2015 Connelly GT vs 2016 question

[Nautique196]

New member to BOS, been following for years and have learned a ton. I'm a 15/22 off 32/34 MPH course skier over 40 yrs old. Hoping to get into 28 off next year. I'm currently on a 67" 2011 Senate C which I enjoy. I rode the original Prophecy this summer for a set and liked the stability and the turns more than my Senate however it tired me out sooner. I recently skied an old F1x for giggles and really enjoyed it as well, I felt it rolled up and held angle easier than my senate, but like the prophecy it was a tiring experience.

 

My question is for someone at my level of skiing are the "tweaks" in the 2016 GT vs 2015 GT going to have any impact on my skiing? I'd love to hear from some ballers! I cannot afford a new GT but have a line on a 2015 in my price range.

 

Thanks in advance for any comments

[Glydon]

Although I have no experience on either GT 15 or 16 I can pretty well tell you it will tire you just as soon , the high end slaloms regardless of brand are designed to turn 6 balls where the "crossover" skis , Senate & C , HO CX and CX SL , Connelly V and V carbon ride higher in the water and subsequently do not tire you as soon. FWIW I am 46 and am looking at a HO A2 ... yes I will tire quicker but the trade off for me is worth it , less sets but at higher performance. I think you are likely already on the right ski for you. If I could find a CX SL or Senate C I would be buying them. That being said , how much for your 2011 Senate C ? :)

[Horton]

The first-gen prophecy was significantly slow and a lot of work. It had other attributes that were darn interesting but it would wear you out. The later generation prophecies were much faster.

 

The GT is not the fastest ski on the market but is certainly less work than the first gen prophecy

[Horton]

Read this http://goo.gl/fY8WJ8

[Nautique196]

Thanks Horton. Really enjoy your gear reviews. Do you think the changes to the 15 gt vs the 16 gt will be of any significance to a skier of my level?

 

 

[nleuth]

@Nautique196 The orange prophecy and the blue GT are 2 of my favorite skies of all time. If you get an orange GT the tip is softer, which may work well for you. I have seen people have more luck in the Orange GT if it is a size up to prevent the tip from stuffing to easy. Hope that helps.

[lpskier]

The 2016 GT is stiffer than the 15, particularly in the tip. Last fall I was told that the 17 would be stiffer still, but apparently that is not the case. I have been advised that there is no structural difference between the 16 and 17.

 

If you ride the back half of the ski, the 15 will probably work fine for you. If you ride the front of the ski, I would steer you away from the 15 and toward the 16. The soft forebody of the 15 has a tendency to grab and overturn. The stiffer tip of the 16 addresses this issue.

 

As to being tired after skiing a Prophecy, Connelly skis tend to ride deeper in the water than some others. If you ski cold water, public water or busy water this can be an advantage. The deeper the ski runs, however, the more drag there may be. Life is a series of compromises. That said, I find the ski to be reasonably fast. I don't have any problems running 8-10 passes per set on my ski (I'm 60 y/o, ski 55k into 11.25), so maybe some time spent on fitness this winter will help you.

 

#iskiconnelly

[lpskier]

As @nleuth implied, the 15 is orange and the 16 is green. #iskiconnelly

[Nautique196]

Thanks again for the responses, very informative. When I commented on being tired from skiing the Prophecy it was an old one, like 2009 with retro graphics. I've skied the orange 2013 Prophecy and wasn't tired at all, it was fairly easy on the body like my Senate C. The 2015 I was looking at is sold so maybe I will wait for the 16's to go on sale.

[Tyler]

@Glydon I have a 2015 Senate Graphite I'd sell you