Who here still skis on straight skis?

[racetiger]

I saw a dude ripping through the park today on old straight K2 skis. He was maybe in his mid to late 40s and pretty good too! That gave me confirmation that yes grown ups like going through the park too!

 

[marzNC]

Still have a pair in the closet but just waiting to find someone to give them to who does ski carpentry.

Talked to an old man on the chairlift at Whitetail with straight skis. He wasn't about to change for any reason.

 

[diymom]

Spurred on by the repurposed ski chairs at the expo I picked up a rocking chair last weekend that is solid, but missing the seat and a few back slats. I can’t see doing anything with it until next spring or summer, but yeah, another diy project in the making. There are two pairs of straight skis in my shed that have been waiting for something like this to come along (unmounted rummage sale finds, one still in plastic).

 

[KBee]

If I still had them (long story) I'd ski them--but probably badly, to be honest. Skiing is easier now on these "new" skis, but still feels too different and "new" to me after 4 seasons or so. But I did pick up a closeout pair of 2012 or so Icelantic SKNYs that are pretty straight, but not "straight". We'll see how they go! If I find a nice soft pair of straight 190s, I'd consider putting some new bindings on them to see how it goes. I still have my grandmother's hickory ones that I learned on, that I'd rather ski than hang on the wall, so I'm probably an exception.

 

[2ski2moro]

I ski with an 84 year old woman who absolutely rocks her straight skis. She puts her boots together and looks so beautiful going down the hill. She won't ski steeps anymore because she is afraid of falling and getting hurt, but she won't give it up.

The ski shop told her that her bindings were no longer indemnified and convinced her that she needed some new skis, too. She tried them and hated them. She made the shop put the new bindings on her straight skis and she is back to skiing as she always has.

When I get old, I want to ski like her.

 

[racetiger]

That story of the 84 year old lady is inspirational. I saw a video on fb of a lady in her 70s skiing beautifully through a stubby slalom course( on modern skis though but still). Last season at Giants ridge I saw an older lady just flying on straight skis. She was in her own world. Her coat unzipped and her hair down flying behind her. No helmet - just sunglasses and had earbuds in. She was happy as she could be Carefree.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

My folks still have their straight skis - on the wall. Some day they'll be on my wall too.

 

[Gratefulgal]

I have a barely used pair of Rossignol 185's that I haven't used in a long time. I'm about to get new skis but I am worried about the difference, though everyone tells me that I will love it, I have always rocked the long straight skis. If I hate the new ski I demo, I am totally using my Ross. I've never cared much about what people think and I'm not about to change now, lol

 

[BlizzardBabe]

I forgot to note, above, that my 87 yo mom is still skiing and she credits the advent of shaped skis with extending her skiing life. She found them much easier to turn and, correspondingly, easier on the knees, hips, and quads.

I do love watching the old Warren Miller films of folks skiing so beautifully and elegantly on straight skis, and I occasionally see a straight plank devotee on the hill, but I have no desire to go back even if I could.

 

[marzNC]

I have a barely used pair of Rossignol 185's that I haven't used in a long time. I'm about to get new skis but I am worried about the difference, though everyone tells me that I will love it, I have always rocked the long straight skis. If I hate the new ski I demo, I am totally using my Ross. I've never cared much about what people think and I'm not about to change now, lol

Depends on how you skied on straight skis. I demo'd "shaped skis" for the first time in 2000. Was a confident intermediate who only skied groomers, having learned during two seasons in middle school. But that meant I never knew how to make parallel turns with my feet close together. I skied very little between learning as a teen and 2000. Turned out my natural stance, which is usually described as "hip width" or "athletic stance," was perfect for those skis. I found that I was making parallel turns without even thinking about how to make that happen. Wasn't much point to keep skiing my straight skis (bought around 1982) after that. So the initial adjustment from straight skis was easy. However, it wasn't until I had a few lessons after 2008 that I starting making the most out of the design of skis made after 2005. By then I knew I would be skiing for more than I had as a working adult.

