When to upgrade, what to try?

[michpc]

So this place is pretty dangerous...chatting with a bunch of people with amazing gear (quiver was a new word to me!) You ladies definitely have me itching to buy new skis.

Anyway, I bought a pair of used Olin Radius Vs last December since I really did it on a whim and wasn't sure how much I'd get back into skiing. Well, long story short, I had an awesome season and want to get out even more this year. I'll be keeping these for now, but I was thinking it might be fun to demo some skis throughout the season and then maybe look at buying overstock or used demos in the summer or fall. Or should I stay on these longer? There are so many skis out there...I've found online searching to be kind of overwhelming.

I'm 24, 5'4" and around 140lbs and I'd definitely call myself athletic (have played sports all my life). The Olins were recommended to me because the ski shop guy thought I'd enjoy them more as I got my ski legs back. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy them. My only real gripes have been that they are not that great on the ice (they skid more so than carve) and since they have a fairly narrow waist, they also weren't too great in the spring slush or freshly fallen snow. However packed powder was excellent. And they definitely seem to be forgiving as I had very few spills for someone coming off 5 years away from the sport.

As far as my skiing, I'm a solid intermediate...I stay mostly on the blues, and occasionally will ski an easier black run. My favorite skiing is on lumpy, messy trails where can play in and the ruts and natural moguls formed by a few hours of skiers carving things up I'm also a fan of the old school narrower New England trails, over the big wide open spaces, so I'd like a ski that can make those tighter turns easily. At some point I'd like to try tree skiing, so something that's a little wider in the waist than my current skis would be nice to handle our New England "powder". Last, but not least, I like to keep my speed moderate, you won't see me flying down the trails.

And here's a pic of the Olin's (not mine, which are 150s and much stumpier looking :p) for your amusement

Any and all suggestions welcome so I can have an idea of what to look for in terms of demos...oh and I'd like something I can have fun on for a while..I'm hoping to go back to grad school soon and the budget will be too tight for frequent upgrades.

If you could get through the long winded post, thanks in advance :-)

 

[Jilly]

I'm a fan of Rossi - Attraxion VI. Also the 7th Heaven from Atomic. After I try a few tomorrow I'll be able to list a few more. Those Olin remind me of my Rossi Vipers from a few years ago.

 

[Acadia07]

So this place is pretty dangerous...chatting with a bunch of people with amazing gear (quiver was a new word to me!) You ladies definitely have me itching to buy new skis.

Oh my, is this place dangerous! In that fabulous, new-ski-gear sort of way. :ROTF: I hardly owned any of my own gear until last year. I've bought two pairs of skis, poles, boots, a helmet, new goggles and new jacket since last February. :D

I haven't demoed a lot, but we sound like similar skiers, so I'll recommend some things I've looked at (read: want to buy).

The Nordica Olympia Firefox and Volkl Fuego are the rippers of the bunch, I think. I have not skied either, but I hear they're both fast, fun carvers. Hopefully some Divas that have tried them can give you some more info! I reeeeally want to try the Firefox this year. The Salomon Topaz and the Elan speed magic are also on this list.

The Volkl Luna is a step down from the Fuego and I did try these one day last year - loved 'em. I also demoed the Atomic Foxy Mama for a few days, which is now the Heaven's Gate. They were awesome - stuck to the mountain like glue. I ended up buying the Dynastar Exclusive Legend, which is a lighter ski but still really stable and edges great - and I've only skied it in crappy conditions so far.

Others to look at are the Fischer Vision Vapor or Breeze. I almost bought the Breeze last year, too - I hear great things about them! I think you'll get recommendations for the k2 lotta luvs and burnin' luvs, too, although I don't know much about them.

Check out this site for more info on stuff you might want to try: https://www.skipressworld.com/usa/index.php/womenscategories-9.html

Happy shopping!

 

[michpc]

Starting my list

 

[SnowflakeADK]

Oh boy, you're in for a ride!! LOL These great ladies are full of knowledge and are such enablers!! When I first started lurking here I had a one ski quiver consisting of a wimpy beginner/intermediate ski. If it weren't for the info I got here I would probably still be on them and still be overly frustrated by my performance and lack of improvement. I didn't even realize the differences in ski characteristics. To me a ski was a ski was a ski....what could the difference REALLY be??
I was so wrong and have this place to thank for showing me the light!!! :ROTF:

Anyway...you were looking for a rec. I know others have seen my recommendation for this before....so bare with me, ladies....I haven't owned alot of skies, nor have I demo'd, therefore I can only speak for what I have skiied on. I did demo the Volkl Fuego last year....many of the gals have them and love them....I was quite fond of them too, but for the fact the demos were too long and the ski just felt too burly for me. In a shorter lenght I'm sure I would have never given it back. It just ate up the mountain and held on for dear life. Awsome ski. However, due to a deal I couldn't pass up, I ended up purchasing the Atomic Foxy Mama (this years version is called Heavens Gate). Acadia spoke of how they stick to the mountain like glue.....she is oh so correct....like super glue!!! Slick spots are a non issue. This is something that used to give me the willys.....not anymore. They do short little arcs without a thought. They do bust through churned up snow piles with ease. They were adequate for me in some thick untracked wet stuff last spring. (I think any inadequacy was me not the skis). I'm really finding that conditions that stopped me dead before are not an issue any longer and I'm certain that its this ski. I achieved a level of speed yesterday that I have never been comfortable with. Reviews have said they like speed....they do...but they don't dislike meandering either. Many say they are a heavy ski. I'm sorry, I just don't feel that they are. Those Fuegos felt like tree trunks to me compared to the Foxys.
Also, I took a lesson yesterday and my instructor who's wife also is an instructor skis on the Foxys and loves them....so it seems like they work well for a variety of abilities (?). When I questioned about an upcoming demo day at the mountain his response was...sure try it, its alot of fun, but you're not going to find anything you like better than those! LOL

Well, I hope this is helpful. It sounds like we share similar ski abilities and geography, so I wanted to chime in. Happy hunting!!

 

[michpc]

I'm itching to hit the slopes, but my skis haven't been tuned yet...sounds like I might have to do some demoing at Wachusett on Sunday morning :D