Miniature Woman Seeks Less Annoying Bump Skis - Demo Ideas?

[tball]

I'd suggest a demo of a Nordica Astral 84

There are a ton of great options mentioned, Astral 78...

So, is the Astral the woman's version of the Navigator?

Looking at the Nordica website, the Astral 78 seems to line up with the Navigator 80, and the Astral 84 with the Navigator 85. If so, I'll be considering the 78 for my wife who is also tiny, yet at 15% heavier than the OP still on 146's (Nordica Bell to Bells). Nice to see the Astrals come in 144cm.

I posted a bunch about the amazing versatility of the Nav 80 to ski bumps and all over the mountain from kid-speed to hard-charging in various threads last season:

SkiTalk | Ski reviews, Ski Selector

www.pugski.com

 

[jmills115]

@Philpug et. al., any thoughts on who would have the best selection of tweener skis in the SLC area? It looks like Christy Sports has some, but I'm not sure where else to look. I guess my concern with that route is that I went straight from lighter-end tween skis to the Kenjas, and there was some, uhhhhh..... relationship breakdown between me & my tween skis towards the end there. Willing to give them a try, just super loathe to drop the money on a pair without demoing them first.

If you will be skiing Alta and want to demo go to the Holladay Powderhouse to start. You can then switch out during the day at any Powderhouse at Alta and not pay the resort tax.
This week I saw Santa Ana (93 I think) demos for sale at Alta Sports on the Albion Side for $249ish.

Edit-I’m not sure what they have specific to tweener skis but....801.987.3005

 

[jack97]

.....but suddenly had a moment the other day where I realized that I don't *love* them in bumps.... and bumps are probably 90% of what I ski. Some of it is definitely user error, but I just find them a bit unwieldy and unforgiving in tight spaces. I love the stability on groomers from the Kenjas and don't want to go so soft and light that I'm totally giving that up every time I grab these new skis, but curious if there's something that would be a little more forgiving in the bumps.

How about a 153 cm K2 244? It's a bump ski, but I bought mine to use as a whirly-twirly ski. I plan on getting them out for the first time on New Year's Day. Easier to find online than in a store, though. @SkiEssentials is where I got mine.

From your OP, IMO, the K2 244 would be an excellent choice. Since you're skiing bumps 90% of the time, try a dedicated mogul ski. It was a popular skis used by women in the moguls World Cup circuit. The scoring has changed such that both men and women are using stiffer skis for present day competition. However, the 244 is still a good entry ski for the bumps. From reliable sources, they are a soft bump ski and they have the flex pattern to ski bumps in tight spaces. Its narrow underfoot which allows for quicker edge to edge movement.

 

[lisamamot]

So, is the Astral the woman's version of the Navigator?

Looking at the Nordica website, the Astral 78 seems to line up with the Navigator 80, and the Astral 84 with the Navigator 85. If so, I'll be considering the 78 for my wife who is also tiny, yet at 15% heavier than the OP still on 146's (Nordica Bell to Bells). Nice to see the Astrals come in 144cm.

According to the rep I spoke with, the Astral is the women's Navigator. I have not been on the Astral 78, but demoed the Astral 84 and loved it. I am just shy of 5'9" and 140ish and skied the 165 and didn't overpower it, but expect I may prefer the 172 (next time I demo I will try the Navigator 85 172 since they never bring the longest women's to a demo). A friend of mine is 5'5"/125 and skied the Astral 84 165 and was wowed as well; she felt very comfortable on that length.

 

[Uncle-A]

I was wondering if the guys in the community should drop out of this thread and let only the women of the community reply. Because if there is one thing I have learned in 40 years of marriage is that I do not know what women want. Besides from what I have read we have some very competent women here so let them give the best advice.

 

[Analisa]

The only thing I’d add to the list that hasn’t been mentioned several times over - Pandora 84. Light, nice poppy flex. Love my 95s in tight trees and the new 84/94/104 iteration balanced the flex out a little more to make them more stable.