The related story is what happened for my ski buddy, Bill. (He knows I tell this story often.) Bill was an advanced skier who loved the bumps on Bell Mountain at Aspen during high school back in the 1960s. Fast forward to 2012 when I started doing mid-season ski trips to destination resorts with him. He had modern skis bought after 2007 and as far as I was concerned was an advanced/expert skier. Took a few years, but eventually I talked him into a semi-private lesson at Alta. It was his second lesson as an adult because we did one at JH with @snoWYmonkey and another ski buddy the season before. But the lesson at Alta was different. The short story is that the crusty older instructor spent time on groomers working showing Bill how to make better use of his skis (tip rocker, camber, flat tail I think) by widening his stance just a bit. I was part of the lesson but the focus was on Bill while I continued working on fundamentals. It was helpful to me to observe a different approach to teaching how to achieve a "C turn." We had a second lesson with the same instructor a couple days later. Bill was starting to get it, so that turned into a powder lesson (short steep tree run off Supreme, boot deep snow on me). We did a couple more lessons during late season with a different L3 instructor. Took a few seasons to completely ingrain the new technique but bottom line is that now Bill can ski old-style and current style at will. Watching him make wedeln turns is really pretty on a groomer. But after a couple Taos Ski Weeks in the last couple seasons, watching him float down a bump run while making it look like a groomer, that's amazing!

Note that Bill is not someone who makes changes easily. Only reason he bought boots in 2012 at Big Sky was that his 25+ year old boots finally cracked in the middle of that ski week. Can't remember when he decided a helmet was a sensible choice but I think that was after he bought the boots.

There is no question that Bill appreciates that it was worth the effort to learn to use his skis more efficiently. He has one knee with no meniscus from an injury during high school. Although no one watching him ski would ever guess.

 

[Gratefulgal]

I

Depends on how you skied on straight skis. I demo'd "shaped skis" for the first time in 2000. Was a confident intermediate who only skied groomers, having learned during two seasons in middle school. But that meant I never knew how to make parallel turns with my feet close together. I skied very little between learning as a teen and 2000. Turned out my natural stance, which is usually described as "hip width" or "athletic stance," was perfect for those skis. I found that I was making parallel turns without even thinking about how to make that happen. Wasn't much point to keep skiing my straight skis (bought around 1982) after that. So the initial adjustment from straight skis was easy. However, it wasn't until I had a few lessons after 2008 that I starting making the most out of the design of skis made after 2005. By then I knew I would be skiing for more than I had as a working adult.

The related story is what happened for my ski buddy, Bill. (He knows I tell this story often.) Bill was an advanced skier who loved the bumps on Bell Mountain at Aspen during high school back in the 1960s. Fast forward to 2012 when I started doing mid-season ski trips to destination resorts with him. He had modern skis bought after 2007 and as far as I was concerned was an advanced/expert skier. Took a few years, but eventually I talked him into a semi-private lesson at Alta. It was his second lesson as an adult because we did one at JH with @snoWYmonkey and another ski buddy the season before. But the lesson at Alta was different. The short story is that the crusty older instructor spent time on groomers working showing Bill how to make better use of his skis (tip rocker, camber, flat tail I think) by widening his stance just a bit. I was part of the lesson but the focus was on Bill while I continued working on fundamentals. It was helpful to me to observe a different approach to teaching how to achieve a "C turn." We had a second lesson with the same instructor a couple days later. Bill was starting to get it, so that turned into a powder lesson (short steep tree run off Supreme, boot deep snow on me). We did a couple more lessons during late season with a different L3 instructor. Took a few seasons to completely ingrain the new technique but bottom line is that now Bill can ski old-style and current style at will. Watching him make wedeln turns is really pretty on a groomer. But after a couple Taos Ski Weeks in the last couple seasons, watching him float down a bump run while making it look like a groomer, that's amazing!

Note that Bill is not someone who makes changes easily. Only reason he bought boots in 2012 at Big Sky was that his 25+ year old boots finally cracked in the middle of that ski week. Can't remember when he decided a helmet was a sensible choice but I think that was after he bought the boots.

There is no question that Bill appreciates that it was worth the effort to learn to use his skis more efficiently. He has one knee with no meniscus from an injury during high school. Although no one watching him ski would ever guess.

