GS FIS, Masters or something else?

[James]

I noticed they sell a "baseline" for $200. What is it? Description says "no waxing in the future," but I've seen a lot of "no waxing" with car and motorcycle products and it usually isn't...

No idea what you’re talking about. I was using a turn of phrase. You get that ski because it’s inexpensive plus it’s a known standard, then you have a baseline for comparison to what people are saying. Otherwise it’s all words with no relevant personal reference.

What’s not really known is how you want to use the ski. We have now drifted to maximizing speed and or masters racing vs zooming around in general in somewhat mixed conditions.

I would also recommend just calling ski essentials and talking with someone there who knows those skis.

 

[IVC]

So, Ski Essentials responded that the only sub-30 GS ski they have is a Fischer RC4 Junior Curv GS. The rest are FIS, with 30+ radius. But it's really tempting to get a ski for couple hundreds and simply have it as a reference point. No matter what, that ski is a bargain when it's barely over the price of bindings themselves.

@James, it's a coincidence that Ski Essentials offers a base treatment they call "Phantom 2.0 Base Treatment" so I thought it was what you were referring to. I get it what you meant, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Jjmd]

Just for shits and giggles I spend a fair amount of time, when I’m not instructing or coaching, on Fischer 190 35m GS race skis and obviously with the right surface, have a great time. It is a great training tool, because if you do not initiate and release correctly, the ski won’t perform, but if you get it somewhat dialed in they are a blast. At certain speeds on moderate terrain, it is amazing the variety of turns you can achieve. They certainly take some getting used to, but if one doesn’t come in with a preconceived notion that they cannot ski them ,they can be very entertaining. They really make you aware of your fore and aft balance, and that awareness makes skiing other fis and less demanding skis more fun and precise. The feedback I get when loading the ski and doing mini jump switches is unsurpassed. I am 6’ 3” 200lb and do not see myself as some skiing god, plus I am a million years old. If you find a shop that has these kicking around you should be able to get them for a song. I got mine from theSport Thoma race room in Lincoln NH.

 

[Tony S]

The feedback I get when loading the ski and doing mini jump switches is unsurpassed. I am 6’ 3” 200lb and do not see myself as some skiing god, plus I am a million years old.

Do I have this picture right? You are loading the ski in an arc, then popping into the air and somehow landing switch? On a 190 race ski?

 

[IVC]

Just for shits and giggles I spend a fair amount of time, when I’m not instructing or coaching, on Fischer 190 35m GS race skis and obviously with the right surface, have a great time. It is a great training tool, because if you do not initiate and release correctly, the ski won’t perform, but if you get it somewhat dialed in they are a blast. At certain speeds on moderate terrain, it is amazing the variety of turns you can achieve.

Interesting and expected. My SG skis are the same way, where the radius is so large and they are so stable that it's easy not to realize they are carvers at all and try to turn them the old school way. But at speed, and especially without rushing the transition through the fall line, they are a lot of fun when they engage, creating beautiful long, round turns. Except that people and terrain almost always get in the way, so the fun is short lived. And if the slopes are really choppy or the snow is bad, speed is not fun to begin with. My concern with anything 30(ish) and up radius is that I would get another pair of skis that I can't enjoy often or much. But if they are so cheap that it doesn't matter, it might be just the ticket... Hmmm.

 

[DocGKR]

Phantom 2.0 Base Treatment = Not Needed.

 

[IVC]

Do I have this picture right? You are loading the ski in an arc, then popping into the air and somehow landing switch? On a 190 race ski?

I don't believe that's the picture, I believe he's talking about using them as springs in short turns where the loaded ski does a lot of work of the weight transfer and the turn itself is a variant of hop turn, not a carved turn. It wouldn't be the middle of the arc as it wouldn't be a carved turn. I might be wrong though...

 

[Paul Lutes]

Oh Lordy ..... skiing switch on 190 35 M GSers after a little air bump ..... I'd pay significant bitcoin to see that!

 

[Tony S]

Oh Lordy ..... skiing switch on 190 35 M GSers after a little air bump ..... I'd pay significant bitcoin to see that!

On reflection, given the "million years old" comment, I'm guessing that the more contemporary meaning of "switch"(es) is not what he intended.

 

[DocGKR]

I seem to recall one of the WC dudes doing that....

 

[François Pugh]

Do I have this picture right? You are loading the ski in an arc, then popping into the air and somehow landing switch? On a 190 race ski?

I read that as dynamically loading the tails (suddenly) so that they spring you up into the air, and then landing in a turn to the other direction. Sort of a controlled version of what might happen if you make a mistake and load the skis too suddenly when trying for a quicker tighter arced turn and get left behind and launched head over tea kettle, only instead of ending in yard sale you end cutting into a new turn.
EDIT: controlled is the key - power is nothing without control

 

[Brian Finch]

@IVC where are ya located? I have some 188cm / 27.5cm new Volkls…… need to move.

 

[James]

I seem to recall one of the WC dudes doing that....

Maxence Muzaton!

 

[Jjmd]

I used the wrong term, “jump switch”, to describe what I meant. The movement I was referring to,is loading the ski enough to make the ski very slightly airborne during the transition so the the new edge set can made with the skis not on the snow. The combination of the energy of the loaded ski and a flex to release movement makes this possible. Skiing “switch “ is not something I think about. I am so out of it when it comes to park skiing that it never occurred to me that the term,”switch,” would be misinterpreted, my bad.

 

[James]

The movement I was referring to,is loading the ski enough to make the ski very slightly airborne during the transition so the the new edge set can made with the skis not on the snow.

The float in transition.

 

[Tony Storaro]

@IVC where are ya located? I have some 188cm / 27.5cm new Volkls…… need to move.

27.5cm is pretty tight for 188cm ski, I want to see the sidecut of these.

 

[DocGKR]

The Junior Nordica is a 188/25 and it rips!

A tale of two 188cm GS skis

I think that’s what Mikaela gave Jimmy Fallon on his show. I am sure she gave him the puss-league consumer ski! :roflmao:

www.skitalk.com

Masters GS skis: glossary request ('cheater', 'tweener', 'masters', etc)

The RD is the full on race ski. I had them back when it was called i-gs, and e-gs is a change in name only. I can’t speak first hand to changes in plates between pro and non pro now, but the ones I had were the full adult race plate. It was a well built real deal tweeter race ski, just...

www.skitalk.com

 

[IVC]

@IVC where are ya located? I have some 188cm / 27.5cm new Volkls…… need to move.

I'm in CA, what conditions are those in? If they aren't beat up, it might be the ticket...

 

[SkiMore]

Maxence Muzaton!

That is crazy.

Here is another one that could have gone very badly.

 

[James]

So, Ski Essentials responded that the only sub-30 GS ski they have is a Fischer RC4 Junior Curv GS. The rest are FIS, with 30+ radius. But it's really tempting to get a ski for couple hundreds and simply have it as a reference point. No matter what, that ski is a bargain when it's barely over the price of bindings themselves.

@James, it's a coincidence that Ski Essentials offers a base treatment they call "Phantom 2.0 Base Treatment" so I thought it was what you were referring to. I get it what you meant, thanks for the suggestion.

There’s the Fischer 188/30 also

SkiEssentials

www.skiessentials.com

So you’ve got Nordie, Fischer, Volkl in that category for a pretty low investment.