Using Junior's skis as an Adult?

I am 26 years old and a former racer, living in Utah.

5'10" and 150 lbs, lean.   This is about what I was 10 years ago when I raced on Junior's skis, so I have the same body, with a little more strength.
I love big, fast turns on groomers, but want to enjoy the powder Utah has to offer from time to time.
 

I can pick up the following skis at a great price, with the Atomic 1018 bindings, all new for $350:

Atomic SG Jr. Race Skis (2007-8) - 185cm - radius 27m - sidecut 93.5-64.5-83.5

I compare these junior skis to the last year's GS model, and they are pretty close in spec:
Atomic GS 12 (2009) - 186cm - radius 27.5m - sidecut 98-67.5-88
 

Can I get away with using these SG Jr's for my recreational fast skiing?  I just want to know if it's a mistake to get these skis as an adult.

Or would I be better off with a non-race ski, maybe one of the Atomic Nomads?

a rep told me that buying a jr race ski whenever suitable was a good idea because they use the xbox theory of, we'll lose money on every jr race ski (xbox) we sell, hoping that jr racers will grow a fondness to that company and ski them the rest of their life. 

p.s.  i just bought my fiance a pair of new '07-08 atomic gs 12 jr race ski's, atomic bindings included, and a pair of n60 nordica boots for christmas, all for $350 + tax rip, roaring and ready to go down the mountain.  I got these at alpine base and edge in boulder.  they have quite a few left if you want to check them out.  A guy named Charlie helped me and he was super nice (stayed an hour late on a saturday just to make sure we got what we wanted).  And he admitted we were the first ones to walk through the door that day to buy something. 

 Someone might disagree, but I would say Jr. skis can be perfectly fine. Most of 15 or 16 years old racers are a lot stronger them most of us, who nowadays ski for fun... even if we were races once long ago (10 years, as it's case with me, makes much bigger difference then someone might admit). They are few kilos lighter, but they compensate this with their power. So I would say Jr. skis are perfectly fine, and for someone who will go skiing for fun once awhile, and who doesn't do whole lot of physical activity in general, they can be much better solution then race stock GS skis.
I know quite few people (few are also ex-racers) who are skiing with Jr. GS skis (176cm, >17m) and I actually borrow pair of those skis few times, and was quite surprised. They were surprisingly good, much better then I thought.

If you are under 120 pounds, JR skis are a great way to go. Most 15 & 16 year old racers are on adult skis. If you are looking to ski fast on groomers, go with a carving ski rather than a race model, and don't go too short.

You're about 25-30 lbs and 4-6"  bigger than the juniors who would be competing on that ski, which puts you in a favourable size range for general skiing on that ski.  Outside the race course, you'll probably be at the low end of the 1018's release setting -- check the charts to be sure you're in the range.

That Jr SG ski would be similar in stiffness to the GS12 recreational racer, but not as stiff as the GS12 FIS ski you listed for comparison.  I thought the 185cm ski had a lighter plate, but if it's matched with the 1018, it could be the  DH plate.  The Jr SG would run straighter, so it would probably be a more familiar feel to what you were racing on 10 years ago.

That's a good price for a good ski package, looks like a good way to get back into skiing again.

IMHO, those aren't a great choice for the skiing you want to do.

For one thing, I'm about 50 pounds heavier than you, ski aggressively, and sometimes set my DIN as high as 10.  You're not in a race course anymore, and unless you're planning to ski no-fall zones regularly, you'll want a binding that will release before your tendons do.

For another, a sub-70mm waist as your one-ski-quiver in Utah is downright silly.

If it were me, I'd be looking for a single pair of skis with a 90-something-mm waist and long turn radius (>25m), or a pair in the low 80s for harder days and another in the 100-115mm range for soft days.  Buy them used (here or TGR) to keep them affordable.  And enjoy.

Look at Atomic D2 VC, OR VF. Look at the in line race carve skis in all the lines. 120LBS is the most you should put on JR skis

 120 lbs?  why?

