Suggest new skis for me?

[Basil]

Background: learned to ski at age 5, so have skied a lot of years, a lot of days per year from age 5-30. But took a break from ~2010-2019 (most of my 30s) due to area of the country I lived and pregnancies/nursing/newborns/toddlers stage of life.

I started back in 2019, quickly found out that the bindings on my 2005 Dynastar Skicross 09's were not indemnified. Had a trip coming up so impulse purchased the first pair the teenager at the ski shop suggested to me, which were 2018 Elan Ripstick 86 Ws, length 166 cm.

I'm currently 5'5" and 140 pounds, and in my early 40s.

Now I'm living in New England, and ski 20-30 days per year. I would consider myself intermediate-advanced. I can get down anything, I just don't look pretty on steep+moguls, and I don't particularly enjoy a challenge in my ski day. I just want it to be fun and not particularly serious. I do like steeps, baby bumps are fun, I don't mind going fast, but icy steep moguls aren't my cup of tea and never will be. I don't really mind skiing below my ability level and just cruising blues all day, which I do pretty often to stay with my kids or my husband or my parents (skiing in their 70s now!)

The Ripsticks are...fine. They are certainly stable at speed and seem to cut through stuff pretty easily. I sometimes feel like I miss some peppyness or poppyness that I remember from my old Dynastar's (or before that, my Rossignol 7Ss). I do like to come down the edge of a trail and make tight frequent turns, and I can do that with the Ripsticks, but they feel like they don't want to do it.

I want to do some demoing this year and possibly purchase something at the end of the season that would either complement or replace the Ripsticks.

Where should I start?

 

[Mudgirl630]

One word, demoing.
We can suggest this and that, but ultimately you need to get on them.
If you wish a slalom pair, go 80 or below with the small radius , which helps with your slalom turns.

 

[Jilly]

I remember the 7S's!! As @Mudgirl630 suggests maybe a front side carver. We get ice in the northeast. There are some great selector tools out there. I would try to narrow down your list using them.

 

[marzNC]

Where should I start?

Welcome! Have you ever looked at the reviews by SkiEssentials? They are in VT so do a pretty good job for front side skis for New England.

Where does your family ski most often? That's great that your parents are skiing in their 70s. There are quite a few active Divas who are over 60. Many of us had a hiatus of a decade or two before getting back on the slopes once the kids were both old enough to enjoy skiing and learning fast enough that keeping up meant upgrading gear.

As I remember Sunday River has a demo day right after Thanksgiving. @MissySki would know the date.

 

[lisamamot]

As I remember Sunday River has a demo day right after Thanksgiving. @MissySki would know the date.

I am also a Sunday River regular, but they haven't announced the date yet for 2022. For years it was right after Thanksgiving, but they held it on Dec 4th this past season.

Ken Jones Ski Market in NH used to do their demo day at Loon the first Friday in December, but they moved it to Waterville last season and held it the second week instead. They have not announced their 2022 date yet either.

 

[Basil]

How funny, Sunday River is my home mountain. I was looking for the demo day date before I posted this thread, actually! I remember it being Thanksgiving weekend. Minus the 2010-2019 years, I've skied there since the late 1980s, before Jordan bowl and Oz, before Aurora Peak, before White Cap even. Risky Business was the first black diamond I ever skied (it's a blue now) and Dream Maker the first blue (it's now green).

I do really want to demo, I don't want to make a mistake again! But at this point I'm not even really sure what I am looking for. I have looked for reviews, but not even really sure where to start. I guess I'm looking for something a little narrower than the 86, but there seem to be hundreds of skis in the low 80s width and 160-ish cm in length, it's so hard to narrow it down to even ask for what to try!

 

[marzNC]

I do really want to demo, I don't want to make a mistake again! But at this point I'm not even really sure what I am looking for. I have looked for reviews, but not even really sure where to start. I guess I'm looking for something a little narrower than the 86, but there seem to be hundreds of skis in the low 80s width and 160-ish cm in length, it's so hard to narrow it down to even ask for what to try!

The advantage of a demo day where there are multiple brand tents is that you can go to any tent and explain what you are looking for to get started. That tent is likely to only have a couple of candidates. I usually pick a tent without a long line if I don't have anything particular in mind.

If there is time, I like to try one model in two lengths. Doesn't matter if the "less than ideal" length is longer or shorter. I find at times I learn more from skis I don't like than skis that are fun. While I tend not to buy skis very often, I enjoy demo'ing to have a feel for current models. Also means that if I end up in a situation where I need to rent skis, I know what to ask for.

