Moving up to current gen race skis from vintage Rossignol 9X Course

[BLiP]

Unless you are actually club or masters racing I don't see any point in a recreational skier buying a WC GS ski

Rule #1: Always Look Cool

 

[dcoral]

It's just for fun, and it's even more fun to break the rules for recreational skiers a little bit by picking a ski according to FIS rules.

Even if I can only do 3 turns on a run that was meant for that ski (after some practice, skills refresh coaching), it is worth it for the thrill of it.

 

[slow-line-fast]

(after some practice, skills refresh coaching)

Here's the coaching

 

[Tony Storaro]

Note that it is best to go to an experienced shop and allow the boot fitter to pick the best option for your feet--don't buy something on the internet and then expect someone to make it work. That rarely ends well.

Yes, please don't.
Been there done that. No bueno.

 

[Seldomski]

@dcoral I found a deal for you to ease you and the family back in this ski season.

Boot fitting at Jackson Hole, new premium ski clothes for the family, and some tips for skiing those heads from the legend herself, Lindsey Vonn. Only $235,000.

NeimanMarcus.com

 

[dcoral]

@dcoral I found a deal for you to ease you and the family back in this ski season.

Haha. I ski for the athletic aspect and never had any interest in that stuff, so the joke is better suited for someone else I think.

I always like a challenge outside the comfort zone.

 

[dcoral]

I thought it would be interesting to take some pictures of the skis side by side, and laid on top of each other to see the differences, at least visually.

As I was taking these pictures I was feeling how much I love the Rossignol 9X. There will always be a special place for them.

 

[Tony Storaro]

@dcoral I found a deal for you to ease you and the family back in this ski season.

Boot fitting at Jackson Hole, new premium ski clothes for the family, and some tips for skiing those heads from the legend herself, Lindsey Vonn. Only $235,000.

NeimanMarcus.com

On an off-chance that this includes après hot tub sessions with Lindsey, I am starting saving man, not gonna lie.

 

[Quandary]

It's just for fun, and it's even more fun to break the rules for recreational skiers a little bit by picking a ski according to FIS rules.

Even if I can only do 3 turns on a run that was meant for that ski (after some practice, skills refresh coaching), it is worth it for the thrill of it.

The one thing I would ask of you is please don't be one of those jackwagons that think they own the hill and ski at high speed across the entire run like there is no one else on the hill.

 

[dcoral]

The one thing I would ask of you is please don't be one of those jackwagons that think they own the hill and ski at high speed across the entire run like there is no one else on the hill.

Yes absolutely -- never. There are runs at my home mountain, Mammoth, near the top that are wide open and you can see everything. A few SG or GS turns when there is no one in sight, and I have my thrill. Some of you may be thinking about racing across several blue groomers continuously zipping past people a few feet away. Absolutely not. It always has to be done where there is wide open high visibility, and no trees, and only for short stretches at a time.

 

[François Pugh]

Some people have very little tolerance for what other people might consider a reasonable distance. It's not just about how much room you need to leave to be safe (i.e. enough room so that whatever they do they cannot collide with you while obeying the laws of physics), it's about leaving enough room for THEM to feel safe.

 

[oldschoolskier]

One of the reasons skiers that have GS skis also have SL ski is not for the increased turn count, but the fact what you do on GS skis at high speeds you can do at ultra low speeds, except that you don't have speed (momentum) to compensate (hide) errors. Make the error at slow speed you stop. I tend to ski SL's in the morning and GS in the afternoon. Perfect then play.

And yes mortals can ski race equipment, you just need to understand you need and want to work it.

 

[dcoral]

Just got back from 9 days skiing Park City/Canyons with the Stöckli Laser AX 175, Volkl M6 Mantra 184, and Head e-GS RD FIS 193.

I love the Volkl M6 Mantra and Head GS FIS, depending on the conditions.

The Volkl M6 Mantra is so playful, yet solid and fast on uneven crud, powder, and messing around on the side banks of runs. Great for trails like Pinball at Canyons (a run between the trees).

The Head GS FIS is a dream on hard packed groomers. Fast turns like they're on rails, yet super easy to turn (easier than my old school Rossignal 201).

The Stöckli Laser AX is a wonderful ski, but it made me realize that I just don't enjoy short radius turns. So I'm selling it. If I want to enjoy icy groomers, I will use the Head GS FIS. If I want to enjoy powder/crud, I will take the Volkl M6 Mantra. The Stöckli Laser AX is in between the two, and with a less exciting short turn radius, and since I would leave it behind most the time, I don't need it when I have the other two.

