Finding THAT ski : A mating problem

Skiing season will begin soon and some of us are looking for new skis!

Seems so complex with all the skis around and all promising better, faster skiing.

Rather than suggest one model or one type, let me suggest a way to select skis that will help you for the rest of your skiing life!

Think of ski selection very much like trying to "select" a girl/boy/man/women who should share your life!

I do not mean here an "adventure" but a solid lifetime relationship! You see I believe all skis have a personality, very much like humans! The trick is to find a ski that is compatible to your skiing needs!

In this brief presentation let me help you in your ski mating search!

The first step involves you being honest about your skiing competence and needs! Yes it is difficult to look at oneself in the mirror and really "see" how we are as skiers!
Ask yourself three questions;
1. What level of competence am I?
2. Where do I want to ski most of the time?
3. How committed am I to this skiing relationship?


Then you must educate yourself about skis. That is read about skis!

A small personal comment here, if you do not mind! The worst place to read about skis is in ski company marketing booklets, ads etc...Not very objective!

Ski tests reviews also have their problems since many have symbiotic relationships with ski companies! (They are supported via ads by ski companies)

The one site which I respect is Realskier.com! They tell it as it is! Rare is the ski evaluation that says that this or that ski is NOT good for......! They do!
Peter Keelty is in my books the most honest, up front ski evaluator around!

I am preparing a small chat about how most ski evaluations are flawed with specific examples!Coming soon!!!

In the above site they clearly tell you what parameters they use to evaluate skis!
May I suggest that you also use these to find what you are looking for!(source is Realskier.com)

Here they are.
1.Carve ( clean smooth)
2.Smooth drift
3.Accurate
4.Stable
5.Easy to turn
6.Straight run
7.Quickness
8.Rebound
9.Lightness
10Light weight
11.Forgiving
12.Relaxing
13.Terrain specific

I am sure you are having questions about what some of these mean! That is your quest now! Learn about the personality of skis! Like humans they have their own "personalities"! The more you know about your personality and the ski's personality,,the better will the mating be!

I doubt anyone will enter into a relationship ( a serious one) based on a "friend's recommendation or an internet recommendation ! Why do it for skis!

Your skiing needs are different than mine!

The skis I love and cherish are because of my personality! I am sure Mike, Jan, Bandit or Ellistine might not enjoy my skis! They have different skiing needs and perhaps ski in differnt terrain!

You must know what you want in a ski first!
If you do not know what you want then rent for a while until you can at least know what those parameters mean!
Like in human relationships,,,skiing relationship are based on being honest on your needs, abilities and priorities!
Those "marriages" that last a long time are the ones in which both partners enter into a relationship knowing what is "offered"

And believe me when you find that skiing mate that "complements" you,,,it is heaven! You and the ski are in sync! You fly!

So take the time to learn about ski personalities! Take the time to learn what you can do and want to do!

When you are finally ready to "walk down the ..." you know what you have is for a long long time!

Hope this helps some of you find your perfect skiing mate!

Pavel,

As in life so it is in skiing or at least ski selection.

One thing that you didn’t mention is that life is always a compromise!

Have you ever met a woman who is perfectly happy to work hard to make your home perfect, to give up her own needs for the sake of your children, who is prepared to spend many hours cooking on a Sunday to make the perfect roast, who never complains when she has to scrub the toilet bowl?

Now is this lady the same one who will give up everything on the strength of a hunch to go and explore the Amazon Jungle, the one who will risk her life to trek single-handed to some unexplored land without a care for her own security, the one who will bet the house on an unseen card?

Unless you live in Toon-Town, I bet the answer is a big fat NO!

I think the same is true with skis.

Lets look at your points (err, those of Realskier.com)

Are the properties of point 4 compatible with point 5?
Can a ski that scores high on point 5 also score high on point 6?
Can a ski be both good at points 3 & 11?

You list some important points to consider when choosing the perfect ski, but one point you forgot to mention is that every choice is a compromise.

You cannot have a ski that turns like lightning and is also totally stable at high speed; no ski will demonstrate “quickness” while also being “forgiving”.