I was a very good parallel skier, last ranking was expert though I am far from that now. I skied everything from groomers to deep powder to the occasional icy #### show lol

So I am a little worried how this will transfer to the new style skis with my technique being based on long straight skis. I work at Mount Snow so I get free lessons and plan to take a couple to make sure my form is ok, muscle memory will only go so far.

 

[KBee]

Please let us know how it goes. I learned on straight skis in the 70's and 80's, and only got a few days in in the following decades up until last year. I had to go with new skis, but am still curious about the old ones. These days, the selection is so vast.

I'm not sure how much I'm impacted by new gear, vs. age but either way, whatever. It's still fun.

 

[marzNC]

I was a very good parallel skier, last ranking was expert though I am far from that now. I skied everything from groomers to deep powder to the occasional icy #### show lol

So I am a little worried how this will transfer to the new style skis with my technique being based on long straight skis. I work at Mount Snow so I get free lessons and plan to take a couple to make sure my form is ok, muscle memory will only go so far.

If you go into the first couple lessons with an open mind, I'm sure you'll be fine. Do you have any idea what your learning style is? For instance, for me reading about technique doesn't help. I'm much more of a visual learner. Seeing an instructor demonstrate a drill and then following while trying to mimic what I'm seeing works well. I have friends who want a thorough technical explanation first. Nothing wrong with either approach, but it helps if you can let an instructor know early on what works better for you.

It took a few years after I was skiing more regularly, but I also discovered that pole length has shifted. I had the poles I bought in the 1980s cut down twice as I skied more and became a solid advanced skier.

 

[Gratefulgal]

If you go into the first couple lessons with an open mind, I'm sure you'll be fine. Do you have any idea what your learning style is? For instance, for me reading about technique doesn't help. I'm much more of a visual learner. Seeing an instructor demonstrate a drill and then following while trying to mimic what I'm seeing works well. I have friends who want a thorough technical explanation first. Nothing wrong with either approach, but it helps if you can let an instructor know early on what works better for you.

It took a few years after I was skiing more regularly, but I also discovered that pole length has shifted. I had the poles I bought in the 1980s cut down twice as I skied more and became a solid advanced skier.

I am a teacher myself, I'm definitely a visual hands on learner, I do read too but following someone else's moves works for me well. I'm fortunate to be friends with a couple instructors so hopefully we will get me grooving with the new skis quickly. And if I don't care for them I don't have any issue with using the old style.

 

[nopoleskier]

I like the new skis vs straight skis.. I grew up on straight skis and raced on them. I like that I have no more tips escaping from me when in 'death cookies' the new skis plow thru piles, carve easier, are lighter (mine anyways) and they are much easier to ski. YES it takes a bit to get used to not seeing your tips in your view (i went from 185-195's to 165!) but just look ahead down the trail, relax and Ski..

we had a few hold outs that wouldn't give up their straight skis, they are now on shaped and loving the longer ski days since their legs don't get tired!

 

[skiclaw]

I started skiing again after a number of years away from the slopes. I begin skiing as a youth and was very comfortable with straight racing skis (GS). This year I bought a pair of Elan Ripstick 96 Black and learned to ski again. They like to be on edge and carve beautifully. But they don’t like to go straight. Ordered a pair of straight racing skis from the 1990s on eBay this past week. Put on new bindings and hit the slopes. It is clear that skinny skis vs fat skis are two different skiing styles. Had a blast on the straight skis. Could skate off the top of the hill to build speed, ski straight down the hill with the skis together then drop into a series of quick turns. Wow, what a blast. Both skinny and fat skis are fun. Can’t say one is better than the other as they both have their advantages. Over all, I would say straight skis are move versatile but more difficult to master. You can make them carve by loading the front of your skis, ski straight or skate down the hill, but parabolic skis are designed to turn (stay on edge); they don’t like to be flat or ski straight and are clunky to skate with but they love to carve and can do so without losing any speed. Will keep both my skinny and fat skis and enjoy both styles of skiing. Might look for a pair of racing (GS) shaped skis, something that can go fast and remain very stable at high speeds. The straight skis I ordered were slalom racing skis. May look for a pair of straight GS racing skis. Wow, that would be a 4 ski quiver . So glad to be back on the slopes.