 

[LuliTheYounger]

The only thing I’d add to the list that hasn’t been mentioned several times over - Pandora 84. Light, nice poppy flex. Love my 95s in tight trees and the new 84/94/104 iteration balanced the flex out a little more to make them more stable.

Ooh, that's an interesting one; thank you!

 

[tinymoose]

I'm 5'1 and 95ish lbs. I've been on the Volkl Kenjas for four or five seasons and really like them in most conditions, but suddenly had a moment the other day where I realized that I don't *love* them in bumps.... and bumps are probably 90% of what I ski. Some of it is definitely user error, but I just find them a bit unwieldy and unforgiving in tight spaces. I love the stability on groomers from the Kenjas and don't want to go so soft and light that I'm totally giving that up every time I grab these new skis, but curious if there's something that would be a little more forgiving in the bumps. Only idea so far is the DPS Yvette Foundations, but would love to get some other options to compare those against.

I'm basically the same size as you. I had the Kenjas in a 149 and currently own the Yumis in 147 in addition to a pair of junior SL skis. I'm not sure that I'd consider the Yumis a great bump/mogul ski, but they're more than serviceable and certainly more forgiving/softer in the bumps than the Kenjas. I actually wonder how much you're able to bend the Kenjas at your size? I loved the Kenjas too, but didn't realize until I got on the Yumis that I wasn't really bending the skis all that much.

I can't really speak to a great bump ski, b/c both the race skis and Yumis I own are pretty stiff in the tail. The Black Pearl is a much better bump ski based on its characteristics, although still on the wide side. I had a chance to demo it in a 145 a couple years ago at Alta, same year I tried the new Yumi, and it made me feel like a mogul rockstar. Very turny and soft, but I hated it on groomers. B/c of the length and softness, I just felt like it had no gas pedal to it. But if you want a good all-mtn ski that's softer in the bumps, then def consider demoing the Yumis. The new Yumis with the titanal band are basically a Kenja-lite in feel. But I love camber and a stiffer tail on a ski; that's something I've learned over the years from demoing.

 

[ADKmel]

Add Liberty 76W's to your list. (there are wider models too)
These skis LOVE to Turn, they make tight turns and big turns, a blast in the bumps and piles of snow. I think they will be awesome in the trees..

 

[LuliTheYounger]

I'm basically the same size as you. I had the Kenjas in a 149 and currently own the Yumis in 147 in addition to a pair of junior SL skis. I'm not sure that I'd consider the Yumis a great bump/mogul ski, but they're more than serviceable and certainly more forgiving/softer in the bumps than the Kenjas. I actually wonder how much you're able to bend the Kenjas at your size? I loved the Kenjas too, but didn't realize until I got on the Yumis that I wasn't really bending the skis all that much.

I can't really speak to a great bump ski, b/c both the race skis and Yumis I own are pretty stiff in the tail. The Black Pearl is a much better bump ski based on its characteristics, although still on the wide side. I had a chance to demo it in a 145 a couple years ago at Alta, same year I tried the new Yumi, and it made me feel like a mogul rockstar. Very turny and soft, but I hated it on groomers. B/c of the length and softness, I just felt like it had no gas pedal to it. But if you want a good all-mtn ski that's softer in the bumps, then def consider demoing the Yumis. The new Yumis with the titanal band are basically a Kenja-lite in feel. But I love camber and a stiffer tail on a ski; that's something I've learned over the years from demoing.

Thank you so much for this review! I think I said upthread that I've been toying with the idea of trying the Yumis for a while and just never got around to it, so this is really good to know! They sound like they could be a really good compromise that would keep most of the stability on groomers that I love in the Kenjas, but with a little more give in the bumps, which is pretty much ideal. I'm curious about the Black Pearls since so many people love them, but that gas pedal feeling with the Kenjas is a little bit addicting, haha.

 

[Augment Skis]

Consider contacting @Augment Skis skis about a custom flex in the All Mountain 77, which I think comes as short as 159cm. If that’s still too long, a Jr ski with a custom flex.

