Your "Ski of the Year" story

[LivingProof]

A take-off on Peter?s Picks (please don't add a certain letter to that )

Tell a story about a ski from your past, that may have been or not been a ?Ski of the Year?, but has some meaning to you. Only ground rule is the design must be on the market for 2 years, so Kastle owners can?t gush, but, Supershape owners, please tell all.

My story:

6 years ago I returned to skiing following over a decade of almost never skiing. Some buds invited me to join them at Snowbird in early April. Not wanting to use my old 205's straights, I did some research and heard good things about a Machette Sin, bought it in 175.  My god, never thought I could ski on something that short. It had been given a Ski of the Year in some magazine as a all-mountain cruiser.

For 2 days, I hated them, then, I fell in love. No instant magic from the new shaped skis. But my friends still skied away from me, when years ago, I was the better skier. I have vivid memories of laying bruised and gasping for air at the ?Bird. I left determined to find out what technique works with shaped skis and found Epic and Harald?s PMTS. Via Epic, I met Phil, then Ron and Gary/Alice in Jackson Hole, so, my Real Skiers story is attributable back to the Machette Sin?s.

The Machette?s remained my soft snow ski for 3 more seasons, but, did not cut it on the firm ice of Blue Mountain. Several Epic posters gave them high grades. They brought many smiles to my face, but, Phil just shook his head and said they bend to easily, time to move on. Last used them closing out the 09 season with Gary at Hollymount. Early a.m. ice was a problem, but when it softened up, they still worked. Phil sold them at a consignment sale last summer. I?m still emotionally attached.

[jim-ratliff]

You know, there was a time when the fact that you found Harald via Epic would have caused certain indivduals to go into convulsions.

My story:

Exactly when escapes me because of my advanced years, but I had purchased a pair of iC160's (maybe because of a reference from Harald's early book) and been very happy with them for a couple of years.? I had joined Peter's site and found his older review of the iC160, and "met" Ron and Gary on an earlier iteration of the forum and Gary just raved about his Head iM75's and Peter had selected it for a ski of the year.? So, adding 1+1 to come up with 3, I decided to venture into the 2 ski quiver arena.? Unfortunately, Head had discontinued the iM75 and introduced the iM77 - I assumed that Head had wide skis down to a science and that the replacement for the iM75 would be at least as good.? Peter's summary review from 2006 is below.? Forgiveness was a 3 (out of 5), lightness was a 3, quickness was a 3, soft edge was a 3.? I didn't check at the time, but the iM75 had 4's and 5's in all of those areas.? The iM77 wasn't a bad ski and it had a very pretty top-sheet; but was pretty stiff and had a very stiff tail.? This was when I first began to appreciate the subtlety of the reviews.? If Peter says "great ski for the agressive skier" then I realized that translated to "designed for someone better able to bend a ski than me".  I aslo came to realize that the skier icons really meant something, and if it didn't have the "green skier icon" then it was aimed at higher level skiers than me - that the color of the skier icons didn't relate to green/blue/black slopes.

Descendant of the exceptional 75 chip, the 77 is biased more toward off-piste than is the 72 (which could have been in this group as well as in the cruiser collection). This is a fairly good choice for aggressive skiers who spend slightly more time off-piste than on and who are not addicted to bumps. Those who do spend appreciable time in bumps will probably find the 72 more effective.

[Philpug]

I fall in lust with skis. Going back into the wayback machine with Mr. Peobody, sadly EVERYONE here will get the reference. Here are my "gawd, this is the best ski I have EVER skied" list, only to come back to that ski a year or two later and say" How in the world did I ever ski that plank"

1979 Rossignol ST Comp 195cm
1982 Pre 1200 SP 204cm
1990 Salomon S9000 1S PR8 (212cm)
1992 Salomon S9100 1S PR8 (208cm)
1995 Volant PowerKarve 193cm
1996 Volant SuperG 198cm
2005 Blizzard Titan 9 181cm
2008 Blizzard 8.7 174
2010 Kastle MX88 178

There were countless skis in between there that were also rans and very good skis in their own right, but in their time and place the skis that I mentioned were as good as it could get. Right now I am gaga over the MX88 and, like the previous ones on the list, I will say it is the best ski on the market. What makes me more excited is I know there is something better coming. And of the pattern stays true to form, it will be a 2012 Kastle.

[jbotti]

I'll go Phils' root although many of these skis I still own and love.

My first breakthrough ski was the Head ISL Chip. I learned to edge lock carve on that ski. My brother skis it still. Great ski.
My next Breakthrough ski was the Head SS. My skiing soared on thsi ski. Still own two pairs.
Next was the ISL RD. Wow if you can arc them what a ski!!
The IM 78 is still the standard for a great all mounatin ski that can do it all. I know I have yet to demo the MX 78, but until I do this is the standard.
Lastly, the Fischer Progressor (now called the 9+) is also one great ski. Best all day cruiser I have ever skied. Can do any shape turn, can comfortably go off piste and can arc like a race ski. Great ski!!

Of cousre my all time favorite ski is the new Head SS with Kers, but that's not allowed in the ground rules being around for less than 2 years.

