Pick a ski for me please :)

[escmanaze]

Hi Folks,

I posted this video a few weeks back for some coaching. I have since had limited availability of skiing and even more limited availability for video, but I think I took some good things from the coaching that I'm starting to incorporate, nevertheless, I am still very much the same skier you see here.

 

 

This is 32 mph at 15 off on a 2012 69" radar senate.

 

My other ski is a 2012 68" Radar Vice-C.

 

At or after 32 mph, I feel like it's time to transition away from the 69" senate, but as I transition into the Vice-C at 32 mph, the overall vibe I get is that this ski was not meant for this speed and line length. I feel like it would probably be a great ski for 34 mph and 28 off, but that's not where I'm at.

 

So let's pick two spots. 32 mph and 15 off and 34 mph and 15 off. That is the practice personal best now and the next step I will be chasing. For those two levels and the skier you see here, what ski would you recommend for me.

 

To be clear, I'm not looking for a ski to grow into. I'm fine with buying new skis every year or two. I'm only looking for the ski that will make these two passes as easy as possible. I'm not worried about the future right now, I'm living in the present. Also, for the sake of discussion, cast money aside and pretend for a moment like it doesn't matter. I want to know the best ski for me and then I'll proceed to make the decision of whether or not I can afford it.

 

For now let's call me 5'11" 175 lbs.

 

Thanks for your input.

[76SS]

Let's start with, that was a pretty good looking run. I would say that the Senate is a pretty good ski for where you are right now and capable of shorter line lengths. That said, at 175 a 69 seems rather large. I would look into the graphite Senate in a 67. At 175 your fall well within the 160 - 200 lb range recommended by Radar.

 

[skihard]

The ski is definitely too big. You should be riding a 67" ski. You will feel way more in touch with the ski and you will be able to make better body alignment changes.

A good example of this is in the video you just posted your hips are back and it doesn't appear that you are getting the ski to come all the way around the turn of your offside.

If you're going to ski lots, and ski to improve, get a good ski and good bindings...........you'll be glad you did! :)

[Marco]

Agree with @skihard regarding ski size. As for what to get, I would consider a D3 if I was you. All of their skis that I have ridden have a really big sweet spot, are high performance, but don't punish you for mistakes.

[TallSkinnyGuy]

I ski right at your level and am the same weight as you (though I am substantially taller). I am currently on a 67" Senate.

 

I have been on the 2012 Connelly V, 2015 Radar Alloy Senate and 2014 Connelly Prophecy -- all 67" skis. I found the Prophecy to be too much for me -- more performance than I needed and not as stable and forgiving as I needed (kinda like your Vice). The V and the Senate are great skis for our level (I'm sure the HO TX and CX should also be in the consideration set, though I've never tried them). If I was more consistent at running my -15/34mph passes I would strongly consider rewarding myself with a 2017 Radar Graphite Senate or Connelly Carbon V.

[shansen345]

67" Radar Lithium Senate. Or 67" HO CX SL. I've heard the Connelly Carbon V is good too, but I don't know as much about it as I do the Radar or HO. I'd go with the Senate of the three.

[waterskigirl]

67 D3 NRG, you have already been on the Senate and similar is the HO CX if you really want to change move up not sideways!

[Jaypro]

I am at your level and the same size as you. I am skiing on a 67 HO TX Super Lite and love it. Don't let the wide ride fool you, this ski rips and is very forgiving of this old mans mistakes.

[ScarletArrow]

Choosing a ski is a very personal choice - it's going to take some trial and error.

 

One thing for sure is that 69" is too big.

 

I'm assuming that you're taking a couple of passes at 28, 30, 32 before you get to your hardest pass of 34mph.

 

Each ski manufacturer is going to have a ski that can handle that. Do your research and narrow down your choices.

 

Do a demo program from @perfski and try a couple of different skis and find the one you like.

 

I personally like to wait a year before jumping on the latest and greatest model. Find a proven design and work on your form.

 

Or you can just buy a new ski because it's fun to try something different!

[Jaypro]

I really want to ski the Radar Senate Lithium, I am using the TX. For me it's going to come down to the TX or the Senate 67.

[lpskier]

I agree with the poster above: that was a good looking pass. I think you have a lot of good things working for you.

 

I can't pick a ski for you, but if I was skiing where you are, I would pick the Carbon V. It will work great for you at your ability level now, but will continue to serve you well as you advance. My ski partner ran -35 @34 on a Carbon V.

 

The same size ski will serve you well at 32 and 34.

 

The last I knew, H2OProShop had 2016 Carbon V's on special. The 16 and 17 are the same skis.

[escmanaze]

Well, I went broke over the weekend. I ended up deciding that I'm just simply not ready for the high performance Vice-C yet, so I'm going to sell it. I decided to stick with the senate and just get one that is actually sized correctly for me - 67". I did get the lithium though, as Brooks said there is very little, if any, downside to upgrading from alloy to graphite and graphite to lithium, except money of course. He also recommended that I stick with my current vector boots while I change skis and then move up to profiles at a later date.