David, thank you for thinking of us, that would be a good approach. @LuliTheYounger you can order Augment Skis in a flex range of 1 to 10 with 10 being the softest. The All-Mountain 77 could be purchased in a soft flex. As a matter of fact, we have more inventory arriving in exactly that ski next week. We asked for Soft which means 8, 9, or 10 so it could be any of those but in general you can order by specific number like a 10 if you want the softest available. the same goes for our junior skis but we only have race skis for junior but you could go with a 148 or 155 slalom w/o the plate and then mount your own bindings.

 

[AmyPJ]

David, thank you for thinking of us, that would be a good approach. @LuliTheYounger you can order Augment Skis in a flex range of 1 to 10 with 10 being the softest. The All-Mountain 77 could be purchased in a soft flex. As a matter of fact, we have more inventory arriving in exactly that ski next week. We asked for Soft which means 8, 9, or 10 so it could be any of those but in general you can order by specific number like a 10 if you want the softest available. the same goes for our junior skis but we only have race skis for junior but you could go with a 148 or 155 slalom w/o the plate and then mount your own bindings.

I want some for my new found love of NASTAR! I’ve heard great things from Phil!

 

[Augment Skis]

I want some for my new found love of NASTAR! I’ve heard great things from Phil!

Amy, happy to get you some to try if you'd like. We're based out of Park City and could meet to get you some demos. We have some more inventory arriving next week.

 

[AmyPJ]

Amy, happy to get you some to try if you'd like. We're based out of Park City and could meet to get you some demos. We have some more inventory arriving next week.

Ummm yes, please!

 

[trailtrimmer]

Ummm yes, please!

Try the Jr GS in a soft/medium 174 or stiff 164. SL skis become very limiting in NASTAR and teach habits that will need to be broken when moving to a cheater GS or real gs ski.

 

[SSSdave]

Noticed these used 147cm Hart F17 Rocket's for sale for just $87.50? Can't beat that price as a gamble.

https://www.geartrade.com/item/308689/2013-hart-f17-rocket-mogul-skis-147cm

An old review relates they are for lightweight folks and juniors.

https://www.skimag.com/gear/hart-f17-rocket-2013

 

[AmyPJ]

Try the Jr GS in a soft/medium 174 or stiff 164. SL skis become very limiting in NASTAR and teach habits that will need to be broken when moving to a cheater GS or real gs ski.

174 for someone who is 165cm?
I could see a 164, which is 1cm shorter than my all-mountain Santa Ana 88. Not sure how stiff I want to go, as I have to ski about 2000 vertical from the top of the mountain on a variety of terrain to get to the Nastar course.

 

[trailtrimmer]

174 for someone who is 165cm?
I could see a 164, which is 1cm shorter than my all-mountain Santa Ana 88. Not sure how stiff I want to go, as I have to ski about 2000 vertical from the top of the mountain on a variety of terrain to get to the Nastar course.

Making nicely adhered round turns on a softer, longer ski is faster than sliding turns on a stiffer short ski. It's worth it to demo longer and softer if it is available to test.

This should actually be another whole thread. Now back to bump skis.

 

[Philpug]

Noticed these used 147cm Hart F17 Rocket's for sale for just $87.50? Can't beat that price as a gamble.

https://www.geartrade.com/item/308689/2013-hart-f17-rocket-mogul-skis-147cm

An old review relates they are for lightweight folks and juniors.

https://www.skimag.com/gear/hart-f17-rocket-2013

I don't think that is a Blossom ski..IIRC it was produced at another manufacturer....and these were not good skis. If it IS a Blossom ski, it is a steal.

 

[Eric267]

Not really sure about the lineup but have been seeing coalition skis around more and more. I really dig the graphics..

Their thing is skis produced specifically “for women by women”. Might be worth a visit (think your a Tahoe skier?) since they just opened a storefront in the 7-11/blue coyote plaza in Truckee. https://www.coalitionsnow.com/produ...-ski-taken-for-granite?variant=10662172164132