What skis are right for me?

Trencher wrote:

I really don't mean to be offensive, but that is exactly what most people who don't carve very well say.

Well, in that case I'm not offended )

Everything you say about carving seems to be about skiing on nicely groomed runs - Skiing groomed runs is (or was) a small part of skiing for me.

I adapt my technique to the terrain and the conditions, if I coudn't switch from a carved turn to a skidded turn to a mixture of both when needed then I would have died in some of the couloirs I skied.

Yes, I talk about carving as a discipline, just as one might talk about racing, powder or touring. Carving is no longer just a type of turn, but a specialisation of skiing and snowboarding with many types of turn and techniques. The common theme which distinguishes carving from other types of skiing is that there is no skidding. The ultimate aims are to carve as varied terrain as possible, to use the features to become inverted on a berm or make airbourne transitions, taking off on one edge and landing on the other with no skid, or simply to push the limits of the equipment and make as tight a turn as possible, always with no skidding. The techniques vary with conditions and equipment. The turn techniques that a carver does blend involve different ways to apply pressure and weighting including rotary movements that change the pressure along the ski edges. Much of the speed control comes not from the turns, but techniques that forces the edges to bite deeper, dissipating energy without skidding.

Of course, you can't carve the whole mountain. Most carvers I know, switch to different equipment when there is powder. When there is no powder, they are making the most of the terrain they have, groomed runs. If you are not good at carving (or learning to be good at it), I can see that groomed runs would be boring and why if you can pick epic days in the mountains would you want to stick to groomers. The reality is that often the rest of the ski area is skied out **** and carving on groomers or heading very off piste are the only options.


So yes , I do laugh when people who can leave some shallow lines from shallow turns, never getting beyond that, dismiss carving as just a type of turn that is not special now that anyone can do it on modern skis, because I know they have limited understanding of carving. Just because a skier isn't an expert carver, does not make them less of an expert at skiing on other terain.

Trencher

Neiltoo wrote:

Trencher wrote:

I really don't mean to be offensive, but that is exactly what most people who don't carve very well say.

Well, in that case I'm not offended )

Everything you say about carving seems to be about skiing on nicely groomed runs - Skiing groomed runs is (or was) a small part of skiing for me.

I adapt my technique to the terrain and the conditions, if I coundn't switch from a carved turn to a skidded turn to a mixture of both when needed then I would have died in some of the couloirs I skied.

I understand that's called skiing :lol: sounds like fun ...

I`m no expert but i can remember being able to carve on my old skinnies
Blizzard Sprint 190`s,I found them a bit on the heavy side not like todays ski`s but quite flexable.

Trencher sorry to have to disagree but Bode Miller is a bad example IMO, He`s such a scrappy skier,Sure he gets the results and thats what counts,
But he sure aint pretty to watch.

Trencher you can have the skinnies for the postage but you will probably
get a pair cheaper off ebay.

AJ Adele

I guess I'm just going to have to accept that you can skid carved turns and still call it carving. Any other terms we can water down.

Off piste - skiing the powder at the edge of the groomed run

tree skiing - a few trees at the side of the piste

touring - taking a rucksack with your sandwiches and a hankie in it

mogul skiing - skiing through the 10cm piles after a soft snow day on a
groomed run

Wow, I can redefine myself as an all mountain skier now :lol:

Trencher

Trencher wrote:I guess I'm just going to have to accept that you can skid carved turns and still call it carving. Any other terms we can water down.

Off piste - skiing the powder at the edge of the groomed run

tree skiing - a few trees at the side of the piste

touring - taking a rucksack with your sandwiches and a hankie in it

mogul skiing - skiing through the 10cm piles after a soft snow day on a
groomed run

Wow, I can redefine myself as an all mountain skier now :lol:

Trencher

Oh dear.....

I'm getting the feeling that you've not really done any of the above disciplines.

Which is fine, the mountains are big places and there is room for all :D

Trencher wrote:
Wow, I can redefine myself as an all mountain skier now :lol:

not without proving it, have you got some video? Or is that a one way street?

You seem to think you're the only who can carve or who even knows what it is which is getting a bit old really.

Tapps wrote:Hi all and happy new year,

I am looking into to buying myself some skis (having just renting them in the past) and im not to sure which type is right for me.
im probably looking for a freeride ski however i am confused about what length to get, could anyone tell me what advantages a shorter ski brings, or if i should just get the lenght to my weight ratio?
my 'performance level' (found a chart on internet) is around 7 or 8 out of 10 so i would be looking for somthing that would be suitible to build and help imporve my technique.
i found a 125cm salomon blade/ski, again what advantages would a ski this short bring?
will be thankfull for any suggestions!

Well Tapps, I hope we have resolved your question :wink: