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Old school guy going new school

post #1 of 21
12/3/07 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
I was a pretty fair skier back in the day. The last time I skied was back in the late 80's on a pair of 190cm straight sticks. This winter I amm going to get back up on the hill. We moved from the sunny south back to the Midwest this past summer and I am stocked. Any tips for a 42 year old returning skier who is getting on a pair of parabolic ski's for the first time? I will take a lesson on my first trip but any info I can mentally munch on till then would be great.

Gary
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post #2 of 21
12/3/07 at 7:00pm
Tip #1 Gary, is that we don't use that term unless it is to goof on someone. As in .... hey go over to the shop and get me a pair of bollicks!

Just call them skis now since they are all "shaped or shapes" .. can't even buy straight skis anymore and if you walk in a shop and ask for that pair of bollicks ... they will spot you as "a mark" and send you out the door with junk they couldn't sell to a ....

Rule #1 (the other rule #1), is they are generally skiied short. If you were on 190's then ... plan on (depending on the ski) .... being in the 165 to 170 range.

If you can, invest ... put your initial money into good boots and demo/rent a few upper end .... by that I mean stay away from the common rental fleet gear since it never sees wax or sharpening ... upper end skis.

A lesson will be money well spent. The technique is now much easier and we just tip the skis and let the shape do a lot of the work .... we don't hop like freakin bunnies anymore.
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post #3 of 21
12/3/07 at 8:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuki View Post
Tip #1 Gary, is that we don't use that term unless it is to goof on someone. As in .... hey go over to the shop and get me a pair of bollicks!


Guess if you can't laugh at yourself........
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post #4 of 21
12/3/07 at 8:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by garysol1 View Post
Guess if you can't laugh at yourself........
We laugh at Yuki all the time.
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post #5 of 21
12/3/07 at 9:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by garysol1 View Post
Guess if you can't laugh at yourself........
Quote:
Originally Posted by Philpug View Post
We laugh at Yuki all the time.
And Phil


Welcome to EpicSki and the wonderful world of modern skiing!

What Yuki said rings true.
Quote:
If you can, invest ... put your initial money into good boots and demo/rent a few upper end .... by that I mean stay away from the common rental fleet gear since it never sees wax or sharpening ... upper end skis.
For the most part, just get out there and have fun.
Then come back here and report back on how addicted you've become in a short time!
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post #6 of 21
12/3/07 at 9:58pm
Some of the other things to consider and only you can answer these questions. As a returning skier, what level were you at when you left for Dixie?

How much will you be skiing?

Where will you spend most of your time?

My point is .... is that a lower end beginner ski may feel fine and the price is right ... at the moment ... will you (if you are skiing frequently), "outgrow" the ski by the end of the first season on them. You may want to go a notch up if you will be skiing quite a bit.

Where you will ski? Pick the brains of some of the mid west folks here who are used to the areas/conditions you will commonly encounter. A ski may get great reviews and be fine for Colorado and groomed powder, but you may be better served by something that has better hold on ice and hard pack.

Choose your shop wisely. Again .... you can ask here for recommendations ... small specialty shops where the folks actually ski versus the "box stores" or high volume stores ... be wary.
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post #7 of 21
12/4/07 at 4:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuki View Post
Some of the other things to consider and only you can answer these questions. As a returning skier, what level were you at when you left for Dixie?

How much will you be skiing?

Where will you spend most of your time?

My point is .... is that a lower end beginner ski may feel fine and the price is right ... at the moment ... will you (if you are skiing frequently), "outgrow" the ski by the end of the first season on them. You may want to go a notch up if you will be skiing quite a bit.

Luckily I have a highly regarded local ski shop close by that has come recommended by more than a few people. When I last skied I was an advanced intermediate that was more aggressive than smart. Now 20 years later I find myself physically in much better shape than I was then and I am still pretty aggressive when it comes to sports.
I have made a few trips to that local shop in the past few days and yesterday I bit the bullet purchasing all new gear. I bought a pair of Rossi Radical R11's and a pair of Nordica Speedmachine boots. The ski's were left over 07's and were a steal. The ski's have gotten a bit of a bad rap from what I have read on here but I have several friends who ski them and love them and I have read primarily great reviews elsewhere on-line. Hopefully I will be able to ski once a week while we have snow here so that should be about 10 or so trips a week mainly in Ohio, PA and NY.
So far Epicski has been a great forum to read. Lots of good info. I am looking forward to asking lots of questions
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post #8 of 21
12/4/07 at 8:19pm
garysol1, let me add my welcome...

