Really loved 2014 Racetiger GS R WC - Am I going to like the newer models (2020+) as well?

[DVL]

I am not an athlete, I just like some long & clean turns on easy to medium difficulty slopes. I owned a pair of 2014/2015 Racetiger GS R WC 193/35 for my amateur lazy-fun freecarving on wide empty slopes in the mornings. Let's say I really loved the overall "feel" of those skis - turn initiation, grip and so on. For me truly enjoyable, even in imperfect conditions. I sold them to get a pair of Augment GS 188/30 2019 (medium stiffness), and now I regret . The Augments may be great skis, but I just don't feel the connection like I used to with the Racetigers. I am unable to determine why, but I find them boring. As if the turns don't bring as much joy as the Racetigers used to. I know that 193/35 and 188/30 is a different ski, but I believe it's about something else.

Now, I'm not sure if I want to give the Augments a chance and continue breaking them in (they are practically 100 % new) and pray that they become something I like. TBH I don't want to. I would rather buy some Racetigers again - but I wonder whether the new 2020+ models follow the same concept. Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to try them.

 

[S.H.]

I've been on Volkl race skis since the early 2000s. Feel is pretty similar year-to-year. I think you're safe.

 

[Philpug]

Paging @ScotsSkier and @DocGKR to the SkiTalk Courtesy Phone

 

[Brian Finch]

I've been on Volkl race skis since the early 2000s. Feel is pretty similar year-to-year. I think you're safe.

+1 ; keep coming back to Volkl because they feel very similar year over year and are consistently good. I recently acquired a near perfect 2014 SL R. I was actually planning on putting a new piston plate on it & updating the binding to an XComp18. The construction looks to be a lil burlier, but I think we've gotten better an materials offering increased torsional stiffness & less bulk. Will see, but likely you are good.

A secondary, non Volkl exclusive thought is that despite the radiuses getting bigger, the skis turn much better than they did 10 years back in GS.

 

[DVL]

Paging @ScotsSkier and @DocGKR to the SkiTalk Courtesy Phone

BTW I have read ScotsSkier's review on Augments before the purchase - it was the selling point for me. No hard feelings though - I mean, I guess the skis may get the job done very well. They may be fast and all that, but I just did not fall in love with them (at least not yet). Maybe they are just too stiff for me... I had the same kind of issue with Blizzard WRC - awesome grip, very stable, but as well felt compleatly dead compared to Rossignol Hero Master. Like I get nothing for free - I had to really push them in and out of the turn. Whereas Racetigers and Rosi Hero M. just go and I can feel them exploding under my legs, as they are super smoothly and very quickly transitioning from and into another turn by them selves - all I need to do is to thing about it and they do it for me, which I like a lot when I am in a lazy mood and just want to relax. Maybe my technique is simply not good enough to master unwieldy skis.

 

[Brian Finch]

BTW I have read ScotsSkier's review on Augments before the purchase - it was the selling point for me. No hard feelings though - I mean, I guess the skis may get the job done very well. They may be fast and all that, but I just did not fall in love with them (at least not yet). Maybe they are just too stiff for me... I had the same kind of issue with Blizzard WRC - awesome grip, very stable, but as well felt compleatly dead compared to Rossignol Hero Master. Like I get nothing for free - I had to really push them in and out of the turn. Whereas Racetigers and Rosi Hero M. just go and I can feel them exploding under my legs, as they are super smoothly and very quickly transitioning from and into another turn by them selves - all I need to do is to thing about it and they do it for me, which I like a lot when I am in a lazy mood and just want to relax. Maybe my technique is simply not good enough to master unwieldy skis.

Don’t beat yourself up too much. One of the best skiers I know (NorAm speed skier) gave me a pair of new WCRs bc he couldn’t ski em, despite fiddling and new tune. I set em up to my liking and skied them for 3 hours before giving them away again. There’s some skis that just don’t jive w a wide audience.