The one time I was at the demo day for Sunday River, there was so little snow that it wasn't even possible to load the chairs for the Chondola. Neither of the trails over where the demo tents were located were groomed. The snow cover was too thin for groomers because it had been warm that the machinery would've sunk into the mud. The groomer had soft bumps near the end of the trail. I demo'd anyway. Ended up skiing bumps even though I was just starting to be good enough to enjoy bumps.

Below is what my notes ended up. Note that none of these models exist anymore. I was interested in mid-80s for width and mid-150s for length. From previous demo experience I knew I generally liked Rossignol, Nordica, and K2. Also that I didn't like Volkl.

Atomic Vantage 85, 156cm? - hard work
Rossi Temptation 84, 154cm - fun
Blizzard Quattro W 8.0 Ti, 124-80-107, 156cm - hard work
Nordica Belle 88, 154cm (formally Wild Belle) - fun

 

[teppaz]

Background: learned to ski at age 5, so have skied a lot of years, a lot of days per year from age 5-30. But took a break from ~2010-2019 (most of my 30s) due to area of the country I lived and pregnancies/nursing/newborns/toddlers stage of life.

I started back in 2019, quickly found out that the bindings on my 2005 Dynastar Skicross 09's were not indemnified. Had a trip coming up so impulse purchased the first pair the teenager at the ski shop suggested to me, which were 2018 Elan Ripstick 86 Ws, length 166 cm.

I'm currently 5'5" and 140 pounds, and in my early 40s.

Now I'm living in New England, and ski 20-30 days per year. I would consider myself intermediate-advanced. I can get down anything, I just don't look pretty on steep+moguls, and I don't particularly enjoy a challenge in my ski day. I just want it to be fun and not particularly serious. I do like steeps, baby bumps are fun, I don't mind going fast, but icy steep moguls aren't my cup of tea and never will be. I don't really mind skiing below my ability level and just cruising blues all day, which I do pretty often to stay with my kids or my husband or my parents (skiing in their 70s now!)

The Ripsticks are...fine. They are certainly stable at speed and seem to cut through stuff pretty easily. I sometimes feel like I miss some peppyness or poppyness that I remember from my old Dynastar's (or before that, my Rossignol 7Ss). I do like to come down the edge of a trail and make tight frequent turns, and I can do that with the Ripsticks, but they feel like they don't want to do it.

I want to do some demoing this year and possibly purchase something at the end of the season that would either complement or replace the Ripsticks.

Where should I start?

If you can, I recommend demoing Rossignol's new Experience line, either the 82 or the 86. They come in unisex or women's versions, and in Basalt and Ti versions (sounds like the Basalt would be more up your alley than the Ti). Skiessentials.com has extensive reviews. I have the 86 Ti myself and love it. It's a great ski for New England.

 

[MissySki]

Sunday River has December 3rd listed as their demo day this year. @Basil would love to meet up sometime! I usually ski there every weekend/holiday and most often do the demo day as well. It's easy to find stuff to try out, even if you don't have a specific list ahead of time. Each rep has a tent and they will help suggest stuff in their fleet for you to try if you let them know what you are looking for, terrain preference, skiing ability etc.

 

[empogo]

I'm still very new to skiing and fine with my current skis, but I am curious to know about demo days. What does that entail, exactly? Is it something you pay to do? My home mountain is Sugarbush.

 

[Jilly]

Think we'll work on that for everyone and post it elsewhere for now.

 

[marzNC]

I'm still very new to skiing and fine with my current skis, but I am curious to know about demo days. What does that entail, exactly? Is it something you pay to do? My home mountain is Sugarbush.

Welcome! Would be good if you created a Getting To Know You thread.

There are posts in this thread that explain what happens during a demo day. There is more than one way to check out skis in a "try before you buy" type of situation.

Demo day vs. demoing through a shop

Which would you do? (Spoiler alert, I suspect the answer will be "both." LOL) I am hoping to demo longer skis this season. (My current skis are 154s, and at 5'7" and on the heavy side, they are short, even though I still have fun skiing on them.) Holiday Valley, which is the largest ski area...

www.theskidiva.com

 

[TheGreenOne]

If you can, I recommend demoing Rossignol's new Experience line, either the 82 or the 86. They come in unisex or women's versions, and in Basalt and Ti versions (sounds like the Basalt would be more up your alley than the Ti). Skiessentials.com has extensive reviews. I have the 86 Ti myself and love it. It's a great ski for New England.

Adding my vote on the Rossingnol's Experience line.

I have the Experience Basalt 82. I'm on 159cm at 5' 1.5" and 125-130 lbs.

