Back for more abuse in between discussion of my "midget sticks"!

[ma4149]

So I gotta figure out which skis to keep and which to part ways with.

The combination of making some extra money and having access to pro deals a while back caused me to purchase a bunch of shiny objects!

Thing is, some thought went into it...but perhaps not enough.

And now I have 5 or 6 pairs of skis; a few that may be redundant, a few that may be not be appropriate, and a few that may be too short (according to some of you guys last year).

So I gotta figure out what to part ways with and what, if anything, to replace those with.

Now allow me to humble myself! I know I'm in over my head here and I'm not 10% of the skier many of you guys are...

but I enjoy it and I want to improve, and I'd like to be able to properly ski some pretty cool terrain in some really cool conditions.

My limitations are I live in the suburbs of New York and that isn't going to change until I'm a retired old fart!

So I ski about 7 to 10 weekends a year at places like Gore and Whiteface.

I'm 5'9" / 190 pounds.

I've been skiing for 6 or 7 years - probably a mid level skier on groomers and a total gaper anywhere else!

I'm confident that my 170 Salomon RS 800 TI skis and 177 Salomon Rocker 2 90 skis are good for most conditions at Gore and Whiteface.

Which leaves what I should have or what I should keep for where I end up going out west for a week on vacation (Alta / Grand Targhee / Bachelor / Big White / Whistler / Whitefish all possibilities), and perhaps 4 days at Alta Snowbird (bought a 2017 Mountain Collective pass)

I have

172 Line Prophet 98 skis (HEAVY!)

172 Salomon Q-98 skis

174 Salomon Q-105 skis (still new in factory plastic, no bindings. These were to be my skis for this purpose until I was told they were too short for me)

Are these lengths terrible for me? I mean, I don't think they have an insane amount of rocker, making them ski too short...or do they?

I mean, if one of these can work for my "hope to time a storm or two out west" skis then I can sell the others and call it good...

Or I can sell them all and get something more appropriate for my vacation skis...

Or I can demo or rent at $50 a day and have nothing to show for it after 10 days and $500 total... but at least I can try to get on the best skis for me that day on the conditions they are having?

Alright - more later!

Try to give me one piece of useful advice for every 9 times you call me a maggot or whatever!

[Ottime]

You are not yet a maggot. Keep working at it.

[ma4149]

LOL!

[nyskirat]

Keep the Q-98s, sell the other two and pick up a low 180s ski somewhere between 105-115. Depending on the weather, you can bring the Q-98s which will handle any old crud well or bring the new 105-115mm 180cm ski if there is even a chance of snow.

[ma4149]

Was actually thinking of purchasing 2015/16 181 Salomon Q-105 skis if I could sell my still-in-factory-plastic wrap 2013/14 174 Salomon Quest 105 skis, which I understand are exactly the same except for topsheet (and length obviously).

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Boots that fit. Lessons. Get stronger. Lose weight.

I highly recommend you buy whatever the fuck skis you think will make you happy, but they won't make much of a difference in your skiing. If you want to geek out on something that will make you a better skier, geek out on diet and fitness.

[ma4149]

My boots fit and I usually take group lessons on my vacations, which sometimes turn out to be one on one lessons if nobody else shows up.

As far as the fitness, diet, exercise and weight loss advice goes, is that general advice for anyone and everyone or did I give you a reason to believe I am a fat ass?!

I could stand to lose 10 to 15 pounds. I'm 49, kinda set in my ways... it's pretty hard to lose weight with my lifestyle and routine.

[ma4149]

I did injure my knee on the second day of my ski trip out to Tahoe last year. Wondered if not being in the best of shape contributed to that or if I was just unlucky. Either way, definitely don't want a repeat of that.

By the way, my brother is in phenomenal shape and he tore his ACL skiing and required surgery. I was lucky in this regard, I "only" tore my meniscus and MCL and didn't require surgery.

[old goat]

sell the 172 Line Prophet 98 skis (HEAVY!), 172 Salomon Q-98 skis, and 174 Salomon Q-105 skis
buy the 181 Q 105, or better yet--work on your strength, conditioning, and technique and then buy something with some metal (stiffer), given your weight (not saying your fat, but 190 is 190). In the meantime stay with the 2 pairs you're keeping. The Rocker 2's are acceptable if you want to start skiing some soft snow off piste, as long as it isn't too deep. Certainly not ideal but a lot better than the gear a lot of people here over 50 learned to ski powder on.

[counterfeitfake]

are you that same guy that didn't listen to us last time?

[ScrewYou]

This belongs on epic

[counterfeitfake]

are you that same guy that didn't listen to us last time?

