Womens powder skis

Go faster.

Straight line in Fernie has Pandoras for $595. BTW no duty on skis coming from the US.

the Pandora is nearly symetrical in sidecut, only a 3mm difference. this ski is designed for skiing switch as well as forward. Is that what you need?  because it will have a negative effect on general overall performance. There is a woman's model of the S7. The Kiku is the women's model of the Gotama. Seg makes a good point: there's more than gear involved here. start by getting really strong (like a Tahoe girl ;)  ) this summer. It's important in powder.

I would suggest the line celebrity 100 instead of the pandora model. 100mm is plenty of float and great all mountain ski for soft snow. You will be able to enjoy the blues and powder runs with a smile on your face. 

I had the Line Pandora for most of this ski season and liked it a lot.

Its a great option.  if you're in powder that's nice and fluffy.

Another good option is the K2 Missedbehaved

At the end of the season, and while we were still getting powder days, I got on the DPS Wailer 112RP and could not believe how much float I got out of it, even when the powder was tracked out and getting mankey.

You'll probably like the Pandora, but if you can demo some powder skis then do yourself a favor and try the K2 Missedbehaved, the Rossignol S7W, and  DPS wailer 112!

Probably shouldn't get into the Womens ski thread but last October I purchased some Rossi S7's 188 and my powder skiing improved immediately.  Fun ski from Powder Days up here to cat skiing in BC.  I found that these skis were effortless, fun and turned on a dime in the trees or rode out the powder lines at good speeds.  One day comes to mind.   Lookout Pass ski area (on the Idaho Montana Border is closed on Tues.  Since it was snow I was there early and was in line for lst Chair, while waiting for the opening skiers got in line behind me.  6 skiers out of the lst 10 were all on S7's, a couple ladies too.  These were really dedicated powder skiers and the S7 comments were all good.

The best powder skis are going to be reverse side cut with reverse camber period. That said, one of the best skis in that class is on sale at http://www.praxisskis.com/shop/buy-skis.html Look at the Praxis Powders.  Buy them at least 10 cm longer than your normal skis for powder use.  Now, if your not skiing untracked powder, you will want more of a hybrid. Look at the Praxis RX or the Protest.  Again, go longer for a powder ski.  My daily skis are in the 178-184 range and my powder skis are 196.  Don't worry, they turn fine due to the rockered tips and tails or especially if reverse/reverse shaped.  There is a post on this site with a discount code for another 10% off the sales price. Buy these skis, for the $$$ they will be the best deal out there and you will be very stoked on skiing powder.  Buying a pair of Praxis Powders was the best thing I ever did to improve my powder skiing ability, as like yourself, I was not an expert skier. My first time down the mountain on them in deep powder was absolutely an amazing experience. My only knock against them is if you need to traverse or ski down a hard packed groomer to a lift, they are a handful. That is when I would go with the RX or Protest.  And this is good advise "You'll probably like the Pandora, but if you can demo some powder skis then do yourself a favor and try the Rossignol S7W, and  DPS wailer 112!" but those are going to cost more.

Edit: Thread with discount code  http://www.epicski.com/t/104647/praxis-2012-preseason-sale-discount-code

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete No. Idaho 

Probably shouldn't get into the Womens ski thread but last October I purchased some Rossi S7's 188 and my powder skiing improved immediately.  Fun ski from Powder Days up here to cat skiing in BC.  I found that these skis were effortless, fun and turned on a dime in the trees or rode out the powder lines at good speeds.  One day comes to mind.   Lookout Pass ski area (on the Idaho Montana Border is closed on Tues.  Since it was snow I was there early and was in line for lst Chair, while waiting for the opening skiers got in line behind me.  6 skiers out of the lst 10 were all on S7's, a couple ladies too.  These were really dedicated powder skiers and the S7 comments were all good.

Pete, your words of wisdom are always welcome.  After all, you ski with girls, right?

