A tale of 3 carvers
On Friday, Jan. 6, I did our local demo day at Elk Mountain. Conditions were great considering the lack of snow this year, but, as the day wore, the surface reverted to some very hard, old, over-skied, crusty eastern snow. It was a day for carvers and below is a quick review of 3. On all, I took one run down a cruiser, then, a second down a black that was very slick to ski. On the second run, I could not get carving angles and did a lot of slipping. In truth from riding the chair that runs above the run, damn few could get RR tracks.
To Lynn and Jim, you missed a great spring skiing day - full sun and 40's! Next year, come back!
Elan Waveflex 12 - 168 cm.
This is the dual fore-tip design. A dedicated inside edge is traditional; the outside has a very slight rise. Frankly, I don't get the design. The Elan rep states there is no good reason to ski the outside edge. My preference would always have two edges to get greater life out of a tune. That aside, wow, this is a short radius carving machine! Sure made me smile from the first turn. Not as demanding as a traditional Sl ski, just great grip. Easy turn initiation, stable and fun. No need to apply any rotary forces. Not an all mountain ski, at the narrow radius, it only appeals to a few. Easily a future replacement for my Supershape's on performance alone, but with only one ski-able edge, not sure I would not make a buy.
Fisher World Cup SC - 165
Fisher's detuned version of the full race Sl ski. Another candidate as a SS replacement or for PMTS enthusiasts. Great edge grip, stable at speed, slightly more demanding for good technique than the Elan Waveflex 12 or a SS. The forces generated in skiing a Sl put some demands on the body, not sure I'd want to ski it all day. Not quite as much fun and the Waveflex or SS, but, I would love a full day on one to get better acquainted.
Kastle-MX70
Little brother to my Kastle MX88's; not as beefy, easier to turn, fun. Per the rep, this is Kastle's detuned GS ski. All the great Kastle qualities are here, very smooth, quiet, good grip, vibration-free, stable, a pleasure to ski. Great for an eastern skier who wants a higher speed performance and longer turning radius. I could ski it all day very easily, but, I don't value a GS type ski. If I'm going to spend the $$$$ for a Kastle, I'd go in other directions.
Note: did some editing to correct punctuation as my MS Word apostrophes become question marks here.