• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Does a woman's ski need a unique name or is the unisex name with W good enough?

  • A unique name is better

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • Unisex model name with W is fine

    Votes: 21 80.8%

  • Total voters
    26

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
This question is for women only. If you're a dude and you have a woman/girl in your life who isn't a member here, and would like to relay her thoughts after you ask her this question, please do so, but do not add your personal thoughts to this thread. This is why.

I was recently at a trade show and got involved with a discussion amongst a handful of men about ski names and graphics and how relatable they are to women. These guys were specifically talking about brands that have a model for men and use the same name with a W for women.
For instance, the women's version of the Brahma is the Black Pearl, Rossignol had the Experience line for men and Temptation line for women, but now its just Experience and Experience W.
This group of men asked me, because I was the only woman in the conversation, what my thoughts are and to be quite honest, I think I'm not the right woman to ask because I'm so immersed into the ski world that its not a big deal to me one way or the other.
One of the guys in the group suggested that we get some other women to chime in, and this is why I'm asking for female feedback only in this thread. These guys really want to know what women think.
Thank you to our amazing Pugski men for understanding.

I'm going to add a few models and pictures. Any feedback you can give would be great, about any or all of these, names and/or graphics
Fischer - Instead of Ranger W, they add a My to the front of the ski name
Fischer My Ranger (This is a primary ski that brought this conversation to the forefront, because someone asked if a women relate to the name Ranger)
IMG_0055.JPG

Dynastar Legend W
IMG_0018.JPG

Rossignol Experience W
IMG_4198.jpg


Atomic Vantage W
No picture
Atomic Backland W
No picture
K2 Mindbender and Mindbender Alliance
IMG_0098.JPG
 
Thread Starter
TS
Tricia

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
I'm fine with a unisex name with a W. Easier to remember so if someone wants a women's ski they just find the model and then look for the W.
And, what do you think of the graphic tweaks for the women's versions I have posted above?
 

Jilly

Lead Cougar
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,412
Location
Belleville, Ontario,/ Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Instead of W why not L. I think it was Salomon did that a few years ago. Because the graphic wasn't too girlie either, we actually sold some to (L) light guys! I have a hard time with the different names for basically the same ski.

Those graphics are fine with me. But then I ski an orange and black ski right now.
 

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
Skier
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Posts
447
Location
SLC
I feel like I react less to the name system and more to the idea of having easy access to the reviews & media hype that you get with the men's versions? I like the idea of matching names because I'm terrible of keeping track of who matches who if they have different names. As someone in exile in the Midwest-adjacent, I don't get to demo much, and online reviews are basically 99% of my information about new skis.

At the same time, my chef looked at me today and informed me that I qualify as "a micro-person," so when I read an enthusiastic review from some guy who's literally twice my weight, I tend to be a little skeptical about whether they're really describing what I would get out of that ski. Combining that with the lack of reviews always has me kind of turned around about what the women's version really is or isn't.

As far as graphics.... I grew up on park skis, in the golden age of K2/Line discovering that they could just spew nonsense graphics & digital print random photographs on half of the freestyle line. The grey+one color minimalist topsheets that are in style right now are boring on the women's side and somehow even more boring on the men's side. Everyone is being a dullard, viva la donut print, etc. etc. etc.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,907
Location
Behavioral sink
herself sez : "If in overlapping size breaks the flex or sidecut are different, the ski deserves a different name - it is de facto a different ski. If the ski is the same at the same size, there simply shouldn't be a distinction. Just call it a 148cm 'unisex'. No W. No silly name changes. Oh and can I let her get back to her writing?"
 
Thread Starter
TS
Tricia

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
What if the name of the unisex ski is quite masculine, as noted with the Fischer Ranger?
 

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
Skier
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Posts
447
Location
SLC
What if the name of the unisex ski is quite masculine, as noted with the Fischer Ranger?

Wouldn't mind the name, but I guess seeing it on paper would make me wonder if they really put the same amount of effort into the women's, vs. making a short men's ski or a long junior ski & calling it a day? Wouldn't care at all if there was evidence of effort from the design team & good reviews of the W version.

ETA: Coalition is basically doing the opposite, but it makes me think of them & the fact that I would be totally willing to ski something that's explicitly marketed on the long & strong side, because they've communicated the design intent so clearly. I think women's skis sometimes suffer from a bit of a "we made THESE!!!!! .... and also this women's version" effect. I never really know if that reflects the design team's effort level, or just that there's more reviewers on the men's side, but either way it throws me for a loop.
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
Tricia

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
Wouldn't mind the name, but I guess seeing it on paper would make me wonder if they really put the same amount of effort into the women's, vs. making a short men's ski or a long junior ski & calling it a day? Wouldn't care at all if there was evidence of effort from the design team & good reviews of the W version.
In this case, they absolutely put the effort into it, which is why they are asking.
You should see a review on the MyRanger from me this winter.
:D
 

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
Skier
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Posts
447
Location
SLC
In this case, they absolutely put the effort into it, which is why they are asking.
You should see a review on the MyRanger from me this winter.
:D

I'm excited!! The fact that they're asking seems like a good sign, haha.
 

