Most forgiving ski?

[mbabiash]

Between the nano one xt, the vapor and the mapple 6.0 or 6.1, which is the most forgiving ski.

I'm just now shortening the rope at 34 and I'm buying a new ski in the spring.

I feel like at my level and how inconsistent I am, skis are hard to compare by demoing them.

Depends how I ski on any given day or pass or any given ski.

Matt

[mbabiash]

I'm on a Goode fire mid right now and it's going to my wife.

[ral]

d3s...

[gregy]

I'm on a Mapple 6.0 and I can get away with a lot mistakes and still finish the run. Very forgiving in the turns and if you get behind its easy to get back into the run. I was on a D3 x7 and it was maybe a little more forgiving in the turns but more effort and slower across the wakes my ski partner just got a HO A3 and seems to be more consistent at his harder passes.

[Wish]

Always wonder why some feel they want a ski that lets them get away with mistakes aka forgiving. My problem was snapping the ski around the ball, stalling and then rocketing across the wakes. All well and good if you're in your 20s. I'm not. My goal became to hunt down a ski that would not let me do this inefficient and damaging ski style. I came across the HO S2. A ski that hates to be pushed at the end of the turn. Fast, stable, but not necessarily forgiving for my fault. I found that to be useful. And, in the long run has forced me to undo what was once an automatic error. Do you want a ski that hides mistakes or a ski that gets rid of them. Food for thought.

[gregy]

I pushing 50 years old and can't afford to get hurt. I want a ski that doesn't punish me for my mistakes. I had one ski that my ankles were always sore form OTFs and I had some pretty bad wipeouts on, my PBs on it were actually a little better but it was getting were I was scare of skiing and not having much fun. I'm smiling a lot more on the 6.0.

[mbabiash]

Wish. Very interesting thought. Now you have me thinking. I just don't think that a ski that I have no confidence in will help me but I could be wrong. I don't have a problem initiating the turn. My problem is finishing it. I am always eager to get back on the handle right out of the ball and therefore get pulled straight to the buoy after the wakes. I feel like if I could figure this concept out, any ski would be great for me. Bad habits suck to get rid of.

[alex38]

I used to love the feeling of cheating death (or hard passes) on my d3's, but now as I age I got on an A2 which is fairly forgiving, but what I like even more is how it rewards attempts at good form. I.E. if I counter halfway decent she turns all the way to the wake.

[ToddA]

@Wish, I found the same thing with the HO S2. May not be the most "forgiving ski" to many of my bad habits, but it is a ski that I found that I could grow with and actually "learn" better technique. @mbabiash, I am right there with you in just shortening to -22 and -28, and I feel the HO S2 has been a great ski for me.

[Waternut]

@Wish I think your concept of forgiving is almost opposite of my own. My thoughts of an unforgiving ski punish me by sending OTF, stuffing the tip, blowing the tail, or ripping my back muscles to shreds when I'm not doing things perfectly. Meanwhile a forgiving ski prevents me from doing these horribly painful things and gives me extra time to correct bad movements before they get too bad.

[jipster43]

I have horrible form and a PB of 2@32' off so take this with a grain of salt!

 

I went from an Elite, to a Goode Fire, and now I am on the 6.0, and I have found that the 6.0's forgiving nature has allowed me to improve my technique without banging my head against the wall. When I get too far forward and bent at the waist, I can often avoid an OTF and that wasn't the case with the other skis.

 

I don't believe forgiving skis mask mistakes. They simply fail to severely punish you for them. Giving more confidence, and confidence breeds better performances.

[gregy]

@waternut and @jipster43 that's exactly what I'm talking about. I can't take the punishment anymore, just takes the fun out it.

[Skoot1123]

When getting a high performance ski there will no doubt be times when it is unforgiving - but when it is used right will get you to the ball earlier than you thought possible. In order to take that high performance ski and make it a little more forgiving, try reducing your boat speed by a half mph or 1 mph and see how that goes. Even a LITTLE extra time can make the difference of making a pass with good form or just making a pass by sheer will and determination. I'd rather it be with good form - and I'll take the slower speed just to make it a little easier. Then when I am comfortable I'll ratchet up the speed - and with good form that TRUE performance of the ski will shine. A high performance ski is this - high speed AND maneuverability! Good/Great form is ALWAYS rewarded.

[mbabiash]

@wish tell me more about the s2 and not pushing it in the turn. You've really got me thinking that I need a ski that is more of a trainer than forgiving. Is it tip or tail sensitive or both. As I said earlier, my problem is letting the ski turn all the way to the wakes hence loading later.

[Wish]

It stalls out and doesn't finish the turn clean and all the way if you shuv on the back leg to get it to come around. I tell myself to keep soft ankles through the turn and it finishes nice with speed and becomes an easy hookup and go. Crazy stable, fast, wide and early if I do this. But, old habits die hard and even now when I get in trouble the auto "slam the turn" comes back and it never works out well and just compounds the bad pass into a worse one.

[kona]

@mbabiash @whish

Like wish said

 

"My problem was snapping the ski around the ball, stalling and then rocketing across the wakes. All well and good if you're in your 20s. I'm not. My goal became to hunt down a ski that would not let me do this inefficient and damaging ski style"

 

As I grow in age and hopefully wisdom every year I have begun to look for equipment and technique that allows me to ski smarter and not harder. I begin to tweak little things that allows me to keep skiing as much as I want on and off the water (snow). Find the product that works for you now if you need to cheat it maybe its not whats best.

[Razorskier1]

I want a ski that lets me get to the next ball when I make a mistake in a tournament setting. In practice, I want to focus on skiing "right" at all times so I don't need the ski to save me. Seems like most skis will treat you right if you ski right, but they all behave differently under stress.

[BlueSki]

I am on the S2 as well. If I ski through the turn in good position, it's ability to maintain speed back to the wakes is great, but push on the tail hard to complete the turn and you are doing the opposite of what the ski does best... making it easy on you.

[MISkier]

I just bought a Goode 9960 this summer from one of our club members. One of the main differences I noticed about it and other Goodes (9100, 9300, 9500, 9600) that I have had was that it allowed me to stand on the tip and it still turned rather than stopping. Actually, it turned really well and supported me in a way that surprised me and gave me a bit more confidence to push its limits. My first 6 passes on that ski convinced me to buy it. If that is what everybody means by forgiving, then I want that. I seem to recall some discussion from Rossi regarding the original (or gen 2) Strada development about the ability to press the tip a bit and a design specifically to deliver that turning without stopping. So, it may not be totally about rewarding bad form, but allowing for some ability to bleed speed or correct lateness to the buoy.

 

I don't want a ski that will allow me to ski bent at the waist with my arms out, butt back, and shoulders forward (not sure what that design would look like anyway). I do want a ski that will respond to some slight corrections at the turn without an OTF or tail blow out.

[rawly]

My skiing is hit and miss as yours is Matt.I can run a super easy -32 then miss the next one. My biggest fault is moving around too much on the ski. With that being said , the Vapor works best for me. It turns well no matter where I am on it. Good thing I have a forgiving wife , the Vapor is the 4th top end ski to be delivered in the last month.