J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Lynn_D

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. Having read up on them the K2 Miss Demeanours are now on the shortlist too – did like skiing on twin tips, though agree about them being a pain for gondolas with ski bins (fortunately there are very few of these where I usually ski).

The good thing about the all mountain category is that there appear to be few 'bad' skis in this range with most getting good write ups, so anything I choose should be OK. The down side is it comes down to personal preference which gives me a LOT of skis to try. Maybe I do need a morning in a snow dome to narrow it down a bit, Castleford seem to have most of them available apart from the Nordicas....

I think the current favourite is the Black Pearls as everyone seems to rave about them. My credit card may be taking a beating in the very near future.... :shock:

I've been talking about upgrading my skis for a few years now and going round in circles with regards to doing so.

A bit of background....
I'm 5'6, female and a decent intermediate skier – happy on most things pisted and getting better in small amounts of powder (<knee high) and when it's cut up and bumpy. Am keen to improve enough to eventually ski some limited off piste. I bought my current skis 'blind' in 2008. Learnt to ski in the January, decided I loved it, bought boots (which are still great) and asked which skis they would recommend. I ended up with Solomon Fever 152s (112-65-95) which would initially suggest a bit short for my height. However all reviews said 'go a bit shorter' with this model and they suited me just fine for a few seasons.

As I've progressed they are still OK on piste when not going too fast but I have no confidence in them when it's cut up and bumpy or when there is powder on the piste - I feel every bump.

So, I decided this year I was going to research all mountain skis. Read some reviews and decided I liked the look of the Nordica Belle to Belles. 154 length (124-78-108 ), not too wide, good on and off piste according to reviews. Decided I would like to try some.

Having skied current models for 7 days of perfect pistes and sunshine day 8 of our trip had a lot of snow (knee high powder on piste). I was hopeless and not helped by fogged up goggles (later solved by rearrangement of hat). After a panicked few minutes thinking I wasn't going to be able to get home pushed on and improved a bit but still not happy.
:(
Decided enough was enough and I needed some more suitable skis. Asked about the Nordicas I liked the look of but being a small resort (Arabba) didn't hold out much hope. Eventually ended up with some Dynastar 6th Sense Serial (twin tip) skis in a 158 (110-80-108 ), mainly as I thought the length more suitable than the other options – I had not read anything about them previously so no idea what I was taking on. They took a run or two to get used to but ended up loving these in the powder and they were great in cut up and bumpy conditions. I was flying down everything, including a mogulled black at the end of the day with a big smile on my face. Was surprised when I got back and googled them that they are actually marketed as a beginner, men's park ski (I have NO intention of playing in the park – I'm too likely to break something!) I have a feeling that these may not be great on piste at speed as they were quite soft and springy but didn't get the chance to try them. Anyone skied these on piste?

So, I'm confused. I know I need to go longer but how much so? 158 felt better than my 152s but they were twin tips which I believe need to be longer anyway? Do I actually want twin tips – didn't think so but enjoyed skiing on them? The Nordicas I like the look of come in 154 or 162 – I now think 154 is too short but is 162 too big a jump? Other options I've looked at come in 159 or 160 which may be better? I also don't want anything too heavy as the walk to the lifts in my favourite resort is uphill.

Whatever I buy should last me a few seasons so within reason cost isn't an issue – it's definitely going to be cheaper than hiring for 2 or more weeks per season and flying KLM ski carriage doesn't cost me anything at the moment.

I don't think I'm going to get away again this season (despite lots of pleading) so how on earth do I make a decision? I don't think testing in a snowdome is going to tell me a lot as I can't test them in cut up conditions. I also don't want to do another season on mine and even if I do try and test in resort next year there's no guarantee I can test my short list.
How do others choose skis when they can't easily test them? Buying blind worked last time but I was an inexperienced skier on suitable skis and even if they'd been a disaster weren't that expensive. I don't want to get it wrong as this purchase will likely cost several hundred pounds.