One of the keys to modern skiing is understanding how the ski works in creating that arc for you. There are a bunch of threads on EpicSki that illustrate this, books out there, and other ways of learning it. That illusive carved turn that we all tried to find back in the straight ski days is accessible to most skiers now.

We also get to stand a lot more comfortably on our skis now. More upright, more balanced, less heavy leverage.

Ultimately, though, it's fun again!
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post #9 of 21
12/4/07 at 8:33pm
Gary, welcome!you've come to the right place to learn alot about the the way people ski today. Be careful tho, as you may want another pair of skis and then, well , maybe just a 3rd, you know for the powder days. This place can get addicting but you will never meet a greater group of skiers who are more than willing to give you all the advice you could ever want and sometimes a bit more.

Pray for snow!
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post #10 of 21
12/5/07 at 4:38am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I am sitting by the window watching the flakes fall
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post #11 of 21
12/5/07 at 8:27am
So, garysol1, where have you moved to (note: you can put it in your profile by clicking that "User CP" link in the upper left corner of this page)? I am sitting in a client's office in Peoria, IL looking out at a white (and icy!) wonderland...
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post #12 of 21
12/5/07 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssh View Post
So, garysol1, where have you moved to
We have moved from the sultry and humid Memphis TN to the cold and blustery Cleveland Ohio......and loving it
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post #13 of 21
12/5/07 at 1:19pm
Here's hoping for a lot of lake effect, then...
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post #14 of 21
12/10/07 at 2:45pm
Gary,

Welcome back to skiing. Take a lesson or two and watch how some of the local hot shots ski. The ones that make it look smooth and easy are the ones to watch. Have a blast.

RW
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post #15 of 21
7/25/08 at 4:50am

If you strike a lot of powder, soft snow

or crud you may like to try a "Mid Fat" or Twin Tip ski.
They are wider than normal skis between 79mm and 89mm
under foot but can be got wider still. Remember the wider
the ski the harder it can be to turn on hard groomed snow.
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post #16 of 21
7/25/08 at 5:21am
once you get the hang of the "new" tip and rip style, demo a pair of fischer rx-8s or rx-9s. both are just about perfect east coast groomer skis.
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post #17 of 21
7/25/08 at 7:03am
pssssttt...

(check out the date of the posts, you resurrected a year old thread...)
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post #18 of 21
7/25/08 at 8:46pm

Up to date

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassina View Post
or crud you may like to try a "Mid Fat" or Twin Tip ski.
They are wider than normal skis between 79mm and 89mm
under foot but can be got wider still. Remember the wider
the ski the harder it can be to turn on hard groomed snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by epl View Post
once you get the hang of the "new" tip and rip style, demo a pair of fischer rx-8s or rx-9s. both are just about perfect east coast groomer skis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom View Post
pssssttt...

(check out the date of the posts, you resurrected a year old thread...)

YEP, obviously a case by epl and cassina or the early ski jitters. My god it is only July 25th and some of us are already think seriously about making some turns and helping others new to Epic buy ski's. Oh well I am guilty and addicted too. Drove home today from Kalispell Montana and spotted a lot of snow pockets on the West side of the Marshall Wilderness area. Drove into the parking lot of Lookout Pass Ski Area on the Id. Mt. border just to take a look.

Yep HOOKED WE ARE.
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post #19 of 21
7/25/08 at 9:07pm
I agree with most of whats been said so far, and I add this, if you skiied well back then you'll ski even better now with the new gear....get ready to get hooked all over again, I did 8 years ago this winter after a hiatus of about 16yrs .
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post #20 of 21
7/25/08 at 11:33pm
welcome back to the fold. enjoy the upcoming season. wait?? when did Cleveland become the midwest?
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post #21 of 21
7/26/08 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom View Post
pssssttt...

(check out the date of the posts, you resurrected a year old thread...)

Ummm....I hate when that happens.
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