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Ski recommendations for a 70 year old (dad)

trailtrimmer

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The Ralleys and Titans are fine skis but don't overlook the Head V8 and V10. They are more forgiving than their Supershape brethren while still offering excellent performance. As @Ron said, so many to choose from!

Indeed. The V8 will be a little better off piste and side stashes. The tip shape that makes the rally and Titan so responsive is a bit hooky in bumps and trees, especially at a 1/3 tune.
 

Ron

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Yeah, demo but my personal experience is that the rally and titan are not good options. Both are decidedly on piste ski that can work in some off piste but why work so hard? The v8 or v10 are better options in the Head line but I would still look at others that have a lot of performance but are not so demanding.
 

Uncle-A

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Yeah, demo but my personal experience is that the rally and titan are not good options. Both are decidedly on piste ski that can work in some off piste but why work so hard? The v8 or v10 are better options in the Head line but I would still look at others that have a lot of performance but are not so demanding.
How many days do you have on the V-8 or the V-10?
 

JimL

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So, the OP's father is 70, uses 10 year old Volkl skis which would probably be around 75mm waist width, and has "slowed down." He skis 90% groomed, and occasional sparse trees, which means he is not skiing ice, moguls, soft snow/powder or steeps to any extent. Nor does it sound like he is just aching to join the pro mogul circuit, jump into Corbett's Couloir, or go heli-skiing in the next few years, it sounds like he is perfectly happy to continue to do what he is doing. In other words, a ski of the same width as what he is (probably) using now is probably the best choice for his new skis. Basically, his profile fits much better with a frontside ski than an all-mountain ski.

The SeniorSkiing website lists recommended skis in collaboration with RealSkiers. Their current list of frontside skis includes the Volkl Deacon 76 and Liberty V76. The Stockli Laser AX is also on the list if you want to go upscale, and the Blizzard Brahma 82, Dynastar Speedzone 4x4 82 Pro, Elan Wingman 82 Ti and CTi are also on the list if you want to go for a little bit wider ski. Note that the Elan Wingman skis are asymmetric, so if he is used to periodically swapping right and left skis those would not be a good choice. That should be a more than adequate list for demo.
 

trailtrimmer

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So, the OP's father is 70, uses 10 year old Volkl skis which would probably be around 75mm waist width, and has "slowed down."

The Kendo and Mantra have both been around that long, hence me asking what his current ski is, we are all flying half blind without that information.
 

Slim

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So, the OP's father is 70, uses 10 year old Volkl skis which would probably be around 75mm waist width, and has "slowed down." He skis 90% groomed, and occasional sparse trees, which means he is not skiing ice, moguls, soft snow/powder or steeps to any extent. Nor does it sound like he is just aching to join the pro mogul circuit, jump into Corbett's Couloir, or go heli-skiing in the next few years, it sounds like he is perfectly happy to continue to do what he is doing. In other words, a ski of the same width as what he is (probably) using now is probably the best choice for his new skis. Basically, his profile fits much better with a frontside ski than an all-mountain ski.

that’s funny, I read the same thing as you, but come to the exact opposite conclusion:
Since he skis easier groomers at moderate speed, any ski will do fine there, he doesn’t need max rebound from turn to turn, stabilty at mach2, or grip to carve icy black diamond groomers at speed.
Conversely, he might ski the trees and such with the OP more if he had a ski that made that less fatiguing and gave more confidence.At the same time, we agree he isn’t looking for something to blast through crud or chop at speed, so stable skis aren’t needed either.

So, I would be thinking of 90-100 mm skis with a more ungroomed focus: more taper, more rocker, and lighter weight.
 

Doug Briggs

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What volkls is he currently on?

We can make suggestions till our fingers bleed, but he's much more likely to be happy with a more modern ski in the same class or an adjacent one. Sticking him on a 90mm ski if he's currently on a 72mm carver will certainly go over like a lead balloon as will the opposite.

Bingo.
 

Doug Briggs

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Looking at my response, I wondered: Have they removed 'bingo' from the OED? :eek:
 

JimL

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The Kendo and Mantra have both been around that long, hence me asking what his current ski is, we are all flying half blind without that information.
I agree that more information about the OP's father's current skis would be helpful. However, as it happens I still have my Sept 2009 SKI Buyers Guide magazine, which would correspond to the year that those skis were likely purchased (ten year old skis). It lists the Volkl Mantra (96mm waist width) under the Powder: Wide category. I doubt that he would have bought a ski that was considered a powder ski at the time. The Kendo is not listed at all, so I am assuming it had not yet been introduced.

