As a preface, which I have stated previously, when I was in school skiing, there was no Super-G, just the “classic three events”, of which I was best at DH, followed by GS, and never stellar at SL. Much like Phil Mahre declared in that era, when SG was introduced after I stopped racing, I mistakenly felt it was a fad that didn’t make any sense. Yet as the years rolled past, it actually become my favorite World Cup event to watch. Unlike any other classic skiing discipline, SG allows both tech skiers (GS) and speed skiers (DH) a common ground where both groups have a chance of excelling. It is fun watching WC skiers from both tech and speed vying together to try and dominate SG. I also like the fact there is only 1 run and no training days—makes things more exciting. From a development standpoint, SG allows GS skiers to gain experience going faster while helping DH skiers work on turning skills. SG is a great stepping stone for eventually moving to full-on DH, while also allowing folks who don’t wish to step-up to a riskier DH to at least enjoy a bit of speed and perhaps learn from the experience. Finally, very few venues in North America are set-up for Junior and Masters DH training and racing, while quite a few more can support SG.
As a new Masters racer, speed skiing has not been as common or as easy to train for as SL and GS. Speed skis are also a rarer commodity to acquire. Now that I have started Masters racing, SG has rapidly become my favorite event to ski. Below is what I have discovered about Masters speed skis so far.
Note that all of these skis had a 1/3 tune by Start Haus or Race Place; hand flex is simply in comparison to the other skis listed here. The below subjective comments are based on and biased by my age, condition, experience, skiing style, location, etc…
Atomic Redster SG FIS w/Revoshok 207cm/40m (stiff flex): Given how much I love the Atomic 188/30m GS ski, I had high hopes for these SG skis. While powerful, fast, and very stable at speed, I had a hard time initially getting comfortable on them, with more difficult turn initiation than the Blizzard and Rossi. Fortunately, the X19 VAR bindings allow easy fore-aft adjustment; with the bindings moved 2 clicks forward, the skis became much easier to carve. However, I still have not fully adapted with them--finding my turns not as smooth as on the other SG skis, despite a bit higher top speed capability with the Atomics.
Blizzard SG FIS 205cm/40m (medium flex): These were the first SG skis I ever tried, using them last season in training to try to regain my speed skills. They offer a firm ride, with fairly easy turn initiation and good stability at speed. They remain my second favorite SG ski.
Rossignol SG FIS GS 209cm/40m (soft flex): Starting with the first turn, these were very intuitive for me, requiring no time to get used to. They smoothly and effortlessly arc from turn to turn, much like the Dynastar/Rossi 193/30m GS ski. Stability at speed is good, but not quite as solid as the Atomics or Blizzards; however, the increased “turnability” is a reasonable compromise for my skill set. At this stage in my Masters skiing, these are my favorite SG skis and have served me well this year, allowing my to greatly improve my speed skills.
Head DH Worldcup Rebels 210cm/50m (stiff flex): These are like a turbo diesel semi-truck unperturbedly running over anything in their path—ripples, ruts, and ice are shrugged off, even at eye popping speeds. The faster these go, the smoother and more responsive they get. Nonetheless, I find these skis need to be forcefully loaded in order to get them to turn well, as they want to keep going straight when given more subtle input. I am thinking about remounting the bindings forward a couple of inches to see if that changes the turn initiation without sacrificing the stability at speed. Much like the Head GS skis I have run, these are a bit numb, offering less feedback then other speed skis I have used--which may not be a bad thing at DH speeds. As I am still undecided on these, I may also try a pair of Rossi 218/50m or Nordica 212/50m DH skis next year if the opportunity arises.
As a new Masters racer, speed skiing has not been as common or as easy to train for as SL and GS. Speed skis are also a rarer commodity to acquire. Now that I have started Masters racing, SG has rapidly become my favorite event to ski. Below is what I have discovered about Masters speed skis so far.
Note that all of these skis had a 1/3 tune by Start Haus or Race Place; hand flex is simply in comparison to the other skis listed here. The below subjective comments are based on and biased by my age, condition, experience, skiing style, location, etc…
Atomic Redster SG FIS w/Revoshok 207cm/40m (stiff flex): Given how much I love the Atomic 188/30m GS ski, I had high hopes for these SG skis. While powerful, fast, and very stable at speed, I had a hard time initially getting comfortable on them, with more difficult turn initiation than the Blizzard and Rossi. Fortunately, the X19 VAR bindings allow easy fore-aft adjustment; with the bindings moved 2 clicks forward, the skis became much easier to carve. However, I still have not fully adapted with them--finding my turns not as smooth as on the other SG skis, despite a bit higher top speed capability with the Atomics.
Blizzard SG FIS 205cm/40m (medium flex): These were the first SG skis I ever tried, using them last season in training to try to regain my speed skills. They offer a firm ride, with fairly easy turn initiation and good stability at speed. They remain my second favorite SG ski.
Rossignol SG FIS GS 209cm/40m (soft flex): Starting with the first turn, these were very intuitive for me, requiring no time to get used to. They smoothly and effortlessly arc from turn to turn, much like the Dynastar/Rossi 193/30m GS ski. Stability at speed is good, but not quite as solid as the Atomics or Blizzards; however, the increased “turnability” is a reasonable compromise for my skill set. At this stage in my Masters skiing, these are my favorite SG skis and have served me well this year, allowing my to greatly improve my speed skills.
Head DH Worldcup Rebels 210cm/50m (stiff flex): These are like a turbo diesel semi-truck unperturbedly running over anything in their path—ripples, ruts, and ice are shrugged off, even at eye popping speeds. The faster these go, the smoother and more responsive they get. Nonetheless, I find these skis need to be forcefully loaded in order to get them to turn well, as they want to keep going straight when given more subtle input. I am thinking about remounting the bindings forward a couple of inches to see if that changes the turn initiation without sacrificing the stability at speed. Much like the Head GS skis I have run, these are a bit numb, offering less feedback then other speed skis I have used--which may not be a bad thing at DH speeds. As I am still undecided on these, I may also try a pair of Rossi 218/50m or Nordica 212/50m DH skis next year if the opportunity arises.
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