Should I Start The Season On My New Ski?

[Stickman]

I've been off the water since last September, and it will take some time for me to get back in the groove. Should I start my season on my new ski, or get back into it on a ski that I've already got dialed in? Thanx.

[ToddF]

I bought a strada this winter. I finished the season last year on an A-1, and plan on starting and finishing this year on the strada.

Just get in the groove on the new stick.

[Chef23]

Start on the new ski.

[jcamp]

Might as well get in the groove and work out the kinks on the new ski. I'm so excited to get on mine there is no way I'm going back to the old one.

[ski6jones]

I'd take your first few sets (or more) on your old ski until you knock the rust off. Then make the switch. You'll be in a better position to compare the new ski to what you were on. If it feels better then you forge ahead. If not you at least know it isn't you.

[Ed_Johnson]

@Stickman.....What is your old ski, and what is the new ski you are going to ? That would be really helpful information to see how much of a transition your looking at.

[SkiJay]

@Stickman For safety and comparison reasons, it's probably a good idea to knock the rust off on ol' familiar, although that might take more self-discipline than I have ...

[BraceMaker]

You need a big open lake on a glassy early morning (preferably a tuesday) where you can just tear it up with nothing to miss, hit, or stop for.

 

 

[Waternut]

I switched the ski and bindings for this season just because off all the good deals over the winter. Went from a Radar MPD to the 2012 Strada. I would've switched ski's no problem and did for various demo's last year. I would use the old bindings for the first few rides but I sold them so I was pretty much forced into the new stuff.

 

Got a random invitation to do a New Years Day ski and the first ride in the course was insane. Open water would've been preferred but I couldn't turn down the oppurtunity. Took my first ride on open water last weekend and that was also really sketchy but the second ride that day felt much more controlled. Between the winter rust and new equipment, I won't complain.

[Stickman]

Sorry, I probably should have specified the skis since that is part of the reason I asked the question. I'm switching from a 2011 Senate-C to a 2012 S2. I'm somewhat hesitant to start off on the S2 because I've read on a few posts here that it is a "Tweaking" ski, and not one you will ski well on right out of the box. I'm afraid that going from one of the most user-friendly skis made (Senate) to one that will take some adjusting will make me judge it too harshly prematurely. When I do get on the S2, I plan to start one hole back, leave the fin alone, and go from there. You guys have all raised good points. Thanks for everyone's input!

[Steven_Haines]

@Stickman, the thing I noticed about my S2 was every tweek I made the ski worked well! I finally went back to Hortons settings which are stock fin with boots back one hole on a 67.5 and that's where it stayed. I don't necessarily find it to be finicky with fin settings.

[LZywicki1]

Had the same problem 2 years ago. I was on a X5 for 5 years and going to an X7. I had purchased another set of identical bindings so it wouldn't feel to different going between the 2 skis, (was going to use the old ski as a back-up or what I would call my Sunday ski). Figured I would start the year off after a long winter with the old ski and work into the new. I ended up going with the new ski. Why? After a long winter break the first couple of times out everything feels different and it take a while to get into the groove, so why not just start out with the new. I did set up the new ski with the binding and fin setting the same as the old. It took a while to real comfortable, but not to much longer then normal when starting a new season.

 

I would start off with the new so I wouldn't have to mess with getting a new ski to work mid season, but that just my opinion. Good luck.

[Bakinblak]

Yea. Even on your old ski its going to feel wierd your first few times out so you might as well go all in.

[ral]

New ski w/old bindings. I love new skis and hate new bindings...

[skihard]

Go new. You're not going to go really hard for the first few sets anyways. Might as well get the feel for the new ride while you're working the rust out of your body.

[Horton]

New ski old bindings. DO NOT over think it.

[bogboy]

@stickman. Go with your new s2. I think it is a good, high end, easy ski to ski on. I had mine at hilltop yesterday, and ran 3 out of 6 passes, which is not as good as I was doing last summer, but I have pretty much not skied the course all winter, but I have still free skied a lot this winter. I am looking forward to improving on the course this spring and summer.

[Razorskier1]

Just jump on the new stick. After the offseason you won't know the difference and will start adapting to your new ski right away.