[LivingProof]

I'm sorta just lovin' this thread.

Let me go way, way back!

Sometime in the 70's and in about my third year of skiing ( god, was I ever that young ), skiing or ski magazine just went ga-ga over the Rossi roc 550, a gs ski. Got one, loved it very, very much. Cruising down Sugarbush one day, don't know what happened but I was charging one second, laying on my butt the next. One ski was bent, end of love affair.

A fav memory of the ROC 550, at Snowmass late one spring afternoon, I hid at the top of the mountain until well after the lifts closed and did a uber high speed run top to bottom on the 550's on a bluebird, cruising day. Smiled for an hour at the bottom Way back when I was young in body and mind.

The times of your life!

[Philpug]

I'll go Phils' root although many of these skis I still own and love.

My first breakthrough ski was the Head ISL Chip. I learned to edge lock carve on that ski. My brother skis it still. Great ski.
My next Breakthrough ski was the Head SS. My skiing soared on thsi ski. Still own two pairs.
Next was the ISL RD. Wow if you can arc them what a ski!!
The IM 78 is still the standard for a great all mounatin ski that can do it all. I know I have yet to demo the MX 78, but until I do this is the standard.
Lastly, the Fischer Progressor (now called the 9+) is also one great ski. Best all day cruiser I have ever skied. Can do any shape turn, can comfortably go off piste and can arc like a race ski. Great ski!!

Of cousre my all time favorite ski is the new Head SS with Kers, but that's not allowed in the ground rules being around for less than 2 years.

Even before the MX78, you have to try the **** ***** (insert $20.00, I accept Paypal).

[jbotti]

Phil charging people just to hear your reccomendation is not the way to sell skis!! I'm a proven impulse buyer your goal should be to create impulse!!

[jim-ratliff]

Phil:

I'm noting a new trend (or business area) here as the $20 consultant fee pops up in yet another thread?   
I know it's still way pre-season, but things must be slow at the store??

PS.  There are some $500+ million dollar companies whose business model was selling help desk to the Federal government one call at a time, but I'm not sure that will work in the ski industry.  I certainly hope most skiers are smarter that the federal government.

[jim-ratliff]

Of course, my all-time favorite ski is the Ullr's Chariot.? A wonderful powder ski for the less than expert powder skier, but with tremendous firm snow capabilities.
A tremendous compromise between flotation, stability, and carving in one ski.
Able to turn short arcs but also will create longer radius turns, even in the hands of the less than expert skier.
Versatile enough to ski Sierra Cement and Alta Powder and everything in between.

A real eye-opener in the lift line and the lodge as well, the girls stand in line just to meet the owner of such a ski.
Also helps keep your feet warmer because of the excellent insulating properties of Black Locust and Powlonia wood with 2% Unobtanium in the Carbon Fiber layup.

[Philpug]

Phil:

I'm noting a new trend (or business area) here as the $20 consultant fee pops up in yet another thread?? ?
I know it's still way pre-season, but things must be slow at the store??

Jim, since I got there August was up 100% from last year and we already beat last years Sept numbers..so no, things are NOT slow..but if I can make a buck (or 20) I will.

[Ron]

heck, based upon the margin in a lot of skis, 20 is just about right!

[jim-ratliff]

MIKE:

I, for one, would like to apologize for participating in the hijacking and misdirection/redirection of this thread.?

I was really enjoying reading people's history's until I saw an opportunity to be funny (or at least try) regarding Phil's fascination with $20 bills.? I don't know whether it can be gotten back on track, but it was very enjoyable in its early responses.? I've never seen so many posts continuing into the evening hours as was the case last night.

Well done!!!!

[LivingProof]

MIKE:

I, for one, would like to apologize for participating in the hijacking and misdirection/redirection of this thread.?

Jim,

A classic quote from a John Wayne movie of my youth called The Searchers

Never apologize...it's a sign of weakness!

I am a little disappointed that our ski guru Ron choose not to play!

[SnowHot]

Phil sold them at a consignment sale last summer. I?m still emotionally attached.

I got a little tear in my eye when I read this

I skied my good old K2 beginner skis for 10+ years, then jumped to some dynastar that I can't remember the model that was a fairly unforgiving ski.  When I finally took the jump to Shaped skis I picked a "ski of the year" Volkl Vertigo G3(163cm).  Like Mike, I struggled with the technique because they didn't behave at all like my old 187cm Dynastars, and THEY WERE FORGIVING!!!!
That was my favourite ski for a few years but it piqued my interest in learning more about shaped skis and what else was out there.

The parting of ways with the Vertigo G3:  I was spending time with family one Saturday while Terry went skiing with other friends who were still on straight skis.  He allowed a friend to ski my G3s and she fell in love with them so he sold them to her without talking to me.  You don't want to know how that went down. 

[Philpug]

MIKE:

I, for one, would like to apologize for participating in the hijacking and misdirection/redirection of this thread.?

Jim,

A classic quote from a John Wayne movie of my youth called The Searchers

Never ski groomers...it's a sigh of weakness!

I am a little disappointed that our ski guru Ron choose not to play!

Fixed it for you....for Ron