RuleMiHa

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Sep 2, 2017
Posts
576
Location
Philadelphia, PA
In general my wish for ski equipment was that more information was available and that it was standardized. I'd like bindings and boots to list deltas, forward leans and ramp angles. I'd like flex to to be standardized etc. So in that vein, I'd want the naming conventions to mean something. I would like it if meant skis with a W (or L or F) were just pinked and shrinked (so to speak) but that if it had an entirely different name there were more complex differences.

I ski a unisex ski so I don't really care what the ski is I just wish the information was more easily available. It would be useful to have an easy way to know when the women's model was essentially the same (especially for availability, sales, and demos).
 

flbufl

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Jan 31, 2017
Posts
246
What about the Birdie suffix of Black Crows and Motion of Stockli? It seems to be the best of both worlds.

This question is for women only. If you're a dude and you have a woman/girl in your life who isn't a member here, and would like to relay her thoughts after you ask her this question, please do so, but do not add your personal thoughts to this thread. This is why.

I was recently at a trade show and got involved with a discussion amongst a handful of men about ski names and graphics and how relatable they are to women. These guys were specifically talking about brands that have a model for men and use the same name with a W for women.
For instance, the women's version of the Brahma is the Black Pearl, Rossignol had the Experience line for men and Temptation line for women, but now its just Experience and Experience W.
This group of men asked me, because I was the only woman in the conversation, what my thoughts are and to be quite honest, I think I'm not the right woman to ask because I'm so immersed into the ski world that its not a big deal to me one way or the other.
One of the guys in the group suggested that we get some other women to chime in, and this is why I'm asking for female feedback only in this thread. These guys really want to know what women think.
Thank you to our amazing Pugski men for understanding.

I'm going to add a few models and pictures. Any feedback you can give would be great, about any or all of these, names and/or graphics
Fischer - Instead of Ranger W, they add a My to the front of the ski name
Fischer My Ranger (This is a primary ski that brought this conversation to the forefront, because someone asked if a women relate to the name Ranger)
View attachment 63175
Dynastar Legend W
View attachment 63173
Rossignol Experience W
View attachment 63174
Atomic Vantage W
(Picture coming)
Atomic Backland W
(Picture Coming)
 

Analisa

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Dec 29, 2017
Posts
982
I like when names & topsheets have some panache. I'm a total west coast skier where all my skis are fat enough to be visually interesting, and when I'm getting footy of friends doing tricks, even better when the bases are fun too (I'm obsessed with skis like this year's Bent 120s). When brands try to find find a happy medium, it usually comes off a little bland (the Souls & Experience lines don't really do it for me) - with the exception of Black Crows. I love their topsheets and I extra love them for somehow getting a bunch of aggressive dude bros skiing on skis with pink!

Love a lot of the Line Pandora topsheets. Armada's are amazing. I didn't love the TSTw or VJJ as skis, but I miss seeing the topsheets around the resort. Kikus and Auras have always been pretty. And I miss the old Elysian & Century/Millennium styles from Atomic. Coalition's are really fun.

What I hate is really infantilized names and topsheets for women. I've said it in another thread and I've mentioned it to a friend who's on the K2 Alliance, but I really, really hate the Luv line. Luvs are diapers. Going to a ski shop to try on a pair of Luvs? Better hope they know you mean the ski boot. FulLUVit? You call someone "full of it" when they're not credible or overconfident. Weird thing to name a ski. Weird message for women. And 11 year old Analisa would've been a huge fan of the topsheets - they would've coordinated so well with the Limited-Too-circa-2004 aesthetic I had going on. But my tastes have thankfully evolved a lot since then. I also didn't love the Barbie pink of the Santa Ana 110 last year (even though I still bought them), nor the 100 that would've gone perfectly with a pair of coordinating Elsa poles, but Nordica's topsheets have a tendency to be bad all around, so I appreciate that it's not a gender thing.
 

socalgal

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,566
herself sez : "If in overlapping size breaks the flex or sidecut are different, the ski deserves a different name - it is de facto a different ski. If the ski is the same at the same size, there simply shouldn't be a distinction. Just call it a 148cm 'unisex'. No W. No silly name changes. Oh and can I let her get back to her writing?"
I agree with this sentiment. And graphics are a secondary consideration for me, mostly.
 

socalgal

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,566
Oh, and the Legend's graphics look like they are for 12yo boys, the Rossi colors are ugly, and the Ranger graphics are boring. But I'm not picky. :roflmao:
I like the Ranger graphics, Rossy's are blah, and the legend's look silly;)
 

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
Skier
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Posts
447
Location
SLC
I know it's petty, but I'm still on my 2014 Kenjas and refuse to demo a new pair until their topsheet czars see sense; every year they come up with something more tedious. The 2019s are a crime against color theory and I'm scared to see what those monsters come up with next.
 

RuleMiHa

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Sep 2, 2017
Posts
576
Location
Philadelphia, PA
I know it's petty, but I'm still on my 2014 Kenjas and refuse to demo a new pair until their topsheet czars see sense; every year they come up with something more tedious. The 2019s are a crime against color theory and I'm scared to see what those monsters come up with next.
Completely agree! Every year for the last four years they've gotten uglier. Yuck
 
Thread Starter
TS
Tricia

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
27,298
Location
Reno
Oh, and the Legend's graphics look like they are for 12yo boys, the Rossi colors are ugly, and the Ranger graphics are boring. But I'm not picky. :roflmao:
Really? I like the Legend graphics, even more than the current one.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top