TL;DR Looking for a good versatile ski for higher speeds to augment SL skis.
Long Version below:
My go-to skis are Nordica Dobermanns SL FIS (a few years old) and I really like them. I use them as all mountain skis and don't hesitate to take them to any terrain I find, but they get tiring in softer snow or on very steep moguls. Also, I don't dare lay them flat at any significant speed as they'll "chatter." Instead, I'll always keep them ever so slightly on the edge no matter how fast I go (I pushed them to about 60 mph) - they are extremely well behaved and a joy at any speed as long as they are not flat on the snow.
My previous skis are Salomon X-Wing Tornado, probably some 15 years old, that handle really well on any terrain. They bite a bit less on very hard snow than Dobermanns, but they also don't mind being flat at speed. I really like these skis too and find them similar (enough) to Dobermanns that I don't notice much difference most of the time - maybe Dobermanns roll a bit faster and hold the turn better on ice, but it's hard to tell outside really icy slope or a race course. I normally roll skis edge to edge so if there is a slight delay it's not much of a difference for general cruising.
A few years back I got a second pair of FIS skis, Head SG. I thought (quite incorrectly) that SL skis would be nicely offset with SG, skipping the GS in between. Well, I was totally wrong. These skis are awesome for what they are designed for, but very little else. For general purpose skiing, they handle like my very old Rossignol 7S planks that require some amount of tail skidding for any shorter radius turns (80's are calling). Where they shine is very long radius turns (doh!) which doesn't work well both because of how slopes get destroyed throughout the day and the number of people on them. Over the years I would take these skis out for half a day, realize all I can do is point them down and play "avoid the pylons" game, do a few DH sections just to see how fast it will go, then revert back to other skis. These skis are a total write-off unless I actually race them (which is unlikely), lesson learned.
So, I'm looking at getting a pair of skis that I initially thought SG would do - support higher speeds, no chatter when laid flat, versatility to take them (force them) anywhere. I understand they won't be optimal for off-course, but I don't mind it as long as they are different enough from SL skis. What type of GS ski should I look at (FIS vs. smaller radius) and are they going to feel different enough from SL to be worth lugging around? My concern is that they might be either too similar to the SL skis, or they might be too specialized and feel like old school planks at lower speeds. I'm not a gear junky, so I haven't followed the technology too much. Any help is appreciated.
Long Version below:
My go-to skis are Nordica Dobermanns SL FIS (a few years old) and I really like them. I use them as all mountain skis and don't hesitate to take them to any terrain I find, but they get tiring in softer snow or on very steep moguls. Also, I don't dare lay them flat at any significant speed as they'll "chatter." Instead, I'll always keep them ever so slightly on the edge no matter how fast I go (I pushed them to about 60 mph) - they are extremely well behaved and a joy at any speed as long as they are not flat on the snow.
My previous skis are Salomon X-Wing Tornado, probably some 15 years old, that handle really well on any terrain. They bite a bit less on very hard snow than Dobermanns, but they also don't mind being flat at speed. I really like these skis too and find them similar (enough) to Dobermanns that I don't notice much difference most of the time - maybe Dobermanns roll a bit faster and hold the turn better on ice, but it's hard to tell outside really icy slope or a race course. I normally roll skis edge to edge so if there is a slight delay it's not much of a difference for general cruising.
A few years back I got a second pair of FIS skis, Head SG. I thought (quite incorrectly) that SL skis would be nicely offset with SG, skipping the GS in between. Well, I was totally wrong. These skis are awesome for what they are designed for, but very little else. For general purpose skiing, they handle like my very old Rossignol 7S planks that require some amount of tail skidding for any shorter radius turns (80's are calling). Where they shine is very long radius turns (doh!) which doesn't work well both because of how slopes get destroyed throughout the day and the number of people on them. Over the years I would take these skis out for half a day, realize all I can do is point them down and play "avoid the pylons" game, do a few DH sections just to see how fast it will go, then revert back to other skis. These skis are a total write-off unless I actually race them (which is unlikely), lesson learned.
So, I'm looking at getting a pair of skis that I initially thought SG would do - support higher speeds, no chatter when laid flat, versatility to take them (force them) anywhere. I understand they won't be optimal for off-course, but I don't mind it as long as they are different enough from SL skis. What type of GS ski should I look at (FIS vs. smaller radius) and are they going to feel different enough from SL to be worth lugging around? My concern is that they might be either too similar to the SL skis, or they might be too specialized and feel like old school planks at lower speeds. I'm not a gear junky, so I haven't followed the technology too much. Any help is appreciated.
