Lori_K
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The hubby and I went skiing at Taos today, and they were also doing (free) demos from 10am to 3pm. I wasn't in the market for new groomer skis, but I can't pass up a free demo. I made copies of Volklgirl's report card, and stuffed them in my jacket. 
I had planned on testing a couple Volkl skis, as well as the K2 Burnin Luv.
My current ski is a 2003 Atomic R10:20, 160cm, a nice all-mountain ski that I've been pretty happy with. I bought a set of Solomon Pocket Rockets a year ago for playing in the powder. (I can't really call what I do in the powder "skiing", anyway!)
Most of my skiing experience has been over the last five years, 10-20 days per year skiing in the Northeast, so I'm pretty familiar with hardpack and icy conditions. Level 7-8 skier, 140 pounds, 40 years old.
Early season at Taos is very similar to Northeastern skiing. Hardpack, packed powder mix of man-made and natural snow. I took a few runs early on my R10s, and was feeling good. The drills the hubby and I had worked on last week seemed to sink in, and my turns were smoother and I was getting up on edge a bit more.
My husband Dave bought a set of Volkl 6-stars a couple years ago, and he loves the hell out of them. He's been wanting me to try a pair of 5-stars for some time. After reading some reviews here and elsewhere, I was intrigued by the Volkl Attiva AC3, their top of the line all-mountain ski for women. So we walked over to the tent and lo and behold, they had them for demo, in a 163 even. Took them up to the top of the mountain and ran them through the same trails I had just run in my R10s. I was impressed. The Attiva AC3 has a nice sweet spot, forgiving, and willing to make any turn you throw at it, even short turns were good. Very stable at speed as well. Edge grip was very good, possibly better than my R10s which had just been waxed & edge tuned.
I liked the AC3s and did a few more runs on them, but I wasn't completely convinced that they were that much better than my Atomics. At least not that much better to justify a new pair of skis.
So we went back over to the tent, and I turned in the AC3s. At Dave's urging, I selected the Attiva S5 in a 161 length. This is Volkl's top of the line carving ski for women. I thought about the S5 unisex ski, but the shortest length was a 168, and I could always come back for it later anyway. So back up to the top of the mountain we went.
The S5 rocked my world. Short turns, medium turns, big huge fun GS turns. Didn't care. White pack, hardpack, cut up powder. Didn't matter. I skied it all like I was on a set of rails. I wasn't just turning anymore. I was carving, almost all the time. The ski had tenacious edge grip on the hardpack, which was confidence inspiring. I was skiing faster, with more control, than I ever had before. I was even able to keep my husband in sight as we headed down the trails. We just kept skiing and skiing, and I'd never had so much fun on the snow. It really was a breakthrough day.
The problem was, now that I had tasted this bit of success, I was not keen on returning to my old R10s. Suddenly, those skis seemed slow, damp, and incapable of turning. By this time it was 1:30, and we really needed some lunch. I didn't think I'd have time to demo the K2's after lunch, but at that point I really didn't care anyway! Reluctantly, I returned the Attiva S5 skis to the tent, and asked if they took trade-ins. :p No such luck. We went in to eat lunch, and all I could talk about were those skis. We decided to call it a day at that point, and we poked around the ski shop to see if they carried the Volkls. I was in luck. (Or was that bad luck?). Several pairs of Attiva S5 still in the shrink wrap, and they had a 161cm available. Nice, but I really couldn't afford anything until after Christmas. But, the salesman says, we get very busy during Christmas week, and the selection isn't as good after the new year. Oh. (Yeah, I'm a sucker for a sales pitch). I looked at my husband, and he looks at me. He then smiles and says, "Merry Christmas!".
So we did some more damage to our credit card, and I now own a pair of Attiva S5s. (At least I will after I pick them up--bindings are being mounted now).
So, my advice to you ladies is that unless you are willing and able to buy, don't do any demos!! Demos are bad. They are expensive, even when they are free.
