Ski Shopping...

[Onside135]

I'm considering buying a new ski. I'm 33 yrs old, 6'3" and 205 lbs and LFF (if that matters). I'm currently on a 67" D3 Z7 ST w/RS-1 bindings. I have another set of RS-1s for my next ski. With next summer my last at 36mph, I'd like a ski that will work well for me at 34mph too. I have one or two in mind, but don't want to skew the responses I get.

 

Tournament Best - 2@28'

Practice Best - 3@32

 

Typically I run up from 32mph warm up into 36/28 on my first set and ski most practice sets right now at 3X34/22 3X36/22. I run most of those and occasionally mess around with 28 off.

 

Thanks for your responses!

[RichardDoane]

don't shop, just buy a strada

[skibug]

Shop! Also, IMHO, I think your ski is undersized for your size. I am 195 lbs and have always been on a 68" ski. You should probably be on a bigger ski (a 68" of the current model). With the newer, wider designs these days you may be able to get away with a 67" ski depending on the model; but, in a traditional width ski you should probably size up.

 

Naturally a Quest comes to mind staying within the D3 family. The other would be a 2013 or 2014 Prophecy. My reasoning is that both of these skis have similar bottom designs in regards to continuous concave with more rounded bevels versus other designs that have rails like the HO's and Radar's. The new Radar Vapor took the rails out of the design from around the front toe of the front binding to the tail. Goode Nano 1 and the Mapple also have similar bottom designs in terms of continuous concave and no rails.

 

The best peice of advise is "try before you buy and commit". There are a handful of shops that will work with you if you commit to buying a ski from them. You may lose some money on shipping skis a few times; but, when making an investment of $1200.00 an extra $25 to ship a ski back is well worth it to make sure you get what you want.

[Skoot1123]

@Onside135 - I recently got the HO A3 and love it. The angle I can create and increase is amazing. I have been very late to a buoy and been able to crank a turn and be early to the next ball - it is sweet! Haven't tested any other ski's so I can't comment on the others. Good luck in finding a ski right for you!

[cj_andersson]

i ride a 67" -11 strada with double stradaboots and i love it, at the start of the season it did not work for me, hardly even got through 32, got some coaching and runned it, again and again and again, 34 mph no problem runned 36 for the first time yesterday but before that i've got a couple of 5s and 4s but as the speed goes up the strada feels better and better for every pass, incredible ski!

[Deanoski]

Ditto on the strada

[Onside135]

Thanks to all for your comments.

 

@skibug...Thanks for the advice. I wasn't sure when I got the D3 two years ago that I should be on a 67" but a local demo guy and extremely knowledgeable skier explained why it made sense based on the Z7's shape. That said, as I only have next summer left at 36mph, I'm leaning toward a bigger ski for 34mph.

 

I would say the two front runners were the Quest and the Strada, until the recent hype with the new Prophecy. I'm pretty interested in that ski now. Anyone know how to get a demo '13 Prophecy?

[jwr]

I'm roughly your size and weight at 6'-4" 210. I would recommend trying both the 67 and 68 in whatever ski you decide on. I'm currently on a 67 but on some skis a 68 feels better. You can demo the 67 and 68 quest for $70.

[501Brandon]

I keep telling you Strada... You saw what happened with my experiment on another brand...

 

[Ed_Obermeier]

...and Strada's are going to be plentiful and really reasonably priced very soon...

[Waternut]

www.ski-it-again.com Picked up my 2012 strada for less than half price of a new one after only a year of use. 67's are more plentiful but I think you would do better with a 68". Seems silly but I've used a ski that was technically in my weight range but I was literally on the upper edge of that range and I spent months on that ski not going anywhere. Moved up to a ski that was more my size and it made all the difference in the world. Yeah the small ski was easy to turn but I make so many less mistakes on the correct ski and it turns just fine.

[skibug]

@Onside135, if you work with Performance Ski and Surf and commit to buying a ski from them, they will send you the ski(s) you think you want to try. If they don't work out, they will swap them out for another brand, model, size. At least they did that for me on two different occassions. They are very good to work with and carry all the major brands. The D3 demo program sounds like a great deal and opportunity.

[skidawg]

67" fusion or quest

[E_T]

2013 Connelly Prophecy .... you wont regret it

[Joeprunc]

@Waternut I think I might be currently in the hole that you once were in. Everyone keeps telling me my ski is too short. I'm 5'-9" - 155lbs and on a 65" Vice. I've decided I need to start shopping for a ski as well.

 

Curious to see what you end up getting. I need to start looking for a shop around me that demos skis.

[E_T]

@joeprunc that should be the right size for you

[6balls]

This is a screaming deal:

 

http://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?topic=Search&category=Slalom&postid=24451

 

I ski on one now, tempted to buy this one as a back-up at that price.

 

 

[Waternut]

@joeprunc I agree that your ski is too small. The 65" Vice is meant for someone who 100-155lb max and that's skiing at 32-36mph. If you're skiing slower than that, the problem is even worse. The 66" is meant for someone who is 115-165lb max and the 67" is for someone who is 150-190lb.

 

I had a 66" Radar Annex which is basically what the Vice is now when I weighed about 165-170 and it was way too small to be skiing 30mph. If it were me and I was 155lb, I'd get the 67 because it has room to grow but you're in between and that's your call depending on which way you think your weight is likely to go.