Volkl Attiva S5- need advice from users

[Sky]

HI,
I have been posting a lot regarding my ski decision-making and have really benefited from all the feedback here. I have decided to go for the Attiva S5 and want to know if I should go for the 161 ( my size) or down to the 152. I am a little intimidated by the stiffiness. I am 5'7" and 155-160 pounds and I know the shorter ski barely reaches my chin. Is it that hard a ski to manage? I am skiing blues and some blacks and I can carve very well in the not so steep and I am working on improving on carving, not skidding, on the blacks. Is this ski comfortable for varied turn sizes?
Thanks!

 

[NannyMin]

Sky~ I recently purchased the Attiva S5 161 and I am very pleased with them thus far. I am 5'7.5" and 130lbs. I have found them to be very responsive and easy to adjust to. They love to carve! I've only skied on them for 5 days including the demo day but so far I haven't found any conditions that I don't like them in. I do anticipate that they will be less than ideal off piste in deep powder so I'm going to be demoing skis for those conditions in the next few weeks in Montana.

 

[Sky]

Thanks, NannyMin,
How advanced and confident a skiier are you?
Thanks
I am also considering a Fischer Vision 70 on due to raves by a couple of Divas.

 

[Lori_K]

Sky,

I demo'd the Attiva S5 in a 161cm last December, and bought it immediately! I am 5'3", 135 pounds. Advanced skier/expert wannabe.
I think you will be fine in a 161. The ski carves short/med/long turns easily, much better than my old Atomic R:10 (160cm). It does well on groomers of all sorts, loves the hardpack, and has great edge grip on the icy stuff. Not so much fun in bumps or powder, but it will manage. Slices through the crud and end of day junk. A very confidence-inspiring ski. I know my overall speed riding these skis increased tremendously.

The S5 is definitely carve-oriented. If you want something that's a little more adaptable in terms of terrain, consider the Attiva AC2 or AC3. This is a bit wider all-mountain ski, but still has very good edge grip on hardpack, and makes turns of all radius size easily.

 

[NannyMin]

Sky~ I'm a level 7 wannabe expert! :-) I'm pretty aggressive and definitely daring and willing to try anything at least once.

 

[IdahoSkiGirl]

I demo'd the Attiva S5 back in January and fell in love with them, no other ski even compared to what the S5 can do. I fell so in love with the ski that I dreading skiing my old Atomics. I went on a search for a good deal and bought a pair of 161. I am 5'8'', 138lbs and this length has been great. I have skiied them on the hard stuff, off trail (in powder up to my thighs) and they have worked great! I was really apprehensive about taking them off trail since but I was really surpised at how great they performed. I have pushed them to do long turns, medium turns, and short turns...they really do what ever you want and they will want to "go fast". I think you should go with the 161, you really can't go wrong with this ski.

 

[Sky]

Very encouraging feedback. Now ski store guy said tonght that this is a "demanding" ski and it will be hard to relax on it. He was reallly nice and informative and not at all talking down to me. I am not super aggressive and I don't mind pushing myself but want to be able to just cruise sometimes too. Do you feel you have to be "on" all the time. I am an intermediate skier, trying to do the blacks smoothly.

 

[ski now work later]

It is a demanding ski, but one you can grow into over time. You might find the shorter length easier to manage with the stiffness and power of the ski. That's what I found with my AC3s, which I originally purchased in 163 and then had to switch down to 156 to get better control over the skis. I'm just shy of 5' 7" and 142 lbs.

I have the Attive 5Star from 2006, the predecessor to the AC5. I have a 161. It's a good length because you can rip down the groomers with it. The answer might be to get this ski and also get a second ski like the AC2 with a wider platform, that's softer, and that will take you all over the mountain. You can then choose which skis you want to use depending on the conditions.

Hence, a quiver!

 

[Lori_K]

Don't think of it as a "demanding" ski, think of it as a ski that rewards good technique! I'm serious. The S5 has a nice sweet spot, and is pretty forgiving of stupid mistakes. (Ask me how I know!)
That said, once you get the ski into its groove, it's a total rush. You'll want to go and find that groove again and again. You don't have to be "on" all the time with the Volkl, but you will WANT to be! It's such a hoot to ride fast that you will be looking for sections to kick up the speed.

IdahoSkiGirl, you sound just like me. I had a pair of Atomic R:10s which I was perfectly happy on. Until I demo'd the Attiva S5. I knew I couldn't ride my old skis again, so I bought the S5 on the spot. My skiing improved so quickly it was scary.

 

[IdahoSkiGirl]

After having a guy friend watch me ski the S5 he commented that he had never seen me ski better. I think his comment was "that ski really fits you." I am a fairly aggressive skiier and I find the 161 a lot of fun. They really do build your confidence. Sky- if you can demo the 154 and the 161 the same day, see which one you have more fun riding. I demo'd the K2 Burnin Lov's and the S5 on the same day to really compare them in similar conditions. I enjoyed skiing the S5 much more. I did not have any trouble finding their sweet spot. I was skiing an atmoic race ski and I found the S5's a lot easier to carve I can make huge "rails" in the snow with very little effort, just push into the ball of the foot and off they go. I will warn you they like to go fast and you have to transition from ski to ski very quickly. I think they need a slogan on the tail of the ski that says "I wanna go fast!"

 

[Sky]

Thanks for the input everyone! I have been trying to distill it all and I think it sounds like a wonderful ski (the S5) but I think I am probably not as aggressive or advanced as those of you who are passionate about it. I have started looking at the S4, which seems like it might be a good fit for me. Funny thing, my husband has decided to return to skiing after seven years of snowboarding. I went to the store with him and the salesman picked out some nice boots for him (after some thought and a couple of tries) and then just handed him some skis off the wall (Volkls) that he thought would be a good match for him. It took literally three minutes after the boot fitting for him to decide on the skis. He'll probably be happy too! But he is a natural athlete and doesn't get as uptight as I do about "stuff."

 

[IdahoSkiGirl]

I am a really big believer in demoing. If the ski store that you have been visiting has demos available try the s4 and s5. I am poor graduate student so I like to make sure I really like the ski before I spend the money. Skiing is not fun if you do not like the ski you are on...I know this from experience...it only leads to frustration. If you are trying to improve your carving technique the S4 may be more fun for you to ski but before making a big decision try both.

 

[Sky]

Yes, I know, demo'ing is ideal and I have done a lot of that this season.
But our local mountain didn't stock Volkls in the demo shop this year and we are taking short ski vacation this weekend. Demo-ing on that mountain is 50.00 a pop! With the great ski sales going on right now, I'd rather take my chances a pick up a ski I can use now. I will save $100.00 by not renting this weekend!

 

[IdahoSkiGirl]

YOUCH! That is spendy for demo'ing. In my opinion, if you are worried about the S5 being too much of ski then I would go for the S4, I have seen women on them at the local resort outside of Boise, ID and they said that they love the S4. I think all of the Volkl's are great this year. Best of luck making a decision.

 

[mishel64]

Volkl S5 verses Fischer Vision 70

Hi, I demoed the Volkls and heard all the divas about the Fischer 70s, I purchased the Fischers in a164 and I have never skied better, fantastic carvers, pack, and hard pack, went in the glades for the first time with a pro on Sunday River what fun, there sturdy and a blast to ski on, my daughter purchased them also and really loves them she had the Rossi bandits and shes says the Fischer blows them away..I think the Fischers are really under rated. They are a great east coast ski...Check ebay!