Thank you and a question...

[Nadine_A]

Hi all,

I'm so jealous of all the divas still skiing. Winter is still 8 weeks away here in Australia (not that I'm counting!)

I'm relatively new to this site, but in the short time it has been awesome. Skiing does seem like a male dominated sport. Information for the ladies are hard to come by and even harder to understand. The topics and thread on this site goes a long way to demystify the world of skiing.

I only discovered my love of skiing 3 years ago, after a really horrible start (hated it, hated more that I spent so much money on it), but after a totally awesome ski instructor on day two I've hardly looked back. Last year I decided to pack my bags and do a bit of travel for the white stuff. New Zealand in August and Japan in February (this year). Without ski divas to explain the ski jargon and the invaluable advice (through the topics) Japan would not have been as fantastic as it was.

Special thanks to two divas whose mottos became my mantras during a trip where none of my usual friends ski support were available.

SnowHot - "Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it!"

and

Volkgirl - "A good day is any day you finish with the same number of bones you started with, and all the ligaments attached"

So, I got to tackle Niseko on my own and came back with no injuries.

Thank you and keep up the great work!

And now a question...
Does anyone know anything about the new Armada Fleet Cantikas and what binding suit them? I really like to look of these skies. I think it's ridiculous that Armada sells their skis without actually recommending which bindings suit them! I can't find any information anywhere!

 

[Native Vail Gal]

Welcome, Nadine!!! Wow! You get to ski during our Summer! I'm jealous of YOU!

I'm glad you've joined here. :cheer:

I don't know about those skis, but someone on here will! Just wait. You'll get the answers you seek! :D

 

[volklgirl]

Hi all,

Hi! And welcome!!!

Volkgirl - "A good day is any day you finish with the same number of bones you started with, and all the ligaments attached"

Wow, I'm flattered.

And now a question...
Does anyone know anything about the new Armada Fleet Cantikas and what binding suit them? I really like to look of these skies. I think it's ridiculous that Armada sells their skis without actually recommending which bindings suit them! I can't find any information anywhere!

I haven't looked at them and don't know anything about the Armadas, but typically fatter and/or boutiquey skis are sold flat so you can put on any binding that you choose as long as the brake is wide enough to straddle the ski. Some (like me) Markers because they have an actual moving AFD plate rather than just a Teflon pad, others hate them. You'll also find lots who like the Looks and the Salomons.

The most important thing is NOT color . You need to find a binding that has your DIN setting in the middle of its range. Otherwise, weight, price, and ramp angle are other important considerations (unless you'll be touring with them, then there's other things to think about). If you're serious about this, your best bet is to develop a great relationship with your local shop. they can suggest an appropriate binding and get it mounted for you.

 

[vanhoskier]

The Fleet Cantikas are a twin tip, so are sold flat for the buyer to add a jib binding. You can add any freestyle/jib binding you please. The skis themselves are for beginner to intermediate skiers....I haven't tried them, and I'm not sure how much they'll allow you to advance your skills. They should be easy to ski and very forgiving, though.

 

[Nadine_A]

Fantastic advice as always!

Okay, so I went into my local ski shop and got some more information about Markers. They seem to be the front runner (all the armada guys a the shop fit them), but I will be getting my DIN setting calculated and then make the decision based on that.

As far as the skies are concerned, I demo-ed some twin tips this year and really liked the feel of them. I'm quite short (just made it to 5' ) and I don't have a lot of options as far as ski length is concerned. TT ski shorter than the actual length so as a intermediate skier I can ski 150s. I tried the traditional skies and forget it - kept crossing them. The Cantikas are all mountain and light. I'm an intermediate skier, but quite conservative, so I'm not sure how I will progress in them. I'm getting them from an online shop and they are quite cheap (I've spent more money on shoes:p ) so if I get 2-3 years out of them I'll be happy.