Hire of "performance" skis for beginner?

Evening all.

This is my first post on the forum so please be gentle with me!

I'm in search of some advice on hiring ski's for my mother. She's a near beginner (parallel turns on blue runs) and although I won't state her age I'm 37!

Last time we just took what the shop has handed out and thought nothing of it. (She on the standard option and me on what was called a performance package.)

Last year she had an accident on the slope. On our last run before lunch confidence outstripped ability and she lost control and crashed hard knocking herself unconscious in the process. Hospitals followed. (Many thanks go to the snow patrol and staff at the medical centre who were excellent.)

I appreciate technique, helmets and more lessons are what we should be concentrating on but this post I'd just like to talk skis if I may.

Now the accident wouldn't have happened with a more cautious approach. However I can't help thinking that more aggressive ski's may have helped her get out of trouble. On the flip side faster more nervous skis are no comfort to a beginner. Argh.

To use a motoring parallel, if I was on the edge of control in a car I'd rather it be a nimble lotus Elise with brakes and chassis that can handle being chucked around rather than a front wheel drive understeer euro box that just wants to go straight on...

Sorry for the waffley post :roll:

In summary, would it be safer / more dangerous to put a beginner on a more advanced ski?

Thanks for any advice.

Owen.

Hi Marksman, welcome to j2ski...

To run with your motoring analogy... 8)

Marksman wrote:To use a motoring parallel, if I was on the edge of control in a car I'd rather it be a nimble lotus Elise

...but a less experienced or less confident driver will be lifting off mid-maneuver and spinning their way into a big accident. And, "drifting" off-topic (ho ho), the early Elise had a well-earned reputation for biting the unwary... and would be a pretty unsuitable car for a beginner!

Marksman wrote:would it be safer / more dangerous to put a beginner on a more advanced ski?

To answer your question... softer, more forgiving skis are much more suitable for beginners as they absorb mistakes and are easier to push around with less developed technique. A "performance" ski will generally be more responsive, quicker edge-to-edge and - if you like - snappier; a lot less enjoyable for an early skier and more likely IMHO to have them catching edges and over-compensating for mistakes.

Marksman wrote:Now the accident wouldn't have happened with a more cautious approach.

This. Talk to the shop, put her on some nice soft lady's skis, take it easy and rebuild the confidence.

Good evening Mr. Admin Sir and thank you for the advice and the warm welcome.

I see what you're saying and will certainly talk more with the hire shop on our return. Thanks for the common sense approach. (And the pun was pretty decent too.)

Ironically as she hit her head she has no recollection of the accident. We've had to reconstruct it for her so she has an idea as to what to do differently next time. As such her confidence is OK which is great. (I was worried that without a direct memory of how things went wrong she'd be hesitant to try again. ) So a gentle start is in order.

On an unrelated topic what does the "J2" in J2ski mean. I've only been reading for an hour and so far that has eluded me!

Many thanks,

Owen.

No one knows....a complete mystery...just like the H2 in H2O..

Coop wrote:No one knows....a complete mystery...just like the H2 in H2O..

Fairy snuff! Following the chemistry referance what J would one need two of to ski well?

Owen.

What Admin said.

The tuning on rental skis is often overlooked.
For a beginner, you should be looking for sharp edges, but detuned (made blunter) at the tip and tail. This will allow them to easily use the edges, but the ski won't hook into a turn, and will also release easily.

Coop wrote:No one knows....a complete mystery...just like the H2 in H2O..

Two atoms of hydrogen with one atom of Oxyg.....oh, you were 'aving a larf!

To reinforce admin's point, early skiers have to work MUCH harder than more experienced souls, so a softer, easier flex, produces easier turns. When you discuss this lady's speed, you might actually be at 10 kph, whereas a performance ski might operate at 50kph.

I recently hired from Skiset for a group. Most people took middle level. For the beginner, and for myself, I booked the lower level. The beginner experienced good soft skis, I had a fantastic time whipping down the runs, floating, turning on demi-euros, blah-di-blah. The key thing is that we discussed the needs with the operator, when we collected.

Oh, and weren't the other "middle level" guys peed off! :D

Trencher wrote:What Admin said.

The tuning on rental skis is often overlooked.
For a beginner, you should be looking for sharp edges, but detuned (made blunter) at the tip and tail. This will allow them to easily use the edges, but the ski won't hook into a turn, and will also release easily.

Thanks Trencher. That makes good sense. :thumbup: As a newbie to the forum I'm impressed with the clear advice given out by the regulars on a whole range of topics. Not only in answering the questions but also giving the background or technical reasoning behind an opinion.

Dave Mac wrote:
To reinforce admin's point, early skiers have to work MUCH harder than more experienced souls, so a softer, easier flex, produces easier turns. When you discuss this lady's speed, you might actually be at 10 kph, whereas a performance ski might operate at 50kph.

Thanks and ditto to what I said above.

How to roughly quantify the softness ski? Can one tell by simply placing them face to face and squeezing between the bindings until they touch? Or clamp them to your feet and stand on them?

I'm sure I'm rehashing topics you're tired to death of so if there's an old thread that anyone can point me in the direction of that'd be great. Anything so I can broaden my vocabulary / understanding of the kit.

Dave Mac wrote: I recently hired from Skiset for a group. Most people took middle level. For the beginner, and for myself, I booked the lower level. The beginner experienced good soft skis, I had a fantastic time whipping down the runs, floating, turning on demi-euros, blah-di-blah. The key thing is that we discussed the needs with the operator, when we collected.
Oh, and weren't the other "middle level" guys peed off! :D

Fun! I had a target shooting friend that took great delight in turning up on a range with kit 20 years out of date. The locals used to take the mickey or offer patronising advice. Right up until he shot rings round them! :P

Cheers all.

Owen.