On point to this thread, a buddy of mine and I did a fun little GS ski experiment last Friday. I think the value of ski reviews, in particular GS ski reviews, is highly dependent on knowing the skill of the reviewer, so indulge me in first providing our background so the reader has a frame of reference. We've got a friendly rivalry going back 25 years to our Div3 college racing days, and still goad each other on in beer league and the occasional Master's race. We've both been looking for that elusive ideal GS ski, one that is stout enough to push in a real GS set on boilerplate, but that 45 year old guys with technique still kinda stuck in the last century can actually turn. In terms of our skill level, we're both pretty decent (he's slightly better), generally in the top five or six in our beer league results, and on the podium for our age group in the master's races we go to, but we get totally smoked in masters races by the 20-somethings relatively fresh out of Div1 programs. We're New England skiers, so we typically spend our ski days focused on making good turns on hard snow, and we coach race programs on the weekends. Lastly, we both keep fit and weigh in the range of 170-190.
Now, onto the ski test. Friday, we both played hookie from work so we could get a relatively empty day on the hill. Conditions were firm but not super icy. As luck would have it, me and my buddy wear the exact same boot, so we each brought a pair of GS skis and a pair of slaloms with the plan to swap back and forth. The slaloms were both men's FIS, mine Dynastar, his Head, and they skied VERY differently, but that review is for another thread. For GS, I brought a pair of Dynastar tweeners, 25m, 182cm length. He brought a Rossi 30m 188 women's FIS. Both are 2017/18 model year, but essentially brand new with identical tunes from SkiMD (.5/3). From outward appearances, these are very, very similar skis, from the same factory, though the tweener clearly has more tip rise--that alone probably accounts for the 5m difference in radius.
The difference between these GS skis was quite remarkable. We both agreed that the tweeners were a lot easier to ski--easier turn initiation, and much easier to crank a shorter radius turn if required. I noticed I could hook them up hard enough to max out the ankle flex of my boots, for better or worse. They were a total joy to ski, and I honestly didn't feel like I was overpowering them even though I'm about 50 pounds heavier than their intended user, but once or twice while skiing on some variable bumpy hardpack around 50 mph they got a little jittery. Or maybe that was just my nerves.
Jumping from the tweeners to the 30m ski, the first run I kept losing my outside ski in turns and was nervous making turns near the edge of the trail--in short, I had trouble hooking them up consistently. But as I increased angulation and really committed to high angles, they would arc a very smooth, powerful turn. Doing so took focus and a concerted effort to get forward, and I couldn't vary the turn size all that much, but oh boy did it feel good when it worked.
Happily, at the end of the day I think I preferred my tweeners, and my buddy preferred his 30m skis. Mine were great for bombing around a quiet resort but still capable of ripping a quick turn to avoid an obstacle when needed. The 30m ski will likely shine more in an actual race, on typical Eastern race surfaces. But to be honest, I'd probably do terribly on them in a race because gates make my technique regress 20 years and I A-frame instead of angulate and all sorts of other bad habits come out. The idea of the 30m ski appeals, but the reality is I'm likely better off on the tweener. My buddy who is a tad better than me will likely be able to work the 30m skis even in a race, and get more powerful turns but at the risk of things going sideways fast if he loses focus. We joked that what we both really need is a 27m FIS ski, or something like the Augment that can be dialed in. If I could get the Augment with a Dynastar top sheet so my wife wouldn't notice yet another pair of skis in the tuning room, that could be ideal.
Now, onto the ski test. Friday, we both played hookie from work so we could get a relatively empty day on the hill. Conditions were firm but not super icy. As luck would have it, me and my buddy wear the exact same boot, so we each brought a pair of GS skis and a pair of slaloms with the plan to swap back and forth. The slaloms were both men's FIS, mine Dynastar, his Head, and they skied VERY differently, but that review is for another thread. For GS, I brought a pair of Dynastar tweeners, 25m, 182cm length. He brought a Rossi 30m 188 women's FIS. Both are 2017/18 model year, but essentially brand new with identical tunes from SkiMD (.5/3). From outward appearances, these are very, very similar skis, from the same factory, though the tweener clearly has more tip rise--that alone probably accounts for the 5m difference in radius.
The difference between these GS skis was quite remarkable. We both agreed that the tweeners were a lot easier to ski--easier turn initiation, and much easier to crank a shorter radius turn if required. I noticed I could hook them up hard enough to max out the ankle flex of my boots, for better or worse. They were a total joy to ski, and I honestly didn't feel like I was overpowering them even though I'm about 50 pounds heavier than their intended user, but once or twice while skiing on some variable bumpy hardpack around 50 mph they got a little jittery. Or maybe that was just my nerves.
Jumping from the tweeners to the 30m ski, the first run I kept losing my outside ski in turns and was nervous making turns near the edge of the trail--in short, I had trouble hooking them up consistently. But as I increased angulation and really committed to high angles, they would arc a very smooth, powerful turn. Doing so took focus and a concerted effort to get forward, and I couldn't vary the turn size all that much, but oh boy did it feel good when it worked.
Happily, at the end of the day I think I preferred my tweeners, and my buddy preferred his 30m skis. Mine were great for bombing around a quiet resort but still capable of ripping a quick turn to avoid an obstacle when needed. The 30m ski will likely shine more in an actual race, on typical Eastern race surfaces. But to be honest, I'd probably do terribly on them in a race because gates make my technique regress 20 years and I A-frame instead of angulate and all sorts of other bad habits come out. The idea of the 30m ski appeals, but the reality is I'm likely better off on the tweener. My buddy who is a tad better than me will likely be able to work the 30m skis even in a race, and get more powerful turns but at the risk of things going sideways fast if he loses focus. We joked that what we both really need is a 27m FIS ski, or something like the Augment that can be dialed in. If I could get the Augment with a Dynastar top sheet so my wife wouldn't notice yet another pair of skis in the tuning room, that could be ideal.