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Your best ski for a lesson...

HDSkiing

You’re Sliding On-Snow; Don’t Over-Think it!
Skier
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Posts
319
Location
The Rocky Mountains
My general go to ski is my Head Rallys which were suggested to me and have been a great ski that I've spent most of the season on. In general I'd say something versatile works out to be a great choice.

I’ll second the iRally! I use it to teach and I do all my clinics in them, it’s a great ski, nimble, fast and versatile. It will most likely be a little stiff and unforgiving for intermediates and below. The iRally loves to turn, the shorter radius the better but also will lock into a GS type of turns like it’s on rails. Surprisingly even with their flat tail I can ski switch parallel in them quite easily, just like going forward you tip them and they turn:).

More of a front side carver on a side note last week I skied these babies in a foot of fresh powder, wanting to see how they’d perform with the idea that I would switch to my wider all mountain ski. They were so much fun I stayed in them all day!
 

MattFromCanada

Professional Something-or-another
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
101
Location
Vancouver/Whistler
If I'm running a training session, or taking one myself, I'll be on my Elan SLX's. If I'm teaching beginners, I'll be on my old Ogasaka SLs from 2014, knowing full well that they're going to be run over repeatedly by students. If it's small kids, then it'll be park skis so I can ski backwards more easily, and if its a deep day, it'll be my Elan Ripsticks.


That being said, there was a nice deep powder day one day during a session at Whistler, the trainer was on something nice and fat, I brought my Bonafides. Everyone else was on race carvers. I had a fantastic day! I think some of my fellow trainees regretted adhering a bit too hard to the idea of "technical ski for technical skiing"
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
10,561
Location
Colorado
I'm a little puzzled. @SpauldingSmails , you describe yourself as a low intermediate skier. How many pairs of skis do you own?

As for the question, yeah, the obvious answer - take the skis appropriate for the kind of skiing you expect to be doing. Perhaps the one exception would be if you have a new pair of skis, you're having trouble getting them to work right, and you specifically want feedback from the instructor on how to work the skis, or if they're possibly a bad ski choice for you.
 

markojp

mtn rep for the gear on my feet
Industry Insider
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,601
Location
PNW aka SEA
We all sorta missed the 'where?' is the OP skiing.
 
Thread Starter
TS
SpauldingSmails

SpauldingSmails

Uh oh, somebody's wrong on the internet again!
Skier
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Posts
67
Location
Utah
I'm a little puzzled. @SpauldingSmails , you describe yourself as a low intermediate skier. How many pairs of skis do you own?

As for the question, yeah, the obvious answer - take the skis appropriate for the kind of skiing you expect to be doing. Perhaps the one exception would be if you have a new pair of skis, you're having trouble getting them to work right, and you specifically want feedback from the instructor on how to work the skis, or if they're possibly a bad ski choice for you.

I have four pairs of skis. I was given a pair of Volkl Four Stars when I started and these are my favorite. I mostly use these. That same year, my first season, I bought a pair of Head World Cup Rebel GS skis because they were a great deal - they are nice wall ornaments for now. Maybe I'll use them the first year I can race a masters super g. Then I rented and bought of Kastle LX82s last year. Recently I bought a pair of Atomic Redsters - which are also awesome. I'll probably start using these the most. All I need are some powder skis and the elusive Volkl Six Stars in good condition longer than 170cm...anyone? anyone? I guess I'm a ski collector, but the quiver is nearly complete.

I describe myself as a low intermediate skier because this is my third season (maybe fifty days total experience) and I cannot accurately, objectively judge my skill level. So instead of being a poser and posturing to the world about how I might as well be on the FIS tour if it weren't for my pesky rocknroll career taking off after I won my Nobel prize in particle physics I just say, realistically, I'm a solid low intermediate skier. I have an idea about what I lack but am not totally clear. Looking at this (http://www.skimybest.com/skilevel.htm) scale I think am a 6.
 

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,765
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
Which redsters do you have? I'm an intermediate and had the Atomic Redster XTI and found it amazing. It was very easy turning and just to ski in general. Not to mention it was outstanding on ice. I sold it because I have other skis around the same width. Now I miss that edge bite and am thinking of picking up another pair. Sounds like you are a man with a plan. I've found myself mainly skiing 1 pair of skis lately. However, I'm a firm believer in right ski/tool for the job so I have several pairs of skis. I could probably get by with a couple pair but I like having choices, it's fun.
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
10,561
Location
Colorado
I have four pairs of skis. I was given a pair of Volkl Four Stars when I started and these are my favorite. I mostly use these. That same year, my first season, I bought a pair of Head World Cup Rebel GS skis because they were a great deal - they are nice wall ornaments for now. Maybe I'll use them the first year I can race a masters super g. Then I rented and bought of Kastle LX82s last year. Recently I bought a pair of Atomic Redsters - which are also awesome. I'll probably start using these the most. All I need are some powder skis and the elusive Volkl Six Stars in good condition longer than 170cm...anyone? anyone? I guess I'm a ski collector, but the quiver is nearly complete.