Current short (or long list) is:

Nordica Belle to Belle (124-78-108 ) in 154 or 162
Blizzard Black Pearl (123-88-110) in 159 or 166 which several reviews suggest is better
K2 Superfree or Superific (120-76-104) (K2s seem to have a reputation as being heavy??) in 160
Atomic Affinity Storm (127.5-84-107) in 159
Salomon Origins Bamboo (123-74-103) in 159
Atomic Elysian (126-95-115) in 159

Any comments on the above models/what to do?

Thanks! -)

Ps. Before anyone suggests I need lessons to improve I plan to take some in powder but am likely to be hindered if my skis aren't really suitable.
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Ah, it is thanks :oops: I thought there used to be a new topic button with the latest posts but obviously mistaken.
Thanks for your help :D

Write a reply button is back but still can't find the link to start a new topic. I'm using a PC and IE 8 (I think). Where 'should' it appear on the screen? Thanks

According to the Dolomiti Superski website I skied ~368 km (228 miles) in 13 days, which averages as 17.5 miles per day. Longest was ~25 miles (with stops for coffee and lunch and back by 4 pm) but in good conditions 30+ miles would not be unreasonable for me (decent intermediate who is not particularly fit). A couple of the days were pretty short due to tricky conditions or skiing on my own, bringing the average down. A lot depends on the conditions, how good your skiing is in those conditions, if you need stops for lunch etc., how fit you are and how difficult you find the runs. 130 km in 2 days is impressive; I think I'd need 3 for that distance – hat off to those that did it!

Best of luck and hope you raise lots of money for your chosen charity :-D

Daft question but how do you start a new thread these days - can't seem to find the 'New' button anywhere? Also can only see the quick comment box - had to go via quote to edit a reply? Am I missing something?

The Sella Ronda is a nice ski route with stunning views and 3 hours skiing doesn't sound unreasonable. It's a few years since I've done the route properly as tend to just use the slopes to get between the different areas. As others have mentioned the green route is easier however you do spend more time on lifts, particularly around Corvara. Both routes have some flat bits, around the Val di Fassa if I remember correctly. The orange route has the better skiing but there are a couple of tricky slopes (or at least parts of slopes). The first of these is red 1 from the top of Porta Vescovo (Arabba), the top of which is pretty steep (based on other runs in the area I'd grade it black but being a key link they would rather let people struggle...) :roll: and gets mogulled very quickly due to the amount of traffic. I skied it at 3 pm a couple of weeks ago and the bumps were nearly waist high (this wasn't a powder day) and littered with bodies. If you hit it first thing it's a fantastic run but later on a bit of a nightmare. There may be an alternative from the midstation but not sure without looking at a map.

The other tricky red is from the top of the Boe cable car in Corvara down to the Campolongo pass which again gets cut up very quickly and has two steepish sections which aren't fun when they are bumpy. You can easily get from Corvara to Arabba via Prolongia (take the Col Alt gondola) which is much easier (blues and/or easy reds) but will take about an hour longer. Into Arabba the easiest option is to take the right hand red from the Bec de Rocces chair. If you keep left on this run there is a route through the tress part way down which cuts out the steepest part of the slope – useful for tired legs or if it looks a mess.

Not trying to put you off, just give a fair assessment of the slopes on the route as I've found them. Personally if you're not sure I would go green first – you can always do the orange one another day.

Another route which gets a lot of hype in the area is the Hidden Valley. Personally I didn't think this was worth the effort. There are a lot of flat bits and I didn't rate the main valley run at all. The scenery is no better than the rest of the area and I would expect it to get very busy at peak times as there is only one way up and down. You also have the expense of a taxi to get there and the horse tow at the end, not at lot at 8 euros pp total but could quickly add up for a family.

If you can get there, Alba is worth a visit – the black under the cable car is fantastic.

The snow in the Dolomites is great this season (skied knee high powder on the piste a couple of days and it's still snowing this week) – I'm sure you'll have a great time whichever routes you choose to ski. Have fun! :D

Also hot chocolate for me as prefer to save the alcohol for when I've taken my skis off.

Ideally should taste like liquid chocolate and need a spoon to finish off the remains from the cup.

Mmmm :D

For any hot chocolate lovers living near Newcastle there's a great little Italian place near the Theatre Royal that serves 'real' hot chocolate – so far the only place I've found outside Italy that does -)