50th Anniversary

[EchoSkiGirl]

Hi everyone. I'm glad to have found this forum (which I did largely because I was chasing down reviews on Renoun skis!). Here's my quick intro.

This year marks my 50th since I first took up skiing at about age 13 (I'll let you do the math). I've had some several-year gaps in my skiing, along with some years of moderately intense skiing. I'm now retired, which is permitting me to return to skiing after having been away from it for nearly 8 years. I've always been a "gear head" -- I love the technical aspects of all the gear that goes with the sport. This forum is perfect for that part of my personality. And having been away from the sport for several years, I've got a lot of catching up to do. I've done my of my skiing on the West Coast (Lake Tahoe and Oregon), with occasional trips to Colorado and Utah, and some skiing on the east coast (Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania) while I lived there for two years. I expect to continue to ski mostly in the Pac NW area, but if I can, I will spread out through the Western states some too. From the snowpack we have in the Pac NW right now, it looks like I have a good season ahead of me.

I don't plan to swap out any gear right now. I love my boots (Daleboot, with custom insoles). My skis haven't had much use, but are shaped skis (2009 Fischer Vapor Visons, 118-78-102 profile) instead of the skinny sticks I grew up skiing on. They should do while I get back on the slopes and begin to think about what I would like to be on these days. I'll be hanging out here a lot, and maybe asking a question or two (or 50). Thanks in advance for all the help I know I will get here.

 

[Tony S]

Welcome! Lot of PNW folks here. Predict you will get a lot of "Those ARE skinny sticks" from them, unless you are sticking exclusively to groomed runs. In any case, enjoy!

 

[EchoSkiGirl]

Thanks for the welcome.

Ah, yes, I realize they ARE skinny in the middle. In the old days, they were pretty skinny all the way down and back.

 

[David Chaus]

Hi EchoSkiGirl,

Where in the vast PNW are you? I typically ski at Stevens Pass.

Also you might want to join a bunch of us at the Gathering, which this year is at Whistler.

https://forum.pugski.com/threads/2017-gathering-whistle-blackcomb-march-5-11-2017.1756/

 

[Tricia]

Glad you found us. I'm really loving my Renouns. @Cyrus Schenck is brilliant.

 

[EchoSkiGirl]

HI David, I'm a stretch south of you. Oregon, instead of Washington. But I will check out the Whistler gathering just the same. I've always wanted to ski there

Tricia, please fill me in on your Renouns! Which model? What length? What bindings and where did you mount them? I'll look for any threads you've posted in case you have answered all those questions. Otherwise, I'd love more details!

 

[Tricia]

I only just got mine last week and skied them. I'm in the process of writing a long term test but haven't posted it yet.
I got the Renoun Z90, Limited.
https://forum.pugski.com/threads/renoun-limited-edition-skis-gorgeous.3116/

 

[EchoSkiGirl]

From the posts, Tricia, it looks like you may be on 165s. I really look forward to your long term review.

BTW, you are in the neck of the woods most near and dear to my heart. My family has a cabin on forest service land above Lake Tahoe, on Echo Summit. My first real ski area experience was at Echo Summit Ski Area (now long gone). Then I soon skied Sierra Ski Ranch (now Sierra at Tahoe) and Heavenly, then myriad others around Lake Tahoe. Not trying to age myself too much, but the first time I skied Heavenly Valley, I had to really save up my babysitting money. The lift ticket cost seemed exhorbitant then -- it was $6!!

 

[Tricia]

Quick synopsis -
I've been hearing how amazing the Renouns are but have not had the chance to get on one in a good size for me, so I was holding of on making much comment.
Last week I was able to get out to ski the Z90 Limited (165 length) for a full day at Northstar before heading into the ski shop for the day.
I skied sweet corduroy first thing in the morning, then got into some bumps and later scraped off icy stuff. The one thing that stood out is, the more I put into it, the more they gave back.
The only time I ended up skiing defensively was when I got into crowded areas with other skiers who were skiing defensively.

 

[EchoSkiGirl]

Thanks for the quick synopsis Tricia. I am really looking forward to the full report. I haven't been able to find much in the way of reviews by women skiers. I'm about your same height, heavier (by about 20 lbs), possibly close to comparable in ability, but I Ski a lot less annually than you and I'm farther along on the age spectrum. Despite the differences, your review is likely to be really helpful to me. For now, I'm just going to jump back on the skis I have, see what terrain I like to spend the most time on, and watch the reviews for awhile. And maybe demo a bit depending what I can find locally to try. I expect to be watching this forum like a hawk.

 

[Tricia]

Thanks for the quick synopsis Tricia. I am really looking forward to the full report. I haven't been able to find much in the way of reviews by women skiers. I'm about your same height, heavier (by about 20 lbs), possibly close to comparable in ability, but I Ski a lot less annually than you and I'm farther along on the age spectrum. Despite the differences, your review is likely to be really helpful to me. For now, I'm just going to jump back on the skis I have, see what terrain I like to spend the most time on, and watch the reviews for awhile. And maybe demo a bit depending what I can find locally to try. I expect to be watching this forum like a hawk.

What sort of questions do you have about the skis? I'll be happy to help out.

 

[Mendieta]

Welcome home, @EchoSkiGirl . I only started skiing two seasons ago (this is my third), but I go out as much as I can and I read and try to learn as much as my spare time allows me. In any case, I will be learning from you

Given that you are a hardware geek, and that your skis are several years old, I think you are almost guaranteed to have a blast if you buy new skis for this season. A lot of the manufacturers have been adopting versatile designs, particularly in the mid-fat world of the ~90mm width, striving very good compromise between power, dampness, carving and steering/pivoting (playfulness).

A little reading to get you enticed (you need to filter out women's reviews, many by @Tricia , but also @SkiNurse , and @SBrown , and I'm sure I am missing a reviewer or two)

https://forum.pugski.com/threads/2017-testers-choice.2782/
https://forum.pugski.com/threads/2017-testers-choice-premium.2853/
http://pugski.com/ladies-choice-volkl-flair-81/

Give us a shout when you come to Tahoe. There is actually a dedicated thread.

 

[Tricia]

If you make a trip to Tahoe, I can let you demo my skis. That is why I put a demo binding on them.

 

[EchoSkiGirl]

Who was it, Oscar Wilde, who said "I can resist anything but temptation"? Probably not a high likelihood this season, but you never know.

 

[VickiK]

One of my all-time favorite quotes.