High end ski questions.

[Taelan28]

Hey. I just started skiing last summer in Korea and I love it. I've rode on a bunch of skis that the ski clubs let people use, some were good some were bad but really had no gauge for what I was riding.

 

A think a D3 an an Obrien Elite stood out, especially the Elite. That thing was paper thin, feather light, fast as hell while all the other high end skis were thicker.

 

A new Elite is too expensive, so I have a couple questions:

Whats wrong with buying a 2 year old ski whether its an Elite or not? Are there any aging issues?

How do the other high end skis (thicker skis) such as the Strada, A2, S2, Nano "Twist", Razor compare to each other and the Elite?

 

Detailed answers welcome.

[ForrestGump]

The Elite will last for years without breaking down.

[skibug]

First off, you can go to www.ski-it-again.com and find many high end skis 1 - 2 years old in great shape for quite a discount.

 

In general, I think that the opinion of most will be that D3 skis are the benchmark for comfort and ease of use from the first ride. The Elite is a fast ski and has a lot of positive characteristics, especially for a strong technical skier that holds a quiet upper body position. It can also punish you when you are in scramble mode.

 

All the high end skis have their pros and cons; it is just a matter of finding what fits your style, your performance level, and in general how comfortable you are on the ski (i.e. confidence level). It sounds like you are on the right track if you have had the chance to ride a few and feel the difference. Remember that it is somewhat important to make sure that the skis your are testing have good setups (binding placement and fin measurements) and are sized appropriately. Good luck with the search.

[6balls]

Agree w/the above posts. The Razor and the Elite are resin-transfer molded skis so would think from a durability perspective they would be safe used buys.

[Wish]

Agree with the one above and the one above that. I think D3s are very well built and would also make for a safeish buy. Strada and D3s IMHO make for great skies that incorporate vast levels of skiing ability from newby to pro. Elite has a small sweet spot.

[Taelan28]

By sweet spot, what exactly do you mean? I know the sweet spot on a baseball bat is where you want to his the ball so it goes far. Can you explain the sweet spot of a ski and why its important to have a large area, or the benefits of a small sweet spot?

 

Based on one ride of that Alpha Im pretty sold on it but I'd like a lot of feedback before I'm shelling out hundreds of dollars on a used ski. Whats worse is that the ski clubs here charge $25 for a 1000 yards of skiing, so I really don't have the luxury to test things out.

[skibug]

Taelan28, Sweet spot is basically the same reference as a baseball bat or a golf club, etc. You basically have a smaller area to be balanced over on a ski with a smaller sweet spot; meaning, the further you get outside the range of that sweet spot (out of balance) the less forgiving and reactive the ski is going to be. It also has to do with the entire ski setup. The bindings and fin need to be dialed in more precisely to maximize the performance. Some skis, due to flex, rocker length, bevels, fin setup, binding placement, etc. can be more or less forgiving when you make a mistake, dependent on the combination of those factors. With that said there are a lot of people skiing very well on the Elites.

 

By the way, I have a 2011 67" Alpha; with the world's only add on adjustable fin block that I am selling. Used it for about a month. It just isn't the ski for me. I haven't been in a rush to list it; but, I was planning on listing it on ski-it-again. Let me know if you are interested.

[PBD]

Unfortunately every skier has different physical and style characteristics, so what works for one person won't necessarily work for you. So the best way to get the right ski is to try a few and buy what feels and performs the best.

 

 

[Horton]

world's only add on adjustable fin block?

[skibug]

See the post I had up about two months ago. Designed my own "add on" for the Elite.

 

http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/3784

 

 

[MattP]

http://ballofspray.vanillaforums.com/discussion/3784/elite-add-on-fin-adjuster#Item_6

[ForrestGump]

That is SkiDawg's old ski. A friend of mine in Houston has it now. I can vouch for it and the owner.

[Taelan28]

I've been eyeing that ski at 325 since other prices dont come close, but the lack of detail in the description makes me wary. Yea "Used 1 year. Great condition...Great price" is pretty straight forward but I have this idea that someone who takes care of their stuff and puts more effort into description. The fact that you said its skidawg's old ski and now a friend of yours has it means that the description is wrong/misleading, as it has had a previous owner its likely its been used two seasons. The seller just could tell the truth and say:

 

"09 67" Elite. Used two seasons, one by me and a previous owner, ski is still in great shape with no knicks or scuffs and still rides like an Elite should as both owners took great care of it, if it wasn't in the water in was in the bag."

 

A short reason as to why he is selling it would be beneficial since I wonder why he is selling the ski I was for almost half the price of other skis. Since its got a reference I am more keen now, there's also a lot of time between now and May/June when the season starts so Im in no rush to spend $300-400.

[ForrestGump]

You're reading too much into it. He's not misleading anyone at all. Dawg skied on it before getting on a 68 Elite, then Dave bought it from him and skied on it half a dozen times. While Dave had it for a season, it's been in his closet. He's always skied on D3s, tried it, and then decided to stay on a D3. Dave paid double what he's asking for it and just wants it out of his closet.

[Taelan28]

I've been on one ski since I was 14, but I've only ridden a couple time since then at 15, 21, and now 24. I've recorded a lot of video and although I thought I was good, I realize Im fucking bad, like miserably bad. My offside is hideous, I dont go out that far, and I use two hands on a turn instead of one. I've never run a course I just like to go out and put up a big spray because it looks cool. Some people here have been impressed with the way I ski and I've had a couple good runs and turn where it was effortless. Since its $25 a kilometer of skiing I really cant afford to just go back and forth and play around to get used to things and it would probably cost me $50 a day just to warm up and get my coordination right.

