which one is better? Head IM77 or Fischer Fischer AMC 76 RF2

If those are the two choices, the Fischers, no contest, I've owed AMC 76's in 170, I weigh 164. Great ski for lighter folks, carve like they're 10 mm narrower, lot of energy, handle soft snow, softy bumps beautifully. Only drawback is that they can get knocked around a bit in heavy crud, so I'd advise the 164.

The vision is a female-specific ski.

too short

Michael

I'd go up a size (at least) to the 164 (I think you should seriously consider a 170, too). The key to choosing your size is to demo the skis in a variety of lenghts (demo something similar if the FV76 isn't available). If you demo at the mountain, it's easy (and free) to swap out throughout the day.

A comment about the size: If you're looking to improve, don't buy short - It'd be like purchasing a snug-fitting jacket for your four-year-old son.

Oops. I mis-read your height to read that you were 5'9" (boy do I need glasses!). You should still consider the 164. And what I said about demoing still stands, regardless of your height.

I'm a 5'9" 135 lb female on that iM77 in 163 ... go for it. It's a great Colorado all-mountain ski.

Don't go shorter.

I haven't skied the Fischer, so I can't compare, but I'm sure it's great, as well.

I would suggest also considering the iM78. It has great reviews from knowledgable epicski people and also from realskiers.com

yes, it would be more expensive, but it had received great reviews, so I thought I would mention it - maybe you can demo.

The Fischer AMCs are decent skis, but haven't really gotten a lot of good word of mouth like the Head Monsters. In fact, Fischer doesn't even play up the AMC for some reason. It's like the bastard child of their lineup.

wujiang, you're getting into kind of a bad situation where you are just throwing ski models on the table based on price. As for the 76 versus 79, why do *you* think *you* might want a fatter ski versus the skinnier one (or vice versa)? Why even consider both? At some point you need to know what you are shopping for and why. If you don't, then you should demo skis and expand your repertoire of ski knowledge. Otherwise forget the nitpicking and agonizing -- you'll probably be fine on any ski. I think you have too many options on the table (between this and other threads) without understanding all the options.

As an owner of the iM77, previous owner of the Elan Mag 12, and knowing people with the AMC 76, I would say these are all similar skis and would all be great all-mountain skis for someone who walked in off the street looking for an advanced ski. If you can find a deal on any of these skis with bindings, they would all serve you equally well for the most part.

Now I'm not an expert, but I have stayed at a few Holiday Inns in my time. Take the following information not as gospel truth (I haven't skied either of these skis), but as (I think) good enough to help you with your hunt.

There are a number of differences between the two skis:

1) Their respective widths: The numbers indicate the width under your foot. E.g., the AMC 76 = 120mm/76mm/106mm (tip/mid/tail); the AMC 79 = 116/79/104. Basically, the wider the width, the easier it is to float on powder and bust through crud, and the harder it is to initiate a carving turn (although, the differences between these two skis here would be minimal if just for the width difference of 3mm).

2) Turn radius: Shaped skis, when up on edge and bent to dig into the snow, all have distinct turn radii - i.e., if you carved a full circle, you'd make tracks in the snow cooresponding to the radius indicated on your skis. The AMC 76 @ 164 has a radius = 15m. The AMC 78 @ 164 has a radius = 18m. For comparison, a dedicated slalom ski has an r = 12 and a GS ski has an r > 21. Both 15m and 18m would be considered quite "carvy" in anyone's book. That said, you can make any ski turn at any radius (at either extreme, you can spin around on your bases for an r = 0m, or draw "11s" down the mountain for an r > 10^43m or something . The radius only matters if you're truely carving your skis (and even then you can modify your turn significantly).

3) Construction: The 76 is a little stiffer torsionally than the 79. This is because you'd typically want a stiff ski with minimal chatter on groomers and a softer ski to help you float on powder and absorb the vibrations caused by crud.

The bottom line is what you prefer. Personally, I'd go for the 79 if you plan to ski mostly in Colorado. It will prove to be a more versitile ski, especially if it has snowed recently when you go to Loveland. If you skied more in the east, I'd recommend the 76 as it holds a better edge (if only slightly).

Hope that helps you decide!

PS. I don't want to throw you any more ideas, but it's axiomatic that a good, well-fitting pair of boots should be anybody's first ski purchase . . .

PPS. You say you get out about once a year. Please, please, please have a shop lay down a coat of "travel" wax before you fly back home. That is, have them hot wax your skis, but not scrape them (leave the wax on). This will save your bases from drying out, and you will see a marked improvement in the smoothness of your glide. The shop at Loveland will do this for like $10. Don't forget to scrape them before you ride again, though!

The long post above is what happens when I have a paper to write for school.

Be sure to read these:

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=36575

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=50583

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=32880

Why don't you just rent? If you go once a year, the 350 to 400 you spend on skis should mean a few years of rentals (always on the newest skis).

Just a thought...

Lowphat has a good point.
1) You don't need to shlep your skis through the airport termanal,
2) You don't need to worry about your edges being sharp and your bases being waxed,
3) You don't need to worry about scraping over rocks (just pay the $4 for insurance),
4) You won't be stuck with older equipment when the years fly by.

It's between $35 - $40 to demo top-of-the-line. That likely equates to a few years skiing for you. The more I think of it, the more I think it's the only way to go.

If you do want to purchase, please do read the above-mentioned posts by Dawgcatching. He is truly an expert rater of ski gear. Just keep in mind he's 150lb and (I imagine) a very strong, technical, and well-balanced skier.

Whatever you choose, just have fun!
Dan

I owned the AMC 76 and it skis beautifully. Nevertheless, I agree with lowphat. You could demo a lot of skis for the money until you found the right skis for you. It possible that a ski shop in Summit County, which is not that far from Loveland, or one in the Denver area would have the AMC skis available.

I've never skied the Heads or Fischers, but I have the 8000 and Tornados....and you can't go wrong w/ either. Both are upper level skis, and the 8000s rock!...SO much fun. I would demo all in your list, but if there's a fresh snow fall, go w/ the 8000 (wider waist).

And demo the 3800 to let me know how they ski!

I have skied on both the Head and the Fischer, the Fischer is a better on hard snow and is a great carving ski. The Head has a longer turn radius and is alot more fun in softer snow, and moves from packed to fluff so smooth you hardly notice.

I have skied the K2 Apache Recon quite recently, and in Colorado, to boot (demoed from Precision Ski & Golf in Frisco - they also demo Salomon, Völkl, Rossignol and Nordica). Note that I'm 6'4", former FIS racer, and charge hard down almost everything I ski.

The Apache Recon is a fun ski for big mountains. It's good on the groomers (not stellar on boilerplate ice, but no K2 is), okay in the bumps (has a lot of kick, just to let you know - I demoed the 181, if that's any consolation), and fantastic on changing snow, powder, trees, and the like. It's a plush ride, with nice cruising qualities and a damp ride if you let it run. It can handle all kinds of turn shapes, too, which is a plus if you're skiing the terrain at Loveland or any of the other Summit County resorts.

Again, I reiterate the earlier recommendations to demo a lot of skis. If you want to demo Fischers and Atomics (and I think you'd like some of the Nomads from Atomic), try Virgin Island Ski Rentals in Silverthorne: great price, good selection. Christy Sports carries quite a few brands, as well.

Speaking of other skis to try:

- Völkl AC30
- Atomic Nomad Blackeye or Crimson
- Nordica Hot Rod Afterburner or Jet Fuel
- Head Monster i.M78
- Blizzard IQon 7900

where are you finding skis that cheap for those fischers, I'd be interested in those skis at that price...