Should I mount my backup Sickles or fix my old pair?

[tball]

I've got a serious first world problem on which I could use some collective advice.

I love my Rossignol Sickle 181's as my powder and leftovers skis. I've been skiing them for around five years and couldn't be happier, so much so I bought backup pair dirt cheap and they've been sitting in plastic since.

My current Sickles need quite a bit of work. There are multiple core shots, and the edges are a mess from hitting lots of rocks. There's no major edge damage, but enough they'll probably never be the same. That doesn't matter much for the primary duty of these skis, but I do end up on a lot of bumps and a few groomers with these in the afternoon if I don't switch skis. Groomer performance has noticeably degraded, but they are still working well in the bumps.

I probably have 40ish days on days on my current Sickles. Never enough powder days!

I'm about to take a bunch of skis to the shop, and I'm on the fence. Should I fix my old Sickles or mount my new ones? Any thoughts as to why are much appreciated.

 

[crgildart]

5 years is probably enough to call them dead if you've got another pair ready to swap out. I suspect you'll immediately notice a big difference. Sacrifice the wrecked ones to ULLR next fall. Time to start demoing and find the next iteration when they go on clearance a couple years out.

 

[James]

If you keep saving them at some point it'll be too late to use them. Then, you'll have saved for nothing.

Mount the new, fix the old for crappy days.

 

[tball]

Wow, nobody wants me to fix my old Sickles? So sad. That was the way I was leaning.

Maybe an assumption of mine is wrong that I'm unlikely to find another powder ski I love easily, so I should extend the life of these pairs of Sickles. I keep reading threads about people struggling to find a powder ski they like.

I haven't been on any other 110ish skis recently, but I get the feeling that they haven't improved a whole lot in the last five years. Is that incorrect? Any reason to expect them to improve a great deal over the next five years?

Am I wrong in thinking that narrow skis advance and make their previous generations obsolete much more quickly than wider skis?

 

[cantunamunch]

Wow, nobody wants me to fix my old Sickles? So sad. That was the way I was leaning.

Pretty sure @James ' post read on "Do both".

As far as 'unlikely' - you have 5 years to demo stuff against your NOS Sickles, is not finding something in 5 years of demos a real risk?

 

[tball]

Pretty sure @James ' post read on "Do both".

Yes, very true.

I should have mentioned I don't really feel like spending the money on another set of binding for a pair of skis that rarely get used. Having rock powder skis in addition to good powder skis seems redundant for how often they get used, unfortunately. Add to that the condition of the skis really doesn't matter that much to their performance on the soft snow where they mostly get used.

 

[cantunamunch]

I should have mentioned I don't really feel like spending the money on another set of binding for a pair of skis that rarely get used. Having rock powder skis in addition to good powder skis seems redundant for how often they get used, unfortunately. Add to that the condition of the skis really doesn't matter that much to their performance.

OK - then I'll change my vote and warm your heart by telling you to do what you really wanted to do

You're still going to demo more skis, right?

 

[James]

Skis do lose torsional stiffness. Don't know much about Sickles
So, you should just look at for cheap bindings. Then mount the new ones.

 

[ski otter 2]

Hi. So I vote you fix up the old ski, BUT like @James suggested, agree that it would good to add the second, newer pair to your quiver also.

That way you can discover whether there are differences, also whether in fact the old skis are dead.
(My 181 Sickles have more than 70 days on them, plus an unknown number under my son, who used them in the park and gave me a good homework assignment to clean up the edges after he hit the rails. Once I worked on them, these skis are still wonderful on edge.)

I've had a number of skis that I got back up pairs for, I liked them so much (and knew they were being discontinued). Often, I was surprised to find that with a slightly different setup, that supposed same model and length ski felt pleasantly different, like adding a new ski entirely to the old quiver, with both skis still good. As an added bonus, with two pairs of the same ski, even when they felt almost the same, I've really known better when one of the pairs was genuinely shot, for me - not just in need of refurbishing.

On the extra bindings: maybe get a used pair of, say, Marker Schizos or Griffon or Tyrolia demos (all for around 120-150 bucks, on eBay.) I've found I like my 181 Sickles at -1 1/2 to -2 with the Schizos, for best fore-aft balance in uneven crud and bumps.

