Trying to decide about new skis

[GirlFromPA]

Hi all! I've been doing some research in order to buy me some new skis *said with southern accent*:D

And I sooooo have to agree with you all that "the guy at the ski shop" is ticking me off!! The best part about that is he's my friend!! But man does he fit the stereotype you all describe in your ski shop experiences. :D

Anyway, I've been skiing since I was 3. I've only skied in PA, NY, and Austria. So I'm quite used to hard packed (ice) LOL!! We rarely have powder for long and if we do get powder that doesn't mean I get to ski in it. :( I'm an advanced intermediate, which seems to be the part my friend can't believe. When we go to our local mountain (every weekend) we stay on the Black Diamonds and don't go on anything else until the North Face closes (because that's where all of the Black Diamonds are). I have really nice form and turns until I get to Black Diamonds with ice. LOL!! I seem to not be able to get an edge and freak out and all form goes to he** in a hand basket. But I'm working on it. I'm not the most aggressive skier. I'd rather get my form right than tear down the hill. And if need be I stop and reset when it all goes bad in the middle of a trail.

I'm 5'5" and 125 pounds. I've been very interested in the K2 Luv series. I've read soooo many reviews on them and everyone seems to really like them. So I was thinking that the One Luvs sound like they would be great for me, both for my ability now and for me to grow. My only problem is demoing. From what everyone is saying my resort must suck because of all the skis that I want to demo the only ones they have are 146 One Luvs. I would love to demo the 153s as I think that size would be the size I would get. Plus, they have nothing else that I'm interested in to demo. How do I compare and contrast one pair of skis?? Not to mention they want $40.00 for 5 hours. It just doesn't seem worth it for one pair of skis. What do you all think??

Also do 153s sound like the best size for me? I like speed but not out of control speed. I've been skiing on 150 Rossignols and they seem to be good so I was thinking I want to stick to that length.

Now the other thing that cracks me up is when I was asking my friend what they have in stock and blah blah blah he was like oh yeah well First Luvs are great skis. My reply was those sound like beginner skis to me from all of the descriptions. I'm not a beginner. And of course he replied with "Oh well aren't we a show off." NO! I'm just not a beginner. I've been skiing my entire life! What is that?? Then I asked him what they are selling the One Luvs for since they're having a big sale and he replied back Sweet Luvs $200 out the door. LOL!! But I didn't ask him about Sweet Luvs. LOL!! Now that said, that is a really nice deal and I am interested in saving money but is it a deal for me to get skies that I feel are lower than my ability? I want to keep these for a few years. Not have to trade up in a year or two. And I can't even demo them!! Do any of you have any experience between the 2? Are they really different or comparable? Any ideas would be great. I know they're both intermediate skis but One Luvs are intermediate to advanced as far as I can tell. Plus I've heard way more raving reviews on the One Luvs especially in ice than I have about the Sweet Luvs.

Do any of you have any ideas?

 

[Lori_K]

Do any of you have any ideas?

Yeah, I think you need to find a new "friend"! :p

Regarding the skis, you want to demo in different lengths. I think 153 to 160cm would be fine for you. 146 may be a bit short, but then again it depends on the ski.
And I would try to demo "up"-- don't take a lower ability ski, but try to find one where you think your ability is, and also try one that is one step above your ability.

Also, as you are skiing on hardpack/ice a lot, consider the Volkl Attiva series. The S5's that I bought have excellent edge grip on hardpack/ice. (And I skied in NY the last 5 years, so yes I know what real hardpack is like!)

Consider going to a new ski area if you can't find the skis you want locally. Just about all ski resorts have a website, and many of them now list "high performance" skis for renting. Give them a call and see what they have in stock.

 

[smpayne]

Ditto the new friend - he knows squat about women's skis, I seriously hope he was pulling your leg. I would ask him why he is trying to put you in a beginner ski. I think he's just afraid you will out ski him with skis that match your ability.

$40 is about right to rent Demos. I rent from my shop in town, pick up Fri night, return Sun afternoon for a 1 day rental. I end up getting 2 days out of it (I only ski from 8:30-12:00). Call around to different places and see what they carry.

From your description of how you ski, I wouldn't touch anything below the One Luv, you will be seriously sorry. I have also heard good things about the K2 Burnin Luv (stiffer than the One Luv) and the Volkl Attiva AC2. I know there are other good eastern ice skis (different brands), I just don't remember them.

 

[SnowHot]

As the divas have said, you are on the right track.
Maybe you can trade your 'friend' in on a better model while you're upgrading skis.:D

The first love is well below your ability. The one luv and tru luv are both ok but as the others have said are significantly softer than the other skis and will be ok on groomers but will not serve you well in spring crud or on powder days(few that they are).

For size, you should look to something in the high 150's low 160's. Some prefer much shorter, I on the other hand, like a ski a bit longer.

I have skied on and like the Burnin Luv 167cm. Its definitely a significant ski but is also forgiving and stable. The turn initiation is great, and the hold on hard pack and ice is good.

