditions for practicing)… If I can buy a bit more happiness through gear to have more fun on my limited days I get at the mountain I usually go for it.

 

[lisamamot]

Welcome @Bullygirl - our specs, time off from skiing, and skiing locale are similar. We differ in that I am in my mid 50s and get off groomed whenever conditions allow, and even sometimes when they are a bit on the sketchy side, lol.

If this is your ski, it sounds like you may be in the "too planky for anything but groomed terrain" group

Dynastar Intense 4x4 82 Pro (2020)

Our on-slope testers carefully tested the Dynastar Intense 4x4 82 Pro women's ski. Explore our results in this thorough, expert review.

www.skimag.com

It appears your ski came in both a 164 and a 171; I suspect with your specs you may have been happier on the 171. I was sold short when I first came back to skiing - shops invariably put you on the longest they have, which is usually one size shorter than the longest it is made in. Tall women's needs are not well represented on shops' ski walls.

Yes, we can all use lessons to improve technique, but ski width/shape is also personal preference. I know extremely accomplished skiers in New England who routinely choose a 100mm ski with tip and tail rocker, and others in the Northeast that prefer narrow, stiff carvers with little to no rocker. Most days I ski either my Stockli Stormrider Motion 85 168 or my Sheeva 9 172 (93mm). I own a super stiff 81mm, but only ski it when ice skates may be more appropriate, or early/late season since I am not concerned about their bases.

My newest addition is the Santa Ana 93 172; while I absolutely adore my Sheevas (FUN!!!), I wanted something that could take me confidently from firm groomers, to slushy bumps, to wind buffed steeps. I brought both the Stockli and the Santa Ana 93 to Diva West. We had pretty firm New England-eque conditions most mornings in Tahoe, and I skied the Santa Ana 93 every day except for one when the Stockli was the choice for the day. If I had brought just one, either would have been fine, but in hindsight the Santa Ana 93 would have been my choice. The afternoons were spent in steeper soft/slushy bumps with scrape here and there, and the Santa Ana 93 was perfect.

If I had your current ski, I would add an 88mm-93mm ski, perhaps with a bit of tail rocker to make ungroomed more fun. You never know, we may make a bump lover out of you yet!

 

[teppaz]

I guess I’m agreeing with everybody: technique helps but the ski can make the difference between fine and fun.

Technique comes in handy when you can only bring one pair. My ski bag is already so heavy with just one pair (I also put my clothes in it so I check only one bag) that I can’t imagine it with two pairs! So a choice must be made.

 

[SkiGAP]

add. it's fun. :-) At least if you can get a good deal.