ELAN SLX WC Race

Quote:

Originally Posted by jafergo 

hello,

 

I recently got a nice new pair of ELAN SLX race WC 165'.

 

I am a mediun advanced skier, 5'9 and weight 150lb. I have always used all terrain advanced gear and a friend of mine told me that this skis, despite being great, didn't suit me. It was a nice gift but I am starting to fear that they will be too much.

 

I have mostly skied in Europe and now in the east coast + 1 week in Colorado/utah. Reds and blacks no problem whatsoever. fast but never been a slalom guy.

 

I need  a good recommendation from you experts. Are these skis killer for a advanced all terrain skier? any other good recommendations?

they are quite nice softer race stock skis. If you ok with working alittle bit more for a more dynamic turn as long its hard pack they will do just fine. On the east coast it more fesiable  to use these nearly every day especially if you stick to the groomers

But

there is the chance of bending them while skiing bumps if you do that sort of thing

they will really suck in East Coast tree. short narrow skis are less nimble when there is any bit of soft snow.

and even on groomers sometimes it cna be annoying doing Sl turns when all your friends are ripping GS turns.

If you dont have SL ski in your quiver I would still use them and see how you like them. Sl skis makes the hardest snow days fun and really teach the skier alot of mechanics that cant really be learned on bigger skis. Most of the best skiers in the world have spent sometime learning to make SL skis work for them.

Then get yourself 80-90 underfoot 170-175 or even longer for off trail skiing back east.

I've got the SL World Cup (red version) of this ski, which is a notch down from the green SLX, I think. I like them just fine, skiing them in a 160, which is pretty short. They hold great on ice, about what you'd expect. I'd rate them a good all-around slalom cut ski. I've had racing stock SLs in the past (Fischer, Nordica) that I liked better, but these are pretty good for my purposes: icy days, bumps when it hasn't snowed in a while, etc.

I agree 100% with Bushwacker. I have a number of race stock skis, as I get my kids' hand me downs. These days, my son's GS skis are 193-5's so those don't work. I have a pair of SLX's and as far as race SL skis go, they're a pretty fun ski and relatively forgiving. Now having said that, all men's race skis {if they truly are laminated race skis} are designed to be "one trick ponies."   They aren't very versatile. A Sl ski will want you centered, and will want to make short radius carved turns......over and over again. That's what SL is, and that's what the ski is meant to do. The real deal race skis are even more narrow in their design.....almost instant bite of the tip, guick arc, and then a quick release into the next transistion. As BW states, most {including the Elan} have a good bit of metal in them, and they can bend. My son has bent two SL skis in training, so far, this year. 

So having said that, can they be fun? Absolutely. But they'll reward you for skiing in a centered position, and for truly carving the ski with good skills. For an everyday ski there are better choices. They also tend to like a hard surface. Having said that, it's pretty amazing to see how many race parents ski on last year's SL skis....both mom's and dad's.  I think the Elan might be as forgiving as they come {along with the Volkl}.

Have fun!

There are teenage boys and men skiing 165 SL's from 120 to 240 lbs. The bigger the guy, the "beefier" the ski construction, but 165 is the universal length, as far as I know. The skis used on the WC may look like the skis that are distributed in this country to even top level racers, but they aren't the same. They are built to the skier's specifications. Also keep in mind that the older male ski racer typically carries a lot of lean body mass...muscle. Most are pretty big these days. The skis that you have are almost certainly just fine for your size. They aren't WC skis. The women's SL length, for the most part is a 155. Every so often, there will be a very strong woman on a 165, but it's rare. I think the issue will be the fact that your ski was not designed for general free skiing. It was designed for a single purpose, as discussed. But as far as your size, and that being the reason for it being too much ski, no. I've seen very slight J2 boys {age 15} race SL on that ski and do very well.  My point is that it's a slalom race ski. It's not too long.

See how it goes. You may love it, if your favorite free skiing would be similar to SL turns. Good luck.