All brands make good stuff....there is something to be said about feel and flex pattern to how they ski but everybody makes good stuff (at the upper levels there are fairly significant differences to individual athletes, but for an average Joe they all are decent).
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What to do with old 35M GS Skis?
- Thread starter Frankly
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Unfortunately I never had chance to get Volkl in my hands (not that I would really have any special wish for this anyway), but what "store skis" are and what race skis are, are two completely different worlds. Compared to store skis, Rossi GS ski feels like "train on rails" too once you put it to edge at 80km/h. No chatter no flapping no nothing, but it's just way more explosive then Fischer, which feels like dead. For free skiing it doesn't really matter much, except if you wish, you can actually have more fun on more lively ski, for going between the gates it does, especially as no course is set on 30m (or before on 35m), but at least 5m short, which gives advantage to more explosive skis. But for normal skiing, both feel super stable at high speed, and both of them feel unskiable at 50km/h
Otherwise both Fischer and Rossi are relatively stiff skis (both of these skis are for racers that are top 15 on WC), but flex pattern is different. But no matter how you look, both are rock stiff compared to stiffest store ski, and I'm pretty sure Volkl are exactly same. Flex pattern might be different, but comparing them to store skis doesn't really make sense, as no store ski is anywhere near what real race skis are.
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I just returned from Serre Chevalier where I found a short but very wide, flat and almost entirely empty piste that stayed frozen and in a very good condition throughout the whole day. And those Volkls (196cm/35m 2014/15 + Marker Piston + Marker Comp 20.0) felt absolutely awesome there! I was skiing them 2 whole days (pushing hard w/o any break about 5hrs a day). There was no need for a change of skis because of the permanent perfect condition of the piste (it's name was Eychauda, blue). I used a speedometer app... I was going around 80-120 km/h literally like nothing. I felt like glued to the piste, super confident. It felt super stable, powerful, predictable, accurate, safe... I had no problem bending them and making them do exactly what I wanted. And I wasn't even tired at all at the end of the days, because they allow you to go really fast and enjoy them w/o any real effort - if you want, you can just rest and let them go. They can carve for you... they turn in easily and hold. And even when I was skiing them through some chopped pistes on my way back to the hotel, they felt very reliable as well. I was surprised how easily I was able to manoeuvre them... They can carve and brake very well even in chopped snow. No problem at all, going old school skidding + carving where it's possible. It's just very well ballanced ski IMO (although I don't have a comparison to any other 35m ones). So yeah! I love them... Felt godlike. Maybe later I will upload some photos.
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I picked up some Head WC gs rd 35m skis and have been skiing them for around 6 weeks. They are the last year that Head made this radius ski and my experience has been fantastic. They give you fore and aft feedback unlike most any other ski,, and I am used to race skis. I started out skiing them pretty conservatively, which is counter to the way they should be skied, but gradually I kept turning up the volume, as I was making less mistakes and recentering more efficiently. Once I got the speeds up and drove the ski more, it was like a different world. I thought when I got them I would only ski them sporadically but it got to the point where every minute I was not coaching or instructing, I was on them, as long as it was a relatively smooth surface. Actually I used them coaching and on race days. They definitely improve your focus as they do not tolerate lazy, inattentive, skiing and reward constant pressure and aggressive motion. In order to fully realize the potential of the ski you must release the energy from tip to tail, and then recenter and start the process again. I think these can be used as training skis unless one becomes too defensive, in which case they could be detrimental to further development.
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I want to buy another pair of a different brand. Thinking about HEAD of course... not only because it's popular, but because of the price and availability as well. A guy who sells them said to me that the model 15/16 is stiffer and quite different from the 16/17 (graphene). I'm not a racer and I don't want the skis for going through gates. Only for free skiing ... I want to have fun with them and learn the most out of it. So now I'm thinking what model should I buy: 16 or 17? I think the ïnceased stiffnes of the 16 would not be a problem for me, but what about other differences between the models? Do you know anything specific about it?
I admit I wasn't skiing anything of Head since their preproduction model in no idea what year (season and half before they came out for racing), but with all other companies that I had chance to try (otherwise I ski Rossi) it was all same across the companies, so I doubt Head is exception. There was, and still is a lot, and I mean A LOT of development through the years (or most of time even inside of same season), and every time new ski skis better then old one. So if you ask me, take 2017 and not 2016. 2017 will ski better then 2016 for sure.
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Thanks.
The guy told me:
"The 2017 Graphene model is softer in flex than the 2016 w/o graphene. You can notice that racers choose the models w/o graphene because the graphene version feels and behaves differently than racers are used to. My opinion is that If you don't care about design, you should take the 2016"
So that's a compeletely different opinion there.
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As I wrote, I wasn't skiing Head for ages, and I also don't have much idea about their models through the years. But if in 2017 they had only graphene model, then I would dare to bet it skis better then 2016 non-graphene model. If in 2017 they had both graphene and non-graphene model, then maybe 2016 non-graphene model might ski better then 2017 graphene model but for sure still worse then 2017 non-graphene. Hope that makes sense, but again, no idea how Head had/has their models and this should be then answered by someone who knows Head real RD models not store versions.
