Author Topic: What else? Ski (length) advice...  (Read 558 times)

Avatar345

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What else? Ski (length) advice...
« on: December 08, 2011, 09:59:28 pm »
Hey, first post! 

Shopping for skis for the first time in a bunch of years (10?).  I'd rank myself as advanced intermediate or sub-advanced... or previously advanced.  Comfortable on the majority of East Coast blacks I guess would be the way to put it, with Snowshoe as a reference point. 

Have not skied as frequently for the last couple of years, and honestly job #1 for me is to build up my quad strength before going out early '12, but the time has come for new skis as well.  I went to get a feel for some equipment this evening, and it seems like the opinions on ski length have really gone towards the shorter end, understandably due to ski evolution I suppose.

The two skis presently on my radar are the Atomic Smoke Ti's and the Elan Waveflex 82 XTI's (2011, not amphibio).  Any definitive thoughts between the two in general?  What would be the length to go?  Just above nose?  Longer? 

5' 9", 150 lbs

Many thanks for any thoughts/ideas.

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LivingProof

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Re: What else? Ski (length) advice...
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2011, 01:04:13 pm »
Avatar 335, Welcome to the Real Skiers Public site. And glad you are returning to skiing. Several on the site, including me, took extended periods away, and, found it was great fun again.

Do you ski primarily in W. Va? Some members here ski there also.

When considering a ski choice, I'd ask if you prefer to make short linked turns or are a more of a high speed cruiser. Of your choices, the Atomic at 77mm waist should turn better. I am a fan of Elan carving skis and that ski should be slightly better at cruising type turns as it's 82 waist. I've not demo'd either the Atomic or the Elan. Honestly, there is not that much difference between the waist sizes, but I think the Elan has more upside performance as you get back on skis. If you are more of a turner, you could consider going to a ski with a waist somewhere closer to 70 mm. There is still plenty of speed performance and edge hold in that width.

There are so many options, I'm sure it's confusing to you. If you an find a demo day at a local area that would be worthwhile as you can get on several skis in a day.

The other question is what boots are you using, as the mantra is to put your initial $$$ into good performing boots.

At your height and weight, you may like either ski in a 165, maybe a 170.

Avatar345

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Re: What else? Ski (length) advice...
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2011, 07:35:53 pm »
Thanks LivingProof.  For boots, right now my emphasis is on comfort over power, which has led me towards the Atomic LiveFit line of boots being one of my prime considerations.  My feet aren't wide though, so I am still open to anything and everything.  Though, again I will emphasize comfort over stiffness for the moment; the interim gap would need to be filled by some serious working out to get me to the strength of "back in the day."   

Svend

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Re: What else? Ski (length) advice...
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2011, 12:17:29 pm »
I have heard excellent things about the Elan 82 Waveflex.  My brother skis the Waveflex 12 from 2 years back, and loves them.  There is a lot of performance in a user-friendly package.  The 82 is supposed to be powerfull, but still easy to handle at slower speed.  Sorry, I don't know much about Atomic skis.

I agree with LP about the boots -- that is where the greater emphasis should be when starting out.  Worry about getting the boots right first, and then focus on some great skis.  The good news is you can get a narrow performance fit without having to get a super-stiff boot.  Boot makers have smartened up in recent years, and are finally making stiff boots for wide-footed skiers, and softer boots for those with narrow feet.  They've got all the bases covered, so there is no reason to go for a wider boot, thinking that is the only way to be comfortable.  You say you have narrow feet, so get a narrow boot that is comfortable and matches your foot anatomy best.  The latest models of boots really are much better fitting anatomically, too, than in previous years.  There have been some significant improvements in fit and performance, which is all good stuff.  A good shop with a skilled bootfitter will get them fitting perfectly -- all day comfort and warmth, and great performance too.  Some brands to check out, that have narrow boots but softer flexes (98mm last width; around 100 flex) are Lange, Tecnica, Dalbello, Salomon and Atomic.  In the latter, if you want to stick with that brand, there is the Atomic Burner 100 which looks like a great choice.  My wife looked at the women's version of the same boot -- the Medusa 110 -- and was most impressed by the quality and fit.

Good luck, and I hope this was helpful.



« Last Edit: December 13, 2011, 12:25:13 pm by Svend »