Blister recommends wide rockered skis for beginners

[markojp]

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.

Have you tried to teach a first time skier on wide rockered skis?

FWIW, and in my experience, it's not nearly as effective as a plain ol' standard ski school rental ski.

 

[fatbob]

I’m not entirely convinced it’s actually a problem, while acknowledging that many skiers use wider skis than would best suit them.

But at least as I see it, with advances in technology the carving trade off for using say an 88mm ski on piste is vastly less than it was when I started to ski. Indeed there weren’t 88mm skis then at all! But when I think back to say an early generation wider ski like the Pocket Rocket which was 90mm underfoot, and a current generation Blizzard Brahma 88, they’re just chalk and cheese. The Blozzards are much closer to the performance of a carving ski than the PR. And the newer wider skis give you many more options on a deep snow day.

It’s all trade offs.

Word.

My first "fat" skis were OG Motherships at a not really fat 97. I've just bought some new "skinny" * quiver skis at 94 that I've already demoed a couple of times and expect them to be carvy enough plus fun in most soft non deep conditions.

* to be fair on a true groomer/ hardpack day I'd go SL/GS - if you're going to go grip and precision might as well go as far as possible.

Took some new to me Cham 107s to a fridge this summer cos I wanted to try them but binned them off after a few laps for the shocking Head free rentals to ski the seeded bumps. The Head garbageatrons were of course superior given the application.

 

[KingGrump]

But we didn't get to see her ski.

I believe he is most impressed by her age. Even though we are not.

 

[Tony S]

And the newer wider skis give you many more options on a deep snow day.

Complete red herring for the population and activity context in question. Consider that a beginner almost certainly will not be powder chasing. I organize my whole winter around skiing and rarely have the occasion to take advantage of my "deep snow day" options. My educated guesstimate re: how this shakes out in reality:

	East	West
Likelihood of Beginner Encountering Any "Deep Snow"	4%	10%
Likelihood of Beginner Engaging In Any "Deep Snow"	1%	2.5%

 

[Tony S]

My well-documented triumphant return to skiing last season lacked timing, fresh snow-wise. My memory is vague but the last time I skied powder I think was on either some Rossignol STs or Olin Mark VIIs. If I find myself skiing on a snowy day on my Head e-Race Pros should I plan to head straight to the demo ski counter or will I just be getting better face shots than the other guys?

Depends on how snowy.

6" of Colorado fluff, you're fine. 18", rent.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I believe he is most impressed by her age. Even though we are not.

By the combination really: 70+RS+FIS SL. Respect!

 

[tomahawkins]

By the combination really: 70+RS+FIS SL. Respect!

I think these are junior SLs, not the FIS. My son had these; they rail.

 

[KingGrump]

By the combination really: 70+RS+FIS SL. Respect!

Call me in couple years and pay tribute.

 

[Tony Storaro]

I think these are junior SLs, not the FIS. My son had these; they rail.

I might have been mislead by the tip protectors and Deb’s “A real performance ski, very aggressive”, dunno but the point still stands.

 

[BMC]

Complete red herring for the population and activity context in question. Consider that a beginner almost certainly will not be powder chasing. I organize my whole winter around skiing and rarely have the occasion to take advantage of my "deep snow day" options. My educated guesstimate re: how this shakes out in reality:

	East	West
Likelihood of Beginner Encountering Any "Deep Snow"	4%	10%
Likelihood of Beginner Engaging In Any "Deep Snow"	1%	2.5%

Maybe I’d misread the chain of discussion, but it felt like we’d moved from the specifics for beginners, to the more general comment around the carving potential of wider skis.

 

[James]

Maybe I’d misread the chain of discussion, but it felt like we’d moved from the specifics for beginners, to the more general comment around the carving potential of wider skis.

It has little to do with carving ability of wide skis. It has to do with how far away the ski edge is from the ball of the big toe.

 

[Tony S]

Maybe I’d misread the chain of discussion, but it felt like we’d moved from the specifics for beginners, to the more general comment around the carving potential of wider skis.

Oh. Damn! I felt so righteous!

 

[KingGrump]

Maybe I’d misread the chain of discussion, but it felt like we’d moved from the specifics for beginners, to the more general comment around the carving potential of wider skis.

Page 14. What do you expect?

 

[Sibhusky]

I believe he is most impressed by her age. Even though we are not.

Oh. Yeah, I'm not impressed with her age. And she needed her husband with her to buy skis. I understand her fight and maybe she's got a bigger issue than i do because she looked tiny? But she's had seventy years to figure out how to get what she wants.

 

[Tony S]

And she needed her husband with her to buy skis. I understand her fight and maybe she's got a bigger issue than i do because she looked tiny?

LOL Whereas you habitually just curl your five fingers into a fist like Lucy van Pelt and get your way through sheer physical intimidation?

 

[KingGrump]

LOL Whereas you habitually just curl your five fingers into a fist like Lucy van Pelt and get your way through sheer physical intimidation?

Or you can be grumpy like me. Works well.

 

[Sibhusky]

LOL Whereas you habitually just curl your five fingers into a fist like Lucy van Pelt and get your way through sheer physical intimidation?

More like the evil eye.

The fact is that smaller people in general have this invisible problem of being patted on the head like they are kids and ignored. Make that an older woman and it's "Whatever, grandma."

 

[Tony S]

The fact is that smaller people in general have this invisible problem of being patted on the head like they are kids and ignored.

So true. Ask me how I know.

 

[cantunamunch]

More like the evil eye.

*visualises anthropology students collecting stories of Strega Sib*

So true. Ask me how I know.

What became of your Pickelhaube/ tree skiing morion project?

 

[Tony S]

What became of your Pickelhaube/ tree skiing morion project?

Sigh. I really don't know how Herself manages it, honestly.

I may or may not attempt to comprehend and respond to this post after a few days, when my Google Arcana subscription has cooled down a bit and they let me back in - presumably with a capped search allocation.

More generally I think the SkiTalk regulars really need to pitch in here and start a Tuna Terms glossary, as a community resource.