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Looking for recommendation for GS(r) skis

asolo

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First time ever ran gates today. It was a GS training session, so I borrowed a pair of G9 188cm/30m skis (guessing FIS spec). OMG, suddenly I could not ski the same course I previously had had a ball on at all.

I am 150lb/176cm/5'9". It seemed like I could not even start bending those skis. I am not too proud to use a non-spec GS skis. I would still want to use something that would force me to learn new skills.

What length/side cut should I get? I am probably undersized compared to most modern athletes. I really like my Head WC Rebels, thinking to get another pair of Heads.

TIA!
 

razie

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Head makes some nice skis in the 21-25m range. There is no reason to ski a FIS GS ski if you're not a coach or don't spend 100+ days training... Unless you like high speed runs with minimal control :geek:

I would demo a few and settle on a 21-23m. Length, don't go too short, 180+

I have an older Head masters' 183/26m which is really nice, but it may be a handful if you don't train a lot of GS. I find the 23m range more useful.
 

Steve

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I have a pair of Volkl Race Tiger WC 175 women’s GS skis that are perfect for a light man like you. selling for $125.
 

Tony S

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Been there. Even smaller than you.

You PROBABLY need a couple of things.

One is the GS ski. Something like what @razie or @Steve mentioned could be good. This is by far the easier part.

If you have never run gates before, there is only a very small chance that you have a really solid, automatic cleanly carved turn in your bones. Assuming you don't, you need to work on that, or ski choice is meaningless. And a GS ski is the LAST thing you want for learning and burning in this skill - requires too much speed, space, and commitment.

I'm not going to comment on what coaching to acquire or how to acquire it. I will say, because your question was about skis, that I'd STRONGLY recommend getting some kind of short radius, short length carving ski, if you don't already have one, and focusing on getting really comfortable making tight arc to arc turns, on green trails only. Get a race tune on it and maintain the edge. You're building muscle memory for when you get out on the course in survival mode, when you can't and shouldn't think about technique.
 

S.H.

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Head makes some nice skis in the 21-25m range. There is no reason to ski a FIS GS ski if you're not a coach or don't spend 100+ days training... Unless you like high speed runs with minimal control :geek:

I would demo a few and settle on a 21-23m. Length, don't go too short, 180+

I have an older Head masters' 183/26m which is really nice, but it may be a handful if you don't train a lot of GS. I find the 23m range more useful.
If you're really going to get into the racing, I'd ask other racers what they're on. Most masters aren't on a 30m GS ski. They're (typically) on something in the 21-25 m range - either on an older stock women's FIS ski, a "masters" ski, or ... a U16 ski. Ask the coaches. At 150 lb, the U16 ski may be a decent option for you.

Almost all brands make a good product now. Look for deals, look for used gear to save money, and have a blast.
 

sparty

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FWIW, Atomic makes four G9 variants:
1. the G9 that comes with the 14-DIN bindings and the silver tip protector, turning radius 16.8-19.4 m (16.8 in a 165, 19.4 in a 183) — https://shop.atomic.com/en-us/products/redster-g9-x-14-tl-rs-gw-aa4100.html
2. the G9 tweener ("Redster G9 FIS") meant to be a bridge between junior and adult skis) that comes in with 20.3m (173), 24m (180), or 26.2m (186) radii — https://shop.atomic.com/en-us/products/redster-g9-fis-aa3797.html
3. the G9 RS, a masters/USSA/skicross race ski—turn radius of 21m (176), 24.25m (183), or 27.5m (190) — https://shop.atomic.com/en-us/products/redster-g9-rs-aa3873.html
4. the G9 FIS M / G9 FIS W, which is a real-deal FIS-legal GS ski coming in with a 30m radius in 183cm, 188cm, and 193cm lengths

Conventional wisdom is that if you don't need to follow FIS rules, the last one—which you skied—probably isn't the best tool for the job. It will take the most effort and the best technique to make it work; going back up the list, so there is a benefit to learning how to make it work; however, it's also going to take the most effort and might not provide the ideal effort-to-reward ratio, especially at your size. I haven't skied any of the above yet, so I can't comment personally, but when I do get my 30m skis mounted up, I plan for the first day out to be a weekday, because I expect a learning curve.

I suspect other brands will have similar options, particularly non-FIS and FIS variants that are still real race skis. If you're skiing with a club, it may be worth asking around to see if there are any demo opportunities (some clubs will organize such), or if any of your teammates trust you enough to let you try other skis for comparison.
 
Thread Starter
TS
asolo

asolo

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Been there. Even smaller than you.

You PROBABLY need a couple of things.

One is the GS ski. Something like what @razie or @Steve mentioned could be good. This is by far the easier part.

If you have never run gates before, there is only a very small chance that you have a really solid, automatic cleanly carved turn in your bones. Assuming you don't, you need to work on that, or ski choice is meaningless. And a GS ski is the LAST thing you want for learning and burning in this skill - requires too much speed, space, and commitment.

