Author Topic: A Peter quote regarding wide skis that I had never considered.  (Read 1571 times)

Gary

  • 6+ Year Member
  • 1000 Posts
  • ******
  • Posts: 2590
  • Location: Rochester, NY
Yep...understood.

I know we all agree it's so much easier to create edge angles with the narrower waisted ski, less energy to tip and rip!

Still, you're right Ron,  "what ya like is what ya like"!

G

Hoontasan

  • Guest
Do you guys really feel that the increased ease of turn initiation is greater than the increased ease of skiing varied terrain when comparing narrow versus wider skies? For me, although I agree that narrow skies are easier to turn, I don't find it that much more difficult to turn a wider ski. However I really see a big difference in effort required in skiing varied terrain.

jim-ratliff

  • 6+ Year Member
  • 1000 Posts
  • ******
  • Posts: 2739
I agree that, for an experienced skier, the increased edging requirement for wider ski is merely noticeable but not a game breaker.? I have used my iM77 Chips here in Virginia on hard snow when I just felt like something different and it's no big deal.? Other than a 12m sidecut vs a 16.5 meter sidecut, they ski pretty much the same.

However, I also don't feel that using my narrow waisted skis in non-groomed skiing is very much more difficult than the iM77's.? I have skied my i.SL Chips (120-65-102) in up to a foot of Colorado fresh morning snow as well as the cut-up, skied out results throughout the day with no difficulty.?I don't believe the wider skis would have skied any differently or easier.

One earlier pair of skis (iC160's, slalom footprint, but softer) would do just fine in deeper snow, but was bad about deflecting in variable/cut-up snow or when you hit a pile of snow.? Stiffer skis (or variably stiff skis) handle this better whether they are narrow or wide.? I also remember the days when I was more of a stem christie skier rather than turning by tipping, and variable/soft conditions make it real difficult to push the tail of the ski out.? Wider skis are probably more conducive to that technique.

For me now, I almost always ski the i.SL Chips here on the East coast and the iM77's west.? Where I am, there is very little likelihood of skiing anything other than man-made snow, and the slalom footprint and shorter turn radius is better throughout the day, even after the snow gets cut up and piled up or as it turns soft and slushy.? As someone else mentioned, for western conditions the ski cuts into the softer snow surface enough that there isn't much difference in feel 'narrow east' vs. 'wider west' (it only requires a 6mm deeper carve track).? If I run into fresh snow conditions, then the iM77 is better (with very little downside when I usually don't).
"If you're gonna play the game boy, ya gotta learn to play it right."

Ron

  • 6+ Year Member
  • 1000 Posts
  • ******
  • Posts: 2992
Do you guys really feel that the increased ease of turn initiation is greater than the increased ease of skiing varied terrain when comparing narrow versus wider skies? For me, although I agree that narrow skies are easier to turn, I don't find it that much more difficult to turn a wider ski. However I really see a big difference in effort required in skiing varied terrain.

Well, yes and no! for up to 6" of snow, I am very comfortable with my SuperShapes.  Ski's like RX8's and similar are very versitile skis. For most of us, untracked powder doesn't last long. It gets cut up pretty quick. Also, 6" just isn't so deep that it requires float. You will find differing opinions on different site, TGR will tell you that you need a 90mm ski for everyhting and Epic will probably tell you you need a 80mm ski. Here, you will finid more carving oriented skiers who use a modern technique that relies more on skiing on edges, more race oreinted. (simplified). Having said that, It's not really more difficult to ski that terrain on wider skis, I just feel it's less fun, not as much G forces not as qucik edge to edge. my .02