The choice is always about which of these characteristics is more important than another, which feature am I prepared to give up to achieve another?

No-one will ever find a ski that can score a 10 on all points from 1 to 12 (13 is a slight mystery to me).

The best we can hope for is that having thought about our requirements we opt for the best relationship to serve our needs, not for a single ability that sounds amazing on paper but which becomes unmanageable in reality.

Happy hunting,

Jan

Jan,

As always you are right!

I did forget to mention that rare is the human or ski that is a 10 in all parameters! That is why each of us makes up a set of priorities for our skis and mates!

The problem with many skiers ( and future husbands and wives) is that they do not even know what they want before they get into a relationship! Often the external "cosmetics" are the sole criteria.

Now as far as "perfect" wife....Jan pss between you and me I think I have found one!
So you see it is possible!

And she is as fanatic as me in skiing!

Jan send me your email via PM since I want to send you some picts of my hike up a ski resort today! I am tired of doing physio indoors, heard there was snow so I sneaked to ski resort without telling kids and physician!

Jan,
I forgot to also share with you and all skiers that this concept of "compromise" is so relevant in ski selection!

That "all-round" ski is great for some,,,but if you want performance you need a quiver!

That is why many skiers over the years "collect" some specific skis for specific conditions!
One great powder ski
One great Sl ski for those steep icy runs
Oh yes one great cruiser when the slopes are closed except for the pros!

Thank you for the comment about compromise!

Yes all skiers must first decide what their skiing priorities are then get ski which best fits those priorities!

To accept to buy a ski only because Pavel, Jan or Keith says ski X is great seem to me not very wise!

Pavel,

There are two things I would never do (well maybe more but I'm thinking just about this thread!)

1. Recommend a restaurant
2. Recommend a ski

Everyone should follow your advice and select a ski depending on their own requirements! And eat the food and wine THEY like!

Jan

Just a thought from a skiing noob like myself.

Pavel created a thread a while ago about 'ski feel'. Ski feel is essential when testing various skis to be able to tell the difference between them and choose one that suits your style of skiing.

The trouble is, you don't get taught 'ski feel' in ski school and I don't reckon you will start to get it for a little while after starting to ski. Ski feel kicks in when all the more pressing concerns start to dissappear. Concerns like, 'I can't stop!!!', I can't turn', 'This is too steep', 'My feet hurt'.

Once you become confident with your skiing and think about things less then you can start to look for new things to think about. At that point it's probably the time to start trying different skis as it's only at that point that they won't all feel the same.

I was quite chuffed the other day when I skied on four pairs of skis and could tell the differences between them. Having said that they were all very different. They were my own skis, some 'industrial' dryslope hire skis, Salomon LAB slalom skis and some Salomon 1080 twintips. You probably couldn't get more different but hey - I was pleased!

I know that many skiers who read these "chats" think I must be "strange" thinking that skis have a personalities!

It is only when you have 10-20 pairs of skis and you change every few runs that you realize how varied each skis is! Each has its unique qualities! Each gives off some quality that makes your ski run differently.

If you let the ski "speak to you" rather than you impose your style, it will tell you many things about your technique!

Ellistine, you impressed me when you said you could tell this difference, it meant you are well on your way to becoming a great skier.

Ever ski racers talk about a "fast ski"! Same company, same side-cut yet for some unknown reason THAT ski seems to go faster, better!!! I call it the skis "personality"
Some race horses seem the same,,,but one has "heart" Sea Biscuit was such a horse! Norther Dancer was such a horse!
The VR17's were such skis!

Chuck Yaeger once flew an inferior fighter plane, in a mock combat against another pilot flying a more advanced machine and he was still able to "wax his tail", i.e. score against him. He was simply able to adjust to this plane's flying characteristics and win the battle.
I'm not saying that with lousy skis it's still a hoot to tear up the hill, but if one is flexible enough to use an all around ski it will allow for crud-powder-ice situations. You can't go skiing with three different pairs of skis and keep switching to match conditions. If you want to ski the whole mountain, adjust to the mountain. (Besides, I can't afford three pairs of skis with today's prices).