I'm not going to comment on what coaching to acquire or how to acquire it. I will say, because your question was about skis, that I'd STRONGLY recommend getting some kind of short radius, short length carving ski, if you don't already have one, and focusing on getting really comfortable making tight arc to arc turns, on green trails only. Get a race tune on it and maintain the edge. You're building muscle memory for when you get out on the course in survival mode, when you can't and shouldn't think about technique.

Thanks everyone! I am thinking maybe 17-20 meters and 180cm or so.

After reading some more, it sounds like even pros have to work on cleanly carving on a straight ski. My priority is not to go fast, but to go nice. Sounds like longer length and more sidecut is a fine combination for that.
 

James

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The 21m (180) Rossi Masters makes a nice free skiing ski. (Also available 25m/185cm) The squarish tip is its main drawback in free skiing. Get a cheater with a round tip for better free skiing.
417ABE25-9990-4A72-8625-3C67CEC5D4D6.jpeg

Loveland, May 2018
 

S.H.

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Thanks everyone! I am thinking maybe 17-20 meters and 180cm or so.

After reading some more, it sounds like even pros have to work on cleanly carving on a straight ski. My priority is not to go fast, but to go nice. Sounds like longer length and more sidecut is a fine combination for that.
If you are going to train/race a lot of masters GS, I'd caution against a turn radius that low ... you won't be able to flow between gates. Talk to your coaches. I'm betting you'll really prefer something in the 21-25m range after a few weeks of doing this.

Average Masters GS set is in the range of 25-27m. A 17-20m ski will give a lot of dead space between turns hard to have good flow.
 

Josh Matta

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I have some 181cm Blizzard WRC with bindings I'd sell for 400 dollars shipped to you(shipping is quite expensive these days) I am 200lb and they are much too soft for my taste.
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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The 21m (180) Rossi Masters makes a nice free skiing ski. (Also available 25m/185cm) The squarish tip is its main drawback in free skiing. Get a cheater with a round tip for better free skiing.
View attachment 86885
Loveland, May 2018

What is that footwear on the feet of your chairlift buddy?
 

James

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What is that footwear on the feet of your chairlift buddy?
I believe it’s these but with the original power strap. (Seems missing in photo) But I don’t know if his have orange top piece. Thought it was black/yellow. @mdf should post high quality photos with labels. Google gets too many from ebay. They even had one photo linked to epicski.

0E72AFD6-E5FE-45E1-A71E-46193802FA0A.jpeg


In terms of these skis. One has to get over the fear of 20+ meter sidecuts. You really don’t want a 17m/180cm at speed. Even to “go nice”. Just too much sidecut, length doesn’t help. Even free skiing.
If I was going to race masters, my 180 should be the 185/25m. Since you’re light, naybe the 180/21 would work or get a gs ski made for u16’s, the “tweeners” talked about above.

Fwiw, I just spent all day yesterday on a 192/26m fat (95mm) ski. Now that thing has very soft tips, but it’s actually great at short turns. When you want to turn it up, the long sidecut and length is really nice. This from someone who would love to have 6 pairs of slalom skis. Only have 2.

5 yrs ago I would not have believed I’d really like a 26m free ski on groomers. It’s actually Kastle that got me back into large sidecuts some years ago.

You should listen to this as he coaches. I would agree, after a little training a ski < 20m will feel annoying.

If you are going to train/race a lot of masters GS, I'd caution against a turn radius that low ... you won't be able to flow between gates. Talk to your coaches. I'm betting you'll really prefer something in the 21-25m range after a few weeks of doing this.

Average Masters GS set is in the range of 25-27m. A 17-20m ski will give a lot of dead space between turns hard to have good flow.
 

Steve

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I have a pair of Volkl Race Tiger WC 175 women’s GS skis that are perfect for a light man like you. selling for $125.

These are Radius 21 btw. With Marker 12.0 Comp bindings with Piston plates.
 

Johnny V.

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First time ever ran gates today. It was a GS training session, so I borrowed a pair of G9 188cm/30m skis (guessing FIS spec). OMG, suddenly I could not ski the same course I previously had had a ball on at all.

Any idea of the course set? Was this for a Masters training or beer league? Are you racing Masters, beer league, NASTAR or all of the above? Before you make a choice, you may want to determine what type of courses you'll be skiing most of the time.
 

S.H.

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Any idea of the course set? Was this for a Masters training or beer league? Are you racing Masters, beer league, NASTAR or all of the above? Before you make a choice, you may want to determine what type of courses you'll be skiing most of the time.
from context with other posts in other threads, this was at Masters training.
 

Dwight

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Would it make sense to know where one would be skiing? Midwest shorter hills vs East, West, could have some different needs? I don't know, just asking.
 

S.H.

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Would it make sense to know where one would be skiing? Midwest shorter hills vs East, West, could have some different needs? I don't know, just asking.
this is in CO ... but for Masters racing, I think recommendations would be the same. A GS ski is still plenty usable on a shorter hill - there are just fewer turns.

In the US, Masters GS is by rule 23-30m (open gates), typically in the 25-27m range. Even if you go closer to the 23m distance ... a <20m radius isn't going to be great for developing GS technique or tactics.
 

Swede

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You don’t want a shorter radius than set. A longer you can always [learn to] bend into a shorter r, the other way around — you’re smoked.
 

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