TLDR:
Ideas for how to usefully test drive and evaluate new skis when I have to leave my (major) cant adjustments behind (and will therefore have screwy edge control)?
Long form:
My QST 92s are willing to try anything, but versatile is not limitless. After watching the guys charge off into the freshies while I stare wistfully after them, I am thinking about sizing up to something like the Line Sakanas on fluffy days. The goal is something with enough area to carry me in floof but which are still skiable on groomed and cut up terrain. I hope to be able to borrow a pair of the Sakanas to try shortly, but I also won a place in the "Ski With a Peak Pro" promotion at Palisades this week. (Yay! Yikes? Yay!)
The relevant bit being that it comes with the chance to demo Peak skis, and the Peak "98 by Dav" looks pretty interesting. It's not an oppoprtunity I would normally have, so I'm excited ... but ... but ... Because I have funny feet, I have funny boots. Because I have a funny body, I need major cant adjustments. Because I have funny boots, my cant wedges are under my bindings instead of on my boots. Which means that I won't have my cant adjustments when demoing.
The cant adjustments make a massive difference in my skiing (and in my ability to stand still without kipping over sideways), so I'm a bit anxious. With fresh snow tomorrow, it seems daft not to try the demos, but I will bring my regular skis as a fallback. Still, whether I demo tomorrow or put it off until a different trip, the problem remains - how do I best evaluate skis when they are going to be weird and harder to control through no fault of their own?
In an ideal universe, on a suitable snow day, I would go to a magical resort where I could try several pairs of interesting skis (and swap them near enough to the runs to get a direct comparison and baseline). IRL, I'm probably going to wind up comparing memories of skis between ski trips at best, since on-mountain demo shops tend to have very very limited choices and I'm usually catching a ride with my buddy on his day trips.
Anyone have ideas for what I should be watching for (good or bad) that is more likely to be the ski than me? Ideas for what kind of notes to keep? Ideas for bump/ungroomed runs at Palisades that don't involve ice sheets, sketchy drop ins or long flat run outs where I really need to keep up speed? Bonus if it's off KT-22 or Red Dog. For that matter, given a ski that comes in 5cm too short or 5cm long of my general idea, do I demo the short and hope that I'm not too heavy for it, or the long and hope I can steer it? Do I give up and just buy something based on reviews?
So many questions, so much overthinking!
Ideas for how to usefully test drive and evaluate new skis when I have to leave my (major) cant adjustments behind (and will therefore have screwy edge control)?
Long form:
My QST 92s are willing to try anything, but versatile is not limitless. After watching the guys charge off into the freshies while I stare wistfully after them, I am thinking about sizing up to something like the Line Sakanas on fluffy days. The goal is something with enough area to carry me in floof but which are still skiable on groomed and cut up terrain. I hope to be able to borrow a pair of the Sakanas to try shortly, but I also won a place in the "Ski With a Peak Pro" promotion at Palisades this week. (Yay! Yikes? Yay!)
The relevant bit being that it comes with the chance to demo Peak skis, and the Peak "98 by Dav" looks pretty interesting. It's not an oppoprtunity I would normally have, so I'm excited ... but ... but ... Because I have funny feet, I have funny boots. Because I have a funny body, I need major cant adjustments. Because I have funny boots, my cant wedges are under my bindings instead of on my boots. Which means that I won't have my cant adjustments when demoing.
The cant adjustments make a massive difference in my skiing (and in my ability to stand still without kipping over sideways), so I'm a bit anxious. With fresh snow tomorrow, it seems daft not to try the demos, but I will bring my regular skis as a fallback. Still, whether I demo tomorrow or put it off until a different trip, the problem remains - how do I best evaluate skis when they are going to be weird and harder to control through no fault of their own?
In an ideal universe, on a suitable snow day, I would go to a magical resort where I could try several pairs of interesting skis (and swap them near enough to the runs to get a direct comparison and baseline). IRL, I'm probably going to wind up comparing memories of skis between ski trips at best, since on-mountain demo shops tend to have very very limited choices and I'm usually catching a ride with my buddy on his day trips.
Anyone have ideas for what I should be watching for (good or bad) that is more likely to be the ski than me? Ideas for what kind of notes to keep? Ideas for bump/ungroomed runs at Palisades that don't involve ice sheets, sketchy drop ins or long flat run outs where I really need to keep up speed? Bonus if it's off KT-22 or Red Dog. For that matter, given a ski that comes in 5cm too short or 5cm long of my general idea, do I demo the short and hope that I'm not too heavy for it, or the long and hope I can steer it? Do I give up and just buy something based on reviews?
So many questions, so much overthinking!