I describe myself as a low intermediate skier because this is my third season (maybe fifty days total experience) and I cannot accurately, objectively judge my skill level. So instead of being a poser and posturing to the world about how I might as well be on the FIS tour if it weren't for my pesky rocknroll career taking off after I won my Nobel prize in particle physics I just say, realistically, I'm a solid low intermediate skier. I have an idea about what I lack but am not totally clear. Looking at this (http://www.skimybest.com/skilevel.htm) scale I think am a 6.

Sounds good. I would just caution that you will probably change tastes as you progress. I went through a pretty rapid cycle of catch and release because my preferences changed as I became better at skiing, and as my terrain profile changed. Correction - I'm still in pretty rapid cycles of catch and release. I blame capitalism.
 

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,765
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
Sounds good. I would just caution that you will probably change tastes as you progress. I went through a pretty rapid cycle of catch and release because my preferences changed as I became better at skiing, and as my terrain profile changed. Correction - I'm still in pretty rapid cycles of catch and release. I blame capitalism.

What she said!!!!
 
Thread Starter
TS
SpauldingSmails

SpauldingSmails

Uh oh, somebody's wrong on the internet again!
Skier
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Posts
67
Location
Utah
Sounds good. I would just caution that you will probably change tastes as you progress. I went through a pretty rapid cycle of catch and release because my preferences changed as I became better at skiing, and as my terrain profile changed. Correction - I'm still in pretty rapid cycles of catch and release. I blame capitalism.
I know! And I still haven't even tried half-pipe-ski-ballet, powder, or park yet!
 
Thread Starter
TS
SpauldingSmails

SpauldingSmails

Uh oh, somebody's wrong on the internet again!
Skier
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Posts
67
Location
Utah
Which redsters do you have? I'm an intermediate and had the Atomic Redster XTI and found it amazing. It was very easy turning and just to ski in general. Not to mention it was outstanding on ice. I sold it because I have other skis around the same width. Now I miss that edge bite and am thinking of picking up another pair. Sounds like you are a man with a plan. I've found myself mainly skiing 1 pair of skis lately. However, I'm a firm believer in right ski/tool for the job so I have several pairs of skis. I could probably get by with a couple pair but I like having choices, it's fun.
I have the Doubledecks from 2014 I think. Not Edge, 3.0, or XT. Just plain old D2 GSers. I love them. They do turn easily, I was quite surprise but still more unwieldy a stick than what I am used to. In other posts I referred to them as 'more demanding', but that is because of a lack of experience with them and in skiing. I said 'more demanding' for two reasons:
1) their heft - 184s with titanium. These things have bulldozer shovels on them, feels like it anyway, so I have to get used to that. I may move the bindings since Atomic puts these cool easy to adjust bindings on. Conversation for a different time.
2) I did a semi turny run at 30 mph (fast for me maybe not you) with some nice pitch changes and rollers and at every spot I had to work to stay over top of the ski. It was from the top of Sugarloaf lift (Alta) to the bottom via Rollercoaster I believe.
It feels like it is way more awesome than I can ski it right now which is why I'm leaning towards the idea by @markojp earlier... to just go ahead and use the ski for a lesson and if it doesn't work use something else.
 
Thread Starter
TS
SpauldingSmails

SpauldingSmails

Uh oh, somebody's wrong on the internet again!
Skier
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
Posts
67
Location
Utah
update: I moved my bindings (on the atomic redsters they slide) their full range forward, one inch. They are no longer demanding. Now they just feel like awesome, longer, heavier carving skis. They are easy to maneuver. It is zero work to stay over them, though I'm not sure if I lost anything good because of the adjustment. Before I moved the bindings the skis felt front heavy and like I was being pulled by the ski, making it more work to stay in top of at speed over rollers and in turns. Yesterday I went to Snowbird and accidentally ended up on Regulator Johnson and it was a blast. Backasswards had nice smooth hard pitches as well. A fun ski!
 

DavidSkis

Thinking snow
Skier
Joined
Sep 14, 2017
Posts
118
Location
Toronto
Sounds good. I would just caution that you will probably change tastes as you progress. I went through a pretty rapid cycle of catch and release because my preferences changed as I became better at skiing, and as my terrain profile changed. Correction - I'm still in pretty rapid cycles of catch and release. I blame capitalism.
You might find some of those old skis become fun again someday, particularly if they felt "dead". 8 years ago I bought a pair of Head Peak 82s on the recommendation of a shop owner as a "good ski for the level 3 course" (hey, I was an optimist). At the time I felt they didn't have very good responsiveness, so I shelved them for ~5 years. Last year I pulled them out on a trip to Banff (due to their wider waist), and discovered that they were a blast!

The skis only came to life after I built the skills to let the pressure build at the top of the turn, and coordinate all the right movements to make the skis sing. Something similar happened with a pair of slalom skis I bought in 2011 - they felt too blocky for me until 3 years ago.

In contrast, I bought a pair of Head Interale 009s in 2013 which I loved when I bought them. A couple of years later I skied them on ice and they felt way too soft for me.

So don't despair if some of your old skis feel dead - they might just be waiting to open up to you.
 
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