Help choosing a first advanced level ski

 Have you ever skied real skis before? 

As someone who came from skiblades I can tell you right now that your skill level will for sure drop when you switch to skis you get to learn this who new world of actually turning your skis.

quick turns on real skis, in the trees comes from how good of skier you are not the turn radius, in fact tighter turn radius skis tend to actually hurt you in tree runs.

if you never skied on real skis before you wont be able to tell the difference between any of the above anyways, get about 165ish in lenght for what ever you get and dont get it too stiff either. All of the above should work out for you.

He said he's rented.  And wouldn't a 165 ish ski in a traditional ski be like a165ish ski, while, if he opts for a twin tip it would ski shorter, so 170ish should be a little better.
Also, Bush, I like how you quote yourself in your signature.  You really like your own opinion, huh?  This reminds me of the guy that responded to one of your other posts by saying, "How do you know if someone is an instructor?  Don't worry, he'll tell you."  I'm not trying to start a beef with anyone, this is just getting old and I'm pointing it out.

Westernkid - You really shouldn't just get something 165ish and call it good.  If you've got 500-600 bucks to spend on skis, invest 65 of it in a demo day (go to a place on the mountain to rent skis, and they should let you come in and exchange skis as many times as you would like so you can really get a feel for what you like.  Then, since you want something in a 75-80, I personally would recommend buying something very slightly used, because the whole rest of the world is going 100+ it seems.  There should be plenty to choose from.  A Huge favorite was the Dynastar Legend 8000.

that quotes older than me or you, I actually had it there well before today. 

You are a level 7 skier and you've only skied on snow blades.  Now  there is an interesting assumption.  Blades will give you really great fore-aft balance but there are a few other skills involved with skiing trees and any real mountain. You like short radius turn, well yeah if you're on blades I would certainly assume so.

Go rent some beginner ski's, humble yourself and take a lesson and figure out what you might want before you plunk out 500-600 dollars on probably the wrong skis.




 What he said!




Good Demo advice but don't knock Bushwacker he's a great skier and straight shooting/talking instructor and I for one value his perspective and opinion.

Westernkid - WELCOME TO EPIC.

I did value his opinion until he proved to me that only his train of thought could pass as the correct one in his mind, and he seems to think that people can only enjoy skiing once they are as good as him in the bumps.  All others are inadequate skiers in his opinion, and therefor have less fun. 
This isn't exactly true, but it is the vibe he gives off.

Thats an awful lot of assumptions to base on a well known  paraphase.  No matter how good you are theres always someone better and no matter how much of a beginner you are theres always someone who is more of a beginner than you. (Loose Paraphase)sic

eh I have been none to shot of my bads before in this case I am actually feeling alittle bad I offended you but I am no where near the best bump skier around or the best skier around. I do know that people who cant ski bumps lack fundemental skills and my biggest break though myself came when I start to really learned how to ski bumps. The quote in my sig is from PSIA Demo Team Coach Rob Sogard and I REALLY took it to heart. another quote 'ski shit or be shit" 

I am only steadfast in hard facts and truth sadly for you today I was sick and figured it its would be easy to mess with a nopolean.

I would say this as well the better you get the more fun it is, thats the truth really.

I 

You missed quite a bit from another thread.  Feel free to read the "convince me to use poles" thread to fill yourself in.  I also never claimed to be a great skier, ever.

I actually quite appreciate this.  And I can sort of understand your assumptions about skiers as an instructor.  I'm sure you come across bad skiers they way people on the bay bridge come across bad asian drivers (FYI, my fiance is Asian, and yes, she's a terrible driver).  But I think you should be a little less ethnocentric in your beliefs about bumps. As a person who is lucky to get 10 days in every year, although I'm looking to change this next year with an Epic pass, I don't have the luxury of going and dedicating a week to bumps, when I could be out enjoying the rest of the mountain, no matter how poorly (in your eyes) I'm skiing.  
Also, I'm really quite a good golfer, and one thing I know is, I really started enjoying the game a lot more when I stopped competing, putting in hours on the range and putting green, and striving to get better.  I wouldn't say that I'm as good of a skier as I am a golfer, but I'm pretty sure that taking this mindset into both sports has made me enjoy both of them much more.  When I ski, I don't think as I'm going up the lift, "okay, this time i'm going to make perfect turns all the way down the mountain down this line and it's going to be soo fun."  The people that do this look downright silly to me.  Improvise, take it as it comes, react, travel the mountain.  That's what I do, and I find it to be wonderfully rewarding. 

These are all really good skis. You really can't go wrong with any of them. I have always preferred Salomon skis. If you are somewhat of a moderate skier the X-Wing 8 model is perfect for groomed runs and very easy to turn. For the past ten years I have only skied on Salomon skies and have never been disappointed! I have Salomon XW Fury skis, but those are made for extreme all terrain, so those might be too stiff. Good luck finding the right pair of sticks and have the best time this season!

Hi WK, I know that my usual hill has a demo program that lets you try a variety of skis for $35/day. I will probably try it this year if we ever get some real snow.
I was in a similar position to you last season, trying to move up from the box store beginner skis I had bought when I started learning to ski. I wish now that I had gone the demo route, but I bought some Red Heats off eBay and they were a huge step up for me. They were new from the previous season, and I think that I paid something like $370 for them. They were shipped promptly and in perfect condition. My research suggested that the XWing 10 was somewhat comparable and they were my first choice, but I couldn't snag a pair at a price I liked.
I have dreams this season about buying something a little wider, maybe a lighter construction but sidewalled instead of capped to still be stiff enough, and with lightweight drilled bindings for a ski that might react a bit quicker in tighter spots like trees. Or, maybe a wider crud buster, like the 80ish Blizzards and Heads that I've heard good things about on here. But, the poor snow and my finances don't really make this a top priority right now.
Good luck!