What surprised me the most was how much I enjoyed the Volkl M6 Mantra. I wasn't expecting much when I first bought it, but it blew me away. I love the stiffness and the GS turn radius. If it was softer and/or with a short turn radius I probably wouldn't like it. But it has just the right width (not too wide) combined with these aspects to make the perfect combination. One thing I need to get used to is how light they are in comparison to heavy skis that I'm used to (my muscle memory makes me drive them hard and bang them together sometimes because they are so light).

Throughout this thread, some people said (or implied) that there is no reason for a non-racer to buy a GS FIS ski. It made me doubt my sanity and wonder if I made mistake to buy it instead of changing over to trendy short/shaped skis. However the Head e-GS RD FIS 193 is amazingly FUN! Now I can assert that the people who are giving this advice are misguided/biased to the familiar/inexperienced, and I hope that others will not be discouraged from trying out GS racing skis for recreation, even if they are not actively racing in events.

Next I am tempted to buy the Stöckli Laser WRT SX (185, 190, 193) to continue the experimentation with something different than the other two. Looks like that might be a custom order item.

 

[Tony S]

Throughout this thread, some people said (or implied) that there is no reason for a non-racer to buy a GS FIS ski. It made me doubt my sanity and wonder if I made mistake to buy it instead of changing over to trendy short/shaped skis. However the Head e-GS RD FIS 193 is amazingly FUN! Now I can assert that the people who are giving this advice are misguided/biased to the familiar/inexperienced, and I hope that others will not be discouraged from trying out GS racing skis for recreation, even if they are not actively racing in events.

No argument from me that GS skis can be fun and are worth a try for skiers interested in arcing turns at speed.

Obviously everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the comment about the majority of us being misguided and/or biased seems a little rich. You are stepping off of a 25 year old ski (that, from your pics, appears to have been skied only very lightly considering its age). Chances are you have technique to match. Your desire to confirm your own bias against "shaped" skis is clear. In order to lose that you'd have to learn new tricks. In this context of course you are going to find straighter skis more to your liking. That in no way means that the rest of us who have been working with modern tools and techniques all this time are giving bad advice to newcomers who want to capitalize on those advancements.

 

[dcoral]

I suspect that there is a trend just starting to develop back to straighter skis, for the reason I mention (they are just FUN at speed) - whenever I enter the shops at Park City they are filled with wider all-mountain skis that have less sidecut. What used to be the sidecut on the waist is now filled in with a wider waist under the binding. For example like on my Volkl M6 Mantra. Maybe people don't always want such tight turns when placed on edge. The shaped skis of the early 2000s have been replaced by all-mountain skis here in the west. Sure it makes it easier to ski crud and powder, but I suspect the straighter GS sidecuts are becoming popular again. Shaped skis are awesome too, just wouldn't prescribe them for everyone necessarily.

 

[Mike Thomas]

I suspect the straighter GS sidecuts are becoming popular again.

Nope. They're not.

 

[dcoral]

Nope. They're not.

The turning radius on many of the all-mountain skis seems to be creeping upwards, typically around 20m. It will be an interesting trend to watch. Will these skis (which dominate shops in the west) continue to have this radius or become more or less shaped over the next few years..

 

[dcoral]

There is the assumption that anyone should love shaped skis if they only know how to properly use it. I was very open minded to go out there and made nice slalom turns effortlessly with the Laser AX, and I believe my technique in using the edge is correct. It's just not the skiing style that I like. It's more about what's fun. When making large radius sweeping turns at decent speed, the GS skis are much more fun.

 

[Tony Storaro]

There is the assumption that anyone should love shaped skis if they only know how to properly use it. I was very open minded to go out there and made nice slalom turns effortlessly with the Laser AX, and I believe my technique in using the edge is correct.

And to think AX are not even typical short turn ski-at 175 cm they are almost 16 m...Imagine what would have been on SLs...The horror!

 

[Seldomski]

The turning radius on many of the all-mountain skis seems to be creeping upwards, typically around 20m. It will be an interesting trend to watch. Will these skis (which dominate shops in the west) continue to have this radius or become more or less shaped over the next few years..

Recent trend seems to be multiple different sidecuts on one ski (from tip to tail), so it's getting more complicated to figure out how that relates back to the single radius used in the past.

Sounds like you are learning what you like and don't about various skis. Small turning radius being a strong dislike for you. All mountain skis come in variety of flavors regarding preferred turn shape and on/off piste biases. Sounds like you will likely only be happy on the longest length of any of them, as those tend to be the stiffest with the largest turn radius.

Which did you spend more time on? The GS or the Mantra?