Maybe conditions on the other side of ocean are different, but then again, I can see this trend over here too, but nevertheless I don't see point in convincing anyone that 65mm waist are skis of past, and we shouldn't use them.
I love my race stock GS skis, and I would never change them for something else... at least for on-piste skiing. I have been skiing all sort of skis, but they just don't give me same feeling. Maybe trends are different, but I don't want trendy skis, I want skis which give me most of fun. And for me, 90+mm waist skis are not that, even if they are "modern" skis at the moment. Maybe as ex-racer I have weird opinions what fun is, but from this what I see around, I'm not the only one with such opinion ;)

I am 25, 5'10" and 150 lbs without a racing background and am fine on non-race stock race skis. I can't imagine many juniors at that height/weight are on junior skis

Race skis are not a great choice as a 1 ski quiver in utah, get another pair for when you want to get off the groomed.

 can somebody let us all know why a junior ski can't handle over 120 lbs?  why would they make a 185 that couldn't handle more than 120 lbs?  What is it about the construction of jr race skis that makes them inferior to other skis from the same company, at the same length, used for the same purpose?

There are 185's and then there are 185's. The Jr Super G is built for J4 sized kids. A 185 GS ski is built for a male just getting into FIS legal skis. Picture the physical and skiing differences between those two athletes. The Jr. Super G is not inferior to the GS ski, it is built to accomplish a different task.

SJ

I've flexed some Volkl Jr SG skis (187) and some Volkl WC GS skis, and they are basically the same thing. If you intend on using them as more of a GS ski than a true speed ski, you should be fine.

Nothing says they can't handle more than 120 lbs, and they certainly aren't inferior to the adult models...

 

Weight guidelines from Atomic, Fischer & Rossi show recommendations for K2 (13/14, same as J3) up to 140/145 lbs.  This starts to overlap the adult range, so the most skilled K2 racers might move up to an adult ski.  A bigger K2 (e.g. 150-155 lbs) who is not as skilled will probably do just as well staying on the junior ski. 

The OP is bigger than most kids who would be racing that ski, but no so big that he's beyond the limits of that ski for free skiing.  He would be just fine on an adult GS ski as well, probably even a FIS GS ski.  Looks like the biggest sale is on the the Jr SG though, so it's not a bad compromise for the sake of economics.

I've assumed that the OP has a pretty good skill level as a former racer, sufficient to know how to work a race ski.  I wouldn't recommend this equipment to someone without a racing background. 

As noted to the OP:  check your recommended binding settings to be sure the bottom end of the 1018 (i.e. 10) works for you.

If it is true that ski companies lose money on these jr race skis in hopes of brand loyalty when you get older, wouldn't it benefit the company to put the "weight limit" at a certain low point, so at some point people switch to the adult ski? 
What is different about the construction/materials?
This sounds an aweful lot like ski companies tricking people into buying a set "telemark skis" through marketing when the only real difference is graphics. Am I crazy/wrong?

I don't know the full details of the cost model, but I don't think the companies are necessarily losing money on Jr skis.  In my area the retailers offer good prices for kids in registered race programs.  A lot of these kids are going through more pairs of skis in a short time, so even if the margin is lower, the retailer sells more pairs of skis, and maybe that evens it out a bit.  Some retailers offer half back programs:  trade in your kid's gear at the end of the season, get a good credit towards new gear next season.  You're happy, the retailer gets repeat business, and the retailer can also get some additional revenue by reselling the old gear.

At the K2 level, which is where the overlap with adults starts, there isn't any fundamental difference in basic materials & construction.  How the basic materials are put together matters of course, and determines if the final result is targeted towards a 14-year old K2 or a 17-year old FIS racer.  Having said that, a K2 GS ski is going to be a better ski and a better performing ski than some of the adults skis with similar lengths and profiles.

appreciate the efforts, but I'm still looking for some "evidence" of what makes these JR race skis inferior and the adult models a "better" ski. 

I backed out of the sale. 

I have been skiing on Atomic Beta Race 9.34 (first year they made yellow ones) slalom skis since I raced on the icy east coast.  These puppies are 11 years old now.

The waist is THIN... and if I got into a 64mm waist again, they'd probably perform just as well as my current skis do on the west coast.


Perhaps the 2009 Atomic Nomad Crimson Ti?
I appreciate all the advice here so far.  I do maintain race form for many of my groomer runs, and I will only have a 1-ski quiver this year, since this is my first year living in Utah.

That ski highly intrigues me too.  Don't know anything about it though.  Funny though, That yellow atomic beta race was my last ski before my pocket rockets.

Look for 09 Rasing hell, or 2010 D2 VC from ATOMIC