I would not have a problem recommending the Burnin luv.
The other ski I would recommend is (as the others say) Volkl Attiva AC2, or Attiva S5(formerly 5 Star)
The double grip edge technology is great on East coast conditions.

**The 5star(S5) is a racy ski that is also forgiving. You would kick your friends butt in no time on that one.

 

[GirlFromPA]

Yeah, I think you need to find a new "friend"! :p

LOL!! I know! What is that? Do they have a "guy at the ski shop" course where they teach them all to think women can't ski, never will be able to, and should only be on beginner skis, period????

Anyway, the Attiva seems to be the overall consensus for me to try. So I think I'll definitely look in to those. We might and I stress might go skiing out west next year but not this year. It was suggested for this year but just not in the budget or time schedule. Who knows if it'll be in the budget next year either. Paying for a wedding and a house is a lot of money. So my main concern is to buy for my area. If it sort of sucks for a couple of days out west, it's better than the whole season sucking where I live.

Unfortunately, where I live we only have like one ski shop. It's a complete monopoly. That's what we have up at the resort and around town and if they don't have it to demo, I don't know where else to go. The only shop that demos is the one at the resort. The rest just refer you to that store if you ask about demoing. I keep thinking we could go elsewhere but we ski with our ski club from work and get major discounts on lift tickets, etc. and can't sanely justify driving further to pay more in every respect. UGH!!!

But I do have fabulous boots already so as long as the skis can perform on ice I think I'll be OK for the most part. Trying to turn on a sheet of ice and sliding half a foot is not what I call fun. :D Anymore advise is still welcomed for sure.

 

[SnowHot]

Where are you in PA? We have a bunch of Divas in the Keystone State, maybe we can get some help for you. I know Lola's husband has quite a few connections.

 

[SnowHot]

Another thought:
This may seem like a radical option for you but, if you can't get demo time, look around for a great deal on all of the skis of choice in a good size for you. Take the first one that you can get a deal on(don't be afraid to shop on line).
Ski on it and you'll either love it or not. If not, sell it!
All of the skis you have on your short list are popular and will sell easy if you don't like it.

Example:
I wanted to try the K2 Burnin luv, found a good deal through a connection. Bought it, skied on it for a couple months and have it up for sale now. Its a popular ski so I will have no trouble selling it.

BTW its a great ski and you can shoot me a pm if you're interested, but its a 167 so you may not like that length.
I'm 5'6" 130 lbs and a fairly strong skier.

 

[GirlFromPA]

I'm in Pittsburgh.

Skigirl suggested I try the Fischer Vision series. She just demoed them and thought they did very well in ice. They also seem to have wonderful reviews all over the place.

I found a great deal online on new Fischer Vision 70 both in 152 and 158.

Also I found online at another store the Fischer Vision 73 same lengths available. The price difference between the two is literally $6.00 HAHA!!

I'm tempted to just get one of them as I think they'll both resell well in either size if I don't like them. Any opinions on that??

I definitely think 167 is longer than I want, but thanks for the offer.

 

[SnowHot]

I'm in Pittsburgh.

Skigirl suggested I try the Fischer Vision series. She just demoed them and thought they did very well in ice. They also seem to have wonderful reviews all over the place.

I found a great deal online on new Fischer Vision 70 both in 152 and 158.

Also I found online at another store the Fischer Vision 73 same lengths available. The price difference between the two is literally $6.00 HAHA!!

I'm tempted to just get one of them as I think they'll both resell well in either size if I don't like them. Any opinions on that??

I definitely think 167 is longer than I want, but thanks for the offer.

Do it! I'm sure you won't regret it! I wouldn't go with anything less than the 158 for your ability. If you go with the 152, you'll likely wish you had those extra CM's in no time at all.

When you get them, let us know how you like them and post a review.
Gotta love buying gear! Whoo hoo!

 

[ski now work later]

I have the 05/06 5 Star Attivas and heard great things about this year's model. Here's a link to the Volkl site for this ski: https://www.volkl.com/ski/attiva_s5_titanium.html. I would get the 154s for your size and weight. These skis will give you amazing grip and fly down the mountain with stability and nimbleness (is that a word?) I think you'd love them and they're not too heavy to carry around. I find the Burnin Luv skis heavy. I have this year's Attiva AC3s but I really bought them for Western ski trips (I ski in MA and VT) and for spring skiing. My 13 year old step daughter who is 125 lbs. and 5'6" and has only skiied 5 times owns the 05/06 Sweet Luvs which are perfect for her. I agree with other comments and suggest you get a good Attiva Volkl ski. The lower end K2s are for beginners, and you will become a more aggressive and confident skier with a higher end pair of Attivas; I certainly did.

 

[treebunny]

do not go intermediate ski. you are probably a better skier than you give yourself credit for. get level 3 all mountain ski. it will take you there. if you settle for intermediate it will leave you there.