 

@skibug Im pretty cheap. An adjustable fin lock means nothing to me since I don't have the feel for a proper fin setting. I honestly dont know what adjusting a fin would do. I just go out and ski. I am interested in your ski but I'll wait for you to put it up on ski-it-again. Further, did you mean to say that a smaller sweet spot means the ski is more precise when the settings are dialed in right?

[04196]

dude, I think you may be headed to the principal's office with that one

[skibug]

@Taelan28, I agree with @skibrain. My personal opinion is that you may be better off on any D3's as they are more forgiving; but, can take you as far as you want to go. This is a great site for both entertainment value and technical information; plus there are a lot of really good skiers here that are willing to help out. Once you start skiing the course and really feel what the ski is doing; you will find yourself wanting to better understand the nuances of ski set up. This is the place to find all the help you need.

 

The smaller "sweet spot" just means that there is a lot less room for skier error even when things are dialed in.

[Taelan28]

Thanks for the input. I'll have to try a course a few times just to get the timing down, but in terms of raw learning and muscle memory a 6 ball course would be difficult to learn on. I miss a turn and I miss the rest easily. Bam $10 down the drain.

 

I haven't ridden many "good" skis, (or at least ones that looked good.) The rental I used most often said "7000" on the bottom and something else. I thought it was great the first time I tried it compared to another one that was a little small, I also blame myself for being so wobbly and inconsistent and not having the balance (my torso does not like relax or twist and I have a funny way of initiating an offside turn). The good skis I used early on I didnt notice too much of a difference, but when I went back to them a month later I noticed they were better right away. The D3 that was fast was ridden twice, the first time I didnt notice much of a difference, the second time was insane and I face planted into the first wake, party because the driver throttled it and partly because my form was shit. I remember one time when the 7000 was missing and I used a different ski. I did well on it making some of the most effortless turns I've ever done and stuck with it for a few days, then it just didnt feel right and I went back to the 7000.

 

The Elite particularly sticks out. When I went to the ski club in Jecheon for the first time the owner told me to use his ski because he was impressed with me. I really didn't know what I was looking at. After a couple turns it was clear that the thinness, light weight and glossy bottom made it incredible. The guy said he counted me doing 50 turns in the kilometer I did. The turns felt much easier and I got so much lower crossing the wakes. I even had a couple "holy shit" moments because it got my from side to side so fast. Maybe my memory is getting the best of me because I was having a "career day." As you can see I have my heart set on that Elite. I'd like to change my mind to an A2 or something deemed more stable but its hard to justify hundreds of dollars on something I havent tried out and cant try out, Im sure I'd be happy with it but I want to be 100% sure on a purchase. There are skis for sale but for a premium cost (The elite here is close to $2600) and Im sure there's a used market but I cant shuffle through all the Korean text to find it.

[Taelan28]

I was thinking Animals if they were compatible, otherwise I'd go with the Obrien X-9s.

[skibug]

@Taeland28, sounds like the 1st ski was a KD7000; which, for its age is a pretty good ski.

 

your comment and dilema about missing a ball in the course is one we all can relate to, especially in the begining stages of running the course. I would suggest that your goal be to make 6 good turns, even if you have to go inside the buoy (commonly refered to as shadowing the buoys). A lot of time when people are learning the course, they will shadow all 6 of them to get the feel of the rythm, timing, and perspective of how much energy is needed to get wide enough to be outside the buoy. After that you can make goals of getting around say 1, 3, 5, and go inside of 2, 4, 6. Then you can switch to the opposite and go outside of 2, 4, 6, and inside of 1, 3, 5. Then maybe 1, 2, and inside the rest of them. The key is, even if you miss, to keep skiing the pass and shadowing the buoys. This is how you will make progress. Good luck.

[Taelan28]

Yes thats the ski. It gripped the water a lot better and put up that spray I wanted (Im such a poser). The review Im reading said it accelerated out of the hole well, me thinks not, especially when it decelerated better than any other ski at the time. Maybe because of my own laziness and tired body, but I never really blasted side to side on that.

 

The boots from that other ski were HO attack boots. Those were goddamn dog shit, maybe because they were too big, but they were really stiff and didnt come close to fitting right no matter how hard I pulled on the strings.

[6balls]

Sounds like u should pick up a used Elite on www.ski-it-again.com

[Taelan28]

Brent, thanks for noticing that I am a MAN! Funny thing though. I was all hardcore tough about it all summer and I stuck it out even though my callouses were nearly being pinched off. I've borrowed gloves before and really didnt notice a difference and sometimes it would still hurt like hell...after 250+ turns in two days and 200 reps in the gym (now Im just bragging). I didnt want to shell out $90 for ski gloves here either (thats their price here, you dont want to know what skis and boots cost). Sure enough on the second to last run of the season I slipped on some gloves and I had one of my best runs with a lot of speed and rhythm. Although I can tough out the pain the reality was I was easing up on my crossing the wake because it would make it hurt more. Maybe that great run with the Elite had more to do with the gloves. My last run of the year I forgot to put on the gloves and I eased up a lot. Bottom line is I can still do well without gloves, but its like going to work with a cold, it just isn't 100%.

[PBD]

I don't know what kind of boat you are skiing behind in the diagonal picture, but if it has an alternative to the tower, you will be much better off hooking the rope to a lower point. It will help you and the driver.