Kind of apples to oranges here with regard to graphene in Head RD 35m gs skis. The pair I have, which I believe is the last year they made 35m WC gs skis, do not have graphene in their construction. They incorporated graphene in subsequent models which complied with the new FIS 30 m regulations. I could be mistaken but I don’t think there any graphene versions of Head 35m skis.
As an aside, had a refreeze day that never thawed at Cannon Mt today and skied those Heads all day, pure bliss.
As an aside, had a refreeze day that never thawed at Cannon Mt today and skied those Heads all day, pure bliss.
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https://snow.cz/market/detail/22332-head-wc-rebels-i-gs-rd-sw-rp-m ? Looks like graphene to me, at least according to the design with the "G", "GRAPHENE". And as I already mentioned earlier, the guy who sells them also said that they have graphene inside ... You think it doesn't have graphene inside despite the desing saying "graphene"?
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I stand corrected, that certainly is a graphene 35 m Head WC Rebels. Definitely get the graphene model,wish I had seen one. I don’t think the difference will be huge, as I have skied Head I Speed’s , one with graphene and one a year earlier without, and they were similar, wth the graphene being a little smoother.
Damn if I wouldn't gave my Rossis back, I could earn few bucks... only problem is at least around here noone wants to buy WC stuff.... I assume same goes for Sweden as I doubt they would be available for $30 otherwise
Do you know if the Rossi Hero and newer GS skis are like the SL, a few centimeters forward mount point compared to older versions? I got a pair of last year’s (I think? Red/orange with the prop tech insert bits up front), SL and really like the feel of them. I have a pair of 35m Head GS RD, which I like, but would be interested to see how the centered mount might feel on a GS ski...
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Throwing my 2 cents in - I borrowed a pair of my friend's Nordica Dobermann 195 FIS 35m skis (full race plate), in pretty great condition too. This was for a Masters Super G out in Panorama, BC a week ago, motivated by the same thinking that some have expressed, and I can say that if I did it again I'd get legit Super G skis.
I can echo that when you are moving along between 80-120km/hr these skis are stable and turn easily enough, but I just didn't have a lot of fun on them, and that includes skiing top to bottom of the mountain after our training runs. The first few turns where I was picking up speed were laborious to say the least. I certainly wouldn't spend $100 on a new pair.
Keep in mind that I'm 200lbs, fit, 34 and grew up racing (from straight skis transitioning to carving skis in highschool when they first came out). So I can muscle these guys into turns at low speed as well as high speed, but I just don't find them that fun in comparison to legitimate super G/modern GS skis that are available. Perhaps something softer like the Rossi/Dynastar may be decent, but my experience definitely tells me that there is a great reason why FIS let them die.
Like Muleski said - if you can find a mountain with a wide open/empty run and just let it rip, you might have some fun. Otherwise... deck chairs and shot skis sounds like their best application!
I can echo that when you are moving along between 80-120km/hr these skis are stable and turn easily enough, but I just didn't have a lot of fun on them, and that includes skiing top to bottom of the mountain after our training runs. The first few turns where I was picking up speed were laborious to say the least. I certainly wouldn't spend $100 on a new pair.
Keep in mind that I'm 200lbs, fit, 34 and grew up racing (from straight skis transitioning to carving skis in highschool when they first came out). So I can muscle these guys into turns at low speed as well as high speed, but I just don't find them that fun in comparison to legitimate super G/modern GS skis that are available. Perhaps something softer like the Rossi/Dynastar may be decent, but my experience definitely tells me that there is a great reason why FIS let them die.
Like Muleski said - if you can find a mountain with a wide open/empty run and just let it rip, you might have some fun. Otherwise... deck chairs and shot skis sounds like their best application!
@Primoz ... No measuring needed for these... just put them next to a pair of Rossi’s from a few years ago and they are visibly more forward than the old ones; it’s not subtle... and it seems that they have the ski center marked further forward... even without an older model to compare against, it should be noticeable (like, “oh hey, there’s a lot of tail here...”). I haven’t messed with mount points on race skis, just whatever the plate puts the bindings at by default... though I’m tempted to now.
@cosecant I will check when I go and pick my new skis in few weeks, unless friend will deliver them to me Contrary to what someone might think, I don't have big collection of skis in my basement (if 6 pairs of alpine +3 from my wife, and some 30 pairs of xc doesn't count as big collection ), so I have just a single pair of GS and single pair of SL. Nothing much to compare with
Contrary to what someone might think, I don't have big collection of skis in my basement (if 6 pairs of alpine +3 from my wife, and some 30 pairs of xc doesn't count as big collection ), so I have just a single pair of GS and single pair of SL. Nothing much to compare with My Head WC rd 35m skis, which I have had since 2017, have lost some pop and energy, still fun but I think they are trying to tell me something. I just picked up a pair of Fischer 2015 35m 190s with their race booster plate. Anyone have any feel for these skis and whether that race booster plate is anything special, or just like the other plates on the market. Sort of a rhetorical question I suppose, as if that plate was that unique everyone would be using it. Looks kind of cool though, and at this stage of the game I don’t mind a little placebo effect. One thing I did notice was that the Fischer’s had much more camber compared to the other 35s on the rack, esp. the Heads. I’m not sure how big a deal camber is in this type of ski, as there they don’t seem to have a lot. They obviously have much more than my Head’s, who have become quite soft, relatively speaking.