Any skiers here - first skis.

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rayonline

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#237514 5-Jun-2018 20:49

I gota seasons pass this year, I've done some skiing before and have rented every day so they got expensive. Mostly on the mountain and a few times in the township where I got an advanced ski (Head Supershape the red one) with the very short turn radius around 10 or 12m. Basically I do blues and still working on my parallels but it has been 8yrs since I really skied, the other times have just been a fun weekend with others where half of them just play in the snow.

I have visited 2 stores. They both seem to only have intermediate level ski's and up. I asked the 2nd store and they said these days one can ski on beginner and intermediate level skills, an advanced ski could be slower to learn but he said people could do that also.

The Head ski's have the V Shape skies now replacing the Instinct range. There is the V2, V4, V6,V8 and V10. The min the stores had was the V6 - 78mm on the waist underfoot, an intermediate level ski. The V8 is 75mm with more power (?) and the widest is the V10. The V2 and V4 have narrower 70mm and 73mm. They also suggested a Elan Amphibio which is an intermeidate / expert ski.

The other store had Atomic but generally the CTI with titanium. They didn't have the softer wooden core versions.

Like your thoughts ... :)

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#2030317 5-Jun-2018 21:24

My son got a Mt Hutt season pass. Rather than buy skis, you can rent them for an entire season - I think that was about $250 for boots, skis, poles. They seem to be in good condition - better than you'd typically get for rentals on the mountain - unless perhaps you pay for a "premium" package.

Seems like a good idea to me - many of his ski friends seem to be doing the same.

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wellygary

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#2030372 5-Jun-2018 21:59

Head supershapes are great skis, but they are an expert ski, them want to be skied hard and fast, if you are skiing blues at medium speed they will feel heavy and stuff,

The v6 looks perfect for your skills , competent and wanting to progress, you want a reasonably light and supple ski that you can turn without having to work hard all day, otherwise you will bed up tired and frustrated that you can't make the skis turn like you want to....

Also in 8 years skis and skiing have changed a lot, the days of a parallel turn being a " weight the outside ski and un weight the inner one" are long gone....it's all about being two footed and rolling your weight over, the skiis will do the work for you now.....

Best advice is take a lesson

blackjack17

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#2030375 5-Jun-2018 22:06

The ski has a massive impact on how you ski and the enjoyment.

My suggestion rent a good ski for this season while demoing as many skis as you can.

Personally I have the Blizzard Bonafide. Fun to ski, all mountain, a little expensive. I don't regret the purchase.

Edit. Been skiing 30 years

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afe66

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#2030377 5-Jun-2018 22:08

There's an inch of snow on my deck in Dunedin and its still going...

(Probably all go if it rains overnight but it looks pretty :-) )

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#2030420 6-Jun-2018 05:34

2 issues.

1. Ski boots. That is wayyyy more important to performance than skis. Not all bootfitters are legit.

a - Make sure they fit your foot into the shell. if they don't (without you asking), walk out.

b - make sure they measure length, width and instep height

2. Skis. It's more than just "beginner int adv". There is also profile (rocker, camber), length (related to profile) and width (powder vs groomed trail).

a - I'd say get the profile and width sorted first.

b - A forgiving profile means you don't worry about B/I/A - B = cheaper construction, less solid bindings. A = built to withstand 100km/h runs, bindings that hold like superglue for 100km/h runs. B/I is fine for you, as long as the profile and width is forgiving.

(can you learn on adv skis? if the profile is forgiving, yes. would you want to learn driving in an easy to drive 2018 BMW M3? only you can answer. would you learn to drive in a difficult to manhandle 1998 holden commodore V8? heck even greg murphy finds a base model 1998 commodore hard to drive)

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#2030424 6-Jun-2018 05:45

what is a forgiving profile -

- early rise rocker front, rocker tail

- adv - skis don't get caught so easily and throw you over

- disadv - not the most responsive when doing 100k/h runs (you want little rocker front, and flat tail for that)

what is a good width - about 80-90mm. if powder++, >100mm, but you never know what the season brings, hence 80-90mm.

what makes it stable? length. the longer the more stable.

good skis? like bikes, any skis since 2016 is good. difference is in the profile.

rayonline

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#2030506 6-Jun-2018 09:30

Batman:

1. Ski boots. That is wayyyy more important to performance than skis. Not all bootfitters are legit.

I have some boots from 2009, intermediate level ones with a custom foot bed.

wellygary:

The v6 looks perfect for your skills , competent and wanting to progress, you want a reasonably light and supple ski that you can turn without having to work hard all day, otherwise you will bed up tired and frustrated that you can't make the skis turn like you want to....