That being said, the S7W is really close to the DPS, and I could have almost flipped a quarter to decide between the two.  The main difference between them is that there is some traditional camber under foot on the DPS, which makes it a lot easier to ski when things get mankey and tracked out.  There were a few times on the S7 that I felt like I was going to wheelie out, but I never got that feeling on the DPS.

Both really solid if you're looking for a powder specific ski. 

FWIW, I tagged a few of the skis on the right of this page to give you easy links to the product pages and information.

Pete No Idaho--I wouldn't worry about getting into a women's ski thread...it's not the same as when we women comment in the "men's" ski thread (heh heh).

Davluri--thanks for the shout-out for us tahoe female skiers.  Your advice, actually, is true--get strong makes it all easier.

KiwiinCanada--A couple of words to add to the wisdom already here:

1) Demo (i think Trekchick already said it, but it bears saying again...).

2) Don't just look at what are called "women's" skis.  There are good skis out there and you'll limit your choice.  While you're demoing, try anything out that seems like it might be good, regardless of how some manufacturer designates it.  Read around the reviews, especially here and other skier sites--TGR and SkiDiva, for instance.  Pay attention to the reviewers sking snow similar to your own (light powder of, say, Utah, is different than the majority of crud and heavy snow we get in tahoe, for instance).

3) Go longer than you think.  Don't be shy.  See Davluri's advice.

What you get with a Pandora depends on the year. Even last year it had a less progressive rocker profile than its brother the SFB. Not convinced it is a top choice given what is out there. Also, IIRC the S7 family all have some camber. 

You did not provide any info about where you are skiing, what terrain you are skiing, your ht/wt, etc. So specifics are hard to pin down. That said, some things to look at:

Praxis is making several powder oriented skis in smaller people sizes this year. The Powder Boards come down to 160 cm. They are a hoot in powder - but the full reverse/reverse does not sing to everyone who needs to return on groomers . The Protests come down to 163 cm this year. An awesome powder ski that is very variable/crud capable. The "BC", which is not just for the BC,  is a very all-around powder friendly design. Definitely a great choice for someone who wants to go modern but still be in a familiar place. I ski all of these and obviously am a big fan.  (The "EPIC" discount code combined with pre-season pricing makes these a huge value at the moment).

The Salomon Rocker 2 is seriously worthy. One of two skis that blew me away when I did a bunch of spring demos from several major brands last year. Positive words also abound on the Armada VJJ/JJ as well. Both are available in shorter lengths (the Rocker 2 has a nice waist stepdown to 115 in the 180 and 170 sizes). Skis like these and the Bent Chetler are very powder oriented, yet cover a broad range of conditions. Many, many people in the west will be using "five pointers" like these as their "go to" skis this year.

K2's line has some worthy entries. Do not underestimate the Pon2oon (available in 169). It was the other ski that wildly exceeded expectations. Not only is it a great powder ski, but it eats up all kinds of other snow. On firm snow, it skis much "narrower" than its 132 mm girth would lead you to expect. The Miss Directed/Obsethed is another ski design that bridges worlds & covers an insanely wide range of conditions.

Obviously the S7 family is worth a look. It is an icon in the category.

As others have noted, the Yvette/112RP has many fans.

The list goes on...this is a year where smaller people finally have some really nice options available from a decent number of brands. The key themes for powder are: rockered (both tip and tail), fatter (at least 105 cm wide), limited or no camber and ideally some form of early taper (which can be quite subtle). The general rule of thumb is to go longer than your carvers - typically 10cm or more. But the details of specific designs influence that.

While I'm a bigger guy, I've been on these kinds of skis for a long time. As has my spouse. As have some smaller friends. The basic design issues are generally applicable. One thing to be aware of - while skill basics remain much the same, listen to the skis - especially in powder. These skis do not demand the same kind of technique that narrower conventional skis do. Google around, do some reading & above all -  play with an open mind.

oops - just noticed I missed liv2ski's post which came in after I first read this thread. Rather than editing, I guess I'll just be repetitive...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trekchick 

At the end of the season, and while we were still getting powder days, I got on the DPS Wailer 112RP and could not believe how much float I got out of it, even when the powder was tracked out and getting mankey.

She means the DPS Yvette 112RP.  And yes, they are that good.  (I ski the boys' model, the Wailer 112RP, and my wife skis the Yvette.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDad 

 

She means the DPS Yvette 112RP.  And yes, they are that good.  (I ski the boys' model, the Wailer 112RP, and my wife skis the Yvette.)

He's right......sometimes I'm soooooo blonde.

If you come to UT., you can demo the 112 Yvettes and MOMENT Reagans at Wasatch Powder Skis. While these skis are very different from each other, neither will disappoint.

Can TC or someone comment on the stiffness and flex pattern of the Pandora? Also what about an S3 for a woman on tele?

No direct experience, but I know that a lot of the tele team members at Alpine Meadows -- male and female -- have been digging the Rossis.

thanks Thedad!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finndog 

Can TC or someone comment on the stiffness and flex pattern of the Pandora? Also what about an S3 for a woman on tele?

The pandora is a fairly stiff ski, although not as stiff as others in its class, nor its unisex counter part.

IMHO the Line Pandora with its early rise tip and some traditional camber, is an awesome powder ski in fluffy powder, and in fact was uber fun, to porpoise.  Where I found it lost its "fun factor" was when the sierra powder was prominent.   Any kind of heavy(ish) sierra powder and/or tracked out sierra powder, the pandora was a bit punishing.  

Like I said in older threads.  I really liked the Line Pandora (115mm) but the DPS Yvette 112RP was a lot more fun in all conditions.

Is this what you're looking for?

YEP!  thanks

I hate to get personal here Kiwiincanada, but weight/height probably should affect your selection.  I'm looking for some new powder skis for my wife and she's about 125lbs. and 5'4".  Further she doesn't spend much time in really deep snow, can ski moderately deep snow well in her 78mm underfoot K2 Schi Devil teleboards, and does not want a "pure" powder ski (which is how I'd classify the Pandora's).  Given this and the fact that her previous powder ski's were 90mm underfoot I believe a jump to the fairly wide (relatively speaking) Pandora's, S7's, Wailers, etc. would be too much. 

We looked at the Dyna Exclusive Legend Paradise (could they have made the name any longer?), Line Celeb 100's, Rossi S3W's, and Solly Geisha's (also looked at the K2 Kung Fuja's which are the men's version of the Misbehaved and found the rocker to be really a very minimal early rise, though the same could be said about the Celeb's).  I am thinking that all would be good depending on the balance of deep vs. crud vs. soft-packed snow they will be used on (i.e., the Celeb & Giesha seem more crud/packed snow oriented).  However I just like the more "advanced" design of the S3's (i.e., the tapered tip/tail, relatively short but high/rise tip/tail rocker...), so, along with posts like the above from TheDad, we will probably go with them in a 168cm.  This size is actually 164cm in straight tip-to-tail length so, in theory, they are about 5cm longer than her packed snow skis, which puts them in the recommended length range.

All of the above might translate well to you if you are of similar weight/height; if not (i.e., you are bigger), then most of the wider skis mentioned in the earlier posts would probably be better, with the Pandora's more of a purer deep powder ski IMHO vs. the S7's, DPS's, JJ's, MisDirected, etc.  OTOH, unless you a very strong skier and are looking for a huge, big mountain slayer ski then I doubt you want to haul around something of the likes of the Solly Rocker 2 or K2 Pon2oon.  My $0.02...and demo'ing of course is still the best choice if you can wait....

P.S. Does anyone know if there is any difference between the build/stiffness of the Rossi S3 and S3W (other than graphics or say mounting point).  The S3's are waaay more readily available and cost less because of this (only $50 so it probably isn't worth the savings if there's a chance that the W would be better for a smaller woman).

P.S.S. Ron/TheDad - thanks for the posts above to help with our choice.

  I know it works for you! 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by segbrown 

Go faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ski-ra 

I hate to get personal here Kiwiincanada, but weight/height probably should affect your selection.  I'm looking for some new powder skis for my wife and she's about 125lbs. and 5'4".  Further she doesn't spend much time in really deep snow, can ski moderately deep snow well in her 78mm underfoot K2 Schi Devil teleboards, and does not want a "pure" powder ski (which is how I'd classify the Pandora's).  Given this and the fact that her previous powder ski's were 90mm underfoot I believe a jump to the fairly wide (relatively speaking) Pandora's, S7's, Wailers, etc. would be too much. 

 

We looked at the Dyna Exclusive Legend Paradise (could they have made the name any longer?), Line Celeb 100's, Rossi S3W's, and Solly Geisha's (also looked at the K2 Kung Fuja's which are the men's version of the Misbehaved and found the rocker to be really a very minimal early rise, though the same could be said about the Celeb's).  I am thinking that all would be good depending on the balance of deep vs. crud vs. soft-packed snow they will be used on (i.e., the Celeb & Giesha seem more crud/packed snow oriented) but I just like the more "advanced" design of the S3's (i.e., the tapered tip/tail, relatively short but high/rise tip/tail rocker...), so, along with posts like the above from TheDad, we will probably go with them in a 168cm.  This size is actually 164cm in straight tip-to-tail length so, in theory, they are about 5cm longer than her packed snow skis, which puts them in the recommended length range.

 

All of the above might translate well to you if you are of similar weight/height; if not (i.e., you are bigger), then most of the wider skis mentioned in the earlier posts would probably be better, with the Pandora's more of a purer deep powder ski IMHO vs. the S7's, DPS's, JJ's, MisDirected, etc.  OTOH, unless you a very strong skier and are looking for a huge, big mountain slayer ski then I doubt you want to haul around something of the likes of the Solly Rocker 2 or K2 Pon2oon.  My $0.02...and demo'ing of course is still the best choice if you can wait....

 

P.S. Does anyone know if there is any difference between the build/stiffness of the Rossi S3 and S3W (other than graphics or say mounting point).  The S3's are waaay more readily available and cost less because of this (only $50 so it probably isn't worth the savings if there's a chance that the W would be better for a smaller woman).

 

P.S.S. Ron/TheDad - thanks for the posts above to help with our choice.

 

P.S.S.S. Ron - I've flexed the Pandora's and they seem quite soft (which might help make up for their barely noticeable rocker).  This seems to confirm what a lot of the press is saying (i.e., soft, not for anything but deep snow, not very stable at speed...), though Trekchick can probably voice her opinon about whether I just made this up or not.

PS

I've read nearly everything printed about the Rossi  S7 and the S7W.  I have also flexed both skis.  I can't see any difference other than sizes offered and graphic, though I'd be happy to hear if I'm mistaken.

P S S S

I agree that the Pandora is soft(er) than other skis in its class, (like the Volkl Kiku and K2 Missedbehaved), which is appropriate for a powder ski.  However its not a wimpy ski and will not fold under an aggressive skier.  

Trekchick - we were writing our "Pandora" posts at the same time, so I went back and deleted that from my previous post once I saw that you had weighed in already.  My bad..., but thanks about the possible truth re: the S3's vs. S3W's.....

Ski-ra, I think the only difference is width- 96 vs. 98.

http://www.evo.com/skis/rossignol-s3w-womens.aspx 

No worries on the Pandora question.  I think its good to clarify.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trekchick 

PS

I've read nearly everything printed about the Rossi  S7 and the S7W.  I have also flexed both skis.  I can't see any difference other than sizes offered and graphic, though I'd be happy to hear if I'm mistaken.