[greghayes]

New ski. Just did it myself.

[KcSwerver]

Last season I was skiing on a 1985 Connelly Concept. Over the winter I got a goode 9900. I'm planning on jumping right on it and learning how to harness the power. This is going to be interesting.

[LZywicki1]

@KcSwerver Lets us know how it goes. Making a single 25+year jump in technology should be very interesting.

[markchilcutt]

Start on the new ski fo sho!!!!

[gsm_peter]

I have similar question.

I am a definitive Radar Theory skier and do not deserve a new ski but fall into the Left Lane winter super deal on a regular Senate.

So now I have two skis to choose from.....

Both have dbl Vectors so that is not an issue.

You can find my ski video in the forum (beginers first pass in Italy)

 

Have a nice weekend

Peter

 

[MISkier]

@onamission, I made that 25+ year leap in 2005. I moved from my circa-1980 EP Super 2 to a Goode 9100. I didn't even have a wing on that EP. Unbelievable difference. That Goode felt like a rocket on rails. The biggest thing I noticed was how much less effort it took to ride and how much speed there was with such little effort. The second biggest thing I noticed was that I had to totally change my skiing technique. I was sliding the tail of the EP around the buoys and the new ski held the turns and angle with such responsiveness that I had to adjust to take advantage of that new handling. I have to admit, it took a little while to make the changes.

[KcSwerver]

@miskier Are there any pointers you have for making the change? What is the most effective way to learn how to ski on a new ski. thanks!

[Bakinblak]

Change at the beginning of the season when all you can do is suck. I wiped out 4 times my first time out last year. No big deal. I borrowed am S1 for a run once in june and i took 3 nasty spills.

 

Ski6jones has some good advice. Take a couple runs on your old ski to get the rust off then change.

[MISkier]

My biggest advice would be to concentrate on the fundamentals of position: straight arms, arms to vest, stacked position, slightly flexed knees/ankles. Since you are starting the season on the new ski, taking advantage of early season drills can help you get comfortable without the distractions of trying to run the course. Things like Seth Stisher's mini-whips and other free skiing will help you get acclimated to the handling of the ski through the wakes, help with initial conditioning, and solidify your position/muscle memory for the season. A new ski won't fix bad form. Take video and use it to verify your performance along with your experience of the ski's characteristics.

 

When you do start working the course, avoid trying to run desperation passes or applying any last resort heroics like standing on the tip to force a late turn. Nothing shatters your confidence on the new ski like an OTF. Slow down if you're not running things smoothly. Shorten the line when comfortably running back-to-back passes. Learn the ski before expecting to set a PB each time or scrapping to get those extra buoys. I sometimes wonder if the reward of a new ski is given by allowing it to work without pressuring yourself to do well on it. The PBs may happen naturally as a result. The best scenario is that you immediately start crushing each pass and adjust quickly. When you do, then start pushing the capabilities of the ski.

 

Since you are making such a big leap, I think it will be slightly different than skiers who upgrade from one current ski model to the next and experience a PB right out of the box. That has happened to me also, but after I had made that initial leap forward and acclimated to the new technology/ski design before getting the next model. I'll admit that just upgrading one model did not require the same acclimation as I described above.

 

One other bit of advice: run the factory fin and binding settings - at least initially. Some tweaking may be on the horizon, but do it carefully and under the guidance of as knowledgeable a skier as possible.

 

Let us know how it works out.

[A_B]

I am with @Horton on this one. At a minimum, new ski old bindings. My preference would be old ski and bindings, until you knock the rust off and are running a few passes. Then new ski old bindings and see if you pick up better edge holding, faster turning, etc.. No way would I remember what the old ski was doing last summer. But we have a long lay off in NW Ohio.

[freeskiguy]

I can really relate to the @miskier comment "The best scenario is that you immediately start crushing each pass and adjust quickly. When you do, then start pushing the capabilities of the ski."

 

I skied on the same ski for the last five years and about a year ago, I figured out that you can take chances and there are boundaries or tolerances that the ski likes to perform in and when you learn those boundaries, the ski will work for you; no OTF, etc. I am now in the situation of changing to new ski and will have to learn those boundaries again, and then progressively start crushing it. Looking forward to a new season!