Blister recommends wide rockered skis for beginners

[silverback]

Best Skis for Beginners: A Guide | Blister

Whether you're new to the sport of skiing, getting back into it, or otherwise looking for advice on how to buy skis, start here.

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Best Skis for Beginners: Our Top Picks, 2022-2023 | Blister

If you're new to skiing or just getting back into it, check out our guide for a number of skis that we think are particularly good options.

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Seems to counter to a lot of the advice around here.

 

[Jilly]

Goes against my thinking for sure. And what beginner is going to pay that money for skis. Now they may not "out grow" them as soon as other models.
But I do like the fact that Blister states where these skis should be used.

 

[Tricia]

As a testimonial, we took a rep's wife to learn to ski( she was a snowboarder) and he brought her to our house with the Black Pearl 88. She struggled. We got her one of the intermediate carving skis from his fleet of test skis and she caught on quickly.
Later he scoffed at us and put her back on the Black Pearl. She struggled again.
The rocker threw her off and she couldn't make them turn.

Now she's skiing a ton and is on wider/rockered skis but she was only able to get there by skiing a true intermediate skis with shape and full camber while she was finding her balance.

 

[James]

I don’t see Blister doing that in the article. Sort of. They include fresh snow/soft snow, for which they go wide. It’s kind of silly to go straight to soft snow, but that's what they do. Just can’t help themselves. Hey, at least they included the narrow.

For groomer/piste they have 78,80 widths little rocker. Don’t think K2 makes a ski without rocker.

So young males, rad girls, will all go wide. We know that. It’s dumb, but plenty people will argue it’s not. Stand by.

Photo from Blister article-

Lol. That is not a beginner. Liberty 101 skis.

Edit- @silverback , I think you referenced the wrong article. It’s this one-

Best Skis for Beginners: A Guide | Blister

Whether you're new to the sport of skiing, getting back into it, or otherwise looking for advice on how to buy skis, start here.

blisterreview.com

Then you’re correct in your assessment it seems.
Beginners guide photo-

Hey, you too can ski like that if you just buy the right skis.

People should learn on skis that don’t extend outside the boot edge. I.e., less than 84 probably. But if one just wants to slash and burn, wide rockered work well for the bros.

 

[silverback]

As anyone who lives in ski county knows, you get a fair number of house guests. I’ve helped a number of beginners and never evers get set up to ski.

The best result I’ve seen was an athletic 17 year old never ever. She is 5’1” and played volleyball and cheered. The girl has springs.

I had an old pair of kids 130cm slalom race skis (approx 65mm under foot) that my son used when he was about 8 yrs old and put her on them for her first lesson. She was the only “big kid” signed up for lessons that day so she lucked into a private. By noon she was on the chair, linking reasonably good semi carved turns on those soft, turny little skis.

 

[Cheizz]

Blister isn't really the crew I would turn to for advice for novice skiers. They're in a niche. Beginners are not that niche.

 

[BLiP]

Not every beginner wants to carve. Many would probably be happy sliding/skidding down the hill on a long, wide, rockered (i.e., stable) ski. Is that the best way to learn? Certainly not. But if they are out there having fun and are satisfied with skidded turns, more power to them.

 

[Lorenzzo]

I can kind of tell a beginner by the way they ski chicken heads and are tentative when getting more than 5 feet of air. Sometimes you'll see them gathering at rope drops.

 

[James]

Not every beginner wants to carve. Many would probably be happy sliding/skidding down the hill on a long, wide, rockered (i.e., stable) ski. Is that the best way to learn? Certainly not. But if they are out there having fun and are satisfied with skidded turns, more power to them.

Yeah but that’s not what Blister is promoting. Oh, by the way, all Blister beginner article photos are of high edge angle carving. Which is weird frankly, if that’s not the goal.
Almost no beginners carve any way unless they edge lock and end up in a heap or hit something or someone.

There are rare exceptions who get controlling edge angle concepts quickly and aren’t too inhibited by their boots.

 

[Tricia]

As anyone who lives in ski county knows, you get a fair number of house guests. I’ve helped a number of beginners and never evers get set up to ski.

The best result I’ve seen was an athletic 17 year old never ever. She is 5’1” and played volleyball and cheered. The girl has springs.

I had an old pair of kids 130cm slalom race skis (approx 65mm under foot) that my son used when he was about 8 yrs old and put her on them for her first lesson. She was the only “big kid” signed up for lessons that day so she lucked into a private. By noon she was on the chair, linking reasonably good semi carved turns on those soft, turny little skis.

Exactly!

 

[Tricia]

Not every beginner wants to carve. Many would probably be happy sliding/skidding down the hill on a long, wide, rockered (i.e., stable) ski. Is that the best way to learn? Certainly not. But if they are out there having fun and are satisfied with skidded turns, more power to them.

It's not about carving, its about finding the center of the ski and learning how to find balance. Wider skis tend to also have rocker, which is not ideal for a beginner.
The beginners that I've seen on rockered skis look like Bambi on ice.

 

[Tony S]

I can kind of tell a beginner by the way they ski chicken heads and are tentative when getting more than 5 feet of air. Sometimes you'll see them gathering at rope drops.

That was THE perfect send up of Blister.

 

[Tricia]

@silverback This second link you shared....
I just read it and WOW.
I could never put a beginner on the women specific skis they have listed.
That is a great way to set a woman up for failure and frankly my goal is to set them up for success.
This is based on experience as a ski reviewer as well as a ski instructor.

 

[BS Slarver]

It appears Blisters idea of a beginner and mine are vastly different.

 

[Andy Mink]

I just checked my calendar to make sure this isn't 4/1. Renoun Atlas? Yeah, beginners are going for that $999 ski, flat. Best ski for deep snow? Why would you put a beginner in deep snow?

 

[Bad Bob]

This is skiing disagreement is required isn't it?

Blisters choices are not necessarily the skis that immediately come to mind when suggestions a to beginning skiers, but would be very interested in trading them for the Atlas 80's or the Folsom 88's

 

[Teppaz]

@silverback This second link you shared....
I just read it and WOW.
I could never put a beginner on the women specific skis they have listed.
That is a great way to set a woman up for failure and frankly my goal is to set them up for success.
This is based on experience as a ski reviewer as well as a ski instructor.

I have QST 99s and I'd never recommend the QST 98s to a beginner, even on soft snow. Let's not forget pearls of wisdom like "The J Skis Masterblaster is a bit better if you frequently end up skiing backseat in moguls and trees" — what beginner is going to do moguls and trees???

 

[Cheizz]

My suspicions have been confirmed: the guys and girls from Blister are not really in touch with reality anymore - they're way off, IMO. Powder Mountain is a real place, isn't it? I bet that's where they are.

 

[HardDaysNight]

Yeah, beginners are going for that $999 ski, flat.

A better choice would definitely be the Folsom at $1,450

 

[Tricia]

My suspicions have been confirmed: the guys and girls from Blister are not really in touch with reality anymore - they're way off, IMO. Powder Mountain is a real place, isn't it? I bet that's where they are.

Powder Mountain is a real place in Utah.
Blister has their annual Summit at Crested Butte... FWIW

*I have a tremendous amount of respect for Johnnathan Elsworth and the Blister Team for the type of review they do but this particular topic is quite.....hummmmmmmm...interesting and not in line with my personal experience with beginners.