Thanks Liam for the welcome and the input. You too LP and JimR
Thus far, have only skied in Northern Az, Flagstaff and Sunrise in SE Az. However, I am (hopefully) headed to Purgatory, Co. next week, providing I can guilt my kid into making room for dad. A group of her coworkers have share rented a condo and are splitting gas expenses. I might have to ride on top like granny Griswold if they lack vehicle room. Could be chilly.
Liam, in terms of the skis, both demo's were 170cm. Conditions relatively the same. The only, (well most obvious) tangible difference; rental grade 70 to 80 flex boot vs. the new Impact 100's. The fitter was also perplexed at my bad avenger 82ti experience. He shared your view as a generally user friendly ski. He speculated that my lightish frame at 140lbs, a new boot with a markedly stiffer flex profile (more on that below), a ski probably stiffer than needed for my current skiing profile and perhaps a bad tune could have factored.
The boot saga>>I met with the fitter yesterday..JimR FYI, the fitter struck me as very qualified. His parents owned a ski shop in mid-west. He grew up working there. Co-owns current shop with his wife who did some collegiate level or circuit racing before blowing out a knee. He acknowledged Master Fit certification, tactfully stated, the training is good, the piece of paper cool, but bunches of boots and bunches of feet make a fitter.
So, after the standard length/width measure, he commenced a series of tests involving the flexion of my big toe and ankle. Indeed he had me stand on the pressure sensitive machine displaying layout and pressure points of my feet. Using a laptop and software similar to v1 pro which I have seen used to analyze golf swings, he produced side by side images of the footprints in standing, then ski positions. My right foot imprint was markedly different than my left in both positions. He then produced front angle, side by side images of my legs in a standing vs skiing position. Utilizing a grid embedded within the image, produced a linear line from knee to sole to illustrate the alignment relationship in both positions. My right ankle showed visible offset/pronation to the inside as opposed to my left while in my ski stance. Probably because I broke that ankle twice when younger.
So, how much was techno sales fluff and how much substance? Well, the fitter clearly supports the notion of creating as much symmetry in alignment as possible to get one flat on skis. But he also expressed that he has seen far worse, asserting that the degree of correction needed in my case was relatively mild. He explained that while a custom footbed would definitely resolve my alignment issue and improve the overall synergy between my foot and ski, he pointed out that at my current level, it would probably not prompt a performance epiphany. An honest revelation that I appreciated. So much so, I went with my gut and purchased a custom footbed. Every little bit helps right? What's another few bucks if you're already in the poo-house.
LP-The type of footbed I purchased was the Kork-Vack by Superfeet.
Now the dilemma; I could use some opinions here folks. The custom bed is a done deal for better or worse @ $140. According to the technician it can be retrofitted to most any other boot of same size or smaller with relative ease. The concern is the degree of stiffness at 100 flex. While he plumb bobbed (yes I said plumb bobbed) my knee cap as I flexed forward in the boots, he noticed I had to exert a fair amount of effort (at room temp) to get the knee cap to cover up my big toe. The adjustment screws in the back did not make a noticeable diff. Thus, he feels I am on the very top end of the flex scale for my weight and skiing profile. He postulates this could have been the reason I was not able to engage the tips of a typically user friendly set of rossi ski vs the others.
My options as he views them; (1) Demo the same Volkl skis I had good luck with initially and compare results. (2) Return the boots, to the other store and get another model that fits in 90 Flex. (3) He can make a modification to my existing boot to increase the forward flex by slightly lowering or extending the "V" (my term) of the boot inner shell just above the ankles (my definition again) Apparently something fitters do this on occasion. Considerations: I already have over ten hours invested in boot finding and tuning. Well over six bills invested so far. Boot fits great but may be too stiff to allow enough forward flexion to engage tips. I do think the fitter is competent and honest?.but
Anyone heard of this problem and subsequent boot modification? Thoughts please on door #'s 1 - 3?
Thx All?. Sorry for this long post!