Also in 8 years skis and skiing have changed a lot, the days of a parallel turn being a " weight the outside ski and un weight the inner one" are long gone....it's all about being two footed and rolling your weight over, the skiis will do the work for you now.....

Best advice is take a lesson

Are those from a new technique or with the new skis?

Also what's your view about going with a V4 or V2 ski instead? I found that Auckland have them. Would they be easier? I read that the older Head Natural Instinct was recommended for novice to intermediate skiers, that was the most entry one.

Yup, will definitely be doing some lessons and hopefully can go on some week days so it is less busy.

Edit - yep the V2 and V4 has more a rocker profile.

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#2030519 6-Jun-2018 09:43

All I can say is this.

V2 and V4 at 70 and 73 mm are pretty narrow, and you will want to ski them on piste, when it's packed snow.

It's forgiving and light because it's made in 2018. All skis since 2016 have a lot of technology in them.

If you want to get them, there is little difference between the V2 and the V4. Pick the colour you like.

wellygary

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#2030549 6-Jun-2018 09:52

rayonline:

Are those from a new technique or with the new skis?

Also what's your view about going with a V4 or V2 ski instead? I found that Auckland have them. Would they be easier? I read that the older Head Natural Instinct was recommended for novice to intermediate skiers, that was the most entry one.

Yup, will definitely be doing some lessons and hopefully can go on some week days so it is less busy.

Edit - yep the V2 and V4 has more a rocker profile.

The sidecut for skis continues to get bigger (the tips are tails are wider, compared to the underfoot) making it much easier to initiate a turn simply by adjusting your weight, rather than having to "stand on" the downhill skill

The V series is a family of skis, it starts with a very light ski, with a narrow waist (70mm) this is great on a groomed slope at slower speed, but will be less stable as you go faster and choose more challenging terrain

The V4 has a 73mm waist, and the V6 78mm, this will be more stable at higher speeds and on rougher i.e not groomed) terrain.

By comparison the red supershapes you skied had a 76mm waist,

If you are planning on doing more than a weeks skiing this season you will probably "out grow" the V2, the V4 will probably meet your needs for a year or two, but the V6 would give you a good 3-5 years of development before you felt like you needed something more,

Basically the more advanced a ski, the heavier and stiffer it is as you are expected to be going faster and expending more effort in your technique...

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#2030565 6-Jun-2018 10:14

The average ski waist sold in the south island this season is about 95mm.

wellygary

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#2030577 6-Jun-2018 10:32

Batman: The average ski waist sold in the south island this season is about 95mm.

Although I don't think they will get to needing snorkels yet, :)

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#2030578 6-Jun-2018 10:34

Expecting Powder +.

You could also call it fashion.

blackjack17

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#2030663 6-Jun-2018 11:31

http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/2017-2018-blizzard-bonafide

These are what I ski. Great all mountain ski, that while easy to ski will take you from an intermediate to advanced.

You can sit back and cruise on the blues or power down the blacks. Handles both ice and powder.

I see they are down to $999 (but you will need to buy bindings)

https://www.snowandsurf.co.nz/products/blizzard-bonafide-2017

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#2030784 6-Jun-2018 13:09

I'd love to have those skis. Plus you can choose your bindings. The only thing holding your body to the skis when it's ploughing down the mountain.

Taubin

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#2030803 6-Jun-2018 13:24

I tried skiing once, I barely made it up the lift, wasn't able to get off, then nearly broke every bone in my body trying to make it safely down the hill. I quickly swore off skiing as something I'm not really into.

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