Verve
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Has Volkl flair already come up?
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Skinnier Front Side Skis - Searching
- Thread starter BlizzardBabe
- Start date
That makes perfect sense. So true
BlizzardBabe
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This is going to be a tough ski to find, especially one that has any level of performance above beginner. I can’t think of anything narrower than 82 that meets this description.
teppaz
Angel Diva
The dearly departed Liberty V76? Liberty doesn’t make them anymore but they sometimes pop up at outlets and on resale sites.
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh, that might be an option.
nopoleskier
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I just demo'd a bunch.. Blizzard Phoenix 14R was my favorite- the Thunderbird 15 (mens) was a tad stiffer.
I have my cheat sheet at home, will report in when I get back home from Telluride if you're interested.
I have my cheat sheet at home, will report in when I get back home from Telluride if you're interested.
BlizzardBabe
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
True, there aren't a lot of options out there, it seems.
Right now, the Kastle Quartz 72 seems to be a leading contender. I have a ski buddy who loves the Liberty V76, but I'd have to pry them out of her cold, dead hands.
Right now, the Kastle Quartz 72 seems to be a leading contender. I have a ski buddy who loves the Liberty V76, but I'd have to pry them out of her cold, dead hands.
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BlizzardBabe
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
WOWSER! Just found -- and purchased -- a Liberty V76 W demo in a 158 at a super price from Powder 7!!
Thanx so much for reminding me of that ski, @teppaz ! Divas rule.
From Ski Essentials:
If you love carving turns, you'll really enjoy the smoothness of the Liberty V76W. Unchanged for 2021 except for graphics, the V76W is a front-side machine that loves to be on edge. Super-quick and turny, these skis are an anomaly in the front side world because they're built by a more freeride company. "What does a Colorado company know about building hard-pack on-piste skis?" you may ask. Well, they certainly know how to make them smooth and damp, that's for sure. While they may not have the same edge grip and traditional feel of some of the more established race-like skis, they have a unique build and shape that gives skiers a choice in the matter of whether they want a wide race ski or a narrow all-mountain ski. For those who prefer the latter, the V76W is worth a look. The women's VMT core has two vertical metal struts and these provide the bulk of the power to the ski. The north-south orientation of the struts makes for an incredibly damp flex, and while they don't feel that stiff when you hand flex them, they're more than rugged enough for hard-charging and aggressive skiing. With a 12-meter radius at the 158 cm length, the V76W has a slalom-like mentality. Minimal to no taper or rocker means that these cambered skis like to be in a turn from tip to tail. Our testers loved the edge grip and quickness of these fantastic front-side carvers, and for good reason.
Thanx so much for reminding me of that ski, @teppaz ! Divas rule.
From Ski Essentials:
If you love carving turns, you'll really enjoy the smoothness of the Liberty V76W. Unchanged for 2021 except for graphics, the V76W is a front-side machine that loves to be on edge. Super-quick and turny, these skis are an anomaly in the front side world because they're built by a more freeride company. "What does a Colorado company know about building hard-pack on-piste skis?" you may ask. Well, they certainly know how to make them smooth and damp, that's for sure. While they may not have the same edge grip and traditional feel of some of the more established race-like skis, they have a unique build and shape that gives skiers a choice in the matter of whether they want a wide race ski or a narrow all-mountain ski. For those who prefer the latter, the V76W is worth a look. The women's VMT core has two vertical metal struts and these provide the bulk of the power to the ski. The north-south orientation of the struts makes for an incredibly damp flex, and while they don't feel that stiff when you hand flex them, they're more than rugged enough for hard-charging and aggressive skiing. With a 12-meter radius at the 158 cm length, the V76W has a slalom-like mentality. Minimal to no taper or rocker means that these cambered skis like to be in a turn from tip to tail. Our testers loved the edge grip and quickness of these fantastic front-side carvers, and for good reason.
BlizzardBabe
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I certainly will, but it may have to wait till next season. It is 69 degrees here and I'm praying that I can ski tomorrow morning -- possibly my last local outing until November. I wish I could love spring, but I really don't.
Peppermint
Angel Diva
Congrats! You will love them. I have the V76 mens version and they are a great ski.
MaineSkiLady
Angel Diva
Olin Mark III 185 for me, 1977. Followed by an Elan (first ski I ever owned with brakes) and Dynastar before the venerable K2 Four - which @Jilly and I both owned. DON'T get rid of them, they are collectible. K2 was the first to launch an entire line of shaped skis in the roughly 1998 era. Mine were 178 - and I remember thinking, what SHORT skis!
I've kept some of my oldies - those which we didn't sell off quite quickly enough - and they are now on display between the exposed floor joists of my redone basement. Including a pair (unverified, though) of 10th Mountain Division skis, which are promised to @nopoleskier. Her dad was a big part of this.
Would be fun to have a retro thread, but this is something of a "young" group. Not sure many were skiing in the 70's - or even born? - to remember that era of super-camber and up-unweighting.
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
I learned to ski in the mid 70's and sadly still "up-unweight." The proof was in a video last month while skiing at Breckenridge. I thought to myself, " I need to STOP skiing like that." Surprisingly only one instructor at Taos reminded me "we don't ski like that anymore." Apparently I still do. I'd post the video but I'm too embarrassed!
BlizzardBabe
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It took me YEARS to "unlearn" "up-unweight[ing]" @santacruz skier . I'm still not sure I've fully accomplished it.
Just finished skiing 3 hours in 50 degree "spring" slushies with a boilerplate base layer. There's nothing like poor conditions to highlight old defensive habits. I'm so fortunate to be able to look forward to a trip west at the end of the month -- the mid-Atlantic season has been dismal at best.
Just finished skiing 3 hours in 50 degree "spring" slushies with a boilerplate base layer. There's nothing like poor conditions to highlight old defensive habits. I'm so fortunate to be able to look forward to a trip west at the end of the month -- the mid-Atlantic season has been dismal at best.
Divegirl
Angel Diva
@BlizzardBabe - i have the v76s in 158 - love them up here in NE. Only had them out 2x this year as the conditions were all over the place. Used her big sister the v82 most ofnthe time for a bit wider tip.
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
Season here has the March miracle. Going to Heavenly for a week tomorrow! Thread drift maybe I should try narrow skis!
MaineSkiLady
Angel Diva
Ha! Yes. I had to do years of drills with a ski instructor (who, fortunately, is my DH) to unlearn this. I think I still do it in bumps? (don't do bumps much anymore...age...)
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If it makes any of you feel better, I never really skied on non-parabolic skis and my natural transition is still an up-unweight. Probably learned from instructors who learned it. When we had an adult race clinic they were trying to drill it out of me, but here I am still up-unweighting in a race course:
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