It's probably going to be my main ski—I haven't had a chance to take it out to a real slope but been having fun with it on the indoor slope at Big Snow in NJ-- no test on our ice-coast yet, so that'll be the real test. But I don't intend on going hard ever, just cruising on green/blue groomers.

 

[MissySki]

. But I don't intend on going hard ever, just cruising on green/blue groomers.

Famous last words

 

[TheGreenOne]

Famous last words

Hahaha
I'll have to do some deep therapy on my inner screaming. There's a LOT about not ruining my surgically altered body. Fairly sure the hardware inside me are worth more than my body :D

 

[Basil]

OP here!
I did a bunch more research since I started this thread. And I decided I actually needed 2 new pairs of skis this year (can you imagine how hard my DH rolled his eyes when I told him this?). One ~100mm ski for snowy days and my trips out west, and one narrower 75-80mm ski for the days when my mom and daughter want to lap Little White Cap in the afternoon (i.e. cruisey greenish blueish groomy terrain). But also has to be able to accompany my son down the bumps under that lift.

I purchased a gorgeous pair of Fischer Ranger 102s in 169cm length.

Looking at the following:
Liberty v76w - some closeout models from 2020 and 2021 still available, this got good reviews on other sites, would get 165 cm, but then need to choose bindings for them.
Fischer RC One 78 GT - only available in 159 cm, not sure if too short? Bindings included, which makes things easier.
Blizzard Phoenix R13 Ti - good price on either the 160 or 165 cm with bindings included.

Any thoughts or feedback on these three? Or just pick one and go with it?

 

[marzNC]

And I decided I actually needed 2 new pairs of skis this year (can you imagine how hard my DH rolled his eyes when I told him this?). One ~100mm ski for snowy days and my trips out west, and one narrower 75-80mm ski for the days when my mom and daughter want to lap Little White Cap in the afternoon (i.e. cruisey greenish blueish groomy terrain). But also has to be able to accompany my son down the bumps under that lift.

Good call!

I'm currently 5'5" and 140 pounds, and in my early 40s.

Looking at the following:
Liberty v76w - some closeout models from 2020 and 2021 still available, this got good reviews on other sites, would get 165 cm, but then need to choose bindings for them.
Fischer RC One 78 GT - only available in 159 cm, not sure if too short? Bindings included, which makes things easier.
Blizzard Phoenix R13 Ti - good price on either the 160 or 165 cm with bindings included.

Seems as if 159cm would be too short, even for cruising groomers. I'm about six inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter and the length I use for groomer skiing is 148-154cm. My all-mountain skis are mid-80s underfoot and 159cm.

Getting skis with bindings is what I've always done for my groomer skis. I use them mostly in the southeast or the rare ski days in the northeast when I'm there for other reasons. I've treated those skis with DPS Phantom so that I really don't need to mess with them. Perhaps get them sharpened every couple seasons but that's not that necessary if I'm not skiing in the northeast much.

 

[teppaz]

OP here!
I did a bunch more research since I started this thread. And I decided I actually needed 2 new pairs of skis this year (can you imagine how hard my DH rolled his eyes when I told him this?). One ~100mm ski for snowy days and my trips out west, and one narrower 75-80mm ski for the days when my mom and daughter want to lap Little White Cap in the afternoon (i.e. cruisey greenish blueish groomy terrain). But also has to be able to accompany my son down the bumps under that lift.

I purchased a gorgeous pair of Fischer Ranger 102s in 169cm length.

Looking at the following:
Liberty v76w - some closeout models from 2020 and 2021 still available, this got good reviews on other sites, would get 165 cm, but then need to choose bindings for them.
Fischer RC One 78 GT - only available in 159 cm, not sure if too short? Bindings included, which makes things easier.
Blizzard Phoenix R13 Ti - good price on either the 160 or 165 cm with bindings included.

Any thoughts or feedback on these three? Or just pick one and go with it?

For what it's worth, a few of us on this site bought those closeout Liberty V76s and are very happy with them. Get the 2021 version as it was improved from the previous year. Really fun ski.

 

[Basil]

Thanks! What bindings did you mount on the v76s? It’s hard to find anything narrower than 85 mm. If I could just get the regular Attacks that I’m used to or maybe even splurge on the new Protector bindings I think I’d go this way, but not sure if 85mm is too wide for a 76mm ski.

 

[teppaz]

I got them mounted with Rossi Axium 120s that I bought from Phil at SkiTalk. I'm not sure what width the bindings are but they work fine. I'd aim for 80mm.