Latest posts for the topic "Ski specific question?"

Ski specific question?

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:14:31 GMT

Hi all,
I'm an intermediate skier half a dozen weeks and caught the bug about 5 years ago, ski reds fine & last year skied a few blacks.
i have always rented skis & i usually ask the shop before i rent what they have available & always tended to ski on similar spec skis with regard to length / side cut & radius etc..
I usually have something like around 165-170 long & 120-72-105 with a radius of 13 to 14.
My question is the hire shop is suggesting something far fatter than I've skied in the region of 129-84-111 with a 15.8 radius, so i would like to know what to expect & will i hate them & swap them ??
Your thoughts on this are much appreciated.

thank you :lol:

Re:Ski specific question?

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:09:30 GMT

Where are you and what are the conditions? What's the ski?

84 underfoot isn't too wide. They will respond better in powder and should be ok on piste.They sound like an all-mountain ski. It depends what you want to ski and what you style is. Maybe you should opt for a package that allows you try different styles during the week (slalom, GS, all-mountain) and see what you get out of them.

I ski the Salomon Enduro XT850 with 127-84-111 profile. It allows me to cruise the pistes. The wider tip and the rocker allow it to ride powder better. I don' therefore need to worry about changing skis mid session.

Re:Ski specific question?

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:19:01 GMT

Hi,
Yes the shop states i can change if i like,
The skis in question are Volkl RTM80's & just checked them out & they are all mountain as you say. Going to skiing piste runs thats all no off piste.
But never skied on anything that wide, so not sure what to expect???

Re:Ski specific question?

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:07:41 GMT

They sound like a very good ski. It now comes down to your abilities, skiing style, and what you want out of a ski. Do you carve your skis or slide?

If they are anything like mine you will need to be quite aggressive with them, but they give back as much as you put in. Fantastic carving with a lot of 'bounce-back'.

Maybe start the week on what you know, then try a slalom ski and save the all-mountain ski for last. Maybe the following review will make your mind up.

http://www.edgeandwax.co.uk/261371/products/Volkl_RTM_80_2013_Mens_Skis_and_Bindings.aspx?gclid=CILt4Yyx-7QCFU3HtAodIh4AuQ

Re:Ski specific question?

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:40:08 GMT

If you've got no plans to ski off piste (even just of the sides....don't get me into the "How far off piste is OFF piste question!) then I would stick to a narrower piste oriented ski.

I almost always hire all mountain (I'm a Salomon BBR fan!) because I want to ski on piste, off piste, in powder, crud, over bumps...whatever is out there. However I have had the odd day of sticking to the runs on GS type skis and had a blast.

All mountain (regardless of the hype) will always be a compromise, a piste ski will always be better on piste!

Re:Ski specific question?

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:29:46 GMT

The Volkl RTM80's are great all mountain skis with really good reviews. I nearly bought some myself but the price tag was just a little above my budget so went fotr some Nordica Fire Arrow 80s in the end. Just bear in mind the length to height ratio ...ie tips about lip high unless you consider yourself really good.

Re:Ski specific question?

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:54:41 GMT

An all mountain ski that is fatter will not initiate as easily into the turn. You might find you have to work them a bit harder to get them to turn.
It depends on a lot of different things-your weight, the flex of the ski and the sidecut but in general they will give you longer gs style turns instesd of quicker edge to edge turns.
I am of the school of thought that you should ideally have two pairs - slalom and powder skis with a gs pair in there if you can afford/store them

Re:Ski specific question?

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:45:03 GMT

Try them if you don't like them take um back, your paying it is your choice.

Re:Ski specific question?

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:00:12 GMT

Generally speaking wider skis are harder to put on edge and edge change will be slower so expect to work a little bit harder. Also, longer radius means you need higher edge angles for the same size turns as on a tighter radius ski. But the difference won't be massive. It's just about 1 cm wider and about 2 meters longer and in absolute terms both 84 mm width and 15.8 m turn radius are neither wide nor long and probably is an ideal sidecut for an all-mountain skis. How well/quick you will adjust to the change depends on your level of skiing. Skiing reds/blacks says nothing.