The Volkl ski in the intermediate category is the AC20, which had a waist width of 74mm, in the Cruiser category (for advanced/expert skiers) was the AC30, with a waist width of 80mm, so my guess is that one of these two are more likely than the Mantra, but it IS a guess.

that’s funny, I read the same thing as you, but come to the exact opposite conclusion:
Since he skis easier groomers at moderate speed, any ski will do fine there, he doesn’t need max rebound from turn to turn, stabilty at mach2, or grip to carve icy black diamond groomers at speed.
Conversely, he might ski the trees and such with the OP more if he had a ski that made that less fatiguing and gave more confidence.At the same time, we agree he isn’t looking for something to blast through crud or chop at speed, so stable skis aren’t needed either.

So, I would be thinking of 90-100 mm skis with a more ungroomed focus: more taper, more rocker, and lighter weight.
The original OP said he can sometimes drag his father into sparse trees, and he does a little powder, but does not really suggest that his father has a desire to do that more often on his own. So the question really boils down to this: is he interested in doing more tree and soft snow skiing, or is he happy doing 90% groomers. You are assuming that he is interested in the former. I am assuming that he is happy with the latter, on the basis that someone who has been doing the same thing for many years is less likely to change - I think that is not an unreasonable assumption. If the former, then an all-mountain East type ski may be appropriate, if the latter, then a frontside ski would better suit his current preferences. At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking with it. :beercheer:
 
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VickieH

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I believe the saying is something like "buy skis for the conditions you do ski, not for the conditions you want to ski". Similarly, buy skis for the ski partner you do have, not the ski partner you want.
 

Jerez

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Where did the OP go? Must've heard what he needed. No point in going off in an arguement without additional info.
 
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musicmatters

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I’m here I’m here!!!

He looks like is on something like the Volkl RTM.

He would be more happy continuing on the groomers then to have a better ski for the trees.

Thanks for all the info here. Very helpful.

And yes, my plan is to wrap up a picture of some skis and then we will go demo some for a few days over a XMAS trip
 

François Pugh

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"Men have become the tools of their tools."..Henry David Thoreau.
Of course he is happier skiing groomers. Back in the day, when my one ski ski quiver was a speed ski, all I wanted to do was speed. Now, after tasting fat rockered skis in deep snow trees, when that is available I would rather ski deep snow trees at reasonable speeds with a fat rockered pair of skis than speed. (of course I'm getting old and slow now too)
Just say'n.
 

Ken_R

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I’m looking to get my father a new pair of skis for XMAS. He has skied most of his life and is a solid intermediate, but will go down double blue or easier blacks once in a while, is on the groomers 90% of the time, but isn’t afraid to hit a little powder, and I drag him into the sparse/easy tree runs once in a while. I have noticed that he has “slowed down” a bit in recent years, (I find myself waiting longer for him at the lifts at the bottom of the runs), is a solid skier but generally skis with some caution and not too fast. He takes a few trips out west every year, Utah/Colorado. He is 70 years old, 5’11” and 195lbs. He is currently on a 10 year old pair of Völkl’s.

I will probably get him to demo a few pairs from Cole Sports in Park City during a trip over XMAS. Recommendations on some things we should try out?


My dad is 74 years old. In decent shape and he would like 2 things in regard to skiing. 1. Boots that are easy to put on and take off and are decently warm and not super heavy. 2. Skis that are easy to ski somewhat damp and lightweight (for easy carry).
 

trailtrimmer

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If you need a short list of demos considering he's on a AC30/RTMish volkl, I'd look at.

More Frontsideish
New old stock RTM81
Deacon 80
Atomic Vantage 82 TI
Head V8
Head Rally/titan
Laser AX

Frontside/sidestash
Brahma 82

Or just buy the AX. and skip the demo. :) Seriously, it's almost the same dimensions and style as the AC30 (if that is indeed his ski) just way more refined and capable.
 

JimL

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My dad is 74 years old. In decent shape and he would like 2 things in regard to skiing. 1. Boots that are easy to put on and take off and are decently warm and not super heavy. 2. Skis that are easy to ski somewhat damp and lightweight (for easy carry).
I bought new boots last year because my 20 year old Head boots were getting really hard to get on and off. All four brands I tried were much easier to get on and off, and I didn't notice any significant differences in that regard. I think the latest boots use more different types of plastic in various areas to maintain lateral stiffness and flex while making on/off easier.

In terms of skis, as was discussed above with the OP, perhaps more info about your father's current skis, what he likes and dislikes about them, ability level, terrain preferences, etc. would be helpful in narrowing down the universe of possible skis.
 

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