Note: I have a pair of the same Sickles, 181, I believe. (Will check length to be sure when I get home. I get it confused with the earlier 186? version, as far as length.)
Mine is the last year one, with what look like ice cream scoops on it, not the earlier ones that sort of look like blue galaxy nebulae on a black background. And I believe these work so well for me partly because I only weigh ~150 lbs/5'10". To me, it is one of the best powder/crud carver and chargers out there, still; yet it can be skied just noodling along, really nice. No equal, at what it does in particular, to me. (For much heavier folk, I've been told the earlier versions were stiffer and maybe better.)

Also, yes, there are really good ~110 powder/crud skis out there, more than likely, and ones I've skied. But I've never found one with the same feel - and strengths - of that version of the Rossi Sickle (and the earlier version also, I've heard).

 

[givethepigeye]

Drill baby drill.

 

[James]

Put those new Sickles to work!

 

[Josh Matta]

you really should try the devastators. its gives up alittle hard snow performance to gain a lot in soft snow compared the sickle but the dampness and chop ability is really similar.

 

[Scruffy]

Ski them now! You never know what the future will bring for you and skiing .

 

[François Pugh]

Swap them out. Your Sickles that need fixing becomes your new backup pair; your new in plastic Sickles become your daily use pair. Don't fix the new backup pair until you need them, just in case you find something you like better while waiting to need your new backup pair.

BTW, flawed pole - didn't have this option.

 

[Viking9]

Get on the new ones for sure.
Yes I’m a Sickle owner and a member of the Sickle Club.
One of the most exclusive clubs in the ski world.
And in the immortal words of the curly haired dude Brennan from Step Brothers,,,,,,,,
THAT GOOD.

 

[tball]

Thanks for all the advice! So, I'm doing both!

At least I started doing both. My old Sickles are tuned and repaired and look fantastic thanks to Timur at Snow Hut in Lafayette CO. Thanks for the recommendation @coskigirl !

I'll be looking for a deal on some bindings for my unmounted Sickles over the summer sales to mount the new pair. I'm hoping the MAP pricing on STH2 13's melts with the snow. I watched prices on them for a month or so over the winter and could never find a deal, let alone in the brake width and color I wanted. I broke down and finally gave my money to the evil empire as they have $40 off $200 at Epic Mountain Gear if you sign up on their website. Not too bad if you have to buy something retail.

On the extra bindings: maybe get a used pair of, say, Marker Schizos or Griffon or Tyrolia demos (all for around 120-150 bucks, on eBay.) I've found I like my 181 Sickles at -1 1/2 to -2 with the Schizos, for best fore-aft balance in uneven crud and bumps.

I like the idea of playing with the mount point, but don't want to mess with a good thing. I also have a psychological impediment to anything but STH2's.

And yes, we have the same 181 Sickles. These are mine before the repair. So pretty:

 

[tball]

As far as 'unlikely' - you have 5 years to demo stuff against your NOS Sickles, is not finding something in 5 years of demos a real risk?

You're still going to demo more skis, right?

I don't know. I doubt I'll demo for a long while. Why risk a precious powder day on a ski I might not like when I've got redundancy with skis I love?

Edit: of course, it's just dumb luck my edges survived. (Further comment removed so as not to annoy the ski edge gods who have been so kind.)

 

[tball]

To me, it is one of the best powder/crud carver and chargers out there, still; yet it can be skied just noodling along, really nice. No equal, at what it does in particular, to me. (For much heavier folk, I've been told the earlier versions were stiffer and maybe better.)

Also, yes, there are really good ~110 powder/crud skis out there, more than likely, and ones I've skied. But I've never found one with the same feel - and strengths - of that version of the Rossi Sickle (and the earlier version also, I've heard).

Yes I’m a Sickle owner and a member of the Sickle Club.
One of the most exclusive clubs in the ski world.
And in the immortal words of the curly haired dude Brennan from Step Brothers,,,,,,,,
THAT GOOD.

Thanks for the reassurances @ski otter 2 and @Viking9. It would have been easy to get sucked into FOMO.

you really should try the devastators. its gives up a little hard snow performance to gain a lot in soft snow compared the sickle but the dampness and chop ability is really similar.

Thanks, Josh. I read your great 4FRNT Devastator review and the blister review and they sound great. I could not believe how many people were commenting, still, about the Sickles so many years later on the blister review.

I have a general theory: a good powder ski is like a pickup truck. If it works well for you and you keep it running it will always be good at pickup truck stuff and probably won't show its age as much as other vehicles.

 

[Josh Matta]

Yeah i have no idea why Rossi came out with a black ops 98 and 118. But no 108

 

[coskigirl]

Glad Timur took good care of your skis!