What Were Your First Brand New Skis? - Page 4

After a series of hand me downs and garage sale losers, my first new skis were Northland Monarchs circa 1960.  In spite of them, I was totally hooked and have skied as much as possible ever since.

 K2 233 MIDs, I believe.

After a series of hand-me-downs, around 1968 my parents got me a new pair of 190cm K2 Holidays (gleaming white) like you see in post #37.  We put some Tyrolia bindings on them and I was ready to rock. I ended up breaking a tip on them, most likely doing something stupid/fun..

Since then, I've had a ton of K2's, with a few Rossis, a Volant, Volkl and a few others. Currently on a pair of K2 Apache Recons (my third pair - yup, I like 'em)

Northlands, with Cubco bindings, and some off brand boots maybe two sizes too big. They weren't anything cool like lace inners with buckle outers or anything like that. That was maybe 62ish. The skis were black and had some red and white pin striping and the paint came off the tops within the first half of a season.

The bottoms were some kind of painted surface that alos was totally useless, and there metal screw in edges were pretty crude too. But at least I had edges. I had some "Sears" units before that without any metal edges. They were blue.. and had some type of cable bindings.

I don't know how I ever learned to ski.

They were red/orange Volkls with black horizontal stripes. I think they were called Tigers. After that it was Rossignal ? then Dynastar then back to Volkl. I skied on Dynastar S730s for a very  long time. I really liked them....

 The first skis I tried were some wooden ones with bear traps..northlands maybe..Got a pair of Fischer Blaze 150's with modern bindings around 73-74. They got sold at a yard sale just a few years ago, wish I still had them as I have every pair of skis ive used since then.

My first skis were a Christmas present from my Dad. Dynastar Tempest RX's, (185cm!!) with a Salomon 737e binding. Got the Nordica rear-entry boots as part of a package.

Wow, memeories. Had lots of fun on those.

Greg

Atomic SL 737  with Marker MR bindings. I seem to recall they were somewhere around a 167 in length.
This was back in 86 or 87 if i remember correctly. I had only been skiing about a 2 years then.

Mike

If you don't count the white Olympic wood one's with cable bindings (circa 1967) and the blue Clever's with sheet metal step-in's ($12 new, circa 1971) my first "real" skis were Hart Hornet's. GS cut in 160 cm length with Salomon 40's. Like the 404's but cheaper. These skis were red and were bought in 1972, I think. Delaminated at the tail in "the big wreck" that broke my ankle. This was at Wing on Spring Carnival day when Bill Daly won the ski jump contest with a front flip.......we were both in the emergency room at the same time.  He showed me the $100 check he won.

1983-ish:   K2 712 (200 cm) with Marker M40 R bindings (I think about $100 on "pro-form").  Core shot first day out at Mt Snow in december...argh, tough break for a high school kid

Luckily I also had ordered a pair of Dynastar Course GS 207s (yes, with the red plastic chicken heart) from pro-form, that year and ended up skiing those hard until they became noodles.  One of the first GS skis i found that i could easily make short turns on tho.

1976/77? K2 Mids with Marker turntable bindings.  Lange Banshee boots....bright orange.

1992 K2 Extreme 210cm with Marker M12 bindings. Great pair of red and white rear entry Lange boots

Wooden yellow Blizzard skis. Don't remember the model but they had the old cable bindings that you had to adjust by first putting the cable around the heel of the boot & then bend over & touch your toes to push the lever forward to lock the bindings. I don't think we had safety straps back in those days & definitly not ski brakes. How about double lased leather boots. An inside set of lasing & an outside set. They were Molitor boots, anyone remember that name.. I'm dating myself, probably around the mid 60's.

 I've had hand-me-down skis my whole life until 2 years ago, when I bought a pair of Volkl Karma 177s.

I guess there's something to be said about buying something with your own hard-earned dough, right?

Olin Radius K circa 2000

It was one of the early "shaped" skis and memorable for two reasons:

• As the first shaped ski I ever owned, it was head and shoulders better than anything I had skied before.  I loved those skis - I really felt like I was in control for the first time.
• A year later at a demo day at Tremblant, every other ski I tried was much much better than my beloved Olins.

The following season I replaced them with a pair of Volkls (Vertigo G20s) and the rest is history.

I started skiing a couple of years ago.  I first used skis were a pair of Line Assassin twin tips.  Way too floppy for me.  My second used pair were a pair of 6 Stars (168) which were great.

I just bought my first new skis ever last week.  AC50s at 177.  I demoed them the week prior and fell in love.

The last two pair would seem to be beyond my ability, but I seem to be progressing quickly and I'm a big guy (6'3", 230lbs) and pretty athletic.

Steamboat, the Molitor were fine boots in their day. Exclusive would be a word that would come to mind. "Cost no object" another. But I'm talking out of school because I really never had the money to even consider a pair. That would be about 64ish.

The Molitor's leather was a cut above the rest and only the best skiers had them. Usually PSIA instructors.

Remember the black with red horizontal stripe Montant ski sweaters we all wore back then? I've still got mine and it still fits!

My first brand new skis were Kastles, I do not remember the model or size but I do know they were very small. I was so short I had to jump up to get on the chairlift.. my tips would drag under the chair because of this and they broke within a couple weeks. I was probably 5 years old at that time, but it is funny how I can recall this so vividly.. I cried all the way home and the dealer replaced them the next day. I also remember a brand new pair of rossi 9s jrs I bought with my paper route money when I was 12, oh how I wish I was a little kid again.

K2 VO Slalom (204 cm) with Salomon 747E bindings and Salomon SX-91E boots. I felt like Scot Schmidt. I FELT like Schmidt.

Back in 1972 as a senior in HS I joined our HS ski club.  I then got my first job so I could buy my first pair of skis, Blizzard Specials in a 190 length mounted up with a pair of Marker Explodamatic turntable bindings.  First pair of boots, were Hushong (sp?) that I bought 2nd hand from the sales guy who sold me my skis.  They were unique in that they had a lace system made of spring loaded cables.  But they hurt like Hell and did not last long in the marketplace.  I got rid of them after a couple of seasons for a pair of the new fangled Hanson wax injected boots.

 

Rick G

Nordica Soul Riders 177

The earliest I remember are Elan GRAD 180 in about 1974 (my parents bought them for me, I forget what I wanted race ski I think, but the budget wasn't there so it was the Elans or nothing).  Stepped up to Diawa 195 (Moms old skis and a lot older than my Elans) but faster and ugly Orange in colour.

 

 

I bought my first brand new skis just a few years ago, a pair of Stöckli Spirit Globes. We never could afford new skis when I was a kid and then for years I skied so little I just rented.

Northland Stein Erikson L-21's, 190 cm w/ Look Nevadas.  I must've weighed about 120 lbs. @ the time.  (early late 60's/early 70's?)  Went out to ski Aspen w/ them & remember standing there spanning a bump trough, not even being able to de-camber the ski.  But boy were they stable!

My parents bought me a pair of Dynastar Medalist skis with Salomon 444 bindings back when I was learning in the 70s.

Rossignol DV-8 with Marker M-41 bindings....1995, I think...

K2 junior skis... they were purple and had six "k2" emblems stacked on each topsheet.

Kneissl Blue Stars and think they were 210cm. I was pretty stoked and put Look Nevada Toes and Marker Clip Long Thong heel on them. 

Trying to remember the name.... something about Honeycomb Pregreg.... they were 203 CM.