 

So then the question is this: I've never moved my own bindings before. Does anybody know if there is a torque rating I should follow for putting on the bindings? I don't want to strip the threads, but I also don't want to go too loose and have them come out.

 

Thanks again to all of you for the discussion.

 

 

 

[skialex]

No need for exact science, just don't overdo it, hold the screwdriver at your fingertips and use a Philips 2 (ph2) screwdriver.

[OldboyII]

And check it once a week...

[Bill22]

Awesome! Considering that you are now on the correct size ski you will probably feel like you just upgraded from a school buss to a Corvette.

[eddie_roberts_jr]

If you are just going to be holding the screwdriver with your fingertips you'll need to have pretty strong fingers, either that or give each screw another 1/4 turn holding the screwdriver tightly.

[C5Quest]

Can't say enough about my 2017 Lithium Senate. I'm 5-7" 175lbs and it's a great ski to progress on. Also have a 67 Vapor pro build and it was too much to learn on. I'll prob just sell it or hold on to it for when i get better. Second day on the senate and I'm running 22 off easier than I was running 15 off. Love it. It's still fast and much more forgiving. Easier to get up and feel less fatigued after a set.

[DaveD]

Check your screws before you ski every time until you are comfortable they are staying tight. I have to tighten a couple almost every time I ski.

[Jski]

After viewing the video, either of the skis will work. I would highly recommend you read The Fin Whisperer. It has changed our groups skiing-added years to us 50+ old guys & has helped with the zero off pull.

[packski]

One thing I like about bigger skis is the ability to really slow the boat down and work on technique and not beating yourself up with the drag. Bigger skis are alright at slower speeds and up to 28 off. Anything faster and shorter, you'll definitely need a shorter ski.

[escmanaze]

@Jski I have bought the fin whisperer, but I have not read it yet. I just recently bought the radar loaded tool kit so I'm now ready to head into that world, but I'm not quite in that world yet. Thanks again for a little more motivation to get in there.

 

[escmanaze]

2018 Radar Lithium Senate first impressions review from a sub-average Joe

 

5'11" 175 lbs

 

Well I got to take out my new ski today. Sorry I couldn't get any video because only the wife and 4 year old were with me. I do have some initial thoughts, that I'm hoping stand the test of time as they are mostly all positive.

 

My first pass I ran 30 mph -15. This is usually a pretty easy pass for me and I don't really miss them. However, after going through, I asked my wife if the perfect pass actually held speed through the course expecting her to say that it didn't, and it was going slow. Nope, she said it held great, and I was immediately wondering if this was the best money ever spent.

 

From there, though, we went to 32 mph -15 where I usually get maybe half my passes. It kind of blew up in my face. The ski was different enough that pass after pass, my timing just seemed to rarely be right due to all the new found speed I had just suddenly come up with. I was pumped to have the speed because when I demo'd the CX superlight in May, that was my one big takeaway was that the ski was super fast, and I felt like with a little practice I could turn that into a good thing and I was kind of sad at my skis for not generating that much speed that easily. So I'm staying positive because I'm excited to have this extra speed, but at the same time, it is ruining my passes because it seems I have to completely recalibrate all my timing. So my skiing for the remainder of the 2 sets was pretty rough as I'm trying figure out timing.

 

Then on my third set, it all came together. I felt like I was finally getting my timing together and the passes started feeling really good. I only took 3 passes on this set because I was very tired, but on the third one, I felt comfortable enough to take Will Ashers advice from the Demo day in May to reach more at the balls. This was just another step in the right direction as it seemed to help me manage the new found speed better and I finished on a 3 pass set running all 3 really solid with my last pass being the best of all of them.

 

This ski seems to be a perfect middle ground between my two old skis (2012 69" Senate and 2012 68" Vice-C). The old Senate always felt great at 28 mph and 30 mph, but felt like it started shying away from getting too aggressive on my 32 mph pass. It felt like I didn't have to tug so hard to get cross-course speed, but once I got out to the turn with all that speed, it didn't seem super excited to rip an aggressive turn too tight. The Vice-C was the opposite. It had no problem turning, but it seemed to just want me to be a lot stronger person than I am in order to generate good cross-course speed. With that ski I could ski it OK if I was fresh, but it wore me out really quickly as I am quite a weakling. This new Senate seems to be a really good compromise on the turning, not quite as sticky in the turns as the Vice-C, but a good amount better than the old Senate. It might be better than both of them at generating speed. Still not as fast as that superfast CX superlite, much faster than the old two skis and the speed seems easier to generate.

 

So I think in the end, the Vice-C was just too advanced for me. I'll probably sell the Vice-C to somebody who is a better skier than me and hope this new Senate can take me to 34 mph and then maybe even get to -22 before thinking about the next ski. I'll keep the old 69" Senate around in case I get fat or rusty again and need to be running 28 mph and also keep it around because it seems to be a really good ski for a bunch of my buddies getting started into the course going 26 mph.