... for 27 pages?

[ma4149]

This belongs on epic

Perhaps, because that's a mid level intermediary mostly resort skiing discussion type place, but I have been banned from there because I pushed back on the forum bullies in my own way there and they didn't like it....so here I am. I'll take the abuse as long as you guys can handle the occasional pushback and I get some good advice in the end!

[ma4149]

I'd also like to find a way to minimize the likelihood of injuring my knee/s again, whether that's getting in better physical shape, becoming a better skier, skiing with the right skis, skiing in places where powder snow is more like powder and less like snowball making snow, especially after it has been skied on a bunch, OR a combination of all of that.

[ma4149]

... for 27 pages?

27 pages of mostly nonsense. We'll try to cut down on the amount of nonsense this time and perhaps condense it down to considerably fewer pages of quality advice! (But I only play a small role in whether or not that happens!)

[ScrewYou]

Get in shape, get flexible, and take some lessons.

If you dont like chunky snow, get some On3p Billy Goats.

[Soups]

27 pages of mostly nonsense. We'll try to cut down on the amount of nonsense this time and perhaps condense it down to considerably fewer pages of quality advice! (But I only play a small role in whether or not that happens!)

Good luck with that. This entire forum is mostly nonsense.

Not sure what else needs to be discussed.

[ma4149]

Get in shape, get flexible, and take some lessons.

If you dont like chunky snow, get some On3p Billy Goats.

Agreed, but in the meantime and simultaneously, which of my skis do you think are well worth keeping, or do you think they ought to be replaced with something and what?

I'm referring to the skis I'd be bringing out west, an intermediate's 60 / 40 off piste / on piste type ski in the proper length...

just trying to determine if what I have is really inappropriate...for me...and really "midget sticks"...or if I'm just having my balls broken here and they'll do just fine.

[ScrewYou]

Get rid of the Line and both salomons and get on some On3p skis.

Try to find a 181 Wren 102.

[ma4149]

Not sure what else needs to be discussed.

Just wouldn't mind a bunch of opinions on the skis I own, for my ability level, whether they are long enough...for my out west vacation skis.

Many of you guys left me feeling like I have to reconsider most of the skis I own and go longer. Just trying to determine if that was serious advice or ball breaking to plant doubt in a newbies' brain!

[ma4149]

Get rid of the Line and both salomons and get on some On3p skis.

Try to find a 181 Wren 102.

Is there a non indie ski alternative that you like in case I have difficulty finding those, preferably new and from a previous season?

[ScrewYou]

Maybe a k2 annex or pinnacle?

Im confused on what you really want?

[ma4149]

Maybe a k2 annex or pinnacle?

Im confused on what you really want?

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear or I placed information here and information there and it wasn't entirely clear what I am looking for if you only read one or two of my posts...

I'm trying to determine if the skis I have purchased, for the intent of being my go-out-west-on-vacation-preferably-when-it-snows skis, while I was making extra money and had access to pro deals at REI, are sufficient and appropriate, OR if the guys that were saying they are way too short are right or were just busting my balls.

I mentioned what skis they were in my original post.

If they are really inappropriate I have enough to sell and then replace with something more appropriate. If not I am set.

Again, I'm 5'9", 190 lbs, intermediate to advanced on groomed snow, and a hot mess in heavy snow! I ski mostly in upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire BUT I have a flexible schedule in winter AND don't mind paying the last minute premium to do my one week out west trip when I see a weather forecast for snow.

Now, I have skied a foot of snow with my Salomon Rocker 2 90's at Sugarbush in a foot of heavy-ish snow and I was a disaster...and I have skied a foot of apparently lighter snow with those same skis at Snowmass and had a blast and felt quite in control...and, last year I took my Salomon Q-98's to Tahoe and #$%&ed up my knee pretty good going less than 5 MPH skiing deeper churned up stuff at Kirkwood.

So yeah, I have to progress as a skier. I have to take lessons. I have to get in better shape. But I *DO* plan on going out west on vacation every year and I'd like to nail down the appropriate skis for those trips. Just trying to determine if I have that already in something I already own or if I should sell and replace...and with what.

[skinipenem]

Do your boots really fit?
Have you had them aligned?

Skis are just toys if your boots aren't dialed.

[ma4149]

Do your boots really fit?
Have you had them aligned?

Skis are just toys if your boots aren't dialed.

And this is why my last thread got up to 27 pages!



I'm confident my boots fit. They are snug, a little uncomfortable until they get warmed up, and then they are comfortable and snug after an hour or so.