[Oldskool skier] What modern ski suits my oldskool (legs together) technique?

I've been skiing for 20 years now, the last 10 years on a pair of straight slalom ski's. I mostly ski blacks, some reds and sometimes powder.

I never bought new carve-skis since my technique is totally unfit for them. I tend to put my legs together, and using a carve ski, they overlap, and I fall. Therefore, I never had the incentive of switching, until now.

My ski's are now near death, so I need something else. Modern GS-skis like the Atomic GS10 are not so wide, so I am tempted to go for that...

Or do you have some other advice? Like just learn a new technique and buy some allround skis (and what sort)? Or a whole other ski altogether...

Hi Mark,
Welcome to the forum. I can relate :D It took me longer to get my feet apart than it did to get them together in the first place.

That said, I would persist in trying to ski with your feet further apart. It will seem akward for a while but the benifits will make it worthwhile. Go for a piste oriented ski - they don't have to be super wide, Dynastar Contact series maybe? The Contact 10 is based on Dynastars GS skis. Once you get used to keeping your feet a bit further apart everything else you do will still work on newer skis. Try renting for a day or 2, then you can try without forking out too much money.

I will give a second rec for the Dynastar contact skis. Seemed like half the instructors were on them some days last year!

You can get them online with free postage... here you go

Enjoy :wink:

Cheers Ross :D

I've been skiing on the Contact 10 for 2 seasons now (Volkls for years before that) and it's the best piste ski I've ever skied on - and I've tried a lot of skis on test over the years.

I still think Mark should try a pair before he buys though.

markdlv wrote:Or do you have some other advice? Like just learn a new technique and buy some allround skis (and what sort)? Or a whole other ski altogether...

Hire some easy carvers and invest in a few private lessons. 1-on-1, a half-decent instructor will take what he can from your current skills and help you make the transition. You may be surprised how little time it takes to get comfortable - you're obviously already confident on skis generally, and probably just need a little nudge to push your technique a bit.

Modern skis are on another level from the skis of old (although they were fun in their time).

I would strongly urge you not to buy until you're comfortable - not least because you'll probably over-estimate the length you need. I used to ski 195/200 on skinnies but modern skis are good for me anywhere between 165 and 175.

Contemporary skis have also become more specialized so it may take you a while to find the type of ski that suits you best, let alone the specific model.

At the risk of contributing to the thread drift... (naughty admin) ... I skiied Contact 10s for a couple of days just before Christmas and really enjoyed them on piste; not so hot in the powder or crud though.

Last week I rode the new Salomon X-Wing Tornado, however, and I thought that was just brilliant. It's only a few mm wider underfoot than the Contact but skis way better in powder; also superb on piste and through crud...

...but try a few types and models first...

Thanks for the input!

I am 1.69m and 61 kilos, so I think a length of around 1.65 will be best (my old ones were 1.90).

A friend of mine has a pair of Atomic Beta Race 9.20 of 1.70 doing nothing, so I will definitely take them with me to see if a carve racing ski suits me. Besides that, I am thinking of renting an allmountain for a day or two if the conditions are good.

What should be the first exercise to learn the "new" technique. I think no lessons are being given on a sunday, so I will have one day of trying on my own.

Btw, I am from the Netherlands, so sales and discounds valid in the UK are of no use to me ;)

Hi Mark,

I take a different view, in that I like to ski close leg, as long as speed and conditions allow. In different conditions, it is wiser to ski splits.

In fact, most days, after 4 hours or so, when the dodgy knee pops, all style goes, and I spend the afternoon with all the pressure on one ski, with the other ski tippy toeing anywhere it likes!

I have adapted to newer techniques and also retained the several of the older styles. Of course I am not advocating this for anyone else, just to say, we are all individuals, and we don't have to follow the crowds.

People who skied 20 years before me were skiing different techniques from those that I learned, and the people 20 years before them were.....

We may be reasonable certain that in 20 years time, todays styles will look very dated.

I too have had some difficulty in finding skis that perform like the skis I have now, (8 years old and 12 years old!) But I will wait until I find the skis I like.

Interestingly, there is a new BASI recommendation/requirement, (explanatory paper author, Sean Langmuir) starting this season, that those taking BASI courses will be required to used skis with a minimum radius of 17m or more. The reasons given include the increased pressure placed on joints with the use of short radius skis, and the reduced safety when using these skis at higher speeds.

Do I hear a comeback call for skinnies?? :-)

why not ski in the manner in which you are most comfortable ...does it matter if your skis are together or if you ski in today's fashion ...so long as you enjoy sliding down the hill...if your like me I always wanted to wedel down the mountain but ended up skiing like Desperate Dan!

Personally I would go for long GS skis but then I am a piste skier


ps A couple of weeks ago I saw loads of instructors in Flaine leading their charges down the mountain with their skis locked together ...but then they are French!