Stupid Volkls. Stupid demos. Darn the husband for encouraging me!
(Psst. Anyone want to buy a pair of 3-year old Atomics??!)
I had planned on testing a couple Volkl skis, as well as the K2 Burnin Luv.
My current ski is a 2003 Atomic R10:20, 160cm, a nice all-mountain ski that I've been pretty happy with. I bought a set of Solomon Pocket Rockets a year ago for playing in the powder. (I can't really call what I do in the powder "skiing", anyway!)
Most of my skiing experience has been over the last five years, 10-20 days per year skiing in the Northeast, so I'm pretty familiar with hardpack and icy conditions. Level 7-8 skier, 140 pounds, 40 years old.
Early season at Taos is very similar to Northeastern skiing. Hardpack, packed powder mix of man-made and natural snow. I took a few runs early on my R10s, and was feeling good. The drills the hubby and I had worked on last week seemed to sink in, and my turns were smoother and I was getting up on edge a bit more.
My husband Dave bought a set of Volkl 6-stars a couple years ago, and he loves the hell out of them. He's been wanting me to try a pair of 5-stars for some time. After reading some reviews here and elsewhere, I was intrigued by the Volkl Attiva AC3, their top of the line all-mountain ski for women. So we walked over to the tent and lo and behold, they had them for demo, in a 163 even. Took them up to the top of the mountain and ran them through the same trails I had just run in my R10s. I was impressed. The Attiva AC3 has a nice sweet spot, forgiving, and willing to make any turn you throw at it, even short turns were good. Very stable at speed as well. Edge grip was very good, possibly better than my R10s which had just been waxed & edge tuned.
I liked the AC3s and did a few more runs on them, but I wasn't completely convinced that they were that much better than my Atomics. At least not that much better to justify a new pair of skis.
So we went back over to the tent, and I turned in the AC3s. At Dave's urging, I selected the Attiva S5 in a 161 length. This is Volkl's top of the line carving ski for women. I thought about the S5 unisex ski, but the shortest length was a 168, and I could always come back for it later anyway. So back up to the top of the mountain we went.
The S5 rocked my world. Short turns, medium turns, big huge fun GS turns. Didn't care. White pack, hardpack, cut up powder. Didn't matter. I skied it all like I was on a set of rails. I wasn't just turning anymore. I was carving, almost all the time. The ski had tenacious edge grip on the hardpack, which was confidence inspiring. I was skiing faster, with more control, than I ever had before. I was even able to keep my husband in sight as we headed down the trails. We just kept skiing and skiing, and I'd never had so much fun on the snow. It really was a breakthrough day.
The problem was, now that I had tasted this bit of success, I was not keen on returning to my old R10s. Suddenly, those skis seemed slow, damp, and incapable of turning. By this time it was 1:30, and we really needed some lunch. I didn't think I'd have time to demo the K2's after lunch, but at that point I really didn't care anyway! Reluctantly, I returned the Attiva S5 skis to the tent, and asked if they took trade-ins. :p No such luck. We went in to eat lunch, and all I could talk about were those skis. We decided to call it a day at that point, and we poked around the ski shop to see if they carried the Volkls. I was in luck. (Or was that bad luck?). Several pairs of Attiva S5 still in the shrink wrap, and they had a 161cm available. Nice, but I really couldn't afford anything until after Christmas. But, the salesman says, we get very busy during Christmas week, and the selection isn't as good after the new year. Oh. (Yeah, I'm a sucker for a sales pitch). I looked at my husband, and he looks at me. He then smiles and says, "Merry Christmas!".
So we did some more damage to our credit card, and I now own a pair of Attiva S5s. (At least I will after I pick them up--bindings are being mounted now).
So, my advice to you ladies is that unless you are willing and able to buy, don't do any demos!! Demos are bad. They are expensive, even when they are free.
Stupid Volkls. Stupid demos. Darn the husband for encouraging me!
(Psst. Anyone want to buy a pair of 3-year old Atomics??!)