 

P S S S

I agree that the Pandora is soft(er) than other skis in its class, (like the Volkl Kiku and K2 Missedbehaved), which is appropriate for a powder ski.  However its not a wimpy ski and will not fold under an aggressive skier.  

Um to correct myself.....

The S7 dims 145/115/123 

Available 168, 178, 188

Super7 146/117/127

Available, 188, 195

The S7W 140/110/118  

Available in 168, 178

See?  I can even correct myself after I go back to check myself.

You can see the tags on the right of this page for links to the product information.

As Finndog said,,.....

S3 128/98/118 

S3W 124/96/114

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finndog 

Ski-ra, I think the only difference is width- 96 vs. 98.

 

http://www.evo.com/skis/rossignol-s3w-womens.aspx 

Hmm...didn't notice that...in other places in the above Evo page that they mention a 98mm width...Rossi's width variations vs. lengths seem to be well-kept secrets like the 110mm width on my 178cm S7's vs. the published 115mm width for model).  Will be going to my local shop today to pick 'em up and will confirm the width of the 168's (both the women's and men's version...and I bet they will be the same just like the 110mm width on both the men's and women's 178cm S7's).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ski-ra 

I'm looking for some new powder skis for my wife and she's about 125lbs. and 5'4".  Further she doesn't spend much time in really deep snow, can ski moderately deep snow well in her 78mm underfoot K2 Schi Devil teleboards, and does not want a "pure" powder ski (which is how I'd classify the Pandora's).  Given this and the fact that her previous powder ski's were 90mm underfoot I believe a jump to the fairly wide (relatively speaking) Pandora's, S7's, Wailers, etc. would be too much. 

Good information.  A couple of data points....

My daughter is taller but similar in weight to your wife.  (The joys of being 14.)  Her tele quiver last year consisted of her 160 Schi Devils and her 164 PM Gear Bro Models.  But really, the Bros were her one-ski-quiver.  She rarely skied the Schi Devils after getting the Bros, because they were so versatile.  Torsional rigidity makes a remarkable difference in ski versatility.

Unfortunately, they don't make the 164 Bro anymore, although you may be able to find a used pair.

So here's my other data point.  For five seasons, my wife's powder ski was the 95mm-wide 160cm K2 Phat Luv.  Which she loved.  I got her a pair of 168 DPS Yvette 112RP this past season, and once I was able to convince her that they weren't too long for her, she tried them.  She hasn't skied the Phat Luvs since.

The DPS do not ski like a ski that wide.  They hold an edge like an excellent current-generation ski with a waist an inch narrower.  I don't think she'd be disappointed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDad 

Good information.  A couple of data points....

 

My daughter is taller but similar in weight to your wife.  (The joys of being 14.)  Her tele quiver last year consisted of her 160 Schi Devils and her 164 PM Gear Bro Models.  But really, the Bros were her one-ski-quiver.  She rarely skied the Schi Devils after getting the Bros, because they were so versatile.  Torsional rigidity makes a remarkable difference in ski versatility.

 

Unfortunately, they don't make the 164 Bro anymore, although you may be able to find a used pair.

 

So here's my other data point.  For five seasons, my wife's powder ski was the 95mm-wide 160cm K2 Phat Luv.  Which she loved.  I got her a pair of 168 DPS Yvette 112RP this past season, and once I was able to convince her that they weren't too long for her, she tried them.  She hasn't skied the Phat Luvs since.

 

The DPS do not ski like a ski that wide.  They hold an edge like an excellent current-generation ski with a waist an inch narrower.  I don't think she'd be disappointed.

Sound advice though I think that easing my wife into wider and rockered ski's will be a better idea rather than jumping to the 112's (and to be honest she'd probably look at the 112's and tell me to return them...and there'd be no arguing with her...).

 

Then get her to demo a pair first.  Seriously.

Because that was my wife's reaction when she saw them.  Three runs later, it was no longer an issue.